Argument Essay Draft #2

                                               Argument Essay

             Peer pressure has been happening in most schools all over the world. Access to the book Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard should not be banned because it includes valuable life lessons, some like not to give in to peer pressure, not to steal or take things that aren’t yours, and to achieve your goals. There is a part in the book in which there is peer pressure, but the teen being peer pressured stands up for herself and her friends. The book includes other valuable life lessons that kids all around the world can relate to. The book is basically about teenage girls that once had a very “good” friend, Alison. One night she disappeared and they never found out what happened to her. People have tried to ban this book because they think that it contains inappropriate actions. The book does not contain inappropriate graphics or nudity.

             The book Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard is about four teenage girls; these girls have to go through many hard things in their life. They had made friends with the most popular girl in school and she was their “best friend”. They spent quality time together and they loved being with her, although sometimes she could’ve been a bit pushy and bossy. Then Alison DiLaurentis their “best friend” had disappeared. They went through lots of trauma. On top of that, they had been getting weird IM messages from an anonymous person claming to be “A”. This person was threatening them to do the things they were told in these IM messages. This person also new all about their secrets that only Alison new. The girls lost contact after the disappearance of Alison, but “A” was bringing them closer together. This is a good book about teenage girls and it teaches valuable life lessons.

             People have tried to ban this book because they believe that it contains parts where there is sexual intimacy and inappropriate actions. It does contain a part where there is sexual intimacy but it does not show graphics or nudity, and it barely has any foul language. Research and opinions from other articles support my counterclaim that this book shouldn’t be banned. The article, “Darkness Too Visible” by Meghan Cox Gurdon is about banned books. Meghan wrote, “Reading about homicide doesn’t turn a man into a murderer; reading about cheating on exams won’t make a kid break the honor code” (Gurdon 1). This shows that in Meghan’s eyes even if a child reads an inappropriate part of a book, it won’t influence or make the child the thing she/he reads. The video, “Book Under Fire,” talks about the thought that classic books or all time favorites shouldn’t be banned. They believe that the banning of books shouldn’t be because of the opinion of one person. The article “The Banned Books We Have Loved,” by Jenn Doll states that some people want to ban books for ridiculous reasons. Some of these are racial reasons.

             This book shouldn’t be banned because it teaches young kids valuable life lessons, some like not to give in to peer pressure, not to steal or take something that isn’t yours, and to achieve your goals. In the beginning of the book, before Alison had disappeared, the five girls were having a sleepover. Alison had wanted to hypnotize the girls but they didn’t want her to. But as always, they gave in and let her. Alison then made them close their eyes and she turned off the light. None of them wanted the light off, but they were too scared to say anything. Spencer decided to stand up.

Spencer put her hands on her hips. ‘I want it lighter. Maybe everyone does’ Alison looked at the others; they still had their eyes closed. ‘It doesn’t always have to be the way you want it, you know, Ali’ (Shepard 13).

Spencer stood up against peer pressure and defended herself and the girls against Alison. She didn’t give in to the peer pressure. The book also influences kids to get good grades. Spencer got a really high grade on her PSAT test. “She read the PSAT results six times before it sunk in. She’d gotten a 2350 out of 2400.” (Shepard 124). Spencer had gotten really good grades, which could influence kids to get good grades. The book also influences children not to steal things. “They have you on tape shoplifting some items from their store. Tapes from various other mall security cameras tracked you out of the mall and to your car…” (Shepard 91). This could teach kids that you shouldn’t steal, rob, or take things that aren’t yours because you will always get caught.

             In conclusion, access to the book, Pretty Little Liars shouldn’t be banned because not only does it not have inappropriate graphics or nudity but it also teaches valuable life lessons. It’s about teenage girls that go through many problems but in the end, they’re just like us. They go through peer pressure and almost every kid in the United States has gone through that. They are also in high school which is what most 8^th graders will be in next year. The book kind of shows us a part of what high school will be like. To conclude everything, this book shouldn’t be banned; there are no logical reasons for this book to be banned.