The growing anger and disgust towards books from parents, schools, and more have become much more prominent in recent years. Specifically, children’s books that deal with sensitive or diverse topics, such as Harry Potter, have been bitterly criticized by parents and schools around the world. Some of the most commonly censored topics include abuse, death, sexuality, and certain religious claims. However, new movements such as Banned Books Week, created by the ALA, show disagreement towards the censorship of media. Books should not be banned or censored because reading banned books prepares children for later life and can enhance their imagination. Some people may argue that books should be banned because books with violent or scary topics can …show more content…
When children read books with strong, diverse, or difficult topics, they can learn important life skills such as empathy. This is evident in text 3 when it states, “Perhaps no recent book has illuminated the benefits of such an approach for young readers as much as R.J Palacio’s 2012 bestseller Wonder.Wonder transports them beyond their own experiences and instills the feelings of empathy and humility that are an essential part of the reasons we tell stories.” This demonstrates that reading books that deal with difficult scenarios like Wonder, which deals with a young boy with a developmental disorder, can aid in developing a kid’s empathy and humility because it teaches them how to deal with their struggles. These are extremely important life skills that will benefit them in their later life. Additionally, reading challenging books has been shown to improve civic behavior in children in their later lives. To prove this, text 5 states, “Ferguson found that reading banned books did not correlate with committing violent or nonviolent crimes. By contrast, reading banned books correlated positively to civic behavior and students were more interested in politics and elections and more involved in charitable causes.” Since studies show that reading banned books has few negative impacts and many beneficial impacts such as an improvement in civic engagement, it shows that reading banned books will prepare children for later life. Other than the benefits mentioned above, other important positive outcomes can come from reading banned
The practice of the censorship of books in schools has been prevalent due to the explicit content of them. Parents have been complaining to schools about books that count as required reading because they disapprove with the points made in the book. If a book consists of offensive or sexually explicit material, then parents would challenge the schools about them in order to prevent their children from reading them. Censorship in general has been an intensely debated issue because it is considered an infringement to the First Amendment of the United States Constitution while others argue it is used to conceal inappropriate things (Aliprandini and Sprague). The banning of books in school curriculum has also been debated since parents see certain books as inappropriate while others argue that banning them hinders student learning. Against the censorship of books in schools, Fenice Boyd and Nancy Bailey, authors of Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, believe that banning books creates a barrier between students and intellectual development (Boyd and Bailey, 655). Banning books from schools and removing them from the curriculum prevents students from exploring different ideas and developing creativity and critical thinking skills.
Guns do protect us, but they can also be very dangerous to us if used improperly, for instants when a teenage boy went to school and shot one of his classmates looking for revenge against a librarian. Books on the other hand aren’t as dangerous to us, but they can put thoughts in children’s heads if the book is very graphic. There is no need to h...
Trelease, Jim. "Book Banning Violates Children and Young Adult Freedoms." Book Banning. Ed. Ronnie D. Lankford. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2007. At Issue. Rpt. from "Censorship and Children's Books." Trelease-on-Reading.com. 2006.Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
Banning Books “It’s not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written, the books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers” (Blume 1999). Judy Blume can not explain the problem of book censorship any clearer.
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...
Books have been banned/censored throughout history. For example, the Catholic Church created the Index of Banned Books in the 1500s. The goal of the Index was to prevent the general population from reading books that went contrary to the Church’s teachings. Some of Galileo’s books were in this list. Anyone caught reading or selling these books was severely punished, tortured, or even killed. 500 years later, however, book banning still occurs. There are hundreds of books being challenged every year in the United States, for various reasons. Many of these reasons are understandable, such as preventing mature content (eg. profanity, violence, obscenity) from reaching young people. However, other reasons are quite irrational. For example, the Harry Potter series was removed from some school libraries because parents believed it promoted witchcraft. A single, precise reason behind book banning, however, is unclear. Furthermore, many important American classics are being banned, often for minor reasons such as profanity. Why is it that we ban books that teach valuable lessons? Is it because censors are simply trying to protect children from inappropriate content? Or are governments trying to suppress unwanted ideas? Books should not be banned because book censorship is unnecessary, limits knowledge, and violates the fundamental principles of this country.
