Literature for young adults is clouded by misunderstandings and prejudices. Genres are seen as a negative influence on young adults or as a stepping stone by which adolescents make their way to the “classics.” Stories in YA novels are considered stories; rather than reading the text critically like a classic novel, YA texts are read in order to encourage young adults to read. The common idea is that critical thinking should be left to the classics because they are literature with a capital L. Reading a novel for the story's sake is perfectly acceptable, but limiting a text is a mistake. Young adult literature should be treated the same as the classics, in that it should be read with different critical thinking and critical theories. I can't read a novel without wanting to know the time in history in which the novel was written: what was happening at the time this author was writing and why did he write about this subject? Shouldn't we do the same investigation with today's novels? They will most likely remain so long after you and I have left this world. Literature is rooted in history. Current literature is filled with current history and current events. So what's the harm in thinking critically and applying critical theory to young adult literature? This genre resonates with teens and adults for a reason and it's imperative that readers think critically about all literature, not just literature with a capital L. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Uglies by Scot Westerfeld is the first book in his trilogy, the Uglies series. The protagonist, Tally, lives in a dystopian world where everyone is "equal". Everyone has surgery on their sixteenth birthday that makes them pretty. If everyone is pretty, then everyone is equal. There are three stages in this world. At the beginning, we are ugly, before the operation, then we transform into pretty, then into a pretty environment where we “choose” our career, and the last stage is crumbly. Tally befriends a girl named Shay who runs away from the city to join a group that lives in the wilderness; Smoke, a place where everyone is ugly because they ran away from the office. Shay's escape led to Tally being interrogated by the Specials who are the hand of force in the city; they threaten not to let Tally have surgery unless she helps find the group Shay fled to. Tally, regretting her decision, agrees to the conditions. Once Tally arrives at Smoke, her feelings begin to change and decides not to alert the authorities of her whereabouts. Tally begins to have feelings for David; however, Shay also has a crush on David and this is between the two friends. Tally notices the beauty in things she never thought could have beauty; she sees beauty in the work of her hands; she sees beauty in David's smile, even though it is ugly, because it shows kindness and love; she sees the beauty of nature and begins to question the whole system in the city. After learning from David's parents, who are former doctors who administered the surgeries, that the operation literally changes inhibitions and lesions become present that did not existbefore, Tally understands why people would run away. She arrived at the camp as a traitor but begins to adopt an ugly lifestyle. Tally's version of beauty is turned upside down and she must choose which version to adopt. Scot Westerfeld creates a world where everyone becomes pretty and therefore equal. In this world there are no diseases, no eating disorders, because there is no need to be prettier than anyone else because everyone is already pretty, and no wars or arguing over the appearance of others or the color of people's skin. Individuality is taken out of the equation. Looking at Uglies through political criticism, we find many topics that the author questions. In the world, citizens must give up their individuality; it creates a peaceful world without selfishness, but the loss of individuality is taken without consent; but as I said, harmony and peace are achieved. So what's the harm in giving up a little personal freedom in the name of harmony? Looking through the lens of political criticism, this novel is able to question the issues facing society today, an appreciation that can be applied to many other novels in the YA genre. Westfield not only shows the dangers of its dystopian world, but also complicates the issues by showing that perhaps not everything is bad in an oppressive government. On the one hand, we believe that people should have the choice to have surgery, but on the other hand, it is for the greater good that people should not have the choice to have surgery. With the Big Brother and NSA leaks making news today, examining this text through the lens of political criticism seems like a good idea. Perhaps this is why dystopian novels are so popular, because they deal with current issues. If I had just read the novel for the story, I wouldn't have learned as much from the novel. I would also have done the author a disservice. Throughout the novel, the ugly are separated from the pretty by a river as well as a distinct physical difference. They live in two different cities. Since the ugly ones are preoperative, their inhibitions have not been removed, the lesions inserted. By keeping the two separate, we ensure that the ugly ones cannot influence the pretty ones. The river represents power. Separation is a form of power that the government uses. If someone wants to run away, he does it like an ugly person, like a young person; it has an important meaning for me. Once an ugly person has made it through the system, they no longer have the will to change; they were indoctrinated and, after the operation, literally brainwashed; they are tied to the system for life and can no longer escape it. Tally and Shay have a conversation about boarding a hover; they see no reason why they can't sneak around and hover once they get pretty. However, they finish their own thoughts, Tally says, "Besides...just because we have surgery doesn't mean we can't do things like that" and Shay replies, "But pretty ones never do it, Tally . Never;" I believe this scene helps Tally later in the novel understand that the operation actually changes a person (Westerfeld 49). The separation makes it seem like becoming pretty is the only choice; so even though they are voluntarily forced into an operation, Westerfeld shows that the government can give the appearance of free choice, but in reality it has simply suppressed all other choices Another power seen through the prism of political criticism is. the power of individuality or lack of individuality The operation makes you equal but takes away characteristics.individual physics. No one is prettier than another. By stripping away individuality, Westerfeld