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). …show more content…
With banning books, the people that make the decisions on what books get banned also miss out on learning something new themselves, as the superintendent that banned one of Ellen Hopkins’ books did not read the book before making the decision to not only ban the book, but ban the author of the book from speaking on the school campus (Hopkins). The decision to ban books, especially without reviewing them, is a lose-lose situation for the students who get less of an education without said books, as well as the adults that raise and educate the students who will miss out on an opportunity to learn something new or informational. In conclusion, banning books is a decision that provides nothing beneficial for students, as they will only receive less and less of an education as more and more books are banned from schools. Most decisions to ban books fall under a reason of “inappropriate or offensive content” and the said terms and the reasons for book bans only get more vague than
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.
Countries worldwide actively call for the banning of books that are found to be politically inconvenient, religiously awkward, or embarrassing in one form or another. But for writers like Russia's Vasily Grossman, a book's ban means far more than just a dip in sales. In 1961, he pleaded with the Soviet censors, "I am physically free, but the book to which I have dedicated my life is in jail." (Merkelson). A book represents an idea, thus limiting access to a book is banning the representation of an idea. The banning of books in American schools should not be allowed, because banning books will prevent students from learning the reason for the controversy and alternate viewpoints they can come to on their own.
School boards and teachers have a responsibility for protecting the minds of their students and covering age appropriate material. However, does this responsibility cover the extreme act of banning books from school classrooms? Does not the teacher have a duty to introduce to their students world issues in order to better the students ability to cope with problems in the world? How does a school decide which books should be banned from the classroom, and should it be left up to the teacher to decide what is decided in his/her classroom. By banning books from the classroom, we prevent our students from learning about controversial topics in a safe environment, and we also encroach upon the student’s freedom of reading what they want in school.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn the more places you’ll go.”-Dr. Seuss. What Dr. Seuss’s statement is telling us is that books have given us knowledge about ideas, life, and the world. One of the greatest inventions of mankind is a book. A book is a set of printed sheets that are put together fill with information that people read about. Books have been around with us since ages from generations to generations. It is all around the world with different cultures and languages, books have given people the joy of story, information, and knowledge. Everyone should have the right to read whatever book they are seem interested. Well, it is not the case; there are some people out there trying to challenge books from being ban. It is ridiculous that books are being taken away from readers. Today, books are still currently being challenged or banned. This type of doing is censorship. This is a problem that people need to look at and think about. Books are in school, library, in our homes yet they are too much for the people. Why are books so sensitive for readers to be challenged? There are two set of sides to this issue, one side are the people that wants to remove the books and challenged them to be ban, the other side are the one that oppose the banning of books, allowing to read whatever they want. Which side is right? This leads to the question as to why books are currently being challenged or banned. How does banning books relate to censorship and what are some solutions that can solve the problem of banning books?
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 subject of censorship is a very controversial one, especially the banning of books. Many people believe they must protect themselves and others from the "evils" of many classic books and works of art because they can be deemed "indecent" in one way or another. Many believe that this is absurd and censorship in its current form is a violation of our First Amendment right to free speech. Personally, I align myself with the latter, however I do feel there are occasions where censorship is justifiable.
Censorship in School Libraries 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.
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
Books are of often challenged due to an individual or group of individuals considering the book to be controversial, immoral, inappropriate, sexually explicit, divisive, corrupt, vulgar, violent, or even wicked (Weiss p. 2.)
During the 1600s marriage was a high demand among men and women. This was the time when England was impacted by different events that occurred. As a man in England they were responsible for keeping the country’s political and economic businesses going. While, women did not have a huge amount of responsibility politically or economically. The seventeenth century in England marriage and sexual morals was important Mary Astell, who was an English feminist writer and rhetorician. She was known for her advocacy of equal opportunities for women. She could express her political and theological through the different works she published. She was the voice for women during this time.
People read books about dystopians all the time, you know those books that have everything possible go wrong. Books like The Hunger games, or Fahrenheit 451, Ect. Some people look at them as just stories, just fictional books. Those books are all about censorship and having the government controlling and watching your every move. What most people don't realize is that there is censorship happening right now, every time you send a text or make a phone call, the government can see/hear it. There is censorship on books at schools and ratings on movies. There is censorship happening all around you and most of us don't even notice it. That's because they are minor, but, over time things can progressively get worse. Someday those fictional books could become history books. Every great government has its downfall, and censorship could be the cause of it. For instance, a form of censorship that is happening right now all over the country in many schools is the banning of certain books in school libraries/ classrooms. This could very well lead to something more major because people don't like the idea of having their rights taken away from them. Also because the government is controlling what kids can and cannot read. And, finally because its imposing a threat on reading, learning and thinking.
Book banning denies readers access to different viewpoints and experiences. When certain books are removed from circulation, readers are denied the opportunity to engage with different cultures, beliefs, and viewpoints. This bias involves ignorance and reinforces stereotypes, blocking social progress and understanding. In educational settings, book banning challenges the pursuit of knowledge and critical thinking. By restricting access to certain books, teachers are forced to limit their ability to provide students with a well-rounded education.
Imagine a world where every book is an open door to new knowledge and freedom. Now, imagine those doors slamming shut. That’s a book banning. Overview: Book banning is the act of removing books from libraries, schools, or bookstores, often due to controversial content that some individuals or groups find objectionable. The reasons for challenging books can vary widely, from containing explicit language, sexual content, or themes of violence to promoting ideas that are considered unorthodox or against certain religious or political beliefs.
Book bans have risen in prevalence in the past few years. With the pandemic in 2020, parents began to want more control over their child’s education. These bans have divided parents and students; one group supports the increased censure of literature, while the other petitions for freedom of literature. Book bans can prevent young children from seeing potentially harmful information, but they also allow some groups to push the envelope, banning books based on their beliefs rather than facts. Many of these books include LGBTQ+ topics, abuse, violence, and racism.