Censorship Is Monitoring Or Withholding Information Essay

“A word to the unwise. Torch every book. Char every page. Burn every word to ash. Ideas are incombustible. And therein lies your real fear.” Ellen Hopkins. The government in this society is burning all of the knowledge. The books may be burnt but ideas and your imagination are unretrievable, that can be passed down through generations. The government has the real fear. Censorship is bad and takes away from your imagination and creativity.

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.

Censorship is a problem that has popped up throughout the world. “Censorship takes place anytime a book is removed from its intended audience” (Whelan). The banning and censoring of books puts a pall on the eyes of children and adults alike. Many novels have been banned and challenged, dredging up controversies that now plague the entire world. Carrie by Stephen King is a novel that was challenged by schools and libraries.

While many believe censorship to be a necessity in certain contexts, the idea of censorship is at fault in its attempt to control and stop the advance knowledge of the world today.There is fear of

The American Library Association defines censorship as the removal, suppression, or restricted circulation of literary or educational materials. Censorship can be subtle, almost unseen, as well as blatant and overt, but nonetheless, harmful. The abilities to read, speak, and express ourselves freely are core values. Throughout history many different governments and people have tried to ban books for many different reasons. People attempt to ban books because the material conflicts with their own beliefs. Some people believe that a child’s parent should be the only one able to censor what a child reads. Librarians and governing bodies should maintain that parents and only parents have the right and responsibility to restrict things from their children. According to the challenges by initiator, institution, type, and year, parents challenge books more often than any other group. The subject is very controversial causing many disagreements. Some people may believe that a book is wonderful, while others believe that it’s corrupting the youth. Books are banned to protect people, mainly children, from difficult ideas and information. Nudity, drugs, religious viewpoint,

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

"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).

The government dystopian society in Fahrenheit 451 uses a variety of tools to control the minds of its citizens and, its weapon of choice censorship. This dystopian society utilizes censorship to accomplish a number of goals that are comparable to the goals and methods of censorship in modern societies. Freedom of speech, press, and internet access are common liberties that are restricted by governments; likewise, the primary intentions of censorship in Fahrenheit 451 are similar. Analyzing the Fahrenheit 451 censorship and comparing its aspects to those in highly, moderately, and lowly suppressed societies such as Cuba, China, and United States provides the best understanding of how censorship affects our lives. This

“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.

An individual’s worldview is everything. It determines how one interacts with other members of society, it shapes one's beliefs and morals, and it even encompasses all of an individual’s knowledge and perspective. A government, like the one seen in 1984, ultimately possesses the power to conform every individual world view into that of a mindless, government worshiping, drone, by using censorship to its advantage. Unfortunately the American society is racing toward the same fate because of the extensive use of censorship on the radio, television, and even in schools. In order to prevent a society like that in 1984 it is imperative that that citizens stop censorship in its tracts; especially when it hinders the development of the children’s worldview.

Freedom of expression is a right given to fuel people’s imaginative minds that are occupied with different thoughts and opinions. Censorship is only an obstacle, preventing people from expressing their inner beliefs by replacing it with fake ones. Censorship actively prohibits and suppresses people’s opinions to speak up in society freely and openly. It restricts the common adult or child of any gender from being themselves and fighting for what they believe in. Censoring speech and expression only establish greater problems than the one attempting to be resolved that both prevent people from expressing themselves and cover the ears of those who are willing to listen.

If it is uncomfortable to read and discuss, so be it. Most things that matter deeply are.” -USA Today. Today Censorship also affects more than the children though. It really affects everyone equally. It allows the government to have too much control over what we learn and know. What if we lived in a dystopian society. For example, if you’ve ever seen the movie or read the book The Giver by Lois Lowry, the city kept everyone from learning about the world’s past and why they have to obey their rules and only their rules and do whatever job they assign them. Private groups and public authorities in various parts of the country are working to remove or limit access to reading materials, to censor content in schools, to label controversial views. Most people believe that free communication is essential to the preservation of a free society and a creative culture. Another touchy topic about they types of censorship we have is open religion. We have the Freedom of Religion. But many schools don’t allow religious practices, teachings, or even how they dress. What’s wrong with anyone expressing their religion and how they think of God peacefully and freely? America is

Banning is done for protection; however, censorship harms everyone by challenging art, education, and the First Amendment. The demand for political correctness and sensitivity has risen dramatically in recent years. From literature, cuisine, names, and symbols, history is buried to shelter hypersensitive members of so-called ‘Generation Snowflake” from the truth. Cultural critic Camille Paglia was correct when derided the current hypersensitivity in “The Nursery -School Campus” (p.97). Some adults who are motivated to protect children challenge books.

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

Even though censorship has been around for centuries, some may think that it has been eradicated. In today’s day and age, it 's running rampant, especially in young adult literature. In 2014, 331 books were challenged. A lot of the books that were censored or challenged were by parents, public libraries, private and public schools. 35% were challenged by parents. The reasons those books were challenged is because the topics of homosexuality, suicide, being sexually explicit, drugs/smoking/alcohol, and being unsuited for the age group. (2014 Books Challenges Infographic) To define it, book censorship is the official examination and suppression of certain books or parts of books that some deem to be unacceptable. (Censorship in Young Adult Literature - Video.)Some popular banned books are The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins, and The Catcher in The Rye by J.D. Salinger. All of these books are very iconic; some were made into into billion dollar movie franchises. The Harry Potter franchise even has its own theme park in Orlando, Florida at Universal Studios. The Twilight Saga has a convention every year in Forks, Washington where the movie was shot, called “Twilight Forever” where fans, the movie actors, and even get to meet Stephanie herself. On top of that all of these franchises have merchandise like wands, t-shirts, pins/buttons, cookbooks, and blankets. These books have changed the course of young