Many may argue, “Children are mature enough to choose their own books!” However a medical discovery has shown that children and teenagers are not mature enough through physical evidence. “Understanding the Teen Brain,” an article on the Online Medical Encyclopedia, states that “The rational part of a teen’s brain isn’t fully developed and won’t be until he or she is 25 years old or so.” This shows that children cannot decide for themselves what is good for them to read. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the adults to decide which books should or should not be banned.
The first amendment of the U.S. Constitution 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 (Buchanan).” With the banning and the challenging of books all over the U.S. I believe that our first amendment is being jeopardized. We should be allowed to read whatever we want to read it is our right according to the first amendment in the U.S. Constitution with freedom of speech.
It is challenging to choose what types of books are appropriate for children to read. Now in days the choice is even more challenging then it was a couple of centuries ago. There are books that feature violence, sexual content, offensive language or all. These subjects question concern parents because it can teach young children about several subjects that are usually avoided. Times have changed and so have books and what they contain, which makes banned books an important subject. Books can be a great source to learn from whether it history or just a folk tale, but parents and teachers must take into consideration the ages of the audience. Maturity is not achieved until a later time and some children may have difficulty reaching that point.
Retrieved December 2, 2002 from Lexis-Nexis/Academic database. This article addresses some of the reasons that censors attempt to remove books from the curriculum: Many censors feel that works are not age appropriate for students. Staff, Wire Reports. (2002 October 3). Book banning spans the globe.
Intellectual Freedom: The Case Against Banning Books in Schools. The debate over banning books in American schools has long been a contentious issue. While some argue that certain books should be prohibited due to mature themes, offensive language, and graphic content, this position undermines the principles of intellectual freedom and the well-being of society. Books, even those that challenge and disturb us, play a crucial role in fostering critical thinking, empathy, and a deeper understanding of human experience. Instead of banning books, we should promote open discussion, provide guidance for mature content, and trust in students' capacity to engage with complex literature.
This author suggests that no matter how cruel a book is, it is based on reality, which is equally as horrible. So, while people may argue these terrible books revoke children's innocence, they merely teach the students about the terrible world they live in. Additionally, if a child is confused or concerned, reading about these events or people in an educational environment encourages intellectual growth and allows the student to navigate these difficult topics with a trusted adult instead of online where false information can be given. In conclusion, students should be able to read about the difficult or inappropriate topics in the books schools are attempting to ban so that the child can learn about these sensitive topics in a place of reliable
Banning books keeps children from learning about or discovering themselves and the world around them. In an article from ProCon.org, the advantages and disadvantages of banning books are discussed. Author Robbie H. Harris, who’s children’s books are frequently challenged, talks about the effect books have on children’s understanding of the world. “I think these books look at the topics, the concerns, the worry, the fascination that kids have today. It’s the world in which they’re living” (procon 3).Harris says that books address the “topics”, the “concerns”, and the “fascination” children have about the world that they’re living in today.
Did you know that there have been more than 4,000 bans on books in the first half of the current school year? Books get banned all the time for not being appropriate, but on one side of the argument they say they shouldn’t be banned while the other says that book bans help society. Books should not be banned because they can be banned for invalid reasons, books can be kept from younger children while still being available to the proper audience, and book bans can have effects on the students who aren’t getting the chance to read them. From a historical perspective it can be argued that books should not be banned because people are banning books for invalid reasons. While some may argue that book banning keeps kids safe from books that are inappropriate, books like To Kill a Mockingbird and Uncle Tom's Cabin are books about parts of history that kids should learn because it is the truth.
Should schools be allowed to ban books from their libraries? Nowadays, parents are concerned that inappropriate topics in books are contaminating the children's mindset (Powell 9). In reality, are the contents in the reserves indeed playing hide and seek with librarians, teachers, and parents resembling the famous quote “Don’t judge a book by its cover” by George Eliot? This raises concern about inappropriate content like disturbing, racist, and, sexually explicit in books leading to books getting banned from school libraries. However, it is unrealistic to assume that banned books won’t help us have a better understanding of our world, and evoke empathy and self-discovery.