In America, citizens’ rights are protected by the Constitution. But people have violated these basic human rights. School boards have been banning books from their libraries due to a simple difference in opinion. People justify these actions by claiming to be protecting children from inappropriate content. However, book banning is not an acceptable form of censorship as it violates the First Amendment. Books allow a reader to explore different perspectives and permit people to find comfort in relatable stories. Books allow children to grasp perspectives that are not taught to them by their surrounding peers. As stated in source E, “We shouldn’t be banning books that allow a different perspective other than the one the school system wants to …show more content…
Additionally, it grants the ability to develop empathy for those groups that have been ostracized by parents and organizations simply because they are different. This pushes teens to grow into a prejudiced mindset, which will only cause the cycle to repeat once they have children. Overall, book banning will narrow a child's view and cause the discriminatory lifestyle of their parents to continue on for generations. Furthermore, these stories allow children to find comfort and cope with their own situations. As the author states in source D, “Kobabe, who is nonbinary, told the Texas Tribune that Gender Queer aims to provide ‘good, accurate, safe information’ for queer high school students at a time when there’s a lot of misinformation about gender identity exploration online.” (Waxman). As described, the writers of some of the banned books desire to give adolescents correct information about topics to allow a child to understand themselves. This provides students with a safe place to explore their own identity when other places, like their home, may be unsafe to do …show more content…
Argued in source C is, “They are right to champion the innocence of children.” (Meyrat). This author believes that parents and officials are correct in getting books like Kobabe's off the shelves in order to protect their children. On the other hand, Source E states, “The above are examples of books that have been banned even though they depict the truth of our history or the truth of our present.” (Dia). This author suggests that no matter how cruel a book is, it is based on reality, which is equally as horrible. So, while people may argue these terrible books revoke children's innocence, they merely teach the students about the terrible world they live in. Additionally, if a child is confused or concerned, reading about these events or people in an educational environment encourages intellectual growth and allows the student to navigate these difficult topics with a trusted adult instead of online where false information can be given. In conclusion, students should be able to read about the difficult or inappropriate topics in the books schools are attempting to ban so that the child can learn about these sensitive topics in a place of reliable
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.
By forbidding the reading of certain books, the first amendment rights of every American citizen are violated. The first amendment of the U.S. Constitution clearly states that all citizens have freedom of speech as well as freedom of press (Book Banning 1). By banning a book and making it so that no one can read it, the government is keeping the author from expressing their thoughts and opinions through press. The freedom of choice is also violated due to the inability of reading that particular book as an option. Not only the first amendment rights are violated, but also the academic freedom and diversity of thought guaranteed and protected by the constitution (Teachers 1). History will show that Americans do not take the violation of their rights lightly, and are more than likely to protest. Sometimes, in more extreme cases, they will rebel.
Trelease, Jim. "Book Banning Violates Children and Young Adult Freedoms." Book Banning. Ed. Ronnie D. Lankford. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2007. At Issue. Rpt. from "Censorship and Children's Books." Trelease-on-Reading.com. 2006.Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
Banning books from public schools and public libraries is wrong. It’s irrational to have a parent or school board member’s opinion determine what a school district should be reading. Books including and not limited to, The Scarlet Letter, The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Lord of the Flies, and Animal Farm all have one thing in common. They have all at one time or another been subject to banishment. These literary classics have been around for a long time and proved to be vital to the education of many, especially children and adolescents. These novels teach values and educate children about world affairs that can not come from an everyday experience. These controversial novels encompass the materials that ultimately boost our educational wealth. Banning books infringe
Censorship/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. Books with cruel language and mature thoughts and circumstances should only be read by teen children or young adults. At a more mature age students are more likely to be able to comprehend the content within the book. As well as a lower chance of the students being frightened by the crude language and activities found within the text than a younger child might be. Young children are impressionable and these types of books may leave unpleasant thoughts and influence behaviors now as well as the futures of the children. The banning of books such as The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and others as well, should only be banned up to eighth grade in school.
