Taking A Look At Book Banning

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Benjamin Franklin once wrote, “If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed.” Books are being outlawed for trying to spread knowledge to young and impressionable minds. Several states have begun the process of censoring books, also referred to as burning books. The censorship of these books stems from concerned parents and politicians who believe that the messages shared on the pages of certain books are unfit for the eyes of growing children and young adults. The process of banning books needs to be stopped because it limits freedom of speech, restricts self-discovery and representation, and creates less exposure to different perspectives. The first way …show more content…

This is silencing the voices of authors and people who identify with the themes or messages being spread through these books. By censoring this form of art, the government is repressing the voice of the public and taking away their freedom of speech. Book banning is not just a small threat; “Book banning is the most widespread form of censorship in the United States” (Book Banning). This shows how dangerous book banning is to speech. This virus is spreading quickly through the states and will only continue until there is a stop to it. By censoring an outlet that was supposed to be free, the speech of citizens is being violated, and the voices of authors are being suppressed. Next, censoring books restricts self-discovery and representation. Kasey Meehan recounts her past with books: “‘For many of us, reading has just been such a foundational part of our own self-discovery and a kind of self-awareness-building experience’” (Bruinius). This emphasizes the importance of books at a young …show more content…

They carry real meaning and let readers explore new ways of thinking. As the quote says, the loss of these books will be catastrophic to our culture and our society. Without exposure to these different outlooks, the world would not be as diverse as it is now. The argument coming from advocates of censoring books is that exposure to these topics is harmful to young and growing minds. These groups of advocates believe that these books sway and push unhealthy ideologies onto impressionable children, and they believe that by banning them, the children will have healthier lives. “Book-banning initiatives started by concerned adults seeking to protect children from topics and points of view deemed inappropriate may be well-intentioned. But they have unintended consequences” (Cain). This demonstrates that book banning was done with good intentions. However, even if it started with the well-being of children in mind, it has become harmful. It has been used to silence the voices of people trying to spread knowledge and diversity to benefit the minds of readers. A lot of the time, the books that are under fire usually share minorities or “controversial”

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