Schools frequently abuse their powers to choose what exactly students can be exposed to. Districts often remove materials that maybe racist or prejudice from their classrooms in order to shelter their students from unfavorable moments in history. This is one of the largest forms of censorship in schools today. Schools today already tend to censor the majority of what goes on in the daily school environment from what can be said, talked about, or expressed. In the case Monteiro vs. Tempe Union High School, Monteiro presented the issue that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and “A Rose for Emily”, both required works in the curriculum, created racism and harassment in the school environment. Eliminating literature from the school’s curriculum would only deprive students of the past and history that is essential. Also, if such literature were criticized for being discriminatory, all books that contain discriminatory content towards any race or group would have to be removed. On the other hand, if such works were not excluded from the curriculum then it might pose a threat of creating a hostile environment. Although parents’ concerns of literature containing racism, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and “A Rose for Emily”, allow students to express their beliefs and ideals about discrimination because educational literature was not censored from the school’s curriculum.
Monteiro claims The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain and “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner contain “repeated use of the profane, insulting and racially derogatory term ‘nigger’” are questioned for their “credibility” in the classroom (Reinhardt 2). Both works express racism and discrimination in the past and capture very important moments i...
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..., as well as other works found inside the school’s curriculum, can be found offensive due to their racist and profane characters. However, the literature is exposed to the students in order to educate them about the past and the nation’s history in hopes that students will become more knowledgeable and will be able to formulate ideals about discrimination and inequality. Trying to remove the two books mentioned would also require the removal of all prejudiced works that also hold considerable historical value. Although there is the concern of these books causing a hostile environment, as long as they are presented in a mature and responsible manner, students would be able to understand such work. The court’s decision to leave the literature in the school’s curriculum was the right decision because removing it would be removing the knowledge of our nation’s journey.
Since its release, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, has stirred up much controversy, most recently, over the book’s excessive usage of the word “nigger.” The topic has been debated by a broad range of scholars, ranging from authors to professors, to students alike, with both sides providing bold claims in support of their viewpoint. On the side arguing against Twain’s use of the N-word, there are arguments made stating that the word is offensive, inappropriate for the classroom environment and that the word, itself, is unnecessary for one to truly understand the novel. Opposing these arguments, those who support the use of the racial epithet state that removing the word would have more negative effects than positive, nor will
Mark Twain’s book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, educates high school students on how the Southern society operated at that time. When analyzing the novel, one can see that Twain’s writing clearly does not endorse slavery or the use of derogatory language toward African-Americans. In a petition to remove this book from a high school required reading list, a school board in New Jersey concluded, "the literary value of the book outweighed the negative aspect of the language employed.” (2) Huckleberry Finn is a satirical novel that was written to show the flaws of 19th century American society. It shows how people thought and acted back then, and points out what was wrong with the white supremacy mindset of many Southerners during these years. “The book itself is a great testament that...
The first thing that caught my attention was knowing that pressure groups such as the religious rights and the multicultural left could dedicate to the publishers what should and should not be written in text books. And in trying to satisfy them both these publishers had to privately solicit the view of various pressure groups
Why are books challenged and further on banned? To challenge a book is an attempt to remove the material from schools and/or libraries, and to ban a book is to successfully remove the material from these places. Books are usually challenged to protect children from the censors of these books. This book was banned for all the wrong reasons. This paper will focus on racism, sexism, homosexuality, and violence since these were reasons the book got banned which on the contrary should have given it much more motive to let high school students read and learn from it.
The world is a very different place than it was almost a century ago. Technology has developed farther than any would have believed, the human race has evolved into a stronger being, and beliefs and rights that once were thought of as sinful and different are now accepted. Racial discrimination is one of these beliefs. Equal rights have become an immense part of everyday society. Literature has been impacted greatly by equal rights. Today, many historical and iconic literary masterpieces are become censored books. A novel that exemplifies the discussion of censorship is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a novel that is most notable for its racial comments, adult themes, mature, scenes, and stereotypical representations of lifestyles in
Books on school’s curriculum required to read over the school year is excessively challenged by students and parents who believe that they are offensive. A certain book, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, was challenged by a father who believed that the book not only swore and used cigarettes, but also went against their religious belief. Alton Verm, the challenger to Bradbury’s work, commented,“it’s just all kinds of filth,” and wanted the book withdrawn from the curriculum. Granted that Fahrenheit 451 is inappropriate at times, the book’s theme is something that everyone should examine. Moreover, books prevent old mistakes from happening and gives people independent thought and opinion.
