The Importance Of Censorship

Books are not becoming banned because the authorities want to protect the public from certain beliefs, violence or language. Books are becoming banned because those books contain something in them that a higher authority, such as the government, doesn’t want released to the public. It is for the good of the people to have higher authorities agree to a more diverse selection of books open to the public. Censorship is something that the government and institutions created to deny access to something, whether it be a book or video game or music. It contains a message that isn’t meant to be heard.

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

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

Harry Potter. The Giver. To Kill A Mockingbird. And Tango Makes Three. Of Mice And Men. The Witches. The list goes on forever. These are all books that have been banned for profanity, references to the occult and witchcraft, references to drugs and alcohol, and many other reasons. Censorship could have started as early as 339 BCE in Rome, when Socrates, a renowned Greek Philosopher, was sentenced to drink poison for his corruption of youth and his acknowledgement of unorthodox divinities (Newth 1). This was what modern censorship evolved from, the punishments becoming less and less severe from the poison drinking. Censorship is the act of limiting access and knowledge of ideas and materials, enforced by a higher official. Censorship should not be a concept used in society due to lack of civil rights, limited knowledge, and how censorship affects everyone.

This doesn’t children to develop their own censorship skills and the ability to think about what they should and shouldn’t do. It also ruins the opportunity for the parents to teach their kids about censorship themselves.By banning books, you are taking away somebodies escape. Some people don’t have the best home life so they read to get away from the struggles for awhile. This can apply to school and work too. If someone doesn’t have friends at school or is having a rough day at work, they can just dive right into a book and become part of something much bigger. Literature is also a form of art. It’s the way that authors express themselves and taking that opportunity away is like taking you ability to speak away. “Throughout history, nations, peoples and governments have censored writers and their works on political, religious, sexual and social grounds. Although the literary merit of the majority of these books have been proven time and time again, censorship efforts are still in place

Books are meant to be read not censored. If a book gets banned it is because poor thought has been put into deciding. If people who are inexperienced are the people that decide what you read they may not know how the book is. Reading a book helps us learn how many things work. We would not be where we are today without books. Books were written to be read not outlawed.

The banning of books is a serious matter and in doing so, it displays an act of censorship, which is wrong. Censorship

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.

One can only imagine what a banned book consist of, is it drugs, sex, racial issues, or witchcraft? The answer is it could be all of the above. Chances are, you have once read and maybe even declared a banned book your favorite book. Books like the Harry Potter series, Go Ask Alice, or The Hunger Games series are all on the banned book list. These books are often removed from schools or public library shelves. “For many years, American schools have been pressured to restrict or deny students access to books or periodicals deemed objectionable by some individual or group on moral, political, religious, ethnic, racial, or philosophical grounds.” (The Students ' 1) The pressure of removing said controversial books comes from concerned parents or administrators that feel the book’s content is too overwhelming for their children or students. According to Butler University, over 2500 of the 3500 challenged books came from concerned parents between 2000 and 2009 (LibGuides 3) Banning these books places an authoritarian outlook on our school systems and freedom to read in America. An authoritarian government places restrictions on citizen’s freedoms in return for power over their country. By restricting children’s right to read, one is also restricting their First Amendment rights. The First Amendment states that Congress shall not restrict one’s freedom of speech and press. The author of the publication and the readers are getting their rights torn out from under them as if the

Everyone had their own opinions and views that they follow or believe in. Censorship can be used to protect or enforce those opinions and views. Although, one persons beliefs might not agree with another person and could cause conflict. Censorship in libraries is important so that respect is shown to all its users. I believe materials promoting sexual content or drug/alcohol should be censored from libraries.

Imagine a society without censorship, where everyone knows each other’s secrets, it would be lethal for society. What would happen if people knew one’s weaknesses?. There is evil that needs to be censored. Censorship is necessary in our society for many different reasons. It protects nations, prevents conflict in society, it protects the morals/privacy of people, and it is also helpful for children.

How is censorship used? Is it good or was it bad? Censorship is a good thing because people do not want kids looking at bad pictures. Censorship stops them from seeing that because it makes it to where there are books being banned and movies being rated. Also, censorship allows the government to control and limit exposure to several different types of things. Censorship is well known and was even used in the past. Censorship should be allowed in schools to prevent kids from seeing things but it should be in some places because as people get older people should be able to handle it.

According to Michael Aliprandini and Geraldine Wager, authors of “Censorship”, censorship is “the suppression of information, opinion, or expression by a government or other authority in order to control their circulation” (Aloprandini). Many areas of life can been censored, but perhaps the most recognizable from of censorship comes in the form of books. When it comes to the United States, books can either be challenged or banned.

Censorship is a concept that only belongs in communist countries, dystopian novels, and nightmares. The United States of America was founded out of the oppression of King George III as a nation of freedom. Would the Founding Fathers approve of campus censorship? Ben Franklin said, “Freedom of speech is a principal pillar of a free government: When this support is taken away, the constitution of a free society is dissolved.” When censorship begins to interfere with an American’s daily life, especially his education, something is clearly amiss. The freedom of speech, promised by the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights, is an essential characteristic of American society, and is vital to both liberal education and a free society.

Censorship is known to be the suppression of media that is considered socially unacceptable, obscene, or just generally unapproved of. Some may say that censorship is necessary in order to avoid hate speech and have an acceptable society for all people. Others may say censorship goes against freedom of speech which is the stance I will be taking while using Michel Foucault’s ethics theory. The basis of Foucault’s ethics overall is that people should be able to practice freedom. Censorship should not be allowed as it violates one of the most basic rights of humans, freedom of speech, it is a means of control, and it makes it difficult for society to progress.