So many good things in this world have either been banned, challenged, or censored in some way. John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men, has been banned because of offensive words or actions depicted in this book. This book argures if murder can be justifiable. In this case one of the main characters, George kills his best friend Lennie because Lennie kills a woman in the story. George’s action was in order to keep Lennie from brutally murdered. This book would be banned because much of its content could be seen as offensive, rude, violent and wrong. But, at the same time all of these situations depicted in Of Mice and Men were events that actually happened and are valid historical events that John Steinbeck wanted to convey to his audience, …show more content…
Books of all genres change people's mindset. Books change the way we think. Novels influence and interact with society even decades after they are written. People that are not willing to argue the pros and cons of controversial topics tend to just shut the extremely valid point out and say that they are not “fit” for schools to teach. Peoples personal opinions lead to censorship which goes against the first amendment of the constitution, which reads, “... freedom of speech, press, right to protest peacefully and right to petition the government”. All of theses points completely contradict the entire meaning of censorship, but yet we still let people use their narrow minded opinions to blacklist amazing works of authors. I think that the first amendment should be protected and our right to freedom of speech and press should be allowed. The non vulgar contestable points made in novels open the door for a well structured argument that deepen our personal understanding of how society and narratives interact with each other, and affect our understanding of issues in the …show more content…
Even though that this book is one of his most famous works still doesn’t mean that peoples opinions cannot tarnish its reputation. Critics say that racial slurs and use of “Jesus Christ” make this book inappropriate. Others say that George and Lennie were “bucking the system” going from one place to another to find work. Many of the issues that come from this piece is the treatment of people with mental and physical disabilities. Of Mice and Men is set in a time period that much of society does not understand the concept of mental health issues. So the treatment of Lennie in regards to his mental capacity was the only way that people knew how to handle someone like Lennie. Many people today do not understand the changes that have come about in society since then and get offended that he is called a dumb stupid idiot. Crooks, the negro stable hand, was crippled when he was very young in an accident. People called him “Crooks” because of the way he stood. People in this time period had no tolerance for any differences others had. This learned tolerance and understanding is what makes our educated, advanced, democratic society so great. All of this discrimination is wrong in my opinion. But, this discrimination was the time period. We have learned and changed and now we have the skill of tolerance and understanding which defines our society today. Yes, the book could be offensive to our
In the article 10 Reasons for Banning Books and 5 Much Better Reasons not to, it states that the books teach us vocabulary, history, and new ways of thinking. “Every year I receive at least a dozen invitations to be commencement speaker at colleges and high schools. My books are probably more widely used in schools than those of any other living American fiction writer.”-excerpt from Kurt Vonnegut’s letter. Books are known for their choice of complex vocabulary. We use non-fictional books to learn about real events in history. Non-fictional books and articles show children a new way of thinking. Many books are used in an educational
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck shouldn’t be banned and should be allowed to be read in classrooms that are 8th grade and above. Of Mice and Men is a superb example of what the youth of America should stray away from in the future, so no future generations will have to live like the characters George and Lennie do. Of Mice and Men hooks the reader at every turn and the reader also can learn from it. Although some disagree and believe it should be banned, there are many reasons why it shouldn't be. Of Mice and Men demonstrates the language that many Americans use, the history is realistic and accurate, and it displays the effects of peer pressure.
In the article censorship: a personal view by Judy bulme she discusses and touches on censorship in literature in children and young adolescence books. Now in article there are a lot of possible exigencies listed threw out the article one of the main exigencies is that Judy bulme has personal experience with censorship as a little girl, with that personal account she has familiarity that compels and gives her credibility to write this article. With exigencie their also comes a purpose bulme’s purpose in the article is trying to convince parents that you should not coddle a young teen or an adolescent from literature that may not be suitable for them, but let their mind wonder and explain it after they read it. Also she communicates that censorship on books are not right because it’s unconstitutional violating the first amendment freedom of press. The audience she speaks to in article is the group of parents that are like middle age and older that have one track minds, and have to young teens and adolescent ages between 12-9 years old that are hesitant to let their children to read edgy books, teens who were her age and, have or experience the same thing she went thought as a kid, teachers and facility that believe in her cause that have lost their job over edgy books that were not age appropriate to their students. The context that you have to consider in the time of Judy bulme article is there is are a lot of issues going on the America culture that censorship of government felt need be. For inesxctie like the cold war was going on and nobody knew if another war was going to break out at any time. So any material that seemed edgy or conserverial it was going to be censored or restricted by the censors to the minors. Then th...
