Cursing in books
Here is an opinion question about an issue that comes up often in young adult literature – cursing. Do you feel that it is necessary for an author to include cursing in his/her book to make it “authentic” (sounds like teenagers really speak)? Or would the books be just as good without the cursing?
May 5th, 2006 at 11:02 am
Is cursing all that necesarry in a book is the question. My answer is absolutely. If you
use it corectly cursing can show anger and passion which really brings a book to life.
Is cursing necessary-absolutely!!!!!!!!!!!
May 5th, 2006 at 1:29 pm
Wow, Justin! You sure are passionate about your feelings on this issue! (: Thanks for your opinion!
May 5th, 2006 at 2:24 pm
I think it depends. If every other word a character says is a curse word,
then thats just ridiculous, because no one says a bad word in every
sentence they speak. And to use crude language excessively is just
annoying. However (in accordance with Justin) it is useful
in expressing emotions. ^_^
May 5th, 2006 at 3:07 pm
i think that curseing in a book helps the reader understand more
in his/her own point of view. it helps them pictureing it there head asif it was happening ot them
May 6th, 2006 at 9:47 am
i believe that cursing in books is needed in some parts because the author may need to express the way inwhich the is feeling at times. also if the character is known to curse alot than that is one of te characters traits and cannot be ignored, so it isn’t all about the expressing of emotions.
but it may depend, if cursing is used to much, than it is obviously not needed.
May 6th, 2006 at 9:50 am
As I am very anti-cursing, I feel that there should not be a ridiculous amount of cursing in books. Maybe every now and then for effect and drama and such, but not as much as many teenagers use it today. I haven’t really read a book where cursing was a major issue, but someday I’m sure it will happen.
May 7th, 2006 at 1:58 pm
I feel that authors curse in their books because regrettably curse words are words that express emotions that everyone can understand and relate too. It’s not their fault it’s just the position that our society has been reduced to in terms of vocabulary. With technology growing at an increasing rate our society finds it self moving at an staggering pace and leaves little time for a person to live in a moment and to realize the beauty of the vocabulary that can exists in just one well spoken conversation face to face with another human being instead of aim or myspace.
May 8th, 2006 at 7:32 am
Thanks you all for your replies!
Like you, Dani, I am very anti-cursing, and it can be difficult for me, considering how many books I have to order, and almost all contain cursing. I try not to order any books that have “gratuitous” cursing, meaning that it is unnecessary to the story, which is what some of you feel is objectionable. Cory, you bring up an interesting point. Cursing in books is really literature reflecting society (so are drugs, sex, etc.), but do you think that sometimes it might turn into society mirroring literature (and in that category you would have to include media (TV, music, Internet, etc., because they are certainly more influential nowadays than than the printed book)? Do you think that maybe authors (and producers/music artists, etc) should be trying to influence society in a more positive way, instead of mirroring the negative? Just some stuff to think about (and comment on, if you want!)
May 8th, 2006 at 9:34 am
If one person’s ceiling is another person’s floor (Simon), doesn’t “gratuitous cursing” imply that while one person might be “painting the floor” in his or her apartment, somebody else might very well be “painting the ceiling” in the apartment below?
It’s easy to see around everybody else’s corner except your own (Nietzsche). You may be able to foresee something terrible that’s about to happen to someone across the street from where you’re watching, but you can’t see the thug coming up behind you unless you turn around and “see” from the thug’s perspective. This is why when Native Americans greet each other, they turn around to look and see what the other person is seeing before they shake hands (Campbell).
And the debate over what literature does – mirror the society from whence it sprung or help create it – has been around since we first started scratching on cave walls (Freud). It’s a knotty issue to be sure.
Americans are addicted to sugar; it’s in almost every prepared food we buy (Hertzog). If you don’t want extra sugar in your breakfast cereal, maybe there are other choices you can make besides Frosted Flakes. The point is to be able to choose. When the choice is taken away, we are all a little less free (Donne).
The point for the reader is always to try and see issues from the author’s perspective. I may not have any affinity at all for whaling, but if I am to really hear Melville’s voice in MOBY DICK, I have to at least try to see the work from his perspective.
As for vocabulary itself:
“…what justification is there for a word which is simply the opposite of some other word? A word contains its opposite in itself. Take “good”, for instance. If you have a word like “good”, what need is there for a word like “bad”? “Ungood” will do just as well — better, because it’s an exact opposite, which the other is not. Or again, if you want a stronger version of “good”, what sense is there in having a whole string of vague useless words like “excellent” and “splendid” and all the rest of them? “Plusgood” covers the meaning, or “doubleplusgood” if you want something stronger still. Of course we use those forms already. but in the final version of Newspeak there’ll be nothing else. In the end the whole notion of goodness and badness will be covered by only six words — in reality, only one word. Don’t you see the beauty of that, Winston?
“…Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it. Every concept that can ever be needed, will be expressed by exactly one word, with its meaning rigidly defined and all its subsidiary meanings rubbed out and forgotten.” (Orwell)
Puts vocabuary lessons in a whole new light, don’t you think?
Res ipsa loquitur.
