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.