research question- julia santos

Don't wanna be an American IdiotOne nation controlled by the mediaInformation age of hysteriaIts calling out to idiot America

"American Idiot" - Green Day by Billie Joel Armstrong

Not only is this Green Day's best song, but it has a lot of meaning and I feel like it relates to our lives everyday. Like Billie Joel said, "One nation controlled by the media", our whole country is sucked into the Internet, IPhones, and our tablets and computers more than other countries. We are addicted to TV, new information, and simply having the coolest thing. I'm not saying I don't do it, everyone does it.

Also, the way he calls Americans idiots. Its true, we rely so much on technology and use screens so much everyday, by this point, we are idiots. I know what you're thinking, that you are smart. Of course, everyone is smart, but if you think about the internet usages, its stupid. Most people will stare at a screen for 90000000 hours and not learn any valuable information. Also, its stupid that instead of talking to people while we wait for something, we use our phones. Its so hard to make conversation. Just today, mr friend sat next to me on the bus. She talked to once and went on Instagram the whole time. I know I do it too, but what we do is so stupid, and I think Billie Joel is right to call us idiots.

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/greenday/americanidiot.html

Letter to ms Berber about banning books by Julia Santos

Julia Santos 11-12-13

Dear Ms. Berner,

Banning books is useless because it only benefits few people and not the community. It isn't necessary to take books out of sixth library because banning books is like preventing someone from learning. People who don't like a certain book try to ban it, but they don't know that it teaches students because they can relate to the character's life. Books should remain in sixth grade libraries because the students need to learn from them.

Alton Verm claims that he didn't have time to read the first pages of [Fahrenheit 451] because of profanities and it has the gods name in vain. If Verm actually read he would understand it's meaning. Profanities should not be the reason a book has to be banned, if it really had to be banned at all. Any book I would understand you would take out is an adult book that extremely dark and inappropriate. Also, if Verm doesn't have time for profanities, or time to read the book, don't read it! If one person doesn't like a book, it doesn't mean his community can't read that one book. You can't take out books to help students, when books could be potentially helping them.

"You can't ban books and expect to have good readers and writers." according to the Denver Post. If the school community expect good works of writing, then they better not expect that they will ban books. Students can learn from deep books and can relate and express their own feelings into writing. They can't have that when books are taken away.

Dark books and subjects have value. "As kids, they want fantasy, but when they enter their teens, they want more realistic and darker books because they are struggling with those issues". according to William Porter from the Denver Post. How can they learn life lessons? If books are banned, how can students relate their problems to anyone? Personally, I don't always want to talk about what's going on, and I'm sure my classmates and 6th graders feel that way too. Books are almost like a guide to show a way out and they are fun to read. If you take books out of the sixth grade library because they can't handle them, how can they handle life?

Books need to remain in sixth grade libraries because students need to learn from these books. Our sixth graders are going to have a dull library with books with no lessons and truth. "Censorship is the enemy truth. even more than a lie. a lie can be exposed, censorship can prevent us from knowing the difference." according to Bill Moyers.