"Censorship cannot eliminate evil. It can only kill freedom. We believe Americans have the right to buy, stores have the right to sell, authors have the right to write and publishers have the right to publish constitutionally protected material. Period." (“Banned Books and Authors”). Harry Hoffman, president of Walden Book Co., Inc., is accurate in this aspect. When books are censored or banned, they are not eliminated from society; however, their message emanates to create an impact. Even if the public conceals the content in these books, the victims that these censors sequester from these works are rarely unexposed to what is being censored to them. By challenging or attempting to ban a book, more attention is drawn to that distinct book, so society is more likely to read it. So in all actuality, censors have no tangible reason to ban the books, especially since it violates so many legal and ethical standards; book banning violates the First Amendment, it takes away the meaning of the books, and it withholds morals that could be taught in schools. Background of Book Banning and Censorship Usually, Books are bowdlerized because of some sort of violence, profanity, sex, sex education, homosexuality, witchcraft and the occult, “secular humanism”, portrayals of rebel kids, and “politically incorrect” terms regarding racist or sexist language. The Supreme Court has ruled many times against censorship, such as in the following cases: Board of the Island Trees School District v. Pico, where the Superintendent tried to ban books from his school’s library without appointing any kind of committee, and a 17-year old student named Steven Pico, who led a group of students, sued the school board under the accusation of a violation of t... ... middle of paper ... ...rg/speech/libraries/topic.aspx?topic=banned_books>. Page, Benedicte. "New Huckleberry Finn Edition Censors 'n-word' | Books | Guardian.co.uk." Latest News, Comment and Reviews from the Guardian | Guardian.co.uk. 05 Jan. 2011. Web. 31 Mar. 2011. . Pitner, Suzanne. "Why Books Are Banned: Common Reasons for Censorship and Challenges of Reading Materials." Suite101.com: Online Magazine and Writers' Network. 11 July 2009. Web. 31 Mar. 2011. . Simmons, Rhonda. "Fredericksburg.com - Anne Frank's Diary Censored by Culpeper Schools." Fredericksburg.com - Fredericksburg, Virginia's Homepage. 29 Jan. 2010. Web. 31 Mar. 2011. .
Books that have shaped America are slowly starting to disappear. Many of the previous social norms have fallen out of fashion, and because of this reason numerous books are beginning to become banned. Blasphemy, racism, sex, and violence are all ethical reasons for books to be censored.
Foerstel, Herbert N. Banned in the U.S.A.: a Reference Guide to Book Censorship in Schools and Public Libraries. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1994. Print.
Book banning is a prime target for censorship. Censorship in print media, notably book banning, occurs across homes, schools, stores, and other facilities daily. Censorship in the schools is the most widespread and exposed place for book banning. Do administrators and school boards have the right to ban books? Are we taking away the rights of children to read? In case of Island Trees Schools District V. Pico in New York, the Supreme Court gave the school board broad discretion to frame curriculum and teach civic and moral values. This case resulted in the school board removing ten books from the school library for being "anti-american, anti-christian, anti-semitic, and just plain filthy." Another case involving book banning was Hazelwood School District V. Kuhlmeier. In this case the Supreme Court again gave school officials the broad discretion to control curriculum. This time the court left open the question if this affects the school libraries. In Olathe, Kansas, the district's superintendent made the decision to remove all copies of Nancy Gardner's Annie On My Mind because of it imposing views for gay actions. This standpoint resulted in a public book burning by a homophobic community group. At Hempfield High School in Western Penn...
Books are banned for many reasons but more times than not it is because of the sensitive information found within the novel that agitates the reader. As long as people have been able to develop their own opinions, others have sought to prevent them from sharing. At some point in time, every idea has ultimately become objectionable to someone. The most frequently challenged and most visible targets of such objection are the very books found in classrooms and public libraries. These controversial novels teach lessons that sometimes can be very sensitive to some but there is much more to challenged books than a controversial topic. What lies within these pages is a wealth of knowledge, such as new perspectives for readers, twisting plots, and expressions that are found nowhere else. For example, To Kill A Mockingbird, contains references to rape, racial content, and profanity that have caused many to challenge the novel in the first place. The book was banned from countless
Something else that must be mentioned in order to understand the evils of school censorship are facts censors ignore; the first being literary quality. When they chose to censor a book they do not take into account the educational value of the book. How can one say a book does not belong in schools if they do not know what lessons it teaches? The second key element ignored is the manner in which teachers lead students to interact with texts. They g...
