Censorship In Schools Essay

Many conservative groups make the argument that the books that have been banned have material that is inappropriate, immoral or contradicting the beliefs they have ingrained in their children and/or their society. Book-banning cases usually concern the protection of children and their innocence, but all that is happening is sheltering parents trying to avoid an awkward confrontation with their child about uncomfortable matters. It is not only selfish, but also harmful to the overall education of their children. The touchy subjects of banned books contain issues that are part of everyday life, and for a group to attempt to censor this subject from younger society is almost absurd; these issues are not monstrous and the censorship of them not only shows prejudice but lack of respect. Others would say that it is the government’s duty to regulate these books. It is the exact

On the other hand, censorship is a topic known for its hypocrisy in the U.S. When the U.S has laws such as the first amendment which states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Many people take a strong stance on the belief of censorship being unconstitutional. Following this the majority of books that are banned contain advanced

“Book Banning” may seem like an issue of the past, but, in fact, it is still a very pertinent issue in the U.S. today. These classic books have been banned at one time or another: Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Color Purple, Huckleberry Finn, The Grapes of Wrath, The Harry Potter series. You’re probably wondering how these, extremely famous, books can be so censored in America today. There are many reasons that are given in regards to book censorship. For instance, language or profanity, violence, sexual explicitness, or “uncomfortable” topics, such as rape and race relations. Christian groups have requested that a countless number of books, with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Queer (LGBTQ+) themes, be taken out of schools and libraries The banning and censorship of books can happen in many places and ways; taking them off school reading lists, or even out of libraries and bookstores.

Censorship can take different shapes depending on the public school system: Schools can give teachers a list of acceptable books to teach, just provide guidelines, or leave it up to the teachers to judge which books are appropriate (Agee, 1999). Teachers are often very nervous about including texts that are not traditional or specifically approved by the school, especially because of the highly publicized cases of teachers whose careers have been ruined because of censorship debates in courts and school systems (Agee, 1999).

In today’s world, a number of topics that are considered to be mature are being censored. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, touches upon the topic. The book indicates that censorship is not justifiable and letting people think freely is what makes the world what it is. Censoring subjects that are considered mature is not justifiable. Censorship limits the author and restricts the readers, prepares people to fail in real world situations, and humans have the right to know about any subject comes to mind.

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

The practice of the censorship of books in schools has been prevalent due to the explicit content of them. Parents have been complaining to schools about books that count as required reading because they disapprove with the points made in the book. If a book consists of offensive or sexually explicit material, then parents would challenge the schools about them in order to prevent their children from reading them. Censorship in general has been an intensely debated issue because it is considered an infringement to the First Amendment of the United States Constitution while others argue it is used to conceal inappropriate things (Aliprandini and Sprague). The banning of books in school curriculum has also been debated since parents see

Some books contain extremely harmful information that can put lives at risk. Understandably, a guide detailing the step-by-step process of making a bomb could spell disaster in the wrong hands. However, this argument falls flat when you consider that most bookstores would never choose to carry books like this. As shown in Forensic Files, even the attempted purchase of a book like this is often discovered by the authorities There is no reason why this cannot be applied to libraries as well. Less shockingly, most others cling to the concept of moral decay. Some content is supposedly not fit for children, or even people of any age. However, a study hosted on the American Library Association website between the 90s and early 2000s shows that over than 2,000 cumulative book challenges were because of offensive language and sexually explicit content. A parent’s decision to censor their child from more mature themes, should not unfairly spell the same fate for their

