Argumentative Essay: Banned Books

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, The Giver, by Lois Lowry, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Harry Potter, by J.K. Rowlings, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hossenini, what do these books have in common? They are books on the American Library Association’s list of top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009. For various reasons, these books were found unsuitable for public audiences, and an attempt was made to ban them. From profanity to sexual content to homosexuality, groups have found reasons to challenge the books. Banning books that some people deem inappropriate from high school libraries underrates youthful intelligence, clouds history and dilutes our culture to fit a mold of conformity. Schools, even religiously affiliated ones, should focus on education and actually encouraging their students to read rather than inhibiting them from using their

imagination. Censoring challenged books in high schools distorts constitutional freedom and robs young adults of potentially enriching literature.
As a child, the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling and similar stories ignited my imagination with adventure and images of wizards, witches, and talking animals. The same reasons these stories stay alive and vivid in my memory are some of the same reasons that censors ban books today. Regardless of what I believe is appropriate; others have the freedom to judge differently. If I believe a work is unsuitable, I can choose not to read it. I can even one day restrict what my own children read. When I tell others that they cannot read something, I impose my own values on others. In forbidding others from reading a book I do not own or have any grounds to regulate, I rob them of their freedom and, more importantly, their desire to learn. Which violates not only the First Amendment rights that protect all forms of speech including books but also the Library Bill of Rights, which is the American Library Associations statement expressing the rights of library users to intellectual freedom and the expectations the association places on libraries to support those rights. I can agree that today, the boundaries of purity and pornography; art and anarchy are faintly drawn. But by judging issues for ourselves, we limit today’s children the chance to learn to love to read; Just because a book describes magical spells and monsters, does not mean the reader is expected to subscribe to those theories.
Political viewpoint is one of the most common reasons for challenging books.

That means because a political viewpoint is offensive to some one, it is inappropriate for a school library. What this leads to is children who will become legal adults, who can vote, that can say the reason they believe the way they do is because that is what their parents believe. That is an informed decision, which is what causes an ignorant society. Judith Krug, of ALA’s Intellectual Freedom Office, has written: “ Censorship limits the ability of future voters and leaders to discern right from wrong, truth from falsehood, appropriate mode of operation as opposed to inappropriate.” (Flowers, Helen. “Inquiring Students Want to Know: Who Tries to Ban Books and Why?” #31) Books open up a different point of view that may be what a person of any age needs to make an informed decision. Charles William Eliot said it best when he said “Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of

teachers.”
In Mark Twain's novels, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, many people confront uncomfortable language. Censoring regional books such as these distorts history. The average high school student is likely to hear profanity more than once in a day. It is also likely that at least once in the thirteen years of mandatory education, that they will be walking down a hall and a fight will start. Violence and profanity are the less attractive parts of life, but they are still just as present. Books are typically challenged with the best intentions; the problem is that some parents do not always have an open mind the books that they are questioning. They just read a review of the book, and decided that it is inappropriate; they don’t bother to stop and think about what their children might be able to learn from the experiences portrayed in the novels such as Mark Twains. Books like these offer the reader a peek into another time period when a different set of values reined. We should be trying to reclaim the innocence of that era, not censoring the slang of the time.
“A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading.” (Styron, William, Interview in Writers at Work, First Series 1958) William Styron made a point, reading a good piece of literature can literally transport a mind to live, breathe and feel as the characters in the book do; We live their lives with them, learn from their mistakes, our hearts even break for them. Even though fiction is about an imaginary worlds and people, through reading you’re able to conceive of other possibilities, and a life beyond your own. In other words, you may never have traveled to Europe or lived in the 1800’s, but by reading about a culture and time other than your own, it helps you to understand their way of life. In that way, it helps you to empathize with other people and connect with different eras and cultures.
Oftentimes books are quite literally judged by their covers. There is much more to most frequently challenged books than a controversial topic. What lies between the covers are breakthroughs in expression, timeless plots, and new perspectives for readers. Books that break the mold are what we need. High school libraries should foster open expression without limitations by censors. Having an age requirement for certain school library books, especially when students may not be mature enough to handle explicit subject matter, is one thing, and potentially a good solution to parents unease towards certain material they deem inappropriate but outright banning books is an entirely different issue. Banning books distorts constitutional freedom and robs young adults of potentially enriching literature.