There has been censorship since the times of the early Catholic Church with it dictating what you could and could not do. The people of the United States have looked back upon what was being done, and have expressed that it was wrong for the church to such a thing. However, the leaders of today seem to be hypocritical in the subject. They say that it was bad once, but today it is okay. Censorship is most prominent in books today, and the most common to be thrown out are the ones that have obscene language and sexual references. There are many examples of this; however, the few that are best known are: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. The banning of books, such as these, blocks the meanings that these mature and experienced authors are putting forth to the world.
...s of new media have been proclaiming the death of books, and the marketplace seems to back them up” (Zeller 2011). Zeller is telling use that media like movies and game system have taken over and that the contents that it contains is the same as what books have. Still books are continued to be ban and unlike movies and videogames there is much a fight about the adult content in them. There is a special called Banned Book Week, which is a week where some of banned books are allow to be read and view. It is the freedom of reading anything. People should have it for the rest of life. Banning books is a type of censorship which violates our First Amendment. We the people are about rights and freedom. People have the freedom to read and books should have the freedom of press. It up to people on whether the banning of books should continue. Let the books be free and live!
Bald, M. (2006). Banned books literature suppressed on religious grounds (2nd Ed.). New York, New York: Facts on File. (Original work published 2004).
The American Association of School Administrators (AASA) defines censorship as: “The removal, suppression, or restricted circulation of literary, artistic, or educational materials… of images, ideas, and information…on the grounds that these are morally or otherwise objectionable in light of standards applied by the censor” (Miner 1998). In schools there are three types of censorship, one type is a “parent who doesn’t want their child to read a particular book. Another is a parent, teacher, administrator, or school board member who argues that no one in the class, or school should read the book in dispute. Lastly, there is censorship that involves someone who is part of an organized campaign, whether of a local or national group, and who goes in ready for a fight and wants to make a broader political point” (Miner 1998). Although there are many others ways that a piece of literature could get censored, most censored works are asked to be removed from classrooms and school libraries.
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.
Every year in the United States we have books being banned and challenged by many people who do not like the contents of books. When researching for this argument essay I found an article written by Rebecca Hagelin. Rebecca Hagelin is the author of Home Invasion: Protecting Your Family in a Culture That’s Gone Stark Raving Mad and the vice president of communications and marketing at the Heritage Foundation (Lankford).
Staff, Wire Reports. (2002 October 3). Book banning spans the globe. The Houston Chronicle, pp.C14. Retrieved December 2, 2002 from Lexis-Nexis/Academic database.
From the beginning of modern civilization, books have been an important and revolutionary source of human knowledge. Unfortunately, it has become a growing trend to censor books for a variety of reasons. Several of these reasons, which include protecting children and omitting offensive material, are not only arbitrary but are without merit. This is because sheltering children is not beneficial to the children, and also it is impossible to shelter kids without resorting to isolation. Also, it’s not possible to screen out offensive material in books because all material is potentially offensive. The escalating trend of censoring information in books is not only an impossible task, but it contributes to the declination in the population’s intelligence.
The most debatable and controversial form of censorship today is the banning of books in school libraries. Banning books that educate students is wrong and selfish. Censorship of books in school libraries is neither uncommon nor an issue of the past. Books with artistic and cultural worth are still challenged constantly by those who want to control what others read. The roots of bigotry and illiteracy that fuel efforts to censor books and free expression are unacceptable and unconditional. Censoring school books in libraries can often lead to censorship of our basic freedoms guaranteed in the First Amendment. In some cases, a minority ends up dictating the majority in censorship cases. To be told what is permissible reading material and what is not is a direct violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution.
Here in America the freedom of speech is a attribute that draws many to this country. The Constitution of the United States states that 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. All of this seems wonderful, but why are some books looked down upon by people? Should not all literature fall under the Constitution’s protective blanket? Some of the banned books are not intended for younger children. Even though these books are not intended for young children, these books can still be accessed by the younger age group through the public libraries and schools. So why aren’t books strictly watched like the television and video game industries are? It could be that some of these “Banned Books” are also considered, by some, as classics.