Stop Book Censorship

918 Words2 Pages

Growing up as a child, parent’s shelter their children as much as they cannot allowing them to take in negativity and vulgarity in the world, but what happens when they go to school and talking amongst other children? Some parents do not always shelter their children as much, letting them know what is happening in the world at a much younger age than others. Teachers, but mainly government, try to correct what they think is wrong by censoring what content children can and cannot read. Censoring books should not be allowed today because children are maturing at a younger age; they are exposed to more vulgar content now with cellphones than when reading a book such as The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, or a modern title like the Harry Potter series (American Library Association). Censoring books should not be allowed since children are maturing at a younger age; that is, children and teenagers should be able to choose whether or not they if they think books are too vulgar for their own preference. In the past and today, books have been censored for vulgar language, the acts of violence, and sexual content. Books have also been censored for being too adult-like. The Catcher in the Rye’s censorship is debatable; in my opinion, if I had to pick a reason it would be because Holden was trying to be an adult although he was still a kid. He is in between the same world of an adult and a child; he uses the same words of an adult but continues to act like a child (Wiginton). When he was not around people he knew, or around the people he knew most, he tried to be more adult-like by ordering alcoholic beverages and smoking cigarettes. As a result, Holden, who is only seventeen, uses language modern teenager’s use today. For example, ... ... middle of paper ... ...ec. 2011. Web. 05 Nov. 2013. . "Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009." American Library Association. American Library Association, n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2013. . Mindlin, Alex. "DRILLING DOWN Rapid Rise of Children With Cellphones." NY Times. The New York Times, 07 Mar. 2010. Web. 5 Nov. 2013. . Lukenbill, W. Bernard. "Censorship: What Do School Library Specialists Really Know?" American Library Association. American Association of School Librarians, n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2013. . Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye. Boston: Little, Brown, 1951. Print.

Open Document