Obscenity In 1984

526 Words2 Pages

The main component of the high school curriculum is to prepare students for college and ultimately the ‘real world’. We are supposed to engage them in critical thought, not only to increase their ability in cognitive thinking, but also to help them form their own opinions, and to help them be able to express those opinions. One argument against 1984 is the novel’s obscenity, which most conservatives would deem unsuitable for young readers. We should not be encouraging the notion that we live in a world where things such as sex and violence do not occur. By doing this, we are creating a mass of ignorant students. If we are trying to create a body of students with “college-ready” mindsets, we should not be keeping them oblivious from these

Show More
Related

  • Why Do We Exist In George Orwell's 1984

    925 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many people today are fighters and make attempts to stand up for what they believe in. Another way 1984 impacted us today is that the novel was a prediction of a controlling government. “If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever” (page 267). Just like in 1984 they had “telescreens”monitoring their every move, we know there are so many surveillance cameras used everywhere we go. There are also microphones and the government is able to tap their citizens’ phone to monitor what they say. This ties into the main theme

    Read More

  • Critical Thinking? You Need Knowledge By Diane Ravitch: Article Analysis

    473 Words  | 1 Pages

    The article, “Critical Thinking? You Need Knowledge” by Diane Ravitch, discusses how in the past people have been deprived from the thinking process and abstract thinking skills. Students need to be given more retainable knowledge by their teachers to improve their critical thinking skills. (Ravitch).

    Read More

  • Banning The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    Did you ever think that books that have sex, obscene language, and immoral subjects can make a good book? The Catcher in the Rye has been on the banned reading list for exactly those reasons. The book was mainly put on disapproval from between 1966 and 1975 in almost every school district in the United States. The book was said to be so bad that in 1960 a teacher in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was fired for assigning the book to an eleventh-grade English class. Despite some opposition to the novel, however, J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye should be on a reading list for the freshman students because it gives a crystal clear image on how the world is in violence, sex, and obscenity and the book also teaches the motifs of lying and deception.

    Read More

  • Metaphysics In George Orwell's 1984

    1008 Words  | 3 Pages

    The novel 1984 is one that has sparked much controversy over the last several decades. It harbors many key ideas that lie at the root of all skepticism towards the book. With the ideas of metaphysics, change, and control in mind, George Orwell wrote 1984 to provide an interesting story but also to express his ideas of where he believed the world was heading. His ideas were considered widely ahead of their time, and he was really able to drive home how bleak and colorless our society really is. Orwell wrote this piece as a futuristic, dystopian book which contained underlying tones of despair and deceit.

    Read More

  • Critically, Challenging Cultural Myths 'And Growing Up Tethered'

    609 Words  | 2 Pages

    Colombo introduces his section on critical thinking by asking a question “Why do instructors mean when they tell to think critically?” (2). His point is that we should no just focus on the surface meaning. He uses the example of the cover of our Rereading America textbook. He says that the average student from the United States may just believe that the book only applies to the United States. When a student from anny other country in the Western Hemisphere might complain that the title reflects a discriminatory view of what it maens to be an American. Since America contains all the countries of North, South, and Central America. He goes on to explain that most think they want us to ask questions rather than just relay the text back through memorization. That kind of thinking is nearly useless in the real world. What job is there that all you do is relay data back? There are almost none of these

    Read More

  • 1984 Should Be Banned Essay

    690 Words  | 2 Pages

    George Orwell’s novel, 1984, has been challenged countless of times due to communist ideas and mature themes. Not only was this book banned by many public schools in the U.S., it was also banned in Russia during Stalin’s rule due to its anti-communist ideas. People who own or read this book in Russia would be arrested. Although many people want to ban this book due to its sexual references and political beliefs, I think 1984 should not be banned because this book reveals the truth on how the government can make people ignorant, revoke freedom to pursue happiness and basic human rights. Orwell reveals how ignorant people are due to Big Brother erasing history.

    Read More

  • Reasons For Banning Fahrenheit 451

    1659 Words  | 4 Pages

    As it is inevitable that children will grow up to be exposed to the world's evils, which are shown in novels like Fahrenheit 451, teaching the context and meaning of those evils in a learning environment allows for more of a educated understanding and a fuller grasp on the issues within. By reading controversial novels in schools, students in middle and high school will benefit tremendously by being exposed to them in a learning environment. Although teachers and parents have control as to what the students are exposed to at a young age, Fahrenheit 451 should not be banned from middle and high schools as it depicts the effects of censorship on a dystopian society through use of controversial material which doubles as

    Read More

  • Catcher In The Rye Should Not Be Banned Essay

    945 Words  | 2 Pages

    The book The Catcher in the Rye was published in the year 1951 and has been the subject of constant debates and controversies. The novel has not only been the target of criticism, but has also sparked discussions on its effectiveness for use in high schools. The novel is about a period of three days in the life of Holden Caulfield. The novel’s most criticised points are its issues such as profanity, irrational behavior, and teenage sex, but it still gives very important lessons to young readers because it teaches tolerance, discipline, religion, and rational behavior. More specifically it teaches that desirable behavior will make them and society better, and as such, I do not think it should be banned from high school curriculum. This paper analyzes the reasons why The Catcher in the Rye should not be banned from English classes that are taught in high schools.