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.
... press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” When it comes to the issue of book banning, the First Amendment states that the government cannot make any laws that interfere with the freedom of the press. The Supreme Court has commonly upheld this right. The denial of this right, according to Micah Issitt and Ames Cushman’s article, is a sign of a totalitarian government. Therefore, any form of book banning is a flagrant violation of the freedom of the press, one of America’s most cherished rights. Controlling what society can and cannot read goes against the founding principles of this nation.
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.
It is challenging to choose what types of books are appropriate for children to read. Now in days the choice is even more challenging then it was a couple of centuries ago. There are books that feature violence, sexual content, offensive language or all. These subjects question concern parents because it can teach young children about several subjects that are usually avoided. Times have changed and so have books and what they contain, which makes banned books an important subject. Books can be a great source to learn from whether it history or just a folk tale, but parents and teachers must take into consideration the ages of the audience. Maturity is not achieved until a later time and some children may have difficulty reaching that point.
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. Censoring school books in libraries can often lead to censorship of our basic freedoms guaranteed in the First Amendment. In some cases, a minority ends up dictating the majority in censorship cases. To be told what is permissible reading material and what is not is a direct violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution.
There are books all over the world that are getting banned by communities and schools. Of Mice and Men is a popular book that is getting banned or almost banned all over the world for inappropriate language and bad themes. But should these books get banned. Only parents and teachers should ban books, not communities. Communities voting is not the right way to ban books, only parents and teachers should ban books.
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
In an ever-evolving world, technology continues to enhance and expand the dissemination of knowledge throughout the world. One of the oldest pieces of technology that contributes to the explosion of knowledge is the book. As more and more people are exposed to knowledge and books, more specifically students, controversy about the subject matter of certain books comes into question by concerned parents, students, and others on whether or not said books should be shown to students, under the rationale of inappropriate or offensive content. As society learns from its mistakes, material that contains sensitive subjects and attempts to denounce and denormalize the subject matter are being restricted in piecemeal, where more and more books are removed, although their theme is being misinterpreted (Hopkins).
The growing trend of censorship and banned books has amplified over the last 3 years. Controversy on whether certain books that espouse opinions on divisive topics should be banned from the learning curriculum or banned altogether from districts but banning them contradicts freedom of expression through literature guaranteed in the 1st Amendment. Furthermore, it has affected thousands of individual titles across the US in grades K-12, one of many being the book Speak by Laurie Anderson. While Speak does address divisive topics like rape, xenophobia, and self-harm, along with many other mature topics, it should be age-restricted to middle schoolers and below for a lack of maturity but allowed in grades 9-12 due to its educational value to promote
The poets who belong to the Romantic time period largely focus their poetry on nature. Mainly, their focus is to criticize the new society and their loss of respect for nature. These poets have a great appreciation for nature and would like to move away from advancing technology and go back to the simple ways of life were simple things are more greatly appreciated by society. In an article the following is stated, “What we have to be aware of is the literal level of truth that Romantic poets are trying to tell. Wordsworth wanted to see into the life of things. Things, even the lowliest, had life” (Tom O’Brien, James Allen). These poets had a great respect for even the smallest things in nature that most of the time that go unnoticed daily. Their main concern became the rapid shift in lifestyle during their lives; this rapid shift is well known as the industrial revolution. The Industrial Revolution began in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, societies within Europe and then American then shifted from rural to urban: this industrialization shifted to special-purpose machinery, large factories and of course, mass production (History Staff, Industrial Revolution). Life then became suddenly racing toward a different style moving away from things like farming, to working in factories and living in urban areas. Many romantic poets wrote about their deep dislike of this shift in lifestyle and its negative effects on the appreciation of nature. Their messages in the poetry they write were closely related to society’s disrespect of nature, and by reading their poetry no reader is able to escape this observation. In The World is Too Much with Us by William Wordsworth, Wordsworth identifies three messages with correlation to nature; the ma...