Censorship or no censorship? This is a question many people ask themselves, and for good reason. Censorship on books is when an authority, most likely government, prevents access to a book. There are many people in the U.S. who argue for the censorship of books. Censorship on books is a topic of debate, sometimes a heated debate. It’s existence, however, is wrong. There are many examples of censored books, many of them Stephen King novels. Stephen King is one of the many examples of authors who have their books taken from libraries because their work has dark or sexual themes. Censorship on books should not exist because it takes away human rights and cripples the growth of children.
Some do not know where to stand on this topic, but there are a few glaring reasons that many people look over. Some forget that literature is a major important piece of the world and much of the literature that has been banned is classic literature that has shaped a lot of our world. For example, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain is challenged time and time again due to the fact that a lot of the language used throughout is unacceptable today. The use of racist words and vulgar language is very present throughout the classic Twain story. Even though a lot of the language used in this classic is not acceptable, it’s still a classic that arguably shaped an entire genre in the literary world. Another novel challenged frequently is “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. “The
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
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
“Book Banning” may seem like an issue of the past, but, in fact, it is still a very pertinent issue in the U.S. today. These classic books have been banned at one time or another: Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Color Purple, Huckleberry Finn, The Grapes of Wrath, The Harry Potter series. You’re probably wondering how these, extremely famous, books can be so censored in America today. There are many reasons that are given in regards to book censorship. For instance, language or profanity, violence, sexual explicitness, or “uncomfortable” topics, such as rape and race relations. Christian groups have requested that a countless number of books, with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Queer (LGBTQ+) themes, be taken out of schools and libraries The banning and censorship of books can happen in many places and ways; taking them off school reading lists, or even out of libraries and bookstores.
Book censorship today in America isn’t quite as drastic as that, but still is reflecting the same concepts. I remember in junior high school when we would have banned book week. This was where the school celebrated having the right to read censored and banned books. Written word is one of the most important aspects of free speech. In no circumstance whatsoever, should any piece of writing be censored. Writing thoughts and ideas and whatever else comes into someone’s mind has been a practice of humans ever since historians know that man existed. Telling people what they can and cannot read is an invasion of not only the reader’s rights, but the author’s as well. If someone doesn’t like what an author of a piece of literature has to say then that person has a right not to read it, or better yet form their own opinion and write about that. Book banning is and ungodly practice and the people of this world should learn from the mistakes of the past and not allow the censorship of written material. The only opposition that I can find to the censorship of books would be taking the same mindset on the topic as the Nazis did when they burned all of the Jew’s books. Trying to wipe out an entire race or group of people’s ideas and beliefs should never be done anywhere for any reason.
I believe that books play a key role in school so they shouldn’t be banned.
Censorship is a concept with several different meanings. To each individual censorship has its own meaning. Is it a violation of our rights or is it a protection for our well being? Censorship in the generic sense refers to the suppression of information, ideas, or opinions. It occurs in all forms of communication from technological media to print media. Each society, culture, or individual's belief is violated by the codes of censorship that our society instills.
An author’s job is to express ideas and stir conversations through words. If their content is considered to be unfit to hear, then their content is censored, and that just limits them from doing their rightful job. Books of any sort should not be censored, “So now do you see why books are hated and feared? They show the pores in the face of life” (Faber 79). This is what makes books great. They show the pores in the face of life. Faber had to quit being an author because society did not believe in the meaning of books, which was wrong. Books provide opinion and meaning,“... books are sacred to free men for very good reasons, and that wars have been fought against nations which hate books and burn them.” (Vonnegut). Kurt Vonnegut faced having his book banned from school libraries because of his “mature” content. In Vonnegut’s case, he was able to speak out and defend himself. He regained his right to speak freely. Every human must have the right to express themselves without having to be censored because it is inhumane and unconstitutional.
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
Even though our world is getting more and more connected, censorship still remains one of the top issues that separate people from reading books. Books are the spreader of both bad and good knowledge and I believe that we should no longer contain or ban books just because they are offensive to certain groups in America. The debate on challenged books is a hot topic in America because the country is founded on a basis of freedom of speech.
How can one person's decision impact others? Every time i'm reading a book i have my own opinion of what i just read not everyone has the same opinion of it. I could read a book that contains drug dealers and love like the book Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles and think that it was a great book but another person can think that it is to inappropriate. If that person decided that the book should not be in their school library a decides to challenge and it gets banned other people that might have wanted to read it can no longer do that because of that ONE person. It takes only one person to change or bring something to the attention of others. What if someone banned the book you have wanted to read for so long? You would probably not like it, so why do it to others? If you didn't like the book then don't read it, that simple, don't ruin it for everyone else.
The parents of our communities tend to fall on either side of the issue, divided into pro and anti-censorship groups. The big question that everyone is asking is if a student were to open a book and read about drugs, sex, or violence will this make a child more susceptible to this kind of behavior? Our United States board of education believes so, and has installed censorship safety precautions in the literature that is available in public schools and libraries. According to the American Library Association between 1990 and 2000 6,364 challenges against books were brought to Office of Intellectual Freedom by parents, teachers, and different pro-censorship organizations. The grounds for these challenges were that the books contained sexually explicit material, offensive language, satanic references, violence, homosexuality, or promotion of a religious belief. Some books that were on this list include The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (for incessant use of the n word), The Catcher and the Rye (Depicts teenage depression, prostitution and use of the f word) and Go Ask Alice (Instances of Drug Use, sex, and suicide. People that are pro censorship argue that no books are being banned. That, in fact, you can buy those same books in many bookstores or other places. They argue that is their right, as taxpayers to decide what their children should have
When Mark twain's books were being banned his response was "Censorship is telling a man he can’t have a steak because a baby can’t chew it” I completely partially with this Idea. I think that all though most of the time censorship is unnecessary and at times even ridiculous, but I also think there are certain situations in which it is reasonable.For instance an Example of a time that it would be ok were if you had like a book like Huckleberry Finn at an elementary school that would make it ok to ban it censor it because that is when the children might still be to young t be read things with that kind of language. Although in cases like it being banned from a public library then it is no longer ok and if it taken to the extreme can even lead to more
In the Student Essay’s The Myth of Book Censoring Within the American Education System by Kiley Strong and Censorship of Books for Public High Schools: When Necessary, When Not by Gaby Caceres censorship of literature in high schools is put under the microscope. Both authors taking a different route in writing style and views in order to target their intended audiences. Strong takes on the logic for which people use to censor literature to debunk their reasoning. Before taking on the role to advocate not censoring books in high schools.
Remember when one was taught that one shouldn't be afraid to speak up? Or speak about what one believes in? Well, censorship breaks apart all of that freedom we fought for, and learned throughout the years. Here is why censorship should not be implemented in the United States. Throughout the years, many innovative authors have created masterpieces and best sellers, such as Cujo, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and many other classic books from Stephen king, mark twain, and other great authors. Unfortunately, many books have been challenged and banned due to the violence, gruesome, and sexual content. In 1960 “To KIll a Mockingbird” was released and immediately became successful. However, it’s one of the most controversial and challenged book due to the fact that many schools, parents, teachers claim that the book provides content that is racially, and sexually inappropriate for young readers. Still to this day, Harper Lee's “To Kill a Mockingbird,” remains among one of the top banned books. This is why Books shouldn't be censored because mature readers won't get the opportunity to read the books that they can handle.
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.