Dylan Hollingsworth
November 12, 2010 B2
Mrs. Wierzbicki
Why "Homer's Odyssey" Should Be Banned From School Curriculum
When children are growing up they learn by imitating what they see and hear. It is the
parent's and the teacher's job to be positive role models. The adults in a child's life
should expose a child to things that are healthy for them and surround them with
positivity. There is an abundance of negativity in the world such as crime and violence.
Sometimes, the media promotes and glamorizes it but a parent can easily decide what
their child can and can not watch. However, parents and sometimes even teachers do
not have control over what children read in school. Every school has a curriculum that
includes books and stories that the children in that school have to read. However, is it
appropriate for young adults to read books about criminals and violence as a part of
their school's curriculum?
People act based on what they are taught. "The Bible teaches that 'as a man thinks in
his heart, so is he' (Prov. 23:7). What we view and what we think about affects our
actions" (Anderson). A person's way of thinking is what causes him/her to act and
react a certain way in different situations. Furthermore, what a person is taught affects
their way of thinking. Every child learns right from wrong when they are growing up
and they carry what they were taught into adulthood. So, is it appropriate for a child to
read books about violence, murder, and criminal activity if it is a school's curriculum?
No, because violence in literature promotes violence in society. If a teacher gives a
child a book to read that contains violence then the child may think that violence is
alright and may begin to act violently.
"Many scholars argue that violence, if used appropriately, has its place in some
children's books. They point out violent literature is often not to blame for violent
behavior in children; rather, the inclusion of violence in quality literature can create
positive influences in children's lives" (Creasey). This statement is very true. In most
children books and stories, there is a conflict involving a bad guy that has to be
defeated. However, that bad guy is usually not defeated in a gory, violent way. Also,
the concept of good always overcoming evil does have a positive influence on a child's
life. Violence that is used in literature "appropriately" is the violent acts that are justified
(Creasey). For example, in "The Wizard of Oz", Dorothy defeated the Wicked Witch of
the West. She killed her by merely spilling water on her and she had a good reason
for killing her. A story like "The Wizard of Oz" has a positive effect on children. The
violence in it is slight and acceptable.
So, where do we draw the line with violence in children's literature? What kind of
violence and/or murder is appropriate for children to read in literature? The only
reason why there should be any violence in children's literature is to prove a point or
create a moral to the story. One moral in "The Wizard of Oz" was that you can
overcome your obstacles in the most simplistic of ways. Unfortunately, violent actions
were used to create that moral. However, a book that contains murder and criminal
activity but has no moral should not be in a school's curriculum.
"Homer's Odyssey" is an example of a book that is not appropriate for children and
should not be in a school's curriculum. This book contains useless violence, drug use,
and the "hero" in the story was actually a criminal! The story has no moral and it
doesn't give you something to think about once you're done reading it. It's all action
and useless violence and that is not something a young adult should be reading.
Books such as that should be banned from school curriculum.
Many people referred to Odysseus as "a hero in trouble", but he was not a hero!
Odysseus's actions were not heroic; most of them were very cowardly. He was a
criminal. He used his trickery and sneakiness to get himself out of trouble. A real hero
wouldn't create trouble for himself. Hero's solve problems; they don't create them.
Odysseus created a problem everywhere he went and used his criminal mentality to
scheme his way out of it every time.
Odysseus tried to con his way out of fighting in the Trojan War by acting like he had a
mental disability and put his son's life in danger in the process. In the story of the
Cyclops, he trespassed on Polyphemus's property so the Cyclops had every right to
retaliate. Also, Odysseus did have the right to defend himself, fairly. However, he got
Polyphemus drunk so that he could try to defeat him. Even when he was drunk and
vulnerable Odysseus still couldn't kill him. That was very unfair and cowardly of him.
In the story of the Lotus Eaters, his men accepted a plant from people that they didn't
even know and ate it. That plant just so happened to be a drug. What kind of man
takes an unusual plant from a stranger and eats it? An even better question is what
kind of hero travels with these kinds of men?
The most unheroic act that Odysseus planned and partook in was the killing of the
suitors. The killing of Antinous could have been considered an honor killing because
Antinous did disrespect him and his family. However, the murders of the rest of the
suitors were unjustifiable. "Spare your own people. As for ourselves, we'll make
restitution of wine and meats consumed, and add to each one, a tithe of twenty oxen
with gifts of bronze and gold to warm your heart. Meanwhile we cannot blame you for
your anger" (Holt 804). Even when Eurymachus spoke these words to Odysseus he
had no sympathy. He killed each suitor mercilessly one by one. Only a cruel,
heartless killer would murder innocent people with no remorse. That is exactly what
Odysseus did and he was praised for it. Does that kind of behavior deserve praise and
reward? Would you want your children to admire and immolate a criminal?
"School boards have found that it is easier to ban books than to deal with concerned or
questioning parents" (Poupard). This book should be banned from school curriculum
so that children will not consider criminals like Odysseus role models. If children read
about a "hero" that shows no remorse and is a merciless killer then they will want to
immolate that to seem cool. Young adults have to worry about violence and crime in
their community, peer pressure, drugs, etc. so they are already tempted to do bad
things. If they read a book about a man who did bad things and was praised for it they
will think that it's alright. That is why "Homer's Odyssey" should not be a part of the
school's curriculum.
Works Cited
Anderson, Kerby. "Violence in Society." Leadership University.
http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/violence.html
Creasey, Megan. "Does Violence Have a Place in Children's Literature? | Oneota
Reading Journal." Oneota Reading Journal | A Publication of Luther College &
Decorah Public Library. http://oneotareadingjournal.com/2010/does-violence-have-aplace-in-children's-literature/
"Death at the Palace." The Odyssey. Holt, Rinehart & Winston. 803-06. Holt McDougal
Online. Web. http://http://my.hrw.com/tabnav/controller.jsp?isbn=0030778190
Poupard, Larry. "Why Do Books Get Banned?" Suite101.com: Online Magazine and
Writers' Network. 21 May 2010. http://www.suite101.com/content/why-do-books-getbanned-a239721
"Proverbs." Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments, Translated out of the
Original Tongues and with the Former Translations Diligently Compared and Revised :
King James Version. New York: American Bible Society, 1988. Print.