Jacob Sutton 808
Should A
Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle be banned from our middle school libraries?
2nd Draft
Our basic right, the freedom of speech,
guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, continues
to be challenged in middle schools across the country as classics and other
books are banned from middle school libraries.
Some argue that certain books should be banned due to questionable
content, theme or religious issues, to name a few. As a middle school student, it is disheartening
and disturbing to witness the banning of great books, many of which are award
winning classics that have a profound
effect on the lives of young readers.
One such book on the banned books list is A Wrinkle In Time by
Madeleine L’Engle, the book I read as part of our inquiry cycle in ELA
class. While some religious groups have
pursued a ban of A Wrinkle In Time because they believe it undermines
Christian belief, I believe this Newberry Award winning classic should remain
on the bookshelves of our middle school libraries because its’ messages of
individuality verses conformity, and overcoming fear and being brave in order
to connect with the people you love are important messages for middle school
students to understand.
In
A Wrinkle In Time, Meg struggles to overcome her desire to conform and
appreciate her individual uniqueness.
The great philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “To be yourself in
a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest
accomplishment” (Goodreads.com). At the
beginning of the gook, Meg tells her mother, “I hate being an oddball…I try to
pretend but it isn’t any help” (p.18).
Later on in the book, L’Engle shows the idea of conformity in the form
of Camazotz, a town on the Dark Planet where there are rows of identical homes
and kids that do the exact same thing as each other (one boy is punished and
left to practice the “proper” way to play ball in an isolated room). After a long adventure, Meg realizes the evil
of the conformity on this planet and incorporates Emerson’s lesson of
appreciating her uniqueness and the value of being herself.
The
characters, particularly Meg, in A Wrinkle in Time face and overcome
their fears for a greater good – that being the love and connection with family
and friends. Meg is propelled to save
her brother, Charles Wallace, who remained on Camazotz when they all had
returned to Earth. Though it was very
dangerous, Meg’s love for her brother overcame all the fears in her path and
with the help of the Mrs. W’s, she was transported back to save him. Franklin Roosevelt once said, “The only thing
we have to fear is fear itself” (historymatters.gmu). In the end, Meg overcomes her feelings of
anger and disappointment and her fears because of her great love for her
brother.
A
Wrinkle in Time has been challenged frequently by Christian groups who took
issue with a passage in the book which placed Jesus alongside Gandhi, the
Buddha and Einstein in the fight against evil.
In Devourofbooks.com, it is suggested that Ms. L’Engle’s book “has been
challenged for essentially being too liberal a brand of Christianity.” However, Ms. L’Engle only uses Jesus’ name
(along with others) to strengthen her theme about good and evil. She makes a strong point when the three Mrs.
W’s tell the children that there are some very great fighters against evil and
the powers of darkness. Darkness is the
absence of light and Ms. L’Engle does not go against Christian beliefs and
makes a great case when she suggests that the way to fight darkness and evil is
through light and love.
A Wrinkle in Time is a thought provoking
great work of literature that opens up conversation for young people on
important issues in their lives. It
allows them to question the ideas of good verses evil, individuality verses
conformity and the nature of love between family and friends. The book’s central conflict clearly
dramatizes these issues in a very accessible way for middle school
readers. To ban this piece of literature
from middle school libraries, would be a great loss for middle school students
around the world.
