The funny story “Why Books are Dangerous”, written by Neil Gaiman, talks about a young boy, Neil, who likes to read but getting into trouble because of reading, and finally he learns that books could be dangerous. At the beginning, Neil always loved to read books and almost everyday had one book with him. He doesn’t think books are dangerous though. Then Neil tells his own experiences about the books he reads to illustrate how people around him, his father and the headmaster, have their own opinions towards the books he is reading. From the father's perspective, reading is good but he would take away the books Neil is reading before family weddings or funerals. Similarly, the headmaster who uses slippers to punish misbehaved students once confiscated a book from Neil because of a photograph that he thought was inappropriate on the cover. Soon, Neil started to read dangerous books and some mistakes. He once dyed a white school T-shirt using beetroot but it turned out that he dyed all the other clothes that were with it in the washing machine. Then he made another mistake and got sent to the headmaster. Neil made the toffee recipe, the idea he learned from a book, but he brang it to school in his pocket with his handkerchief. When he was going to get his handkerchief, the toffee also went out and shattered into pieces. Next, Neil was sent to the headmaster with a note explaining what he had done and the headmaster pulled out the slipper. That was the time when Neil finally realized that some books were dangerous. This book could be discussed in three parts: Both parents’ opinion and teacher’s opinion toward the book Neil reads, Neil’s own experience and opinions toward the books, and what I have learned from Neil’s lesson.
Engaging in reading at appropriate moments as well as carefully choosing what books to read are important steps to make reading enjoyable and beneficial. Reading books at the right time not only helps people focus better and enjoy the story more but also it shows people respect others who are surrounding them. Making good choices when picking an appropriate book to read would make reading more fun and meaningful. When Neil was younger he had loved reading but his dad would not encourage him to read before family weddings or funerals. The headmaster of Neil’s school thinks the book Neil is reading was dangerous and took it away from Neil because the book’s cover was inappropriate. Honestly, Neil did not choose the right time or select the appropriate book to read. From Neil’s dad's opinion, it is impolite to read books during weddings or funerals. Family wedding is a happy moment while every family member unites together to celebrate the happiness together, while everyone is quiet and thinking of the beloved ones who just passed during the funeral. People should spend some time reuniting with their family members to show their respect. But Neil was disrespectful. He just wants to do his own reading, which is kind of selfish without thinking about other people’s feelings. As a parent, it is good that the kid loves reading. However, kids need to choose the right time to read. Dad thinks there are certain situations or occasions that Neil should not read, such as weddings. The headmaster took away the book because of the photograph of the book cover because he thinks it is very inappropriate for a young boy to read, even though the content of the book has nothing to do with the inappropriate photograph. The headmaster did not punish Neil with the slippers, but he did give out a warning to Neil. The headmaster was trying to tell Neil about the dangers of the book. The parents and teachers view reading books as good but they still want them to choose a good decision about reading. They want children to have a good knowledge about what they are reading and make sure they are in the right place.
Although reading books could be an enjoyable activity, it is essential for people to be mindful of their book selections and ensure that the content and the book cover is appropriate for them. It is possible that the books people are picking may contain themes that are inappropriate, misleading, or unsuitable for their ages or personal values, which might hinder their growth mentally, academically, and socially. After reading the book “1001 Jolly Interesting Things a Boy Can Do”. He wants to dye a school shirt using beetroot. turned the white shirt into a color of a purply sort of red. Other clothing is dyed as well. Of course such a mistake is Neil’s fault. But why would such a disaster happen to Neil? First, Neil should not use the school white shirt. If he really wants to know/ learn something from the book, he could have done the experiment with the handkerchief. Second, does Neil know the color could be changed back from purple to white? Does the book Neil reads tell him the dyed color could be washed away? The book did not say and Neil should know better. Neil should have foreseen the consequences. In addition, He should have known to separate the white clothes and colored ones. Obviously, this dyed-clothes accident also indicates that Neil lacks life experience about washing clothes. In other words, Neil loves to read books no matter what genre it is. But he doesn't understand the danger of books. Neil thinks reading is good and he could learn something from the book but he doesn't think that there are bad books which bring negative consequences. One time Neil got in trouble for doing an experiment in one of the books, causing him to get punishment from the headmaster with his slippers. Then Neil understands that books are dangerous. Reading books can be a fun activity but still people need to be aware of what book they are choosing to read as well as to determine if the content is appropriate.
This story has taught me that sometimes books are dangerous and harmful to the readers or making readers disrespectful to their loved ones, even though books are interesting and can expand people’s knowledge and skills. People, especially young readers, should be paying attention to the content they choose to read because it helps to ensure that the written material is accurate, respectful, and appropriate to the readers. It is a natural gift that Neil likes to read books, in fact all different kinds of books. However, Neil did not choose the right time or appropriate book to read. Similarly, Neil looks for new knowledge out of curiosity from reading the books. But Neil did not foresee what would come next. Neil didn't think that books were dangerous but there were good books and bad books. Neil didn't know which was which and he never thought that books were dangerous. He only got to know until he started to read the really dangerous books like the books that have creativity. Good books have things that help people learn. Bad books have creative things that people might want to do that are not actually right to do. I think that books sometimes can be dangerous even though maybe I think it is not. It will sometimes not be obvious though but I still need to watch out whenever I have a book I want to read. It can be a bit dangerous if I have chosen a book that is a bad book. To avoid picking up an inappropriate book, maybe I could check with my parents, teachers, or librarian at school. I will have them check the content is appropriate for me orIn addition, I should pick an appropriate time to read, whether at home or at school, like not reading English books during the Science course. Not all books are appropriate. Some books are dangerous and we should be careful of them.
“Why Books are Dangerous” is a short but very meaningful story. Through this story, first readers get to see parents’ opinions and teachers’ opinions toward books. Both of these two characters definitely agree reading is a good habit for the kids. But they do concern if students choose the right time to read or if the content, even just the book cover, would be appropriate for their ages. Moreover, the author describes his own experiences and opinions about books to let the readers know the negative consequences of reading inappropriate books. Without questions, I as a reader have learned the most important lesson of this story: Not all books are appropriate; some books are dangerous to read.
Comments