Censorship in Schools is not Justifiable

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Recommended: The controversy of censorship

Censorship in School is Not Justifiable Walt Whitman once said, “The dirtiest book of all is the expurgated book.” Between the years 2000 and 2009 a total of 3200 books were challenged in school libraries in an attempt to expurgate, or censor, the content in books provided to students. Today the trend of censorship continues as popular novels such as The Hunger Games, The Fault in Our Stars, and Captain Underpants are censored from schools across the nation (Challenges by Reason).Censorship in regards to literature refers to the examination and suppressing of a book because of objectionable material. The process of censorship in school libraries often begins with an outspoken parent, teacher, student, or administrator and ends in the banning or abridgement of a novel deemed inadmissible. Censorship is protecting many students from controversial, immoral, and potentially unsuitable content; however, this is not always the case. Students, parents, teachers, and administrators with different backgrounds, beliefs, and morals are not creating a library pleasing to everyone because of the variety of opinion. Censorship in school is not justifiable, because it restricts discussion and knowledge of new, controversial, and necessary ideas, allows a handful of people to make decisions for a larger group based on opinion, and undermines democratic ideals. The discussion and knowledge of new, controversial, and necessary subjects is restricted among students due to censorship. Student access to books on topics such as self-harm, sexual orientation, depression, religion, etc. are limited because of censorship. These topics may not be appropriate for all individuals, but these books have the power to save lives, change lives, and awaken stud... ... middle of paper ... ...s restricting author’s freedom of expression. By practicing tolerance and self-censorship we can help lower the amount of censored books in the upcoming decade. Works Cited "Banned Books." Fact Monster: Online Almanac, Dictionary, Encyclopedia, and Homework Help. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. "Challenges by Reason, Initiator & Institution for 1990-99 and 2000-09." American Library Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. Coatney, Sharon. "Banned Books: A School Librarian's Perspective." Time. Time Inc., 22 Sept. 2000. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. Driscoll, SallyDiLascio, Tracey M. "Point: Censorship Undermines Democracy." Points Of View: Censorship & Democracy (2013): 2. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. Magoon, Kekla. Media Censorship. Edina, MN: ABDO Pub., 2010. Print. Usman, Q. n. page. .

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