After writing her article “Darkness Too Visible,” Meghan Cox Gurdon delivers a speech responding to the critiques that have been refuting her article. In her speech, “The Case for Good Taste in Children’s Books,” she expands on her original claim that young adult literature is becoming “increasingly lurid, grotesque, profane, sexual, and ugly” and that children should be guided away from these books and led towards those that make “aesthetic and moral claims” (Gurdon). Gurdon delivers her claim phenomenally by countering opposing statements, using valid examples and analogies, and using ethical standpoints.
Throughout her speech, Gurdon displays her attentiveness to the opposing viewpoints on her claim. She takes into account the criticism she has received from her original claim and counters them by further …show more content…
Towards the beginning of her speech, she uses three examples of popular young adult books and quotes some of their twisted passages that include gore, sex, and self-harm. She continues by recognizing the opposing perspective from Lauren Myracle—“young people should encounter material that jolts them out of their comfort zone” and continues by including an opinion from the same opposing viewpoint who “agree that books influence children” (Gurdon). She later uses a powerful analogy comparing “the darker offerings in Young Adult literature” to Caravaggio’s painting of David and Goliath (Gurdon). She asserts that the scene of David and Goliath is a horror scene, but the overall meaning of it is beautiful. She therefore compares Caravaggio’s painting to dark Young Adult literature and explains the big difference. They are both often horror scenes, but Young Adult literature often “wallows” in the dark reality of life and fails to present the upside
Throughout her speech, Gurdon displays her attentiveness to the opposing viewpoints on her claim. She takes into account the criticism she has received from her original claim and counters them by further …show more content…
Towards the beginning of her speech, she uses three examples of popular young adult books and quotes some of their twisted passages that include gore, sex, and self-harm. She continues by recognizing the opposing perspective from Lauren Myracle—“young people should encounter material that jolts them out of their comfort zone” and continues by including an opinion from the same opposing viewpoint who “agree that books influence children” (Gurdon). She later uses a powerful analogy comparing “the darker offerings in Young Adult literature” to Caravaggio’s painting of David and Goliath (Gurdon). She asserts that the scene of David and Goliath is a horror scene, but the overall meaning of it is beautiful. She therefore compares Caravaggio’s painting to dark Young Adult literature and explains the big difference. They are both often horror scenes, but Young Adult literature often “wallows” in the dark reality of life and fails to present the upside