The Controversy Around Banning Books Essay - 852 Words

The subject of censorship is a very controversial one, especially the banning of books. Many people believe they must protect themselves and others from the quot;evilsquot; of many classic books and works of art because they can be deemed quot;indecentquot; in one way or another. Many believe that this is absurd and censorship in its current form is a violation of our First Amendment right to free speech. Personally, I align myself with the latter, however I do feel there are occasions where censorship is justifiable. The censorship of books is a division of censorship that, apart from Internet censorship, receives the most publicity. Banning books is the most popular form of such censorship. Many banned books are literary classics,†¦show more content†¦It is my belief that since by the time the child is required to read such literature in school, they are at an age where they can distinguish between things that should and should not be said and it is the job of the parents to educate the child that just because they say it in a book does not mean he or she should.Another subject common to banned and censored books is sexuality. An excellent example of a book in question containing sexual content is The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier, which ranked number 5 on the ACLUs list. Now considering the fact that this frequently banned book is written for young adults of middle and high school age, Im sure the author included this content, and the often graphic language associated with such content, because it made the book more realistic and possibly because it made the novel more appealing to the age bracket. Fiction is not the only genre faced with banning and censorship. Educational books such as the sex education text Its Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris and The New Teenage Body Book by Kathy McCoy and Charles Wibbelsmanare under attack because they discuss sex-related topics. All I have to say about this is sexuality is a fact of life, not some forbidden subject. Adolescents need to know this information so they dont go off an ruin their life by having a baby while they are in their teens or catching a disease because theyShow MoreRelatedThe Controversy Around Banning Books889 Words   |  4 Pagesone, especially the banning of books. Many people believe they must protect themselves and others from the evils of many classic books and works of art because they can be deemed indecent in one way or another. Many believe that this is absurd and censorship in its current form is a violation of our First Amendment right to free speech. Personally, I align myself with the latter, however I do feel there are occasions where censorship is justifiable. The censorship of books is a division of censorshipRead MoreBanned Books1233 Words   |  5 PagesBanned Books 3 Where Have All the Books Gone? Books are dangerous. They make you thinkÂ…feelÂ…wonderÂ…. They make you ask questions (Weiss p.2). At the present time, at least seventy-five books are being banned. This is hurting our culture more than it is helping. This has to be stopped; books cannot be taken off of the shelves at the rate that they are today. The books that are being taken off of the shelves are, for the most part, considered classics. The act of book banning puts limitationsRead MoreEssay on Censorship and Banned Books1191 Words   |  5 PagesCensorship and Banned Books Books are dangerous. They make you thinkÂ…feelÂ…wonderÂ…. They make you ask questions (Weiss p.2). At the present time, at least seventy-five books are being banned. This is hurting our culture more than it is helping. This has to be stopped; books cannot be taken off of the shelves at the rate that they are today. The books that are being taken off of the shelves are, for the most part, considered classics. The act of book banning puts limitations on what authorsRead MoreIs Banning Books Constitutional?1208 Words   |  5 PagesIs banning books constitutional? The Catcher in the Rye. The Scarlet Letter. Huckleberry Finn. Harry Potter. The Diary of Anne Frank. Animal Farm. To Kill a Mockingbird. The Da Vinci Code. The Grapes of Wrath. These literary classics have been vital to the education of many, especially children and adolescents (Banned Books). These great novels both teach important values and educate children about world affairs and classic themes. Unfortunately, each of these novels has been banned at one pointRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Uncle Tom s Cabin 1058 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"It’s a free country, sir; the man’s mine, and I do what I please with him...† (Stowe 13). 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For Huck Finn in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain and Scout in To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, growing up in times of racial injustice allows readers to see the value of not ignoring history’s real world problems and how they are portrayed in controversial American literature. â€Å"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn†, one of most commonly banned books, is aboutRead MoreArticle Review : Land Of The Free 1218 Words   |  5 PagesLand of the Free?: Book Censorship in the United States In the eyes of many, America can be summed up in a single word: freedom. However, this freedom Americans often boast of is not as unrestricted as many are led to believe. Book censorship not only impinges on the rights of free speech for young students, but also freedom of the press for authors. Book censorship has been around as long as books themselves have. For example, Socrates, a well-known and respected philosopher and teacher, was forcedRead MoreCensorship Will Always Interfere With Freedom Of Speech1396 Words   |  6 Pagesof speech. In Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, censorship is one of the main topics depicted. Censorship including the banning of books has been an issue though out history. There has been violence similar to the book burnings by the Firemen in the novel. In Bradbury’s novel, Guy Montag is a Fireman who cannot understand why books have to be burned. He questions what is in the books that can’t be shared with people. Guy questions his boss, Captain Beatty. Beatty explains, â€Å"Obviously, The danger is