Should Certain Books Be Banned from the School Library? As a congregation of pupils from different age groups, the school is responsible for teaching and giving students the right information. There had been debates about whether specific books should be banned from the school library. Certain books shouldn't be prohibited from the school library because it has strong legal support (source 1), book banning censors information (source 2), and students will be tempted to access the banned information. First, the first amendment and many Supreme Court cases vetoed the banning of books. The first amendment guaranteed the freedom of the press which includes library books. In addition, in the many Supreme Court cases such as Case v. Unified School District, Minarcini v. Strongsville City School District, and Board of Education v. Pico, the judges leaned towards students, acknowledging …show more content…
Movies intrigues and help visualize contents a lot better. Also, according to a research conducted (source 4), people remember 50% of what they see and hear but only 10% of what they read. Therefore, some contents can be immature if you watch the movie instead of reading a book and movies leave bigger imprints in students' mind. Finally, censoring information is not a solution. People can always find a way through the limitations. Mark Twain once said "telling someone they can't read a book is like telling a man he can't have a steak because a baby can't chew it." Following up on the example of the Firewall of China, today, people use VPNs to bypass the filter and access foreign information. In this case, if students can’t read a book, they will be more likely to discover ways to access the book. In the end, book banning will only increase students’ desire to read and make matters even
Once upon a time, in a world not far from here, there are students who are forced to miss their annual train ride to Hogwarts, lock the wardrobe to the magical land of Narnia, and walk through the English countryside themselves instead of upon the back of Black Beauty. Why are these students deprived of those occurrences? They live in America, the land of the free- except when it comes to the books they can read. In fact, many schools across America exercise the practice of banning books. Since 1982, libraries, parents, and schools have attempted to ban 11,300 novels, according to the American Library Association. The essentially innoxious books are challenged for an assortment of reasons, including use of malapropos language, graphic or explicit
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.
Brenyo, M. (2011). [Censored]: Book banning in the US education system. Journal of Law & Education, 40(3), 541–549.
It is understood why somebody may think that books should not be banned at schools because by doing this parents are hurting their children by restrain their knowledge. When a quality book is banned, the children lose the opportunity to learn from that book. It is better supported that, some books should be banned from schools because they can introduce students to unacceptable topics and teach them bad or useless
School boards and teachers have a responsibility for protecting the minds of their students and covering age appropriate material. However, does this responsibility cover the extreme act of banning books from school classrooms? Does not the teacher have a duty to introduce to their students world issues in order to better the students ability to cope with problems in the world? How does a school decide which books should be banned from the classroom, and should it be left up to the teacher to decide what is decided in his/her classroom. By banning books from the classroom, we prevent our students from learning about controversial topics in a safe environment, and we also encroach upon the student’s freedom of reading what they want in
There has recently been a renewed interest and passion in the issue of censorship. In the realm of the censorship of books in schools alone, several hundred cases have surfaced each year for nearly the past decade. Controversies over which books to include in the high school English curriculum present a clash of values between teachers, school systems, and parents over what is appropriate for and meaningful to students. It is important to strike a balance between English that is meaningful to students by relating to their lives and representing diversity and satisfying worries about the appropriateness of what is read. This burden often falls on teachers. The purpose of this research paper is to discuss
There is a book out there that talks about a topic that you do not agree with. While you may find the book offensive, others may find it inspiring or a reflection of their life. These varying points of view are what often lead to people calling for a ban of a certain book in a school or public library. This brings to light a topic that impacts all of us in one way or another, censorship in the form of book bans. This leads to a topic that can be the center of debate for many, whether or not we should allow the censorship of books, or other forms of media, in our libraries. And by censoring books, we are referring to taking them off of the shelves. Of course, many people have strong opinions on this. Coincidentally, I also have an opinion. My opinion is that we should not censor books, while making you understand why the idea of censorship in our school and public libraries goes against the fundamental values and freedoms that we hold dearly as citizens of the United States.