It is better to look confident than to ask questions in this modern society. However, it is fear and uncertainty that lead mankind down dark paths. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis said in Whitney v. California “…Men feared witches and burnt women. It is the function of speech to free men from the bondage of irrational fears” (Cornell Law School). The content of the books in Pico was morally unacceptable to a group of concerned parents, as they were afraid of the writers’ influence on their children. The question of morality policing by schools is seen in other banned book instances, as well. In fact, take Dr. Seuss’ classic The Lorax, a children’s book about conservation, or the 1987 American Heritage dictionary, which was banned for its addition of slang words (The Week). The question is where the line is drawn between what is acceptable and what is not, and who is granted the authority to decide? Are different cultural liaisons consulted? Are the religious and atheist asked their opinions or is it up to the agnostic to decide? Not only this but are educators made to be the primary compass in the moral lives of their students? Can they actually force their views and opinions on their pupils? What would be the result when the inevitable happens and a child’s family has a different view on what is acceptable than that of the superintendent of the school district? Censorship can only lead to bigger questions and grave concerns. Primarily, why is one philosophy towards life morally acceptable when another is not? Beyond this, how can adults answer questions children might have in relation to things about which they know nothing? Is it that unbelievable that a child would ask another child their questions and file their peers’ responses away in their mental filing cabinets? As society has seen through every generation, this absolutely happens. Taking

The parents of our communities tend to fall on either side of the issue, divided into pro and anti-censorship groups. The big question that everyone is asking is if a student were to open a book and read about drugs, sex, or violence will this make a child more susceptible to this kind of behavior? Our United States board of education believes so, and has installed censorship safety precautions in the literature that is available in public schools and libraries. According to the American Library Association between 1990 and 2000 6,364 challenges against books were brought to Office of Intellectual Freedom by parents, teachers, and different pro-censorship organizations. The grounds for these challenges were that the books contained sexually explicit material, offensive language, satanic references, violence, homosexuality, or promotion of a religious belief. Some books that were on this list include The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (for incessant use of the n word), The Catcher and the Rye (Depicts teenage depression, prostitution and use of the f word) and Go Ask Alice (Instances of Drug Use, sex, and suicide. People that are pro censorship argue that no books are being banned. That, in fact, you can buy those same books in many bookstores or other places. They argue that is their right, as taxpayers to decide what their children should have

"Censoring books that deal with difficult, adolescent issues does not protect anybody. Quite the opposite. It leaves kids in the darkness and makes them vulnerable. Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance. Our children cannot afford to have the truth of the world withheld from them” (Halse).

When youth grow up they need to know what is ok to read and what is bad to read. Sharon Coatney states, “ I remember my own daughter, who at the age of eight had already created several criteria to help her select recreational reading materials. She would not read any book in which the main character was older than she was at the time.” (Coatney) This shows how a parent/librarian who didn't censor books has caused her daughter to learn how to censor books for herself. If books weren't censored than more people could learn to censor what to read.

“Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance”. – Laurie Henderson. By banning books, it can deprive children the information or the mental nourishment they will need for life.

The question of censoring the Harry Potter books is a great debate among parents, children, teachers, and librarians. Parents always have the final decision of whether or not their own children will read the books, but when parents try to censor the books from all children, as in taking action to get it banned from a library or school, they step over the line and infringe upon the rights of other children and their parents. A mother and father know their own child best; they should be able to predict how their child will react to the contents of the story. They need to make sure that their children are at an age where they can handle all that is contained in the tale. This is how it should be with all literature. If parents do not want to have their own children read the book, then censoring the book is what they should attempt to do. However, they do not have the right to censor it for anyone else’s children. In addition to the parents’ decision, children should also be able to have some say in what they read. If they wish to read the books against the will of their parents, then that is an issue they need to work out with their parents. Parents can only guide a child so far, and eventually at some point they will have to learn to trust their children’s decisions.

Censorship may be protection from inappropriate materials, but it also limits free speech. For the limitation of free speech, it is reasonable why people are emphatically against censorship. It is understood that there is a need to filter some of the materials released in today’s society, but too much is being done by people who have no right meddling with everyone’s rights. Civilization has always been plagued by a never ending battle being fought over what is deemed right and wrong. In today’s culture, censorship oppresses everything in the media. From movies and music to television and even news stories, most of the content viewed today has been filtered one way or another. Restrictions have been in place since early societies have been