An abounding amount of classic titles is being removed from teaching criteria and school libraries in fear of vexing someone. “Many professional educational organizations and individual school systems have articulated the principles that should ideally govern selection and retention of materials.” (NCAC) The guidelines for removing these books from the school are typically for obtaining abhorrent material.
Censorship in American Schools You may not realize this, but our government plays a large role in governing what sort of information America’s children are exposed to. The average American child receives the majority of their knowledge and education from school, so the information that is allowed to be taught is a very delicate and controversial issue. Literature is often altered or banned from public schools and libraries because they contain vulgar language, excessive violence, or connotations of drugs and sex. The reasoning behind this is that these are potentially dangerous ideas, and if children were to be exposed to them, they would be corrupted and manipulated by them.
Many significant novels have unfortunately been challenged/ banned at a certain point in time. Most of these literary classics face this because some contain sexual references, religious intolerance, and inappropriate language. Some cases books are being pulled off shelves because people believe that they were “tangibles of instruction” or the reason being was as a precaution towards a possible public attack which took effect in Tucson for the Mexican American Studies. (source:8) Another case is the Mozert v. Hawkins County Board of Education; Christian sewed the board because they believed that the required textbooks hurt their beliefs. (Source:8)
Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, caused controversy throughout the nation due to its constant use of the n word. Many thought it was too inappropriate for high school students, and degrading to African Americans. However, Mark Twain was a satirical writer and most likely his purpose of the derogatory term was not degrade African Americans but to recreate the same dialect used in that time period set which was after the Civil war and the South. The use of the word was to demonstrate how racist America was before and to show the evolution of American now. Although some people want to ban the book from high school because the n word was used numerous amount of times, we should not ban the book because it's used as a historical
Once glorified in American literature, Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, is now being deemed controversial for its use of racist language, specifically the word “nigger.” A heated debate on whether or not this book should be brought to a classroom setting has arisen in the recent years. The fear among many educators is that the language used in this novel is too strong and offensive for a high school classroom, especially in those that are racially diverse. Reading the word in a classroom can spark uncomfortable discussions between students of different race. Also, many teachers believe that either this book should not be taught or the N-word should be replaced. This novel however, should be taught in a high school classroom in its original context, which includes the word “nigger,” because it has linguistic, historical and moral significance.
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.
Some believe that having strong themes like this, have a negative impact on a youths mind. These are strong and powerful themes that have a great significance in society. Think about from this perspective. Who reads to kill a mocking bird and leaves promoting rape, promoting lynching, believing racism is fair. The answer is no one. Harper Lee positioned the reader to see a serious situation through the eyes of a young girl. All she knows in life is what she’s read, what her father has told her and what those around her have said. This has positioned lee in an offensive position against the justification of these themes. Harper Lee didn’t promote rape, she addressed the problem it has on society, in order to combat it. We can’t just act like it never happened. The same way we can’t shun Anne Frank’s diary for talking about the holocaust, or the crucible for addressing witch trials. These were serious events that shaped society. If we blocked out any information of the actions of Hitler, how can we be sure another person wont follow in his footsteps. These novels don’t tell the reader what to believe, rather show them the impact events like this have on us. If student were never exposed to the impact of racism and profanity in novels like this how can we know that the next generation will not believe that white supremacy is the right thing to believe in. These books are a gateway to a better tomorrow, and aren’t taught to students because they are fun and exciting, because they certainly aren’t, but to educate the bulk of society what is morally
For years, schools have partnered with corporations allowing them to sponsor sports teams and extracurricular activities. The two sides have formed a mutualistic relationship; schools receive funding from companies and in return they are allowed to spread their name brand throughout the classrooms and hallways. As a student that has attended a multitude of schools, such as Talbot Hill in Seattle and Canyon Middle in California, I have seen a variety of campaigns and programs. I agree with many that these boons bestowed are helpful and sometimes even essential to education, but they only effect the short-term. Many individuals tend to forget the most important part of this system, the students, and the long-term damages that can stem from
Censorship is when people decide to take something away based on the controversial context. Censorship is used a lot more often now than it ever was a few years back. People have taken over and decided to censor things so that the context of what is being said isn’t taken the wrong way. Parents take it way too far and think that everything that is semi- inappropriate should be banned before their kids can read it, or see it. Some things are very educational and deserve a chance, but because it has one bad part people think it should be banned so that no one gets any bad ideas from it.