Book should not have been removed

Book should not have been removed

When a U.S. Army ranger is staring into the barrel of an AK-47 rifle, handled by a 10-year-old child from the streets of Mogadishu, he or she is bound to release profanity. In October, Jared Foreman assigned a 10th-grade English class to read “Black Hawk Down.” This historic novel was based on the conflict that occurred in 1993 that left 18 American troops dead. The English teacher said he assigned the book to “spur student interest in reading.” The principal, Jimmy Ledet, removed the book from class due to offensive language. I firmly disagree with the decision by the principal of Central Lafourche High School to ban the book. This is an outrage.

Language has a very big role in the interpretation of a piece of literature. If a book has very child-like diction and word choice, one can usually interpret a happy, young and fun tone. When a book has vulgar language, it really shows the struggles that people went through because of the anger it shows. The retelling of this battle is one of the most accurate in history. It provided vivid, graphic and detailed descriptions of an utterly overmatched American force. Inclusion of profane language in depicting the events is critical to the accuracy of urban warfare. On the other hand, there is no age that strictly defines when profanity is appropriate for children. Parents have their own boundaries with their children and teachers can’t please everyone.

The real point is that this battle involved chaotic breakdown in communication, strategy, command and tactics. It is not unlike other battles in U.S. history. Omitting the terrifying dialogue between a captain who tells his general his orders will result in certain death of their platoon fails to convey the essence of this novel. The dialogue between these two people would have certainly contained profanity. History learns from accurate depictions of all participants in battles. This includes their emotions, their language and their anticipated fate. Many of them felt they were in the last battle of their lives.

I firmly disagree with Ledet’s decision to ban “Black Hawk Down.” The book accurately describes what these soldiers had to go through while fighting in Somalia. The teacher who assigned the book posted warnings on the school Web site and sent out messages via e-mail. In my opinion, profanity is appropriate in the contribution to the mood and tone of this novel.
Alex Bonifer
Saline, Mich.

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