shows the importance and power of individuality. Shay talks to Tally about how the Rusties lived: “Everyone judged everyone else based on how they looked. Taller people got better jobs, and people even voted for certain politicians simply because they weren't as ugly as the others” (43). An individual might be more successful based on their individual physical characteristics. The society Shay and Tally are a part of is obsessed with beauty, but they point out the flaws of the old system. These defects of the rusty society resemble today's society. Even though the great critique seems to focus on Tally's society, through the lens of political critique I can stop and contemplate the quote above. I would say that we are not at the point where someone is elected because they are prettier; However, our society thrives on the beautiful and the popular. Is Westerfeld implying that our society is moving in this direction? There is nothing wrong with being beautiful, but letting beauty influence our every decision can lead to destruction; it says something when people are so willing to give up their individuality for peace and how bad things must have been. The only pretties mentioned who ever escaped were David's parents. After having the second surgery as an adult, some people have the lesions removed based on their profession: "All the negatives worked in the same kind of profession... firefighters, guards, doctors, politicians, and anyone else who worked for special circumstances” (252). David's parents explain that the pretty ones whose jobs require quick reactions or face danger had healed the lesions, but everyone else still had lesions in their brains. The powers that be limit certain brain functions to certain people. David's parents no longer wanted to help an oppressive system that essentially removed a person's spirit, thus locking them into the system for life. In the minds of David's parents and everyone who lives in Smoke, the government has gone too far. Asking students to read this text can spark valuable classroom discussions. The intentions of the operation were created and implemented in the wake of extreme war and chaos; people will take advantage of such circumstances. Students can participate in discussions about government. Do they believe the operation is justified if it brings peace? Would society be the same if the lesions had not been located in the brain? Otherwise, those in power lied about the cosmetic surgery implemented to gain harmony; cosmetic surgery means nothing but is a catalyst for removing the free will of a people. This particular YA novel highlights a society that does not promote critical thinking and is controlled by the government. Critical thinking is power. The ugly ones might be willing to have surgery, but could that be because they were told it was the best thing to do? Do ugly people really make their choice of their own free will? High school students may go to college because they sincerely want to, but many go because it's expected of them. They were taught that if they want to be successful and get a well-paying job, they must attend college. This is why many high school students happily head to college because “it’s the thing to do.” They are told they will find out what they want to do in college, but whyis the university the preferred catalyst? Another thought, another way was presented to Tally, she is then able to think and begins to think critically. Teaching a point of view does not promote critical thinking. Although ugly, Tally still has the ability to think critically. Those who have undergone the operation can think, but they become in a way ethnocentric; they only think about their way of life and everything else becomes harmful. Without perspectives that challenge our own views, critical thinking as a form of power and as a resource remains untapped and becomes useless. If only academia could think critically about YA novels; they would realize that these books are rich and full of relevant questions and untapped potential. Unfortunately, at present, many of these potential novels will remain just that, potential and untapped. Westerfeld challenges big government and highlights that government keeps secrets. Using the political prism, it is obvious that Westerfeld is critical of this form of government, but at the same time secrecy and control can be justified. He wonders what secrets the government should keep, if any. While the city government keeps the Special Circumstances Division secret; many don't even believe they exist, but are afraid they might be real; it keeps everyone in check. Through the political prism, we see Tally and the rest of the podiums question, criticize and highlight the dangers of a society in which an omnipresent and omniscient Big Brother exists. Is the reader challenged to think critically about their own society and government? It's difficult to read a novel and get nothing out of it. The Special Circumstances Division functions similarly to the Panopticon; people don't know if they are present or not, but the mere possibility that the SC exists keeps order. Westerfeld creates a system in which Big Brother functions at his best; However, Tally and the runaways question and rebel against this form of government. Is the SC, in its actions, oppressing people in order to keep the injuries secret or are their actions carried out to ensure people's safety? Even if the SC keeps the peace, does that justify caging an individual's free will? Westerfeld depicts a society that functions under these conditions and where everything seems to function smoothly. Young adult novels like Uglies challenge readers to think about these issues that are so relevant in today's society. Is a society without personal freedom really that bad? Tally wanted to have surgery because it was all she thought about growing up; she legitimately wanted to be pretty, but if she had known from the start that her brain would be filled with lesions that would strip her of her inhibitions, would she have wanted to have surgery? Does Westerfeld show the power of education/indoctrination? The fact that surgery is necessary is overlooked by the population and they willingly undergo surgery without having any say in their appearance; surgery is their only “choice”. Thus, certain freedoms are abandoned for the common good. At what point should people say enough is enough? I think Westerfeld shows that educating people in a certain way as well as a sense of fear can continue to push the boundaries. If the media and the government continue to present a certain person as a terrorist, almost everyone will ultimately have no problem with stripping these people of their freedoms in order to guarantee the safety of.