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Why there should be limitations to freedom of speech
Freedom of speech vs censorship
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Recommended: Why there should be limitations to freedom of speech
Censoring of Books Books are extremely important in school. The banning of some books from schools and libraries would take away an ability to learn. Many people believe that some books are inappropriate for schools because of sexual content, drug use, or the demonstration of homosexuality. It is common now for kids to read books with this kind of content and taking them away would be taking away freedom of expression, there are also ways around it if the books are too inappropriate for small children. Many parents have taken on a new form of parenting and do not hide what happens in the world from their children. Other parents disagree and attempt to ban books from class lists. One article says, “Because we no longer live in a world where it would be unthinkable for an authority figure to give a child a book in which depictions of sex, violence, drug use, and profanity and the like are major elements…” (Article 2). Society has changed and most parents want their children to face reality. …show more content…
The reader would notice that one of the articles that is with the book ban states, “In principle, the right to freedom of expression, as outlined in the First Amendment, seems like a democratic ideal that everyone could agree upon” (Article 1). Even though the writer agrees that some books should be banned from libraries, they still state that doing so would go against the First Amendment. Sometimes books can be much too inappropriate for small children but banning them is not the answer. Barnes and Noble faced charges because of certain books, instead of getting rid of them, “The store fought the ban but later agreed to display the books wrapped in plastic and available only on bookshelves higher than five feet” (Article 3). The bookstore created a better alternative to keep the books from children, rather than getting rid of them
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.
People ban or challenge books because they don't want other to read them because of their content, even thought we see most of it in our everyday life. To stop book banning and to keep books on the shelves; if a book has inappropriate content and someone wants to buy it or get it from the library or store they have to get the parents consent. This will also keep parents informed on what their child is reading.
...in restrictions are needed. Pornography should not be available to children. I do not have a problem with parental advisory labels on music. However, putting a ban on all books is a very scary proposition. Bradbury's novel does not come close to describing how miserable this world would become. Everybody in this world depends on books whether or not they are literate. It can be said that we get most of our morals and values from books. These morals are found in books such as the Bible, Aesop's Fables, and sometimes even the trashy romance novels that women tend to love. Without books, the world could be explained in one word, educated. An uneducated world is a miserable world full of fighting and conflict. An uneducated world is a world at constant war. A world with out books is a dystopian world.
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
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.
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.
In conclusion, book banning is necessary because children may be taught bad habits, lose the magical innocence of childhood, and not be mature enough to decide what materials to read. The banning of books, while unfortunate, is needed to help keep children safe and
Some people may argue that students should have a right to read what they prefer because we are denying them of their first amendment freedoms of the press and freedom of speech. No book should be banned due to improper themes in them. Books are a gift in which authors can express their opinion and beliefs and we can read about them. Kids should be able to be open minded to all books, banning books won’t affect you but it’ll affect children, which is what many
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.
The Houston Chronicle, pp. C14. Retrieved December 2, 2002 from Lexis-Nexis/Academic database. This article emphasizes the point that censors go too far when they attempt to not only ban a book for their own children but want to remove it altogether from a school library, so that other students cannot read it.
... censoring books, music, and television. Although parents may argue that these all need to be censored for the sake of their children, they are missing the fact that they have already been exposed to these types of things before. Even though books are being banned because they are controversial it is only depriving children of valuable lessons. Books also provide the youth with different ideas and can help them realize that variation in ideas is important. Censorship and music have often been debated as well, but music is everywhere censored and uncensored, so chances are children are going to hear songs that are “inappropriate.” Lasty, television is something that is censored all the time, when parents should decide what is censored and what is not censored. In conclusion, censorship is something that is becoming the topic of parents and children all over America.
Censoring books deprives people of the freedom to explore the world of knowledge. , An example being a book by Harper Lee called To Kill a Mockingbird was banned from schools due to the use of profanity and racial content. Some people may believe that books should be off the shelves because of the content it contains. Clearly, certain materials, such as books, should not be banned or censored because people should have freedom to read what they want and banning books limits ideas and creativity. One of the many reasons that books should not be be prohibited is that people should have the freedom to gain knowledge about what they want.
Second reason is a lot of these books being banned are being banned for religious reasons, supposedly going against the government, and other supposedly immoral things. But that doesn’t stop children from accessing these things the internet
Because of the Internet it is possible for schools to have access to books with out having them on the shelves of school libraries. New books and research studies are posted on the Internet daily for the world to read. In the past if you where from a poor school or a shelterd community that banded books from school libraries you may not be able to read some important infromantion. Making the student that had the oportunity to read and learn this new infromation better educated than a person whom did not have the same books in there school library shelves. The author of the article The internet as a classroom explains this fact when she says, "We have arrived at a new moment in history: a moment in which such terms as class, race, gender, sexuality, nationality and ideology are no longer useful" (Hendricks). This statement applies to education because information can be found on any subject on the web. If a school has a ban on reading a book a student can still find and read it online if he or she wants to. Censorship is not possible because of the technology called Internet.