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Against Book Banning

1272 Words6 Pages

One of the key principles that make the country great is our freedom to say, write, and read whatever we want. Despite this, countless public figures and schools have chosen to restrict access to certain books, whether it’s in order to protect political correctness or explicit sexual content and violence. Rarely do these people stop and consider the dire effects book banning might have on both students and society as a whole. An author does not write because they are looking to offend someone, they right because they have a story to share. The First Amendment of the Constitution not only works to protect this right to the fullest extent possible, but also serves to protect the rights of the people that choose to be offended by these stories. …show more content…

It is true that racism and prejudice is neither morally or logically correct, but unless people are able to competently contest those views without resorting to the destruction of other opinions and thought, those issues will continue to prevail. The famous treatise against bigotry, To Kill a Mockingbird, has been criticized and banned for its use of racial slurs, despite accurately portraying the America of that time. Forgetting our past, no matter how shameful, only ensures that it will be repeated – books help us not to forget. How can we improve as a society if we do not even allow ourselves to remember the mistakes of previous generations? Harriet Beecher Stowe 's Uncle Tom 's Cabin created outrage in the South due to its "anti-slavery" ideas, resulting in it being banned. As the ideals of the country changed, it was later challenged due to "undesirable racial language.” Free speech is not the enemy of social progress – censorship is the enemy of social progress. Our libraries, schools, and internet must remain a haven for liberties and freedoms. If society continues to allow educational institutes to display and teach materials deemed worthy enough to allow students to think critically and learn from the mistakes of the past, no matter how “politically incorrect” the books may be, America will be stronger because diversity of opinion exists and freedom

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717 Words | 3 Pages

There is at least 300 books banned a year for foul language, but don’t you think that an invasion of the authors freedom of press and an invasion of children 's first amendment as well? So I think that books should not be banned. I have three main idea the first on is that the books can be about history and they have some language back then that was fine but is not fine today. The second reason is that libraries should be able to hold all types of books but have an age restricted area. The last reason is that it will get rid of children’s first amendment, and the authors first right as well.

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260 Words | 2 Pages

Others have decided not to ban it, because of the first amendment. Although banning Fahrenheit 451 would be an infringement on the author's right to speak freely, the long-lasting mental and physical devastation to the children reading this book that arises as a result of

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524 Words | 3 Pages

Book Banning I think that the root problem with the book banning/burning was the level of maturity in the certain individuals affected. Both of these books were not made for children. I think the people in charge that banned Mr Vonnegurt’s book could have done better with their solution and the people at the Biloxi school came up with an adequate solution to the problem. An example is the book by Kurt Vonnegut, but they were still taught in the classroom.

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652 Words | 3 Pages

Ironically, Fahrenheit 451 is one of the most banned books in American schools. The book was seen as evil for ideas like opposing the suppression of freedom by parties that presumed they had all the answers. Books such as Fahrenheit 451, 1984, Brave New World, The Giver, and The Hunger Games have been banned in schools, and they all explore the themes of suppressing freedom, information, and intellectual thinking. Prohibiting these books will only lead less thought; it will lead to the ultimate demise of society. If we do not learn from them, we will become them.

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598 Words | 3 Pages

“It guarantees freedom of expression by prohibiting Congress from restricting the press or the rights of individuals to speak freely,” (LII). The government has no right to take away the voice of another person. Although some may argue that the problem was that students were being forced to read the book as a part of their high school curriculum. Which is proven by the number of complaints that came from parents concerning the analysis of the book in schools because it was offensive towards their religious views.once again proving the point that censorship is in place to protect or satisfy a particular group of people. This point is not true, however,in the long run, the article “about banned and challenged books” says “Books that are part of a curriculum are there for a reason, they contain a message or theme or a life lesson that growing minds should be taught,”(ALA).

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1750 Words | 7 Pages

Books can create portals to different life experiences and encourage reading. A few schools and libraries have challenged the educational value of some books, however, therefore leading them to eventually be prohibited in a particular place. Each reason may be different depending on the book and the location of the exclusions. Books are icons of literature and their value should outshine the occasionally offensive topic. Be that as it may, there are multiple reasons why books should be taught and included in a curriculum.

