Effects Of Censorship On Children's Literature

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.

Although it is ridiculous to ban books, it is somewhat understandable. Some books are extremely heavy on the controversial side, and include a boat load of inappropriate content. “My corduroys. My boxers. Two layers. I could feel the warmth of her cheek on my thigh. There are times when it is appropriate, even preferable, to get an erection when someone’s face is in close proximity to your penis” (Green). It is easy to see why someone with a closed mind would take offense to this kind of content being in a book for young

Books are a part of our society that entertain us through literature by showing us new experiences and characters that we may relate to or easily might despise due to how they are written, these are usually found in teen novels, comic books, manga, and many more. Books have also usually taught us through traditional means by teaching us about history and other things about society and overall morals we learn at a young age. However, some people have actually taken offense to certain books due to the content inside the book being “too offensive to them and have asked that these books be banned while other people want these books to stay. It’s a consistent debate of whether certain books should be banned or not and there are different viewpoints

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

Many books have been questioned and challenged. Even as far as to banning them. But what exactly is a banned book and why are they banned? A banned book is a book that has been censored by an authority, a government body, a library, or a even school system. A book that has been banned is actually removed from a library or school system. The actual contextual reasons as to banning them is use of explicit violence, gore, sexuality, explicit language, religion, or dark times in history. On the non-contextual side of the reason why they are banned books are usually because with the best intentions to protect people, frequently children, from difficult philosophies and information. Teachers, or even more common adults, often censor books from

How many of you have heard of the book The Lord of the Rings? Or how about Harry Potter and the Sorcerer Stone? Did you know that at one point in time for some reason or another these books were banned? They even banned a childhood classic Where The Wild things Are (TeenVogue.com). Even here in Pasco county Books like Looking for Alaska and Perks Of Being A Wallflower were banned from all school library shelves. The fact is since nineteen eighty two eleven thousand three hundred books have been banned due to violence, negativity or political bias. In my opinion banning books is detrimental to the education process. Schools should not be allowed to ban books because this takes great works of literature away from young adults. There are many

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

I understand why schools would want to remove these books because some contain inappropriate language or graphic details, but there isn't anything in those books that children nowadays have not already heard or seen before in movies or on the internet. My mom was always trying to prevent me from learning bad words, or the difference between a female or a male, but as a parent, she should have sat down with me and explained to me about the content that I was curious about. The material that is in banned books are only the opinions, thoughts, or explanations that covers issues that many people are too afraid to talk about. Unfortunately, it is also the material that people are sensitive about. These books are controversial issues that contain ideas that others are not willing to express for themselves.

Banned books are a very controversial topic around the world. Children around the world have their knowledge limited by the banning of books. Banned books go against the first amendment, the freedom of the press. Kids shouldn’t have to be limited by their parents or other parents on the books they can read. Some people believe certain books should not be banned in schools because kids should have the freedom to read what the want.

Why are Banned Books Banned? Banned books are everywhere. They can be found on the internet, or a school website on banned books and which ones a teacher is not allowed to practice. Some of the most motivational, and educational books are banned because an administrator or a concerned parent finds information about the book includes repulsive language and content that should not be introduced to children at such a young age because the children can absorb information, even if it is subliminal.

It is my belief that since by the time the child is required to read such literature in school, they are at an age where they can distinguish between things that should and should not be said and it is the job of the parents to educate the child that just because they say it in a book does not mean he or she should.Another subject common to banned and censored books is sexuality.

There are many lists of censored books that come out every year; one of those lists is the 100 most frequently challenged books of 1990-2000. On this list the Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger ranks at number 13. Forever by Judy Blume ranks at number eight and the Harry Potter series by R.K. Rowling ranks at number seven. Catcher in the Rye is censored because of the incidents of depression, nervous breakdown, impulsive spending, sexual exploration, vulgarity, and other erratic behavior. Mainly these are problems that go against traditional American values. Judy Blume’s, Forever is censored because of its sexual content involving two high school seniors and their decision to have sex for the first time. Lastly, Christian activists are vocal about the Harry Potter

Books can be censored for violence, political incorrectness, language, strong romantic scenes, and witchcraft. The government can ban books for having different political views, or if they are threatening to the state. To ban a book, someone or a group of people must challenge it. The school board must approve the banning. Some communities require a committee review before it can be banned.

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.

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