May 8th, 2006 at 1:55 pm
As an answer to the question Mrs. Carpinelli posted in her comment my answer is this.
Do we really get that heavily influenced by the media and other outside sources? The answer
is yes but here is the problem. It all goes back to a lesson we have been learning since day
one. The strong take advantage of the weak. This also implys the fact that if you are only
willing to listen to those outside sources then you are weak. You must be strong enough to
stand up and make your choices. God gave us will to choose now we just have to use it. Yes
things influence us but we have to be strong and not let them impact our daily lives.
May 8th, 2006 at 6:39 pm
(Answer to Mrs. Carp’s question/comment)
I think if authors, producers, music artists, and et cetra only mirror
the poitive then society won’t learn anything. I think every book needs
[negative] conflict, because if we did not have any bad stuff
(negative influence) how can we learn what we need to fix. Also conflict
makes things more realistic to us, and taking stuff that affect us daily
(lies, drugs?, love, sex?, etc.) might also help us learn how to deal
with it in a poitive manner. Besides I think that even though the media
(of any sort including books even though that may probably not be one ^_^)
does influence us it doesnt prevent us from choosing between right and
wrong which i think leads back to the main thing: having the bad actually
helps us choose the right.
May 8th, 2006 at 11:18 pm
Good question Mrs. Carp.
I personally feel that the writers of the content of the media in our society are mostly trying to sell their work. However, people in our society tend to be drawn to the content that they can relate to in which in most cases tends to be problems or troubles they have had to feel with through out their lives. Scientist have proven that a bad memory sticks with you the longest, perhaps that is why the content we can relate to is related to problems we have encountered, because these are what we remember the best. You cant blame the writers for the content that sells, they need to earn money as well, and most of the authors tend to write what they know, for example a author doesn’t write about the smell and sights of a beach if they have never smelled or seen a beach. It’s just another example of the present destination of our civilization.
May 11th, 2006 at 5:53 pm
I Read Mostly Fiction and in all the books i read they never actually curse. They usuually say things like such and such a charecter mutters a few choice oaths or they curse and they leave it at that. That doesnt mean that cusing doesnt add to the realism of a modern day book just that in fantasys and othr fiction it is better left to the imagination. i dont read many books taking place in modern days so i dont know much about how it is used but i think it should be left out.
May 12th, 2006 at 10:50 am
first cursing can have impact on book on bring out the
story and emotion. But if use just to have in there, then
the cursing only destories the book.
Today’s tv media,music,etc are influencing our society
mostly everything now has become about sex, drug,and violence.
most shows songs are forcing the idea of relationships and
sex before marriage. it in our media and music, even our
books now thats it stupid. there are other subjects and
viewpoints we talking about in today society instead
of the same old.
September 12th, 2006 at 11:07 am
yes i think they should include curses because you feel the itensity. Thats why they should include curse in the books
September 12th, 2006 at 11:22 am
cursing is fine, everyone curses… even teachers!
September 13th, 2006 at 11:10 am
i think curses re fine. they are words that everyone uses and we are not little kids
so reading a book with a few curses shouldn’t matter because we use them too.
September 14th, 2006 at 5:03 pm
I believe a little bit of cursing is ok but if there is one on like every page then that is over doing it. I have read a good amount of books but they had a curse every once in a while. Some of the books I have read are based in Medieval times anyhow. So they don’t have a lot of curses. I also agree with Consti and that curses let you feel the intensity of the book but like I said authors should not use a lot of curses in their books!!
September 19th, 2006 at 4:21 pm
Yes, I think it is. If in every book, every one talked in old english, it wouldnt intrest
people. Kids like what they know. if kids language system changed, and no one cursed…
then I’s say, its absolutely not nessasary, But for It shows emotion,
its and easier way to describe what the character is feeling.
September 27th, 2006 at 7:57 am
everyone curses so y not in books? we all no that teachers curse and love it so when they say don’t they are hipacets.
September 30th, 2006 at 7:26 pm
The cursing in the book would be neccesassary if the character would curse but curse words should only be used if the person were to say it, there shouldn’t be the whole book filled with curse words
October 6th, 2006 at 12:44 pm
i think that cursing in the book is ok because if the author is trying to sound like a teen or trying to sound intresting
October 25th, 2006 at 11:26 am
I don’t care really. It doesn’t take away from anything in the book or give it anything. It could add some impact to certain scenes though within dialogue, but I don’t think it necessarily affects the book as a whole.
November 29th, 2006 at 3:36 pm
this is really up to the author i think some find it neccesary to curse others dont. writing styles differ from
author to author. Truthfully though cursing can help add to the general mood of the scene and charecters development
like if its a teenage charecter chances are theyre gonna curse. Im not saying cursing is good the way ive always
looked at it cursing is an idiots way of expressing something strongly. I appologize for the bluntness but thats
how it is. If the charecter is uneducated and unable to come up with a strong word to use theyll probably just curse
this is most likely to keep it realistic in the book though. but there are limits some people go a little crazy with
it. All in all though is a curse in a book that big a deal just shrug it off and keep reading dont let someone
saying D@#$ ruin the experience of reading a book.