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Emily Moore Mrs. Johnson English 11 10 January 2018 The Right to Read The Diary of Anne Frank, The Scarlet Letter, and To Kill a Mockingbird all have something in common. These books not only have been staples in english curriculum across the nation for many years, but they also have been banned and challenged time after time for their content. Although theses novels teach valuable lessons, some people cannot seem to look past certain parts of their plots. Many groups have taken action to ban an abundance of books that they personally feel people should not be exposed to. Banning books prevents a well rounded education, takes away the right to choose what to read, and will ultimately have no real purpose because people will be exposed to …show more content…
Colete Bancroft tells a story in her article Ban a Book, Draw Readers about how one of her college professors told her students not to read one chapter of a book. Due to natural curiosity, everyone read that chapter of the book, even people who had not read one other word of the book read that part just to see why she told them not too (Bancroft 2). Telling students not to read a book is more effective getting students to read it than telling them they have to read it. (Bancroft 2). Censorship is unnecessary because students will explore the bounds of life anyways (Lopez 2). Banning books is an ineffective solution to a nonexistent problem that is ultimately a waste of time because kids will read regardless of who tells them what (Lopez 3). Also, reading gives students a safe way to explore the world, instead of having to find out about these difficult topics the hard way (McNeil 2). After reading about these tough topics, students would be more prepared to deal with difficult events in their own life (Bancroft 3). Most students need to be exposed to these difficult topics so they can talk about them with others (McNeil 2). Depriving students from exploring life situations damages growth and worsens their impact on society (McNeil 2). Overall, the banishment of some books only causes more damage because it limits exposure to inevitable situations that ultimately shape a person. Students will be exposed to bad things eventually, so why ban a book about it with a theme and lesson from the
In the article How Banning Books Marginalizes Children, the author, Paul Ringel, states that approximately fifty-two percent of the books banned in the last ten years illustrate “diverse content”, such as race, religion, gender identity, etc. Ringel believes that attitudes about which books are “appropriate” for kids to read have too often suppressed stories about different cultures and life experiences. He basis his argument around the pretext that when libraries stop the banning it will allow kids to learn how to navigate imaginary worlds filled with differences and apply those lessons to their own lives.
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
"Book Banning." Current Issues: Macmillian Social Science Library. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 31 Jan. 2011.
In order to understand how banning books in schools affect student learning, it is important to understand why books are banned in the first place. If parents describe a book as inappropriate or offensive for children, they can complain about it to the school district to have it banned. If the school district agrees with the parents, they will ban the book from the school curriculum and forbid teachers from teaching the book to students. Parents might think that the book goes against religious or moral...
Kids love freedom. They thrive on it. It’s a part of growing up. The older and more responsible you are the more freedoms you will get. Parents at a variety of schools are restricting the one freedom of children that they should always have. The freedom to chose a book. A number of schools have banned the classic, award winning book “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. This book is about a little girl who’s father is defending an African American man in court in the south during the 1930’s. Sounds harmless? Many don’t think so! “To Kill A Mockingbird” should not be be banned because it tells an important fictional story about America's past.
Throughout history, books have majorly impacted the societies in which they were written. Many of the most significant classics in history were challenged or even banned by the people of its time. Great novels, such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, and The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, have been through their fair share of challenges over the years. People of the 1800s had very strict standards that are very different from ours today, and they did not appreciate it when those beliefs were tested. Three of the most common reasons for challenging books throughout the centuries are sexuality, profanity, and religious beliefs. The question that arises from this information is: what values did the society of the 1800s hold that made them feel these topics were offensive enough to ban books containing them?
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
Throughout history, many books have been banned that should not have been. “An attack upon our ability to tell stories is not just censorship – it is a crime against our nature as human beings.” (Censorship) Salman Rushdie explains that taking away peoples right to read is a punishment to the human. He believes that we should not be punished to stop reading books that we can learn from. An example of a book that teaches well, is the book Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. Flowers for Algernon is a novel about a man who had an I.Q. of 70 and goes through surgery that had been conducted first on a mouse, to improve his intelligence. The book is a bunch of progress reports in Charlie’s perspective explaining how he feels going through surgery, and how it changed his life. Flowers for Algernon was banned due to sexual content, which was a wrong decision. It was wrong to ban Flowers for Algernon because, despite some
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.
Stephen Chbosky, author of Perks of Being a Wallflower, once said: "Banning books gives us silence when we need speech. It closes our ears when we need to listen. It makes us blind when we need sight." This is a completely accurate statement. The banning of books is an act of ignorance in many societies. The only sensible conclusion that can be drawn from doing so is that people in power fear what the written word can do, and how it can shape people’s minds. High school students are impressionable, yes, but they are the future of the world we live in today and deserve the chance to make choices for themselves while being provided the best possible information to go off of when doing so. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner is a highly controversial
All in all, throughout our society ideas, morals, and lessons are thought through books and if books are being banished from our schools, then we are all being deprived of our freedom as intellectuals that have the own opinions and ideas. In fact if books teach students lessons and if this books are abolished then lessons, ideas and real events of the real world are also banished from students. After all, who is the right person to censor book?
I believe that by doing so we are limiting the amount of ideas and perspectives there are. We simply should not erase a text and pretend that it didn’t exist. Instead we should use these controversial texts as an outlet to have a thoughtful conversation about issues that may not normally be brought up in school. By stifling ideas we are attempting to uphold the status quo and prevent people from being heard. In addition, people have different opinions. Although you may disagree with a book there a still a lot of people who want to read it. People should not force their views onto others. Books are also vital to our society because they enable people to act, think on their own, and teach empathy.
Staff, Wire Reports. (2002 October 3). Book banning spans the globe. The Houston Chronicle, pp.C14. Retrieved December 2, 2002 from Lexis-Nexis/Academic database.
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.