Hi, my name is Monica Paz Solis, I am a student at Summit High School. As a student, I am writing to you concerning censorship. As a High School student, I believe that in most cases censorship is used excessively, mostly concerning books. All around the world books have been one of the most banned elements of being too uncomfortable. Censorship leaves the minds of young adults susceptible by not allowing us to create our own opinion on the issues happening in our society. Kids sooner or later will have to be exposed to certain things in their life whether parents like it or not. Being a part of growing it's unavoidable. When books are challenged the more people want to read it. Making it an attention grabber for students. When teaching a …show more content…
banning books is just another way to make kids look the other way from reality. The Absolutely True Story Of A Part-Time Indian is one of such books. Comprehending that the themes in this book can make administrations and parents uncomfortable, topics such as masturbation, alcoholism, bullying, or even child abuse… But the truth is that this happens in real life. A book that talks about real life situations should not be banned just because it makes people uncomfortable. Adults don’t want to admit that things like this actually happen, yes these are hard topics to talk about but it's no reason for parents to close us off from reality. Nothing in life is perfect there are hard things that happen, books like this remind and show people how translucent life is. The main purpose of banning books is to keep people, kids/young adults ignorant and from growing socially and mentally. Having an impending feeling of being controlled. Parents can use other methods like discretion on what they want their children to read at certain ages, it may be that The Absolutely True Story Of A Part-Time Indian is something to not be read to a six-year-old, but teens, on the other hand, should be able to choose what to read and to what be
Reason one; books should not be banned on the grounds of “they’re a bad influence”. The world is a bad influence and the people that inhabit the world are worse. In the cases of some books, some children have already lived through what has been banned. In other cases, it is just the parents being too over-proctective. They have already lived through some of the events, and do not want their kids to experience the same thing, which can also slow down how the child learns. In addition, if the students are desperate to find ideas for things because they don’t get the help from their parents, it means the parents are ignoring their kids
Censorship has happened everywhere and happens everyday especially inside schools. In city schools there have been conflicts over what students should or should not learn. Censors decide that they should protect students from materials and activities that are upsetting and issue the wrong ideas. These ideas are said to "weaken parental authority, challenge students political moral, or religious views, or brainwash them into other ways of thinking (Sherrow10)." By protecting them they mean targeting academics. Courses that deal with drug prevention, sex education, development of character, or clarification of
Censorship has happened everywhere and happens everyday especially inside schools. In city schools there have been conflicts over what students should or should not learn. Censors decide that they should protect students from materials and activities that are upsetting and issue the wrong ideas. These ideas are said to "weaken parental authority; challenge students political moral, or religious views; or brainwash them into other ways of thinking (Sherrow10)." By protecting them they mean targeting academics. Courses that deal with drug prevention, sex education, development of character, or
There are many books around the world that are being banned and have been for hundreds years. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is one of those books, it's actually one of the, if not the most challenged book in the United States. Sherman Alexie's 2007 novel The Absolutely True Diary of the Part-Time Indian is considered a controversial novel because of it's demeaning references to alcohol, poverty, bullying, violence, and sexual innuendos, as well as for the tragic deaths of characters and the use of profanity or slurs related to homosexuality and mental disabilities throughout the novel but students should be allowed to read it because of the life lessons it teaches.
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,
Book banning is based off of what one person thinks is right for everyone. While some children may not be able to handle tough books, these books should still be accessible to people that would benefit from reading them. Books often tell stories of realistic challenges and struggles people face in real life. Sheltering children by letting them only read books about a sugar-coated reality will not benefit them in the long run. Sometimes books are the only way people can learn about the struggles that people face in the world.
There are many books around the world that are being banned and have been for hundreds years. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is one of those books, it's actually one of the, if not the most challenged book in the United States. Sherman Alexie's 2007 novel The Absolutely True Diary of the Part-Time Indian is considered a controversial novel because of it's demeaning references to alcohol, poverty, bullying, violence, and sexual innuendos, as well as for the tragic deaths of characters and the use of profanity or slurs related to homosexuality and mental disabilities throughout the novel but students should be allowed to read it because of the life lessons it teaches.
Many censorship occurs in schools today. As many are for the censoring of material, many are also against it. Behind each stand, are different opinions and reasons? The reasons to be against
Consequently children can just as easily find inappropriate image and content on the internet it's still just as bad but no matter what parents do or how hard they try they can't control what their child can view and read. A Legal guardian shouldn't limit their child to certain books. Pornography is also a major issue in explicit and or banned books it's a topic that no one really wants to say or discuss. This topic isn't a common one but it brings up an important issue of why should it even be included but really it's a matter or maturity if a child can't handle what he read then he shouldn't read it at all. I believe that the discrimination in banned books is unacceptable. Banned books shouldn't be derogatory to any certain ethnic group, or sex. These books aren't considered novels because they're so inappropriate or graphic they are considered novels because of their realism. The books we read in class and in libraries are novels because they represent real life situations. Growing up isn't an
“Censorship is harmful because it results in the opposite of true education and learning.” (American Library Association). If students are only learning certain topics, then they might start to discriminate against the situations they don’t understand because no one has taught them before about the subject. They might also learn “to make decisions irrationally in light of the evidence.” This is why the American Library Association is against censorship.
Research shows that by the age of nine kids are already aware of slang language and bad habits. Even if the youth reads a book that contains offensive information, it will not make any difference because they have already been introduced to these ideas. However, the book, The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian includes mature issues which the youth is already aware of, so these books should not be banned. Most teenagers have claimed they have been bullied; it is a growing situation happening
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.
The book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, should not be banned from schools. Alexie’s novel is well written because it covers stereotypes, hope, and reality. Because of censorship schools want to ban this novel because people think it contains inappropriate content. Censorship has been increased from middle school to high school because high school students are more mature and understanding. Our current society is more accepting and more willing to see other perspectives on people’s creativity and positions in life. People today are more open-minded rather than close-minded. In some occasions, books can seem to be inappropriate for the parents, and the teachers do not want to receive complaints from the parents. There are various ways a teacher can get approval to lecture about a book that can cause conflict with the parent(s). Parents will be aware of what their children are learning in class. Censorship in high school is more of a fear of teachers getting into trouble for teaching the students conflicting ideas. There are many more reasons why Sherman’s book should be allowed to be taught in school, but these are only a few.
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).
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