Banning The Perks Of Being A Wallflower Essay

1607 Words4 Pages

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. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky has been banned and challenged for many years and for a multitude of reasons. It has been challenged every year since it’s release in different locations. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower was challenged for: drugs, alcohol, the glorification of drugs and alcohol, smoking, homosexuality, offensive …show more content…

However, this book absolutely should not be banned. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower has depth. It isn’t like the cheesy high school movies you’d see on disney channel, it’s more real. It shows what actual high school is like and addresses real problems that students face. Many of the justifications for the banning were parents saying they didn’t want their kid exposed to the obscenities, but realistically speaking, their kid probably already has been. They will find out from friends or the internet either way, so why not let them read about it and learn? Suicide was also mentioned several times throughout the novel, and was another reason for its discomfort among parents. This is another thing very prominent in high school, and it often goes unspoken of; and as time goes on, middle schoolers will experience this too. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower should not be banned because it is realistic and touching, not to mention an

Show More
Related

  • Go Ask Alice Paper

    764 Words  | 2 Pages

    After finishing the book, this book should not be in the banned books. This book has strong language for a younger child to read. it shows what can happen to teenagers, what students will do with drugs, and it has a strong message for older teens. For younger readers, this book carries very strong language but it has a strong message. One of those is that it shows what students will do with drugs.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay: Banned Books

    1059 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, The Giver, by Lois Lowry, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Harry Potter, by J.K. Rowlings, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hossenini, what do these books have in common? They are books on the American Library Association’s list of top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009. For various reasons, these books were found unsuitable for public audiences, and an attempt was made to ban them. From profanity to sexual content to homosexuality, groups have found reasons to challenge the books. Banning books that some people deem inappropriate from high school libraries underrates youthful intelligence, clouds history and dilutes our culture to fit a mold of conformity. Schools, even religiously affiliated ones, should focus on education and actually encouraging their students to read rather than inhibiting them from using their

    Read More

  • Banning The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    Did you ever think that books that have sex, obscene language, and immoral subjects can make a good book? The Catcher in the Rye has been on the banned reading list for exactly those reasons. The book was mainly put on disapproval from between 1966 and 1975 in almost every school district in the United States. The book was said to be so bad that in 1960 a teacher in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was fired for assigning the book to an eleventh-grade English class. Despite some opposition to the novel, however, J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye should be on a reading list for the freshman students because it gives a crystal clear image on how the world is in violence, sex, and obscenity and the book also teaches the motifs of lying and deception.

    Read More

  • The Censorship Of Huck Finn

    947 Words  | 2 Pages

    Censorship, as defined in the dictionary, is, in the case of a book, to take out things thought to be objectionable. Censorship is far more than that. This mere word prohibits us from all things

    Read More

  • Should The Great Gatsby Be Banned

    1103 Words  | 3 Pages

    With the thought that someone can be hurt by reading a book, people will try to challenge and ban them. To ban a book is to have it restricted from a certain age or audience. Banning and challenging books is trying to keep a certain book away from an audience due to sexual content, going against religious beliefs, language and vulgarity, violence, drugs, self-harm, racism, occult/satanic views, promoting gangs, and going against community standards. An argument from someone who believes books should not be banned is that it is important for the age group to learn about certain content and material as they grow up. Due to controversial content, the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald should be banned.

    Read More

  • To Kill A Mockingbird Should Be Banned In Schools Essay

    604 Words  | 2 Pages

    Why should this novel be banned from use in schools? Students should be able to hear these words and talk about them and not use them offensively. Racial content, tension, and slurs are used in people’s everyday lives. If people can use these words outside of school why would they not be allowed to be talked about in school? It is important for everyone to be informed about these racial tensions. This book also shows the reader what is was like to be growing up in this time period. Although this book uses the n-word, it uses it in a historical way. Using these racist words explains the way of thinking of the south in the 1930s. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is appropriate to use and read in school.

    Read More

  • The Tyranny of Banned Books

    1070 Words  | 3 Pages

    Foerstel, Herbert N. Banned in the U.S.A.: a Reference Guide to Book Censorship in Schools and Public Libraries. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1994. Print.

