Week 2 - Pat Asks You - Violence and Language in the Book
The author of "Guerrilla Season", Pat Hughes, wants to ask you a question about the book:One criticism I've heard about "GS" is that there's too much violence and too much swearing in a book for young adults. Do you agree?
Please answer this question by posting a comment to this blog entry by clicking on the "comments" link below this post. Please remember to use either your first name only or no name. Any comments with full names will not be posted. Thanks.
posted by Eric Langhorst | 10:15 AM
23 Comments:
I don't really think that there is that much swearing and violence, but I do think the age level could be raised just a little bit to understand the serieousness of that time period.
Anon - Hmm, not sure I understand your comment. I know it's mostly 8th graders involved in this particular project ... are you saying you think the topic is too complex for 8th graders?
Pat
It would be hard to write a book about that period of time without including violence. And as for the swearing, it is minimal and never glorified. As an adult whose children are now grown, I certainly don't see anything wrong with it.
I don't think 8th graders are too young to understand the issues connected with war. I think this is a perfect age to get young people thinking about these things.
Nancy
There are so many books that have swearing in them for young adults that I don't really think the language is a problem in this book. People need to see that this is how life is and not act like they live in a perfect, sinless world.
In this time period, the only way to really make the book more interesting is to add the violence, that's how we are able to know what actually happened in the time period. I don't really think that there is too much swearing, I've read more books with way more swearing.
I agree with everyone above that to understand how it was really like in Missouri back then, then there needs to be violence and minimal language. I also agree that there is so many books out for young adults that swear that I don't see a problem with it.
I don't not think there's to much violence. This is the real world and there's plenty of violence we hear of it every day. Guerrilla Season just expresses the violence in many different ways that most books wouldn't. Also i don't think the language is a problem either. I've read books the are for our age groups, and they have language way worse than in this book.
I dont think there is too much violence in the story. I think that the voilance in the story shows more people how it actually happened, even if you had to cut alot of the violence out. The language is not bad either like Miss said i have read books for our age that have worse laguage.
Well, if it is the way that most people acted and talked during that time, I think that it is okay. I haven't really been disturbed by it yet.
MC Concertmaster
If violence and the language in this book were minimal, it probably would not portay the time period accurately. At this time, there were many people swearing, and there had to have been violence because it was in the middle of a war. In this book, the language isn't that big of an issue. The level of this book is young adult, and most young adults wouldn't be too surprised to find a little bit of swearing and violence.
~Dhruv the Dominant
i do not think there was too much violence and whatnot in the novel. i think the amount that was there was necessary for us to understand the severity of the situation back when this book took place. i think it makes it more realistic and gives us an insite as to what REALLY happened.
~Katherine
I don't think that there is too much violence or swearing because, as other people have already said, the language and violence are appropriate to the time period. Also, it isn't too much for the age group of participants in this blog.
i don't think that there is too much violence or swearing in the book. I think the violence is necessary to follow a believable plot in the current time poriod. Also, the language used makes the story more real, and like it really would have been in the story. Anyway, these days, a the average teen will see more bad langauge in his favorite T.V. show than in this book.
I do not believe that the violence and language in the book were a big issue. If violence and language were not used in the Guerilla Season, then the book would not corectly portray the severity of the situation back then. Since the novel took place during the war era in Missouri there was definetly a lot of violence.
*Kelsey*
No i dont think there is too much violence or swearing because if there wasnt any then it would be based off a true event.
no i dont think that there is too much violence and swearing in the book, if there wasnt the book would be totally based off of a true event
I dont think the book has to much violence or swearing because it is what makes the book realistic and im sure that they really said some of these things back then. The book is great just as it is.
I agree with Matthew(who left his comment above this question). If we cut out everything that has violence, we wouldn't have a lot of everyday things that some people rely on. And as for the swearing, well as Matthew said it's a part of life and kids are just going to have to grow up and get used to it.
<3 Jessica<3
Personally, there is way too much language. Swearing has gotten worse over the years and I really don't think they cursed that much back then. If there was no cursing in the book, it would still be just as good.
It's simple, if you don't like violence and swearing, don't read it, unless you have to for a project, like us. But i enjoyed this book. 8th graders are mature enough to not mind the violence or swearing, i think.
- The Magicians Prodigyâ™
I think that the fact that you use the violence and language makes it seem more realistic. When you actually stop and think about it all of that happens. If you didn't use the language and the violence then the book wouldn't be as great of a book.
I don't really agree with the idea that there's too much swearing in Guerrilla Season becuase most people are already exposed to that type of language. It's also allowed in pg-13 movies so why not in this book? Juno
I don't think there is to much swearing. I have read alot of books and some of my favorite have a lot of swearing so I don't think it affects the book. For example one of my favorite books of all time is Catcher in the Rye and all it does is swear. Plus we are in eighth grade and we have been exposed to violence and language before.
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