The Kids are Aright

 Tyra Alexander

10 April 2024

EN*499

Dr. Ellis

The Kids are Alright



After reading “Melissa”, I've come to realize that the kids are fine. A lot of discourse surrounding book bannings come from parents who are afraid of who their children might become. But, ‘might become what’? A decent human being? Many of the classmates in the novel showed me that children aren't the ‘creatures’ some adults may think they are. Yes, they’re easily impressionable but at their young age, they don’t harbor bias and discrimination in a way some adults do. However, it's inevitable that those adults who are prejudiced, raise prejudiced children. And we see that a lot with Melissa’s classmates. For example, the day after the play at recess, many of Melissa’s classmates, with the help of Kelly, congratulated Melissa and really commended her for taking that leap of faith.

On the other hand, there was Jocelyn and Jeff who were not being very nice. I don’t blame this on them at all, I simply blame their environments. At ten years old, Jocelyn and Jeff most likely form their opinions based on the opinions of the people around them. Therefore, their behavior definitely came from somewhere.  But, with them being so young, this allows for so much more room for growth within them.


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