Of Mice and Men should be banned because of its profanity. An example of this is on page 11 say “you crazy son of a bitch” (Steinbeck). We wouldn’t want our students or children saying that in school to other students or at home. Another example of profanity is on page 71 saying “This is ...
Books are banned for many reasons but more times than not it is because of the sensitive information found within the novel that agitates the reader. As long as people have been able to develop their own opinions, others have sought to prevent them from sharing. At some point in time, every idea has ultimately become objectionable to someone. The most frequently challenged and most visible targets of such objection are the very books found in classrooms and public libraries. These controversial novels teach lessons that sometimes can be very sensitive to some but there is much more to challenged books than a controversial topic. What lies within these pages is a wealth of knowledge, such as new perspectives for readers, twisting plots, and expressions that are found nowhere else. For example, To Kill A Mockingbird, contains references to rape, racial content, and profanity that have caused many to challenge the novel in the first place. The book was banned from countless
I am a student at Soledad High School and I am writing about the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. This book should not be prohibited because of its use of foul language, violence and racism.
People should be allowed to read whatever they want to read, even if it is a touchy subject to someone else. Although some people mainly believe in the banning of books due to explicit content, it actually causes a negative effect on people and children. Not only does it take away the people’s first amendment rights, but it also shelters children from real life situations that might affect their future. Banning books is unconstitutional and shelters children.
Rather than just prohibiting their own children from reading the books, protestors try to have the books outlawed making it impossible for everyone, both children and adults, to enjoy. Books should not be censored; in fact censorship should not even exist in America today. Based on the excuses for banning the Potter series, many more popular American classics which follow the same antics as Harry Potter, such as the Star Wars Trilogy, surrounded with dark forces and supernatural powers, and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which are filled with wizards, goblins, trolls, and other demonic creatures, should be censored as well. As long as the proper ratings and reviews are in place, books, movies, and other media sources should be left to the viewers' discretion.
Some of the best literature, also happens to be some of the most controversial pieces. The books mentioned above, some were banned because of language, other because of racism and sexuality, but all of them were important pieces about life lessons people should read about. I believe that books like these actually enhance our learning abilities, and not daunt them. I believe that it should not be up to the government, or the FCC, to control what citizens do or do not read in school systems. They have taken away enough by taking The Bible out of schools, it is a right our founding fathers gave to us when this country was first established, t...
Censorship is becoming more and more common all over the world today. The online Encarta Encyclopedia defines censorship as, "supervision and control of the information and ideas that are circulated among the people within a society. In modern times, censorship refers to the examination of books...for the purpose of altering or suppressing parts thought to be objectionable or offensive." Henry Reichman from the Education World website defines it as, "the removal, suppression, or restricted circulation of literary, artistic, or educational materials . . . on the grounds that these are morally or otherwise objectionable in light of the standards applied by the censor" (Cromwell). Definitions aside, great literature is being banned by many people for a number of reasons and shouldn't be.
Lastly, there is censorship that involves someone who is part of an organized campaign, whether of a local or national group, and who goes in ready for a fight and wants to make a broader political point” (Miner 1998). Although there are many other ways that a piece of literature could get censored, most censored works are asked to be removed from classrooms and school libraries. There are four motivational factors that may lie behind a censor’s actions. Those factors include family values, religion, political views, and minority rights.... ... middle of paper ... ...2003.
The novel, The Catcher In the Rye, should not be banned from inclusion in the literature courses taught at the high school level. Banning this novel contradicts an individual's inalienable rights as an United States citizen. It limits freedom of speech and as well as other forms of expression. Although controversial, profanity is not a reason to limit an individual's rights. America is founded on principles that are not fueled by exceptions. Profanity is not an exception to freedom of speech. The Catcher in the Rye should not be excluded from curriculums at the high school level.
Considering all of this, Of Mice and Men should not be a banned book because it provides readers with information that they can use in school or for later in life. Another thing is that John Steinbeck makes readers enjoy the book with details that bring you inside the story. Also because banning a book that contains euthanasia is not necessary because having something suffer would be much worse. Lastly Steinbeck’s book helps people understand the disabilities that people have. Don’t let this great book rot away with the other banned books!
Throughout the novel Of Mice and Men, Crooks, Curley’s wife, and Lennie could not reach their potential because of the discrimination against them. In Depression era, people discriminated African-American people by using derogatory terms, physically assaulting them and limiting their socialization. They discriminated women by calling names and making offensive assumptions. The mentally disabled people were target of brutal actions, stereotypes, and betrayals. Steinbeck was warning to people not to discriminate others by showing various conflicts and tragic ending that caused by discrimination.
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.