Comparing The Banning Of John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck shouldn’t be banned and should be allowed to be read in classrooms that are 8th grade and above. Of Mice and Men is a superb example of what the youth of America should stray away from in the future, so no future generations will have to live like the characters George and Lennie do. Of Mice and Men hooks the reader at every turn and the reader also can learn from it. Although some disagree and believe it should be banned, there are many reasons why it shouldn't be. Of Mice and Men demonstrates the language that many Americans use, the history is realistic and accurate, and it displays the effects of peer pressure. Teenagers in these grades will take these factors into play as they learn not to repeat history,

People even today use crude language,like the commonly used word,”Nigger” (20 Steinbeck). This word is used in pop culture frequently and is a common word in some communities. Another example would be when,”Son-of-a-bitch”was stated (27 Steinbeck). This is a recurring word used in western language that people use when they are angry or mad at someone. This is already language teens see and hear in America, so why is vulgar language so bad when it’s in writing? The language has been used in writing before and many books use this type of language so they can build a connection to the real world. It is vital for teens especially in 8th grade and above to learn how important it is to stray away from these potentially hurtful words and how this type of language can set a certain tone to a

If it were banned because of the harsh reality of America’s history that means the government must ban all history textbooks which contain the similar events as shown in Of Mice and Men. For example it states, “Sure. Ya see the stable buck's a nigger”(20 Steinbeck). This is how people spoke in the South - especially during the 1930s when segregation was a problem. Racism was part of the past and shaped how America is today, so for John Steinbeck, the author, to highlight this, he would only be displaying how humans interacted with black people in the 30s. Cory Daniel wrote in his article ‘Of Mice and Men:’ Steinbeck's controversial banned book for over 50 years, “Making their (George and Lennie) way through The Great Depression by working on various farms.” The focal point of this quote is that many Americans like these two had to go through bounteous amounts of jobs in the 1930s. The Great Depression was a horrible time in U.S history and John Steinbeck did a perfect interpretation of it. It is a very important for teachers to give an accurate point of view of The Great Depression (Of Mice and Men) for the teens to learn how it affected America economically and socially. Teenagers will then take this knowledge and learn not to repeat the mistakes that the U.S did during this time, for these students are our future and affect it