Teen reader defends 'Twilight'

Last week, I wrote about "Twilight," a wildly popular series for young adults that features vampires. Although there are kids I love who love these books, I was critical of the underlying messages.

I thought I had done my homework: I read the book, I read reviews of it, and I talked to an enthusiastic reader. Ahem. I stand corrected. The letter below is my dream letter. The writer disagrees with my opinion. In her rebuttal, she's articulate, respectful, intelligent and analytical. Brianna's approach is a model for people who disagree about a title or anything else.

Dear Ms. Hawk,

My name is Brianna Murray. I am fifteen years old, and live in Charleston. I am a huge fan of the "Twilight" series. I read your article today and there were a few comments that I would like to make.

I think it is very admirable that you actually read the book. It is a long read especially for someone who it doesn't relate to it as strongly. However it does pull you in. I have read it thirteen times and each time I have found something new.

There are two main points in your article that I do not agree with. You point out that girls should be independent and strong on their own. I agree, that is a good thing. In "Twilight," Bella relies on Edward entirely too much. She is not very independent, but in the second book, "New Moon," all of this changes. Edward leaves Bella because he thinks he is not good enough for her. He doesn't want to put her in danger. Bella goes through a dangerous depression. Through her grief and sadness readers learn that she was too dependent on Edward. Readers learn that it is not a good idea. I think Bella learns from the experience as well.

In your article you also say that, "It would grate on my sense of justice for any girl to salivate over a guy solely based on his appearance." I do not think that Bella does this at all. The day after Edward saves Bella from the men in Port Angeles, Bella has a conversation with her friend Jessica. Jessica tells Bella that Edward is unbelievably gorgeous. Bella tells Jessica that there is more to him than his appearance. She tells her that "he's even more unbelievable behind the face." She then thinks about how Edward wants to be good and how he goes around saving people's lives so that he won't be a monster. I think Bella as well as the readers realize that there is so much more to any guy than just his looks.

I think that the "Twilight" saga shows good morals and ideals over all for teens. The third book in the series gives teenagers the message of abstinence. So many books now do not support abstinence that I was pleasantly surprised that "Twilight" did. One more thing is that "Twilight" has very little bad language. So many teenage characters in books use bad language, but Bella does not. Only two words were used in "Twilight" and both were in extreme situations. I think Stephenie Meyer sets a good example for readers, and her books express good morals for teens across the world.

I value all of your opinions and greatly enjoyed reading your article. I think it's really neat that you actually read the book. Thanks for reading my opinions as well.

Sincerely,

Brianna Murray

Thank YOU, Brianna. Keep reading and keep thinking!

Contact franbooks@yahoo.com.