Censorship Should NOT be Placed on Books
"Censorship... a system under which official censors must give permission before
communications of a specified type can lawfully be made" (Wilgoren, 1).
Recently censorship has become a major problem in our society. Censorship should not be banned on books. People should not be told they cannot read a book. Unfortunately history has shown that words can be used for ill as well as for good, to destroy lives as well as to enhance them? (Steffens, 9) Words and reading them gives us a better understanding of other peoples views. Censorship should not be placed on books.
Every person can find a particular section in a book that they do not agree is
appropriate. ?Many local censorship incidents still consist of one parent complaining
about one book? (Fege, 10). ?In Colorado kids were eager to hear the fascinating tales of
Harry Potter. That all stopped when people thought the book was evil and thought that it
did not belong in the schools.? (1) How can people take a book that a child enjoys based
on their views? In schools some kids may or may not have read the book Huckleberry
Finn. ?Huckleberry Finn is not only one of the best books ever written in this country but
it?s also the most influential? (West, 43). Reading books gives people a sense of what
history is all about. ?If black kids are never taught Huckleberry Finn they are put at a real
disadvantage if they ever go on to study literature at the college level? (43). ?You can get
all hyped up about the fact that the word ?nigger? appears in the book over two hundred
times, but that was what black Americans were called in the 1840?s, which when the book
takes place? (43). Some people might take the word nigger in an unfashionable way. It
was never meant to do any harm. ?Even though Huck calls Jim ?nigger,? he treats him
like a friend? (43). Slaves were known as niggers at that point of history. ?Black kids
need to know the history behind the word so that when they hear it on the playground
they know where it comes from? (43). ?They (parents) might not want their own children
to declare their own independence in the way that Huck does at the end of the book, and
perhaps this is one of the reasons why they don?t want the book taught in the schools?
(44). One alternative from the banning of any book is to provide a different bo...
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...1991:10-12.
Lueker, Donna Harrington. ?Book Battles.? American School
Board Journal Feb. 1991: 18+
Ockerbloom, John Mark. The on-line Books Page Presents
Banned Books On-Line. 13. Oct. 2000.
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/books/banned-books.html.
Sipe, Rebecca Bowers. ?Don?t Confront Censors, Prepare for
Them.? Education Digest Feb. 1996: 42-46.
Steffens, Bradley. Censorship. San Diego: Lucent Books, 1996.
West, Mark I. ?Some Thoughts on Censorship and the Teaching
of Huckleberry Finn.? Multi-Cultural Review December. 1996: 42-44.
Wilgoren, Jodi. ?Don?t Give Us Little Wizards, The
Anti-Potter Parents Cry.? New York Times 1 Nov. 1999:1.
Thesis: Censorshipe should not be placed on books.
I. Unfairness
A. Listening
1. Parents Views
2. Kids Views
3. Teachers Views
B. Freedom of Learning
1. Expressing Views
2. Trust
II. Choice
A. Kids and Parents
B. People
1. School Boards
2. Government Officials
3. Censors
III. Constitutional Rights
A. What it states
B. How we can change Censorship by an alternative
Jim remembers a time when he told his daughter to shut a door, when she doesn’t listen Jim slaps her. Jim feels very bad for what he did when he learns that she is deaf and dumb. Jim cries and says that he will never forgive himself for the rest of his life: “...’Oh, de po’ little thing! De Lord God Amighty fogive po’ ole Jim, kaze he never gwyne to fogive hisself as long’s he live!’ Oh, she was plumb deef en dumb, Huck, plumb deef en dumb—en I’d ben a-treat’n her so!” (140). Jim knows that what he did was very wrong and he won’t ever forgive himself. This helps show that Jim has a good sense of what's wrong and what's right, which helps provide moral support for Huck throughout the whole entire
Aliprandini, Michael Sprague, Carolyn. "Banning Books: An Overview." Points Of View: Banning Books (2013): 1. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.
The authors do eventually (pg. 205) acknowledge that some may see the book as trying to enrage the public just to sell books. In fact, Ron Levy, P...
Not only were blacks referred to as “niggers” but, anyone associated with them, except for slave masters, were called, “nigger” lovers. An example of this is that a character named Atticus Finch is defending a black person named Tom Robinson in court. Because he is doing this, most people in town are calling him a “nigger” lover. Not only are the adults saying it, but their children are saying it too. Since Atticus is defending this man, he has also tried to been jumped many time also. But Atticus makes a very interesting point during the court case. “The witnesses for the state have presented themselves to you gentlemen, to this court, in the cynical confidence that their testimony would not be doubted. Confident that you gentlemen, would go along with them on one assumption, the evil assumption, that all Negroes lie, that all Negroes are immoral beings, that all Negroes are not to be trusted around our women, an assumption that of one mind of their caliber.
