Picking up a book and being transported to another world is a type of magic. Being able to read what you want is a right that book banning in schools and public libraries is facing in today’s world. Books are an amazing source of information, whether fiction or non-fiction. They can be the building blocks to understanding different aspects of the world around them. Books have the ability to shine a light on topics that are hard to talk about, or topics that are controversial in the world. Banning books should not be the forced censorship that parents, schools, or politicians impose on the next generation, things to consider before the banning of a book are the core values of learning, freedom of thought, and the responsibilities of school faculty. …show more content…
It is of the utmost importance that we provide our children with the freedom of reading, and that includes controversial books about racism, discriminatory situations, and offensive language. Keeping these types of books in circulation gives students the freedom to develop a more complex view of situations. Excluding books in groups like LGBTQ+ can make students who identify in this group as a minority and less important. This is not the message we should be sending to our children. The responsibilities of librarians and teachers are to offer a broad and diverse selection of literature to their students (Hicks et al., 2022). The banning of books makes these responsibilities harder for both teachers and librarians. These people play a major role in the development of our children’s education. Ostrosizing a book from the school or learning program can affect critical thinking, social development, and mental instability. These are all things that must be considered before any books are
In the article How Banning Books Marginalizes Children, the author, Paul Ringel, states that approximately fifty-two percent of the books banned in the last ten years illustrate “diverse content”, such as race, religion, gender identity, etc. Ringel believes that attitudes about which books are “appropriate” for kids to read have too often suppressed stories about different cultures and life experiences. He basis his argument around the pretext that when libraries stop the banning it will allow kids to learn how to navigate imaginary worlds filled with differences and apply those lessons to their own lives.
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.
Countries worldwide actively call for the banning of books that are found to be politically inconvenient, religiously awkward, or embarrassing in one form or another. But for writers like Russia's Vasily Grossman, a book's ban means far more than just a dip in sales. In 1961, he pleaded with the Soviet censors, "I am physically free, but the book to which I have dedicated my life is in jail." (Merkelson). A book represents an idea, thus limiting access to a book is banning the representation of an idea. The banning of books in American schools should not be allowed, because banning books will prevent students from learning the reason for the controversy and alternate viewpoints they can come to on their own.
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.
On the other hand, some people may believe that books should never be banned in school. According to Oscar Wilde, the author of The Picture of Dorian Gray, stated that “The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame”(BuzzFeed). Banning of books does hide the truth about the world from children. At the same time it is to protect them from the evil of the world at a young age. If books were banned until a certain grade this would not shield children from the truth of the world forever. This would shield children from the world until the proper age that they could understand the text.
Fiction can change the way one looks at the world and can form the beliefs of many across the globe. Libraries are filled with the thoughts and beliefs of people who have a story to tell and hopes of inspiring a nation. The district is petitioning to remove fiction for the curriculum, despite the fact that they lack the proper research on the importance of fiction in school. Many people believe that fictional pieces are just as important as nonfiction pieces. In fact, many of the greatest minds were inspired by fiction feeding their creativity, producing inventions that could only be conjured out of an open mind. The thoughts of such people are passed along and shared through the brilliance of books. The removal of said books causes one to conclude that the district is silencing our freedom of speech.
In Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson the main character, Vin, changes due to joining a thieving crew that wants to overthrow the government.
In schools around the nation, many books have been banned from the teaching curriculum. Some of them deserve to be banned due to the explicit content only suited for adults. Some books like the Harry Potter series, The Catcher in the Rye, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Hunger Games. Granted, there are language issues in Catcher and Huckleberry Finn, but that language exists everywhere. The censorship should not be as strict as it is because many great books are being banned that students should be reading in order to gain an understanding on who some great writers were. Some of the banned books should be reconsidered on whether they should be censored or not.
Censorship in School Libraries 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.
When our country was founded in 1776, it was founded on the liberty of expressing and having your voice be heard which gave us the first amendment. Part of the first amendment is freedom of speech which lets many authors express themselves through words and informing readers about real world issues that nowadays people just ignore, and information that might be essential to someone on the days come forth .By challenging, banning or censoring a authors book you're basically restraining them from using their first amendment. When censoring a book it’s censoring a part of a book that either one or more have found offensive and with banning its the whole book. Banning or challenging a book is absurd , no one has the right to decide for everyone
Moreover, a society is not portrayed as a fair society unless ideas and opinions are flourished individually and equally through the society. According to the 1st Amendment of the United States, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion” which means that “prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech,” is unfair to us and violates the freedom of “the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” (Source F). If students don’t have the right to be free and explore through different types of books then that is dehumanization against our society. According to student surveys, a substantial amount of teens were gathered to read books that were considerably banned in school and this was their response after the survey; “I really liked how it was written. Also I really liked...
Bookshelf to Banned Censorship has been an issue in society for a very long time now. Censorship and book banning has been around since people started writing on paper, and is still a problem today. It is mainly relevant in society at schools. Schools ban books because they think the material being read is not appropriate for the students. Even though schools are trying to protect children from reading inappropriate content, they should not ban books because it is un- American and books can help people through hard times.
Over a third of banned books contain themes or instances of violence and physical abuse. This is, sadly, a reality for many people. People may turn to books like these for help, for someone to relate to, only to realize they’ve been banned. Governments and religious institutions have had the power to ban books they deem to be inappropriate for children for a long time. This can result in people thinking they are alone in their experiences and not being able to seek help due to isolation.
Banning the book from the shelves and classrooms seems unnecessary for many people. Many people believe the book should not be banned but only modified to replace the “N-word” with the word “slave.” With the modification, people claim that the book would still send its message across, yet in a less offensive way. Mark Twain scholars believe that the modification will make the book more adaptable for teaching and it will still manage to send it’s message across, without the need of the “N-word.” Professor of Syracuse University, Boyce Watkins, stated in The Joey Behar Show that there is censorship present in our society already in “movies, television, and other forms of art” and that censorship on a book is not an exception. Modifying the book
If the youth of today aren't given the correct resources that you could find in “controversial” books, to help their brain develop and flourish, who knows where the United States can end up as a whole? In order for adolescents to be able to grow and mature, they must not be sheltered and be able to try new things in life. They must be exposed to how the world really works and what goes into it, like all the racial, sexuality, and political topics. Not everything is perfect, but that doesn't mean it should be shelved and hidden. Why should the negativity of a novel and its “inappropriate features” be seen and misunderstood, when it could have so many benefits?