    Read More

  • The Banning of Books in American Schools

    1054 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Banning of Books Such as Susan Patron children’s book, The Higher Power of Lucky

    826 Words  | 2 Pages

    Is it possible to talk about the good of this issue? In my opinion I find it as a way of teaching children who are soon to be teens what growing up means. It clearly explains that Lucky, the character in the book, is preparing herself to be a grown up. I personally find this as a good idea to slowly teach pre-teens of the body as they get older. So why ban the book? Ms. Patron clearly states that the book is aimed for children from nine to twelve years old. From my understanding these are about the last two years of elementary school and the start of your first year in middle school. There’s nothing bad about writing a book about growing up that is aimed at a young audience who can learn from it. One way I can relate this is with a health class in high school. The teachers in a health class will talk about and show pictures of sexually transmitted diseases. Does that mean that other teachers can go and complain about it? Well yes they can but they cannot start a petition to ban the class from schools. I understand that i...

    Read More

  • The Reason Judy Blume´s Blubber was Banned from Schools

    1640 Words  | 4 Pages

    Overall Blubber should continue to be banned do to the excessiveness of bullying and awful language. There is some literary merit to the book but that doesn't overrule all of the bad parts. When a student reads this book the majority of the feedback will be in agreement with my thesis. After studying a little bit into banned books and censorship I learned that it takes a lot to ban a book anywhere. Trying to get a majority of people to ban a book will take a while, and if the book does eventually gets banned the supervisor can know that the book had to have a lot of bad aspects to it. After reading the book personally I felt as if there was no way that this book could be acceptable to any student from middle school to high school.

    Read More

  • J.D. Salinger's A Catcher in the Rye

    791 Words  | 2 Pages

    Despite being a worldwide best seller, J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye has been on the banned books list since 1961 ( (Baldassarro). The Catcher in the Rye tells the short journey, of anti-hero Holden Caulfield, between the end of the fall semester and Christmas break (Salinger). The story begins when Holden is expelled from his school, Pency Prep, for failing a majority of his classes (Salinger). Holden knows he must return home, so he attempts to prolong the scolding he will receive from his parents, for being expelled, by venturing around Manhattan until it becomes necessary to return to his home (Salinger). Holden tells his story in the most vulgar way possible. Holden accounts being offered a prostitute by an elevator operator when he asks, “Innarested a little tail t’night?” (Salinger 91). Offensive language is also used throughout the book, for example, “You’re a dirty stupid sonuvabitch of a moron” (Salinger 44). Underage drinking is also one of Holden’s favorite passtimes as evident in the quote, “I ordered a scotch and soda, and told him not to mix it- I said it fast as hell, because if you hem and haw, they think you’re under twenty-one and won’t sell you any intoxicating liquor” (Salinger 69). These three quotes express the precise justifications for banning books: sexually explicit content, offensive language, and underage drug use (Association). Although, many consider The Catcher in the Rye to be morally wrong, it should not ...

    Read More

  • Unbann Catching Fire

    689 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are many reasons that violence is one of the reasons that the book has been banned. “He determined to strand me outside district 12 until he can apprehend to arrest me? Drag me to the square to be locked in a stockade or whipped or hanged?” (Collins 151). This isn’t really a strong bloody gory violence that would cause a student to get sick in class it’s a basic violence that you would see in any other book that involves killing and fighting. And by exposing this type of violence to children it will raise their maturity level and have the children comprehend that there is violence around them in the world and they’re going to have to learn to deal with it. 56% of the book is challenged by parents and only 13% by libraries. This tells the reader that parents have a more difficult time with the book so you ask yourself is it more of the parents why they see the book? Or is it their child’s way they see the book? both child and parents are going to see the book differently so children may like the violence in the book but the parents may say th...

    Read More

  • The Catcher In the Rye Should Not be Banned

    793 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Catcher in the Rye Should Not be Banned. & nbsp; & nbsp; & nbsp; Since its publication in 1951, The Catcher In the Rye, written by J.D. Salinger has served as a conflagration for debate and extreme controversy. Although the novel has been the target of scornful criticism, it has also been the topic of wide discussion. The novel portrays the life of sixteen year old, Holden Caufield. Currently in psychiatric care, Holden recalls what happened to him last Christmas.

    Read More

  • Censorship in Schools

    3744 Words  | 8 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Why the Gossip Girl Series Has Been Banned

    998 Words  | 2 Pages

    There is a difference between banned books and challenged books. According to the American Library Association (ALA), “A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group (About banned, para. 2). A banned book is when a book or other reading material is removed from certain locations and not available. For example, one of the most challenged books in the 21st century is The Giver by Lois Lowry (100 Most). The novel, The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian by Sheman Alexie was banned in high school in Oregon because a parent complained that the book was offensive (Doyle, 3).

    Read More

More about Banning The Perks Of Being A Wallflower Essay

Open Document