Are school boards or administrators imposing their views of morality, politics, or religious beliefs? Who has the power to violate our freedom to read? We, as citizens of the United States, are guaranteed to the freedom to read in the U.S. Constitution. Are they attempting to take these rights away by banning books? There are activists, both private and public, that are trying to curtail our selection of books through demonstration, letters, and books of their own. If books such as One Hundred Questions and Answers About Aids by Michael Thomas Ford or The Bible are banned from stores across the country, how are we supposed to educate ourselves on real life issues like aids and religion outside classes? We need resources to find out facts we want to know and maybe are embarrassed to ask. Reading in Education, we've been taught that since day one in schools. It is not fair, or is it, to take away books which some people may find educational to their circumstances, if The Bible is abandoned,
School boards, principals, and teachers have a responsibility for protecting the minds of their students by covering grade and age appropriate material in the classroom. However, does this given responsibility cover the act of banning books from their classrooms? As an advocate for each student, does the teacher not have a duty to introduce the students to a these words issues in order to help the student cope with the different problems in the world? How does a school decide which books should be banned and how much say does the teacher have what should be left up to the teacher? Some say that banning books from the classroom, we prevent them from learning about different controversial topics in a safe and secure environment. In this paper I reflect on my research question: Why do schools ban books in the classroom?
One counterpoint of the argument of the topic is that banning books hinders students from discovering new things and obtaining knowledge. According to the article, “Banning Books: An Overview”, Michael Aliprandini and Carolyn Sprague state, “The core arguments against the banning of books have been based on protecting the rights of individuals to free speech as well as to promote intellectual freedom – the rights protected by the First Amendment.” They are basically explaining how arguments of book banning connect to the idea of intellectual freedom and protecting individual rights, which are implied in the First Amendment. Censorship of books can be expressed as violating the rights and freedom of the individuals. Boyd and Bailey support this idea of intellectual freedom by presenting how banning books in schools with the quote from their journal, “Censors evoke barriers to free thought and speech when they block knowledge acquisition, intellectual development, as well as creative and critical thinking…” (Boyd and Bailey, 655). In other words, students will not be able to develop the academic skills they need in order to succeed in school if books are banned for them. Previously, there have been books banned from the school curriculum because of the
Banning Books doesn’t help anyone so why do it? Introduction: Books help people learn and grow, but banning books can restrict people's learning and growing. The best books are the banned ones, the ones that can actually be useful. Banned books are the most beneficial, they can teach a lot of life lessons and help people with problems.
For a long time, parents and communities have been sharing their opinions on the obscenity of classic and popular novels, prompting removal from curriculums and libraries. Reading is a freedom granted to anyone, and no one should have the authority to take away that freedom. Books should not be banned in schools because it restricts learning, it inhibits topic variety, and it goes against the first amendment. II) Body/Point #1 To begin with, books can be compared to building blocks in a child’s learning. The first
The reasons some people feel certain books should be banned is that the book is to mature for kids, that it could be offensive to religious or culture. Sharon the author of “Banned Books: A School Librarian’s Perspective” say that “Sometimes a book is removed. This usually happens because the selection criteria were not fully met or the process for reconsideration of materials was not followed, or if, upon reflection, the book is deemed to be inappropriate for that age level” I can agree with that some books maybe inappropriate for some younger children and teens. She also talks about how books in school libraries are meet up to standard for education. Most books in school libraries are for standards for kids to read and learn.
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.
Difficult books help show students different views and the ideas of building an opinion. Banning books from schools and removing them from the curriculum prevents students from exploring different ideas and developing creativity and critical thinking skills. Some materials in books should not be removed because of differing partisan or view. Perhaps “exposing the nation’s children to different and sometimes uncomfortable viewpoints is what stimulates them towards success. It encourages critical thinking instead of blind obedience” (Brenyo). But banning books removes different options of how a student may learn. It will go against the First Amendment Right of the freedom of the press, which states the right to circulate opinions in print without