    Read More

  • The Supreme Court Standard of Obscenity Evolution since 1950

    1190 Words  | 3 Pages

    There has been a lot of debate on the legal understandings of term obscene and its usage. Constitutionally, the term is used to define certain behaviors or expressions in motion pictures, art or literature. The law tries to look at the effects that obscenity would have on the morals of the people or on the minds of those that see the material. It also considered the effect some publications would have on the hands that they might fall in. There has been an evolution of the whole idea over the years since the inception and the legalities behind it.

    Read More

  • Exploring the Evolution of Social Criticism and Critical Thinking

    1321 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is a source of education and a powerful resource in the life of every individual and in social life. Despite the fact that the identification and analysis of critical thinking skills are beyond the boundaries of a single discipline or subject, the learning and application of these skills require possession of certain knowledge. The value of critical thinking is lost if it is treated as a list of logical operations, and the possession of certain knowledge is regarded simply as a collection of information. The investigation of the relationship of a value judgment and the actual use may lead to a new assessment of the need for common concepts of critical thinking and the possession of certain knowledge in education (Paul,

    Read More

  • Public Vs Public Education: Private Vs. Public

    1194 Words  | 3 Pages

    Education is defined as the “discipline that is concerned with methods of teaching and learning in school or school-like environments as opposed to various non-formal and informal means of socialization.”(Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008). If one really looks at education, he or she will realize how broad it actually is. Education extends beyond the notion that it is merely for knowledge alone. It is imperative that one view education in an analytical perspective. Mr. Smith suggests that “we must also ensure that students develop critical thinking skills.” Critical thinking is a definite must ...

    Read More

  • 1984 Should Not Be Banned Essay

    495 Words  | 1 Pages

    George Orwell’s 1984 is popular for it’s idea of a totalitarian leadership in which fear has consumed most of the citizens into subjecting to their government, Big Brother. Now, if George Orwell’s 1984 were to be banned, that would be as bad as living in such a dictatorship of a country. The book should not be banned for it has many opportunities for readers to grow in knowledge, and have their skills challenged to their potential. There are many factors as to what makes 1984 a great profit for all the readers such as developing knowledge for literature and expanding their imaginations. First of all, a huge point in Frye’s essay two, “The Singing School” is that literature comes from literature itself, like a paradox. Reading 1984, there has been many precedents that follow the same kind of storyline but perhaps in a more modern way that will suit the interests of the future generation, “The moral of all this is that every form in literature has a pedigree, and we can trace its descent back to the earliest

    Read More

  • Censorship In Schools Essay

    1440 Words  | 3 Pages

         For more then 200 years, the right to choose what we read has been one of our most cherished freedoms. Permitting restraints on literature sets the stage for attacks on all expression that is artistically or politically controversial or that portrays unpleasant realities of life. The ideas and information absorbed from these banned books topple the walls of hate and fear and build bridges of cooperation and understanding far more effectively than weapons.       George Orwell's classic 1984 painted a bleak picture of a mind-controlled, book burning society in which creative thinking was forbidden. If the censorship in school libraries

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Singapore's Education Journey

    1293 Words  | 3 Pages

    As an educator, we need to ensure that children develop strong sense of critical thinking as this would help to ‘interrupt the tabloid culture’. When we look at the media-driven society, we see that children are constantly being bombarded with messages about how to live as part of the socially acceptable herd. They are being initiated into ‘herd thinking’ and ‘groupthink’ (Janis 1972) at a very early stage. Groupthink describes how individuals feel pressured into agreeing with the consensus of the group, often against their own better judgement. The group can make bad judgement due to lack of consideration of alternative viewpoints. I believe that children need to be able to think critically so as to make informed choices. They need to be able to think for themselves so as to resist ‘herd thinking’ and

    Read More

  • Critical Thinking: Strategies in Decision Making

    1019 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rudd, R. (2007). Defining critical thinking. Techniques: Connecting Education & Careers, 82(7) 46-49. Retrieved December 9, 2007, from EBSCOhost database.

    Read More

More about Obscenity In 1984

Open Document