Critical Analysis of Teen Fiction Plots are Darker and Starker

The article “Teen Fiction Plots are Darker and Starker” by William Porter is about the harsh themes in young-adult fiction and why its supporters believe it should still be available for kids to read. Porter writes that themes of today’s young-adult fiction are getting dark, but quotes people who claim that the books will not have a negative effect on young readers. In fact, some say the disturbing themes have value to readers who are suffering from the same issues.

To demonstrate these ideas, the author interviews people who are writers and readers of young-adult fiction and support the freedom of book choices. He includes statements from the editorial director of Scholastic Books, David Levithan. “Teens can explore these themes and use them to deal with issues in their own lives,” says Levithan, who is an avid supporter of book freedom. Another person the author quotes is Jill Adams, a young-adult fiction teacher at Metropolitan State College of Denver. “The genre has the ability to change with the times and always seems to have a pulse on the teen heartbeat,” she says. “It reflects what’s going on in their lives.” Porter uses this quote from Adams because she was explaining how young-adult fiction is good for readers despite its questionable themes. He also quotes readers who are in their late teens and are big fans of young adult fiction and are free to read whatever book they like. They don’t seem to have any problems despite the large amount of young-adult fiction they read. All of the people Porter includes support the main idea of his article because they favor the availability of all books to readers.

The author presents the argument that young-adult fiction can positively affect kids and should be available to all readers. He uses perspectives of different people, teachers, writers, and teens to show why even the darker young-adult fiction books should be accessible for readers. Teachers like Jill Adams who specialize in young-adult fiction promote it because it is a reflection of teens’ lives and they can learn from the books they read. Teens like Kristina Palmer and Stephanie Wheeler have complete freedom when they select their books, and no problems arise regardless of how violent and gruesome their reading choices are. Fifteen-year-old Jack Schmalzried reads anything he can find. “I like books that look in the world in a realistic way,” says Jack, whose favorite novels deal with child abuse. The author also gives the perspective of Jenna Obee, a librarian and a mom who doesn’t believe in restricting what kids read. By showing the perspectives of different people, the author makes it clear that many share the idea that these books should be available to kids.

I think that young-adult fiction should be non-restricted as well because as a kid, I wouldn’t want books to be taken away from me. Seeing the views of so many people showed me that others feel the same way. In the beginning, when the author described the way young-adult fiction books had become very gruesome and disturbing, I didn’t think they were good for kids, but after Porter explained how these books won’t have a bad influence by quoting teens, I can see now that by taking away young-adult fiction would be like taking away a bone from a dog.

Faithful Elephants

In “Faithful Elephants: A True Story of Animals, People and War” by Yukio Tsuchiya, a zookeeper at the Ueno Zoo in Japan tells a sad tale of three elephants that used to be at the zoo, but were ordered to be killed because of their potential danger. At the time, Japan was at war and it was possible that the zoo might be bombed. The elephants could escape and cause havoc. But the only way the zoo foundå to put down the elephants was to starve them to death. Throughout the story, there is a contrast between the violence and death in war and the peace and beauty of the elephants. Metaphors of terrible bombings and descriptions of the elephant’s serenity are what make the story so sad because it makes us feel attached to the elephants, causing us deep sorrow when they are starving.

The author describes the war using very symbolic language. “Bombs were dropped on Tokyo every day and night, like falling rain.” The comparison of bombs and rain gives an impression that the bombs are so abundant, and it will always be dark until they stop. Later in the story, the zookeepers are upset about their elephants and shout into the sky about stopping the war. But right after, “The angry roar of the enemy planes returned. Bombs began to drop on Tokyo once more.” Bombs begin to drop again as if to remind everybody that it will always be dark.

But there is also a gentle and beautiful side of the story. For example, the author describes the elephants’ eyes when they were dying in their cages as “clearer and more beautiful than ever.” So in addition to the big, dark theme of death, the elephants have a very sweet side to them. Later in the text, the zookeeper pats the elephants’ tombstone and cries softly. In this moment of sadness, the author included a very tranquil line. “He was still patting the tombstone tenderly as the cherry blossoms feel on the grave, like snowflakes.” The symbolism of snowflakes represents the amazing beauty that the elephants had and how they were so soft and gentle.

The contrast of the two themes, violence and peace, is what makes the story so depressing and sad for readers. When we see such peaceful and gentle creatures, surrounded by war, pain, and death, we develop empathy for the elephants. How could the zoo put the elephants through something like that? The elephants didn’t deserve to die the way they did. The sympathy we developed for the elephant is so great that when they die, waves of emotion pass over us and we feel miserable. Our ELA teacher, Ms. Rear, warned that at the end of the story, we might even cry.

In conclusion, “Faithful Elephants” was a depressing story because the author used contrasting themes of violence and peace. The peaceful elements made us connected to the elephants, so when they suffered, it caused a feeling of deep sadness. This idea matters because the sadness in the story is the main reason it’s so good. Strong feelings in books make us want to keep reading, and understanding the elements that create those feelings is important and can help us write stories of our own.