Reading response to "Darkness too Visible"

     In the article "Darkness too Visible", by Megan Cox Gurdon, the fact that young adult books have become more and more dark is addressed. Also the article addresses the reality that things that many adults wouldn't read are frequently on the bookshelves of a twelve year old.Megan Cox Gurdon is strongly against how so many teens are reading books about sex, violence, and drugs, all in graphic detail. And the thing she finds most perverse is that many of these things in books are simply put in there gratuitously.

     The author emphasizes these things strongly using loaded words such as: "black-rot body parts" "nightmarish" and "gruesome". Imagery also affects the story greatly. She uses strong imagery in words including: "She had gouged her belly out until it was a mess of meat and blood." That phrase makes me literally nauseous. Also, Megan Cox Gurdon uses grisly quotes. For example: "She had sliced her arms to ribbons", which makes me really think that she is strongly getting her point across by using shock.

     Megan Cox Gurdon supported her claim by using shock and surprise to gross out and repulse her readers. She also strongly uses counterclaim about how having a book about something you are going through, however repulsive it may be can help you cope with your issues, but then she rebuts, saying that it might in fact encourage people to engage in this destructive behavior.

     Although I disagree with Megan Cox Gurdon's opinion that young adults shouldn't be allowed to read books like this, I agree with her on the grounds that violence, drug abuse, and sex in stories should not be as gratuitous. I also agree with her tat books like this should not make up the entire young adult genre. So, overall, although Megan Cox Gurdon did not convince me of her main point, she made a lot of points that I can really agree with.