"Don't join the book burners... Don't be afraid to go in your library and read every book." said Dwight D. Eisenhower. This quote means that you should not ban a book just because it contains some inappropriate language or graphical content. In the article “Book Bannings on the Rise in US schools, says anti-censorship group”, by David Barnett, the non-fiction article talked about an anti-censorship group banning and burning books just because parents were concerned about the graphical content. In the personal letter, “Dear Mr.McCarthy”, by Kurt Vonnegut, it talks about Kurt Vonnegut, who wrote a letter to the Drake Public School Board, and was agitated about it, so he replied that the Drake Public School Board was uncivilized because they banned …show more content…
“Sherman Alexie said sensors are ‘punishing the imagination’.”(Barnett 2). In addition, another quote that supports the reason is,“If you are an American, you must allow all ideas to circulate freely in your community, not merely your own.”(Vonnegut 2) Other censors don’t understand the quintessences that Alexie and Vonnegut show. Sherman Alexie’s books were descriptive and described the purest examples, but censors are deriding other authors’ ways of thinking about that book instead of extolling them. Also, Vonnegut responded to the board that if you are truly an American, you need to let the other readers think about his book and let idealism spread around the town. In a nutshell, readers don’t actually understand the language and the meaning of the book provided by the …show more content…
“It’s obvious that without them, the people who do not want their children, or other people’s, exposed to ideas, would be much more successful at making books vanish from the shelves.”(Barnett 2) Another quote that supports the reason is, “Perhaps you will learn from this that books are sacred to free men for good reasons and that wars have been fought against nations which hate books and burn them.” (Vonnegut 2) Other people don’t understand why they would burn the holiest books and as a result, the authors wanted to teach them a lesson. The KRRP(Kids Right to Read Project) helps those children who are suffering in difficult times when their parents punish them for reading the books that were banned from the school board. Moreover, Vonnegut replies that his books are important to the children and he wanted to rage at the board for banning his books. All in all, several authors are certainly angry about their books being banned and
...ain groups consider books to be immoral does not mean they need to be pulled from the shelves. Censoring is acceptable for the youth, but there is an age when we all grow up and are able to handle books with explicit content.
...etter than ignorance. Book censorship should not limit the amount of knowledge a child can receive, instead, books should be used to benefit children in their education and future career.
When authors write books, the books are meant to be read not banned. Authors write books to be read, so when schools and other facilities are banning books it’s taking away the author’s right. In the letter, I am Very Real written by author Kurt Vonnegut, he states “If you were to bother to read my books, to behave as educated persons would, you would learn that they are not sexy, and do not argue in favor of wildness of any kind. They beg that people be kinder and more responsible than they often are.” This excerpt from the text states that the author doesn’t write books to teach cruel things. Vonnegut writes books in a kind manner with the idea that people become more
People ban or challenge books because they don't want other to read them because of their content, even thought we see most of it in our everyday life. To stop book banning and to keep books on the shelves; if a book has inappropriate content and someone wants to buy it or get it from the library or store they have to get the parents consent. This will also keep parents informed on what their child is reading.
The things Hopkins have been through throughout her life have made her see all risks of the bad things her daughter went through, and she wants to try and help people through these novels. The first time she heard about getting censored she wrote a poem called Manifesto and sent it out to her publisher. Although many parents and schools disagree with her writing style and theme, she still continues to write inspiring books and doesn’t let the news about her censorship ruin her confidence in writing.
They beg that people be kinder and more responsible than they often are.” (Vonnegut, Jr.). Vonnegut, Jr. argues that his books were not written to lead young people astray, like the school board believes. He wrote his books to ask people to kinder and more responsible. The school board accuses him of not being the very two things his books ask others to be. Vonnegut, Jr. also writes, “Perhaps you will learn from this that books are sacred to free men for very good reasons, and that wars have been fought against nations, which hate books and burn them. If you are an American, you must allow all ideas to circulate freely in your community, not merely your own.” (Vonnegut, Jr.). He writes that it is every American’s duty to allow all ideas to be spoken freely in the community, not just the ideas that benefit certain people. He argues that books are sacred because they hold ideals and ideas that are very important to free men, who know their importance. Vonnegut, Jr. argues,
As the American Library Association notes, books are usually banned "with the best intention…to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information." (Brunner). If a book has frightening or controversial ideas in them, adults willing often censor that book from children. From 2000 to 2009, of the 5,099 challenges that were reported, 1,639 of these challenges were in school libraries and 30 challenges in academic libraries. (Frequently Challenged Books). At various times in American history, even some of the tamest books have been banned. Harriet the Spy, was banned because it supposedly taught children to "lie, spy, back-talk, and curse." Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl was banned for being too depressing. A Light in the Attic, by Shel Silverstein, was banned because it might encourage kids to break dishes so they won't have to dry them. (Frequently Challenged Books). While some of these excuses are more reasonable than other excuses, the banning of these books prevents the children from empathizing...
The American Association of School Administrators (AASA) defines censorship as: “The removal, suppression, or restricted circulation of literary, artistic, or educational materials… of images, ideas, and information…on the grounds that these are morally or otherwise objectionable in light of standards applied by the censor” (Miner 1998). In schools there are three types of censorship, one type is a “parent who doesn’t want their child to read a particular book. Another is a parent, teacher, administrator, or school board member who argues that no one in the class, or school should read the book in dispute. Lastly, there is censorship that involves someone who is part of an organized campaign, whether of a local or national group, and who goes in ready for a fight and wants to make a broader political point” (Miner 1998). Although there are many others ways that a piece of literature could get censored, most censored works are asked to be removed from classrooms and school libraries.
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 are banned for many reasons but more times than not it is because of the sensitive information found within the novel that agitates the reader. As long as people have been able to develop their own opinions, others have sought to prevent them from sharing. At some point in time, every idea has ultimately become objectionable to someone. The most frequently challenged and most visible targets of such objection are the very books found in classrooms and public libraries. These controversial novels teach lessons that sometimes can be very sensitive to some but there is much more to challenged books than a controversial topic. What lies within these pages is a wealth of knowledge, such as new perspectives for readers, twisting plots, and expressions that are found nowhere else. For example, To Kill A Mockingbird, contains references to rape, racial content, and profanity that have caused many to challenge the novel in the first place. The book was banned from countless
Every year in the United States we have books being banned and challenged by many people who do not like the contents of books. When researching for this argument essay I found an article written by Rebecca Hagelin. Rebecca Hagelin is the author of Home Invasion: Protecting Your Family in a Culture That’s Gone Stark Raving Mad and the vice president of communications and marketing at the Heritage Foundation (Lankford).
Books like The Chocolate War, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and Of Mice and Men have been placed on the controversial bookshelf of many school libraries.
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.
So many good things in this world have either been banned, challenged, or censored in some way. John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men, has been banned because of offensive words or actions depicted in this book. This book argures if murder can be justifiable. In this case one of the main characters, George kills his best friend Lennie because Lennie kills a woman in the story. George’s action was in order to keep Lennie from brutally murdered. This book would be banned because much of its content could be seen as offensive, rude, violent and wrong. But, at the same time all of these situations depicted in Of Mice and Men were events that actually happened and are valid historical events that John Steinbeck wanted to convey to his audience,
Books should not be banned because the reader should have the option to choose if they want to read a certain book, books are banned for unnecessary reasons, and libraries need more books. One reason books should not be banned is because