Book banning and censorship has become a real issue in today’s society. According to an article by The Guardian, book banning has rose fifty three percent since last year. This goes to show how much book banning is becoming a problem. Schools are the ones who usually banning books for their students not to read. These bannings usually occur due to graphic material or controversial topics. Furthermore, book banning is not necessary because kids should not be held from knowledge that is meant to be read. Individuals that agree with censorship may say that book banning should be necessary because if may affect a child’s development in life being exposed to graphic or controversial content. “When librarians and teachers reject works that may be ‘emotionally inappropriate’ for children (a common reason), they’re adhering to the traditional and mostly prevailing view that children’s literature should avoid controversial topics” (The Atlantic). The Atlantic gives an example on why people censor or ban some books. People think it can lead kids to grow up to do harmful things or do harmful actions while young. But, it could also encourage kids to shy away from being the bad guy in a book. Kids typically …show more content…
“Sherman Alexie said sensors are ‘punishing the imagination. That's why we're fighting them’” (The Guardian). This quote gives intake from author Sherman Alexie stating that he also believes banning books is “punishing the imagination”. The fact that Sherman Alexie was inspired by another author’s work really gives a punch to this line since he has first time experience of books giving him a wider imagination and inspiring him to be an author. If books can widen imaginations and encourage kids to pursue careers they should be withheld from kids. Although imagination is great in all, kids should also be taught about the real world
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.
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.
We live in an overprotective society, where people try to control other people’s lives from things that they find explicit. Many parents believe that by sheltering their kids from offensive things it will keep them safe. But, trying to live life as if there is always sunshine and no rain turns out to be a big disappointment. The banning of books has a negative effect on children and adults alike, as it can shelter children from real life situations, and revokes the rights of the people. Although people believe in banning books that contain vulgar language and profanity to help their children, it can actually hurt the child and can be considered unconstitutional.
Literature has long been an important part of human life. We express our feelings with ink and paper; we spill out our souls on dried wood pulp. Writing has been form of release and enjoyment since the beginning of written language. You can tell a story, make yourself a hero. You can live out all your fantasies. You can explore all of your thoughts, feelings, and emotions, and share them with the outside world. But just because you can write, don't think you are uninhibited!
Although some may say that certain books contain graphic/violent content, banning such books is not an effective method to prevent young children from being exposed to such content, and therefore is unnecessary. One person that harbors such beliefs is Christina Healey. In her article “Book Banning can be Justified in Some Cases,” she argues that in some cases, book banning is...
In conclusion, book banning is necessary because children may be taught bad habits, lose the magical innocence of childhood, and not be mature enough to decide what materials to read. The banning of books, while unfortunate, is needed to help keep children safe and
There has been censorship since the times of the early Catholic Church with it dictating what you could and could not do. The people of the United States have looked back upon what was being done, and have expressed that it was wrong for the church to such a thing. However, the leaders of today seem to be hypocritical in the subject. They say that it was bad once, but today it is okay. Censorship is most prominent in books today, and the most common to be thrown out are the ones that have obscene language and sexual references. There are many examples of this; however, the few that are best known are: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. The banning of books, such as these, blocks the meanings that these mature and experienced authors are putting forth to the world.
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.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn the more places you’ll go.”-Dr. Seuss. What Dr. Seuss’s statement is telling us is that books have given us knowledge about ideas, life, and the world. One of the greatest inventions of mankind is a book. A book is a set of printed sheets that are put together fill with information that people read about. Books have been around with us since ages from generations to generations. It is all around the world with different cultures and languages, books have given people the joy of story, information, and knowledge. Everyone should have the right to read whatever book they are seem interested. Well, it is not the case; there are some people out there trying to challenge books from being ban. It is ridiculous that books are being taken away from readers. Today, books are still currently being challenged or banned. This type of doing is censorship. This is a problem that people need to look at and think about. Books are in school, library, in our homes yet they are too much for the people. Why are books so sensitive for readers to be challenged? There are two set of sides to this issue, one side are the people that wants to remove the books and challenged them to be ban, the other side are the one that oppose the banning of books, allowing to read whatever they want. Which side is right? This leads to the question as to why books are currently being challenged or banned. How does banning books relate to censorship and what are some solutions that can solve the problem of banning books?
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.
This article emphasizes the point that censors go too far when they attempt to not only ban a book for their own children but want to remove it altogether from a school library, so that other students cannot read it.
From the beginning of modern civilization, books have been an important and revolutionary source of human knowledge. Unfortunately, it has become a growing trend to censor books for a variety of reasons. Several of these reasons, which include protecting children and omitting offensive material, are not only arbitrary but are without merit. This is because sheltering children is not beneficial to the children, and also it is impossible to shelter kids without resorting to isolation. Also, it’s not possible to screen out offensive material in books because all material is potentially offensive. The escalating trend of censoring information in books is not only an impossible task, but it contributes to the declination in the population’s intelligence.
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley believes that banned books could prevent students from having a diverse selection of books and would ensure that they have an inclusive learning environment. Book banning should not be as prominent as it is now in the United States. In the 60’s and 70’s “a simultaneous drop in instances of book bans and rise in more explicit art.” (History of Book Banning in the United States). Books started to get banned less and less.
Censoring of Books Books are extremely important in school. The banning of some books from schools and libraries would take away an ability to learn. Many people believe that some books are inappropriate for schools because of sexual content, drug use, or the demonstration of homosexuality. It is common now for kids to read books with this kind of content and taking them away would be taking away freedom of expression, there are also ways around it if the books are too inappropriate for small children. Many parents have taken on a new form of parenting and do not hide what happens in the world from their children.
Have you ever picked up a book from your local library or school library to later read and realize the content inside was shocking? Many students have been in this situation before, picking out a book that interested them from a library or school library, only to find the contents of the book unnerving; such books should not be so easily accessible from libraries and schools. Many people believe it should be up to a parent to control what their child does or does not read. This statement is true, parents should keep an eye on what their child is reading, however, if students have easy access to books that their parents may not want them reading, it limits just how much a parent can control what their children reads. This means that certain books should be banned from schools and libraries because most students in schools are under the age of