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The effects of censorship on society
Negative effects of information censorship on a society
The effects of censorship on society
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Banned Books are books that have been taken off of library shelves because they have been found to have inappropriate content. Books are often challenged by parents who do not want their kids to read them and be exposed to this material. However, Taking books off of shelves is unfair to people mature enough to process the content and hinders the learning of those who would be able to gain something from reading the books. What children are or are not allowed to read should be the parents responsibility. Books should not be banned and made unavailable to those who wish to read them and are capable of gaining something from them.
What kids are reading should be their parents responsibility. Parents know their kids personality and maturity levels best, so they are the most suited for helping their kids decide what the can and cannot read. When parents choose to challenge books and attempt to have them taken off of shelves, they are not only preventing their own child from reading them but all the other people
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who would have gotten that book from that library whether or not everyone else is mature enough to read them. Banning books is unfair to those who are mature enough to handle the content and gain something from it. Just because one person is not capable or does not wish to read the book does not mean that that book should be taken away from all of the kids who wished to read it. For a lot of people the library is the most convenient place for them to get their reading material from, so taking books out of libraries because of their content is preventing these people from being able to find a copy of them. Also, books are a way to learn.
Non- Fiction books are filled with obvious facts but fiction books also have a lot to gain from them. By saying that a book is too inappropriate or covers topics too sensitive for some people to handle and therefore should not be easily accessible is preventing people an opportunity to potentially gain great lessons from these books. These lessons are not necessarily going to be pleasant, they may be offensive or uncomfortable at first but the things that can be learned from books are valuable. When books are banned, people are deprived of classics such as 1984 by George Orwell or To Kill A Mockingbird. These are books that have amazing potential to teach important lessons about life. Is it better for a person to learn about the dangers of racism from a book, or from either perpetrating or experiencing it firsthand? Taking away a book because it has sensitive material is taking away a valuable learning tool for a lot of
people. Books that are banned due to inappropriate or offensive content should not be made unavailable to everyone who wants to read them. What kids are or are not allowed to read should be the responsibility of their parent who knows what they are capable of digesting. When books are made unavailable to everyone who uses these libraries it is unfair to all of the people who would like to read the book and it prevents these people from learning valuable life lessons in a safe way.
...ain groups consider books to be immoral does not mean they need to be pulled from the shelves. Censoring is acceptable for the youth, but there is an age when we all grow up and are able to handle books with explicit content.
...etter than ignorance. Book censorship should not limit the amount of knowledge a child can receive, instead, books should be used to benefit children in their education and future career.
What does it mean to ban a book? A banned book is one that has been removed from the shelves of a library, bookstore, or classroom because of its controversial content. (About.com) Before banning, a book must be challenged. A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. (About Banned And Challenged Books) A book is challenged when a person or group dislikes some of its content, and wishes to have it removed. Often times, it is banned for obscenities and is considered unsuited for the set age group, or any age group.
As the American Library Association notes, books are usually banned "with the best intention…to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information." (Brunner). If a book has frightening or controversial ideas in them, adults willing often censor that book from children. From 2000 to 2009, of the 5,099 challenges that were reported, 1,639 of these challenges were in school libraries and 30 challenges in academic libraries. (Frequently Challenged Books). At various times in American history, even some of the tamest books have been banned. Harriet the Spy, was banned because it supposedly taught children to "lie, spy, back-talk, and curse." Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl was banned for being too depressing. A Light in the Attic, by Shel Silverstein, was banned because it might encourage kids to break dishes so they won't have to dry them. (Frequently Challenged Books). While some of these excuses are more reasonable than other excuses, the banning of these books prevents the children from empathizing...
Banning Books “It’s not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written, the books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers” (Blume 1999). Judy Blume can not explain the problem of book censorship any clearer.
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.
Public schools are becoming more laid back about what they teach in each subject to make it less uncomfortable for individuals to talk about; for example, sex education is taught in schools more in depth and at an earlier age today than in the past to make it easier for people to talk about sex in a more mature manner. Banning books that contain sexual content, vulgarity, and violence give children and young adults a reason to snicker about these topics when discussed in class because we are taught that these topics are not appropriate to talk about publicly. There are many factors that play a major role in how an individual perceives certain topics in books. If taught at an earlier age that these topics are suitable for mature discussion, a child is less likely to find it funny or become offended. How a parent reacts to certain material is how a child is raised to react the same way (Kelly). Authors being banned from their right to Freedom of Speech because parents cannot accept what they say.
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
A banned book is known as a book that has been challenged and declared, “prohibited” for the public, or a group. (“About Banned & Challenged Books”). Book banning has been an issue since the printing press was invented. One of the first well known prohibited books was The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, which was first banned in 1850 for having inappropriate underlying themes in the story. (“Banned Books That Shaped America”). To challenge book banning, Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 to celebrate the freedom to read, by having banned books available in bookstores and public libraries. (“Banned Books Week”). Books are frequently challenged by parents and schools, but can be challenged by anyone who thinks that a certain book could be harmful to a child. Book banning has many advantages and disadvantages that cause it to be a very arguable matter.
It’s better than just taking these books off the shelves and wasting them, when there might be people out there who don’t have a problem and like to read these books. Suzanne says, “many parents confuse a books subject matter with the notion that the author or publisher advocates a moral agenda and regard books as enemies.” An example of that would be when there are swear words, parents think it’s telling the readers to swear but that is not the case. The reason parents get so protective about which books their kids are reading is because they have no control over their kids in a world of danger. So, by deciding which books their children are reading is a way of feeling in
Jamie Leigh Talks about how banning books is not always the right thing to do. “You may not like something, but that doesn't mean you have to take it away from everyone else”.
Retrieved December 2, 2002 from Lexis-Nexis/Academic database. This article addresses some of the reasons that censors attempt to remove books from the curriculum: Many censors feel that works are not age appropriate for students. Staff, Wire Reports. (2002 October 3). Book banning spans the globe.
The act of banning books serves as a way to stifle intellectual development as well as critical and independent thinking. Literature has always been a pathway for challenging perspectives, myriad ideas, and strengthening intellectual growth. By succumbing to banning books, the free exchange of ideas, the scope of knowledge, and the development of a well-rounded intellect are all in jeopardy. The harm being done to the population is great, but those who are the most negatively impacted are the students in our schools. The non-profit organization PEN America lists 3,362 books banned in public school classrooms and libraries between July 1, 2022, and June 31, 2023, in the United States.
This way, I’d be able to respect both sides of the argument. Books should not be banned in schools because students should be culturally aware. Studying various narrative styles not only enhances students' understanding of others, but also empowers them to be inclusive, creating school settings that are more diverse and welcoming for learning. According to an article from The 19th, some future white Americans may miss out on understanding the true history and current state of racial issues in
Book banning has been around ever since there have been books to ban. It happens all throughout history whenever a brave writer or philosopher has enough courage to share what they think is right, or too explicit the truth. Where would the world be without mind changing literary classics such as Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Huckleberry Finn, or The Catcher in the Rye? If everyone were to read only what was allowed and censored then everyone would only think what was allowed and censored, and the world would never be challenged or improved. If you never let someone see differently then how are they ever expected to think anything new? An easy access to different learning material is vital. Books should not be taken out of libraries and stores because some people do not agree with their controversial material.