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The Freedom Of Speech Through The First Amendment Essay

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According to the Bill of Rights, we are afforded the freedom of speech through the first amendment. But this awarding of freedom is only allowed if it goes along with what the general population deems “normal”. During the middle part of the 1900’s many books were banned on political, religious, and moral views. While our society has changed these issues are still prevalent in today’s public views and opinions of author’s work. These books are not “normal” and that is why they play an unprecedented part in literature today. Books written in this era had a different political, religious, and moral atmosphere than those written in the modern day; but these same issues arise in today’s society. The history of the United States has had extraordinary highs but also has been marred by dark times by movements and figures. A great example of my previous statement is the decade of the 1950’s. The 1950’s was a time of scrutiny. McCarthyism and the Red Scare was at a fever pitch. The Civil Rights Movement had not even been conceived. Also, the people were jumping out of the frying pan into the fire in a sense because of just getting out of World War II and entering the Korean War. The first controversial book I would like to talk about is The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger published in 1951. The Catcher in the Rye is about Holden Caulfield’s life as a 16-year-old recluse in New York City trying to find his way in life and his rebellion against the norm (Salinger).

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