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330 Words | 2 Pages

Book banning is something that has happened for a long time that dates back to the book burnings. Banning books is something that is unnecessary, controlling the way kids think, and an almost tyrannical way of doing things. Book banning is not holding real concern for kids and does not encompass what actually is unsuitable for students, but encompasses the ideologies of the people who have the power to ban books. People who have such power do not base it off legitimate concerns but base it on their own personal religion and opinions.

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1200 Words | 5 Pages

In this case, it teaches students about racism, how it’s still a part of society today, and how it’s so deeply rooted in our country’s history. It’s necessary to talk to our students about slavery’s roots in the United States and how recent African-Americans only got their equal rights and treatment with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Act of 1965. John Schwetman, an assistant professor teaching American literature at the University of Minnesota Duluth, explained about a “conversation about literature… acknowledging changing reading tastes, changing values, changing concerns of readers.” (Louwagie) Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, wrote of her experience with racism in mind. It teaches the importance of morality and resonates with the white students.

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591 Words | 3 Pages

It was used in ways of being racist but this is history. I feel as if people want to make a change in the world but want to do so by changing history or leaving history in the past which we can't, knowing our history is how we move forever in making sure history does not happen again. To Kill A Mockingbird is about a white father, defending a black male who was falsely accused of rape way back when blacks and whites were not even close to being on the same level, of course the n-word is going to be used because this is history. People are so bothered by the history and want the children to be innocent from what went on back then, but I feel like through reading this book, you learn a little about the wars the black and whites went through in the most innocent way. Not only does this book show a little bit of history but it also has life lessons in the book such as people cannot be just written off as good or bad because sometimes people show you them in a way they want you to view them.

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816 Words | 4 Pages

Right-wing groups, like Operation Rescue, want to censor books dealing with civil rights and slavery. Left-wing groups, however, want to eliminate books that they think offend minorities (Hechinger, 2). Both groups are finding that the most effective method of censorship is “fiscal” censorship. Fiscal is where State Legislatures forbid the spending of state money on certain material (Lee,

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1119 Words | 5 Pages

Rough Draft Essay #2 What do you think when you hear something has been banned or censored? Most of us think this “Oh that’s great” because it had content that wasn’t okay for people to see. Today in modern society books are banned/censored because people see them as not appropriate for people to see. The banning/censoring books isn’t the best idea because some books are banned just because they have content that is seen a “mature” or “illegal”.

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997 Words | 4 Pages

Despite their efforts to embrace this freedom, books are still being banned in schools at an alarming rate. Many of the books being banned are stories featuring marginalized groups of people. “About 41 percent of the banned titles explicitly address LGBTQ themes, making these the biggest target of the bans. Books involving sexual content—such as stories about teen pregnancy, sexual assault and abortion—account for 22 percent of the titles. About 21 percent directly address race and racism, while 40 percent feature major characters of color” (Feldman).

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794 Words | 4 Pages

Brian Kha Mrs. Crego English 10H (Period 4,6 BD) 24 May 2023 Book Banning All America Book banning is an epidemic that continues to spread throughout society. Book banning is when people in a community decide that specific work is unacceptable to be read in their educational system or libraries. This can be decided by numerous types of people, such as government officials, organizations, and even parents or family members. Book banning is an issue because it allows even the smallest amount of people to censor a topic that they would not want to be seen in their society through the form of literature. Certain topics could include LGBTQ, racism, violence, and alcohol or drug abuse.

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675 Words | 3 Pages

Books Argumentative Essay Throughout the nation, controversy about the banning and censorship of certain literature has arisen. Many works have been removed from school libraries and even bookstores due to their content, whether it be images, offensive terms, or just the storyline in general. In today’s day and age it is completely and totally necessary for some books to be banned for the because the audience is too young, the content is degrading or offensive, or completely and utterly inappropriate for anyone to read. The most censorship occurs in school libraries because the audience can be so young.

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609 Words | 3 Pages

At one point in time, over 7,220 books have been challenged to be banned. Though these books have been removed for the safety of children, not all books should be banned for many reasons. These include the fact that banning books is infringing on the First Amendment, keeping children from understanding the real world, and, even though there are many reasons for book banning, not banning books could help a student’s education and can even work against itself. Banning a book from a school or public library could go against a person’s First Amendment of the freedom of press.

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