What Johnny Can't Read: Censorship In American Libraries
This article aimed to express the concerns and disappointments of those who are not pleased with the banning of very popular books they loved as a children. These people do not agree with book banning because in their times, when they were children, they were allowed to read whatever appealed to them. Amongst these now banned books are; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Black Beauty, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, The Catcher in the Rye, as well as many other classic books. But this book banning is not something fairly new. Book banning started in the early 1990s where by 1994, the demand for removal of books had increased by more than 50%.
Many of these people believe that
The Catcher in the Rye. The Scarlet Letter. Huckleberry Finn. Harry Potter. The Diary of Anne Frank. Animal Farm. To Kill a Mockingbird. The Da Vinci Code. The Grapes of Wrath. These literary classics have been vital to the education of many, especially children and adolescents (Banned Books). These great novels both teach important values and educate children about world affairs and classic themes. Unfortunately, each of these novels has been banned at one point in time. In a country where freedom is so adamantly advocated, it is a wonder that an issue like censorship would even come up, that such a controversy would sink its claws into the minds of states’ boards of education across the nation.
Schools are meant to be a safe environment full of books and learning opportunities. If this is impaired by books that should be banned, students may feel displaced or uncomfortable. Even a high schooler is prone to this, if action is not taken. There are hundreds of books full of violence, explicit language, and drug references. Annenberg Classroom says it is “unsuitable for students” (AnnenbergClassroom.org). Students of all ages are strongly suggested to not partake of those things, and reading all about them can cause them to think it is acceptable. It is up to administrators and parents to decide what should be allowed in school libraries. Everybody has different beliefs, but most people would not want their
Book censorship and bans only primes to conformity and thus limiting the variety and range of expression as well as inquiry on which the philosophy depends. Banning and censoring reading materials is capable of limiting the technological innovations, research as well as creativity. It is hence the responsibility of the democracy to avail a diversity of views whether popular or unpopular and else should not coerce the opinions and ideas of some while inhibiting the exertions of others (Memphis, 1). Rather than banning books content, publishers should rather give complete connotation to the liberty of reading by providing books capable of enriching the diversity as well as the quality of knowledge. Reading liberation is of diminutive consequence not unless the reader obtains materials suiting their purposes.
The idea to ban certain books from schools and libraries is preposterous due to the manner in which the people trying to enforce these bans try to do so in. Banning books doesn’t help with the already present problem that our youth’s intelligence levels are already declining, and neither does allowing the freedom to all books. Banning certain books due to their constant use of inappropriate language, sexually explicit nature, and all around mature content has a respectfully reasonable reason to be inaccessible to younger audiences such as minors and teens; not young adults. The banning of books in libraries is outright inexcusable, unless the material is directly racist, subjective religious content, and all around hatred for a certain race or ethnicity; not if it’s used for fictional writing, in a softer manner mid you, to express the conflict in a story and/or to show real world problems, same go for non-fictional writing that expresses ideals in a manner of which isn’t disrespectful to other ideals and that do so in a manner of which isn’t so subjectively and deliberately showing hate for a certain race or ethnicity, especially
Banning books is one of many ways that we are killing children's imagination. Taking books away from anyone is something that should never happen. When we take books away we are taking away a safe place for children and we are taking away knowledge of our past. We should be proud to put different books on a shelf and say that we can have our own opinions. Books should never be banned from a public library or school because we disagree with what is on the inside of one.
Censorship is a concept with several different meanings. To each individual censorship has its own meaning. Is it a violation of our rights or is it a protection for our well being? Censorship in the generic sense refers to the suppression of information, ideas, or opinions. It occurs in all forms of communication from technological media to print media. Each society, culture, or individual's belief is violated by the codes of censorship that our society instills.
Throughout time, countless great children’s books have been published and then loved by many. To name a few, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. What do these three books have in common? They were all published as children’s books, then kept out of their hands for numerous reasons. Parents and teachers claimed these books were unfit for children’s reading. They either introduced topics that were not open to them yet or went against their lifestyle. All around the world, great books are being kept from children for doltish reasons. They are being censored, then banned from their eyes. Taking this literature from them is ruining their childhood; it is preventing children from learning about the world and being ready for it. Censoring in children’s books needs to become less harsh or else they are going to grow up in a sealed world.
The subject of censorship is a very controversial one, especially the banning of books. Many people believe they must protect themselves and others from the "evils" of many classic books and works of art because they can be deemed "indecent" in one way or another. Many believe that this is absurd and censorship in its current form is a violation of our First Amendment right to free speech. Personally, I align myself with the latter, however I do feel there are occasions where censorship is justifiable. The censorship of books is a division of censorship that, apart from Internet censorship, receives the most publicity. Banning books is the most popular form of such censorship. Many banned books are literary classics, such as The Catcher in
There are multiple reasons that contribute to banning a book, these reasons are mostly drawn from the disapproval expressions targeted towards the content of the book. Even though the reasoning has a valid explanation, it is important to acknowledge the liberty that is being taken away because of this.
A thought that could make many Americans sick is the thought of losing the basic human rights outlined in the Bill of Rights. Others, however claim to feel queasy with the thought of Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and its contents. One parent, Jennifer Andersen, who objects to the book says, “I began reading, and I started to cross out sections that I didn’t want him to read.” Her self-diagnosis is fueled by sheer ignorance of the right to freedom of expression. The censorship she imposes on her son is a poisonous prescription that ignores democracy. The belief that banning the book The Absolutely True
Banning books has been happening for a very long time within the education system. Parents and other adults are demanding that specific books stay out of the grasp of their innocent children, even high school students. This paper will be covering three reasons why certain books shouldn’t be banned just because parents don’t agree with the material inside the pages. The main points I will cover are, first: knowledge shouldn't be kept from one age group just because some people don’t agree with the subject matter. Second:
So many people think that schools boards should not be able to ban books but they don’t understand how bad some books can be in some people’s minds! School boards should be allowed to ban books because some people or kids might not know what they are reading is bad, they could spread it to their friends and it could become something worse than in the book, and they can copy/ redo what they have read in their books. So school boards should be able to ban books for so many reasons and for kids, and adult’s safety. If certain books got into the wrong hands, something horrible could happen. Kids need to learn about the things that might be in books found at the school libraries. So, school boards should be allowed to ban books from school libraries. People talk, rumors can be started, and trends are made. People can spread bad things that have been read in school books.
This passed year, there has been a variety of books that have been challenged on being banned. From the list of the top 10 books that're challenged i have noticed a similarity between most of them. The typical reason to cause a book to be challenged has a relationship with any body arrangements that may occur. For example, it includes situations that cause change in ourselves whether it's good or bad. A huge contibutor can be violence and drug use, or situations that include LGBT. When books that include these things are released parents become protective and don't want their kids reading books like that. They find them offensive and inapropriate for their kids, as they confuse them on certain topics like LGBT. Their family may have a different
Banning books is a practice that has been used all throughout history. It affects many people such as authors, religious groups, students, and other citizens. When books are banned, it limits the amount a person can read or learn about a certain topic. Banning books is a key component in the novel, Fahrenheit 451, as well as in society throughout history.
The subject of censorship is a very controversial one, especially the banning of books. Many people believe they must protect themselves and others from the "evils" of many classic books and works of art because they can be deemed "indecent" in one way or another. Many believe that this is absurd and censorship in its current form is a violation of our First Amendment right to free speech. Personally, I align myself with the latter, however I do feel there are occasions where censorship is justifiable.