This fictional, satirical follow-up to to Mark Twain’s 1876 novel is just as popular, although for most it’s for different reasons. The amount of times that the “n-word” is used is between 160 and 213 [2]. Since the 1950s, black parents and some white sympathizers have called this book out as being racist. As for my opinion on this, I never got why this was bad. Sure, it may seem racist to us, but in the context of it’s time, there’s really nothing wrong. That was the controversy of it, as for the story itself, it’s a classic in it’s own right.
How would you feel if an author published a book that contained a word that was once used frequently but has now developed into one of the most derogatory and unfriendly things a person can say? Since 1884, when the book was first published, there has been much controversy regarding the use of the word “nigger” in the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain. Many people all over the world, predominantly the African-American population, feel that the word demoralizes the Blacks, and feel that the novel should be strongly censored from society. Some say that the constant use of the “n-word” forces the reader to conceive one of the main characters, Jim (Huck’s slave friend), as a buffoon, and it therefore embarrasses the African-American community through the use of stereotype. Although it may be hard for many people to read it without having a negative reaction, the censorship of this American classic would be preposterous. As one reads this novel, one can begin to notice that the main character, Huckleberry Finn, reached a turning point with his troublesome behavior and slowly but surely began to mature and settle down into adulthood. Mark Twain actually used the relationship of Jim and Huck to portray the moral values these characters come to learn and, therefore, his book should not in any way be censored or be kept away from the classrooms. This message is more powerful than the usage of the n-word in the novel.
content of the book, the school board voted 5-4 to ban the book. The book was later reinstated in the curriculum when the board learned that
...oke can hurt no matter what race a person is. Huck knows the difference between right and wrong and knows to stay away from wrong. Huck also knows the importance of friendship and is willing to go to Hell to preserve the friendship between himself and Jim. Even though he does not show his moral traits, Huck is a moral character whether he likes it or not.
When a book uses the "N-word" 213 times (Carey-Webb 24) and portrays the African American characters as inferior to their white counterparts, it becomes easy to assume that the book’s author Mark Twain is using this novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as a form of racist propaganda to display upon America in the late 19th century post-Civil War Era. By the late 19th century slavery had finally ended across the United States, but racial tension, discord and discrimination were still very much at large. For those opposed to slavery in its original iteration, and, therefore, opposed to its continuation in this form, the only thing left to do was to continue fighting the battle for equality and rights in any way they knew how.
The story takes place when black people were not considered equal to white people. Back then the word "nigger" referred to black people. Mark Twain did not write the word to degrade black people or to be racist, he wrote it to be historically accurate of the times. " To say that Twain is racist because of his desire for historical accuracy is absurd."
...in high school and are normally subjected to crude language and sexual content throughout the day, so this would also give them a better understanding of the book. Banning of certain books help protect children from the evil ways of the world that they should not see until an older, more mature age. The cruel language and violence within this book may influence children to act out and may possibly alter their future.
It is a book that my child may never be able to read. It seems that the only logical reasoning to aid in what offends people is to completely eliminate the book from the library. A better approach is to understand that this book may help them examine other beliefs, attitudes, values, and traditions and to accept, tolerate, or even reject these ideas without prejudices against people who hold particular views. In the democracy In which we live, where regularly all ideas are debatable. A wide range on all points of view should be available to the public.
Rose, Arnold. “The Negro in America”. New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, Incorporated, 1964. Print
Coatney, Sharon. "Banned Books: A School Librarian's Perspective." Time. Time Inc., 22 Sept. 2000. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.
Dr. Joseph Bentz, a literature professor, argued against banning the book from schools and libraries. I completely agree with this article which is why I am using it as one of my sources. The author believes that changing the book would defeat its satirical purpose, which I feel is correct. If people decided to change the words in the book, it will take away from the meaning of the book in general. With the information provided, I will support the fact that the book is also a historical story that help understand a certain time period in America. Young people being exposed to this material will understand the life of African American. The author also gives a personal view from an African American male stand point o reading the book during his youth. The man had experienced embarrassment because when the word “nigger” was said out loud, the white students would laugh about it. Later on he would find relief when the word was not used a few pages ahead (par 9). This example is very important, it made known that the children was well aware of the term, just like any other curse word. Bentz ends his point of view with the fact that keeping the book keeps his students on their toes and guessing, just like most