What makes a book so bad that it must be taken off shelves and banished from the public’s eyes? What is contained in the pages that society must be protected from? Who are the leaders given the authority to decide what is “good” and what is “bad”? A seventeen-year-old sits in their room embedded in a book that banishes society to darkness. Her eyes read the words of conflict and impurity written on the pages. The imagery of someone taking one’s life, of taking their own life. Perspectives from a different color skin than hers, a different perspective of love. Words fill the girls head of the imperfect society that she will soon have to embrace with open arms, not necessarily willingly. Censorship - What is censorship? "Censorship is the child …show more content…
“Book banning as we know it today primarily focuses on attempts to keep certain works of fiction out of the hands of impressionable children and young adults” (Yuko). What’s the difference between banned and challenged books? “A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A ban is the removal of those materials,” (American Library Association). Challenged books are the start of a banning a book, usually with a complaint on the book. What gets a book banned? There are many different reasons that books get banned, “Today’s most banned books address issues related to race, gender identity and sexuality,” (“Teachers College Columbia University”). “An increasing number of challenges target books about violence and abuse, health and wellbeing, and death and grief,” (Slater 54). Books that are also written from perspectives or by authors of the LGBTQ and Black community are more likely to be banned too (Huff). A book that is banned is usually used to control the public. An amazing book that shows this is Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, where …show more content…
What are the positives and negatives of banned books? Banning books, well they protect kids from topics that are too mature or inappropriate for them to read, they deplete the knowledge that growing young adults need to learn about the world. They also take away the representation seen in banned books, as most banned books come from black and LGBTQ perspectives (Huff). When kids don’t see themselves in books, they don’t feel like they matter, and it creates a negative self-reflection of themselves. “That’s bad for authors, but also for kids, who are essentially being told the government considers them—their bodies, cultures, families histories, interests, struggles, and sexualities—unfit for public consumption,” (Dashka). How many books have been banned? There have been many classics and eye-opening books banned from schools. “More than 1,500 instances of individual books banned by some 86 school districts in 26 states, between July 2021 and March 2022, impacting more than two million students,” (Huff).
With the thought that someone can be hurt by reading a book, people will try to challenge and ban them. To ban a book is to have it restricted from a certain age or audience. Banning and challenging books is trying to keep a certain book away from an audience due to sexual content, going against religious beliefs, language and vulgarity, violence, drugs, self-harm, racism, occult/satanic views, promoting gangs, and going against community standards. An argument from someone who believes books should not be banned is that it is important for the age group to learn about certain content and material as they grow up. Due to controversial content, the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald should be banned.
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.
Censorship is a concept with several different meanings. To each individual censorship has its own meaning. Is it a violation of our rights or is it a protection for our well being? Censorship in the generic sense refers to the suppression of information, ideas, or opinions. It occurs in all forms of communication from technological media to print media. Each society, culture, or individual's belief is violated by the codes of censorship that our society instills.
Banning books from public schools and public libraries is wrong. It’s irrational to have a parent or school board member’s opinion determine what a school district should be reading. Books including and not limited to, The Scarlet Letter, The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Lord of the Flies, and Animal Farm all have one thing in common. They have all at one time or another been subject to banishment. These literary classics have been around for a long time and proved to be vital to the education of many, especially children and adolescents. These novels teach values and educate children about world affairs that can not come from an everyday experience. These controversial novels encompass the materials that ultimately boost our educational wealth. Banning books infringe
According to the American Library Association (ALA), family values, religion, political views, and minority rights are four motivating factors of why people want to ban books although there are many others (Kennedy Kids’ Book Censorship). Racial issues are commonly a concern when it comes to banning books because people often mistake the content for encouragement rather than discussion (Kelly). Religious fundamentalists frequently find topics such as homosexuality and magic inappropriate because it seems to support damaging lifestyles and witchcraft when the writer could simply be using these topics to help a child expand their imagination to different ideas of life (Kelly). Family values are a big issue when it comes to what tea...
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.
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.
Imagine you have a child. This child loves to read books on their own. They read so much you finally tell them to get their books from the library. Then, one day, your child asks you what does this word mean, you are horrified to see that the child is pointing to a curse word. From that point on the child gets in trouble with teachers and other adults for saying that word. This is why book banning is necessary to keep children from finding themselves in that situation and others. Book banning is required because a child may be taught bad habits, lose the magical innocence of childhood, and because children may not be mature enough to decide what materials to read.
Censorship, challenges, and bans are all on the category of restricted literature. Although all three of these words loosely mean to suppress unacceptable parts, what sets these words apart are the details (Gove). A formal challenge is the attempt
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.
In 1976, five high school students brought the local school board to court to challenge the school board’s right to remove books from their school library. The students argued that their First Amendment rights were violated when the school infringed on the students’ “right to read”. (Campbell “BOOK BANNING IN AMERICA”). Book banning is a highly debatable topic among many people. While some people believe that book banning is the best way to protect children from inappropriate content, others believe that banning literature takes away the child’s right to read.
Book banning has been a debatable issue in the United States, with debates swirling around the reasons behind it and the consequences it brings. Ella Feldman's article, "Over 1,600 Books Were Banned During the Past School Year," sheds light on the alarming frequency of such incidents. Book banning is rooted in moral and religious objections. Certain groups or individuals may find certain content morally objectionable or conflicting with their religious beliefs. Books that address topics such as sexuality, religion, or violence are often targeted for censorship due to these concerns.
Whether in a general library or school setting, the argument regarding book banning is a controversial topic that is discussed by many. This issue in modern society is caused by the concern of protecting what is being discussed in books being read by children. While advocates of book banning argue about concerns regarding sensitive subjects and age-appropriate content, opponents of book banning can oppose these concerns, emphasizing the importance of critical thinking and one’s understanding of diverse topics. Furthermore, it is also important to note that the banning of books can lead to more problems than solutions. Despite the fact that book banning can be seen as a positive aspect for children because of the exposure books can provide,
A student goes into the library and decides to look for the book he needs to get for his class. He looks for hours trying to find it. He finally goes and asks the librarian where it is, but she gives him his worst nightmare. The book was banned by one of his classmates' parents as they thought it was inappropriate for their kid. This is happening all over the world because people are banning books that they think are unsuitable for their kids to read.
But the truth is, book banning is always unjustified since the parents and politicians who ban these books are restricting other children from getting the knowledge they need to learn about life. To explain, the National Coalition Against Censorship writes, “Even books or materials that many find ‘objectionable’ may have educational value, and the decision about what to use in the classroom should be based on professional judgments and standards, not individual preferences” (ProCon). It is admirable that parents would like to protect other children, but the decision on whether a book should be removed from other students should be based on professional opinions, not just a parent’s perspective on the book. Even then, these professionals could judge the books in the wrong way, causing the book to be banned and not serve its purpose. Therefore, since children are our future, books shouldn’t be banned, so children can be educated on important issues and lead the world out of hate and pain.