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Banning Books Should Be Banned

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Why do people ban books? Especially for children? Shouldn't it be the students' choice of which book to read? Banning books is a very controversial matter that continues to grow in US schools as time goes on. Banning books started as early as the 1600s when the Puritan government outlawed New English Canaan by Thomas Morton. Officials claimed it painted their society in a "harsh and heretical" light (Book Banning). Now, schools across the US have banned over one thousand books. It makes no sense how someone can declare that banning a book is right because many people and students, myself included, believe book banning is wrong and shouldn't be done. Is book banning fair to all concerned? No, it's not because, first of all, supporters fear …show more content…

Not only does banning books violate authors' rights, restricting them from freedom of speech, but it also violates the students' rights to "receive and express ideas" (Webb). Many people who think certain books deserve to be banned do not agree with or dislike the themes present in the books. For example, as of 2020, the top five reasons for banning books were sexual content, offensive language, being unsuited to the age group, religious viewpoints, and LGBTQIA+ content. The authors who decide to have these themes in their book are utilizing their freedom of speech. If someone were to take that away, it would be unconstitutional. If someone can ban a book because they dislike what the book is saying it would therefore be saying their freedom of speech is valued more than the authors. Banning books also disregards the students' rights because the First Amendment allows them to "read and view what they wish" (First Amendment). Failing to let students read books they want makes it seem like their rights aren't protected. Just because we are young, it doesn't mean we need protection from uncomfortable topics such as violence and racism, both reasons some books are …show more content…

Book banning isn't really beneficial to anybody, not even those who believe they are "protecting" children from sensitive topics. There are topics in banned books, like racism, to spread awareness and to show it's wrong. Then there are other themes, like diverse religions and cultures, to spread inclusivity to show being different is normal. When children read about things in books, it shapes their worldview; especially, it makes them notice that most of these happen in the world around them. And it does build goodwill and better friendships because they'll be able to understand what others may go through, and those people will have characters to relate to. And overall, everyone could just bond over how great a book

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When this happens, children get narrow views of the world and cannot learn about the vast differences in the world. This disproportionate censorship is a negative effect of banning books and serves as a reason to not ban books. Angela Haupt goes into detail on the book-banning situation in her article “The rise in book bans, explained.”. She writes “Now the books most frequently challenged tend to have certain themes in common: Books that have to do with LGBTQ topics or characters, Books that have to do with sex, abortion, teen pregnancy, or puberty, Books that have to do with race and racism, or that center on protagonists of color, Books that have to do with history, specifically that of Black people.” (Haupt 1).

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Book banning is for censorship if It's for censorship to tell your kids what they can read and what they can watch, and it should, there, they're right to know if they should read that book or not censor it for your own child. Those advocating a ban complain typically that the book in question contains graphic violence, expresses disrespect for parents and family, evil, lacks literary merit, is unsuitable for a particular age group, or includes offensive

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The censorship of books should not be allowed in schools for reasons such as defies the first amendment, limiting expression, and books help people learn about themselves. Banning books goes against the first amendment. The first amendment states that American citizens have the right to freedom of the press. Which says that they

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We do not have to agree with what we read, but we should learn from it. Due to inappropriate language, racism, sexual situations, and more books are often banned from children's libraries. When people ban books it does not encourage literacy if anything literacy is being brought down because of the banning of books. Books are among our best teachers so when overprotective adults ban books they are basically keeping their kids away from the literature they need to learn. Therefore, banning books is unconstitutional and not beneficial for schools.

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Do you ever wonder what your children are learning about in school? When they come home, do they tell you what they learned after reading that particular book? Banning or censoring books should be allowed, but under certain circumstances. There can be things in children's books that are sexuality explicit, persuade negatively amongst racial or cultural ideas, and at times shame people based on their appearances. Putting these things in children's books can mold children's minds and their education in a negative light.

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Schools achieve the opposite of what they truly desire when they ban books. Parents and educators who believe controversial media “allow easy access to potentially dangerous texts” (Book Banning) are misconstruing the point. Banning books shelters young minds from the real world. Part of growing up is learning the complexities of life, but “removing these books from libraries denies students the opportunity to explore these subjects in a meaningful way” (Book Banning). Students who lack exposure do not grow up to understand the different perspectives of life.

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Book banning limits the freedom of speech because “Censors ban books to prevent the dissemination of thoughts and ideas they deem dangerous or due to moral, religious, or political objections” (Book Banning”). While some books might be offensive, people have the right to say what they want and talk to people about it, but they don’t have the right to control what other people think about the book. People have the right to make their own opinions about what they read. Reading can change opinions or help people relate to what they already

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Whether it's political or just inappropriate, they ban the book. Many people don't agree with this and are trying to outlaw book banning. Books should not be banned in schools since it discourages freedom of speech, as well as hurts students’ ability to think for themselves. Book banning should be banned since it discourages freedom of speech.

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First, there are many cons to banning books. “Parents may control what their own children read, but don't have a right to restrict what books are available to other people. ”(ProCon.org, 2) Parents do not have the right to take books away from everyone, but they do have the right to control what a child is reading. Parents are 42% of the reason that many books become challenged or banned.

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Banned books are engaging, they convey the value of existence in a society, and they present a meaningful comprehension of real life issues that students can relate to. Authorities should not be allowed to limit our freedom. Censoring books means violating First Amendment. Authorities should not ban books

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However, there are people that argue against the idea of censoring books in schools. One counterpoint of the argument of the topic is that banning books hinders students from discovering new things and obtaining knowledge. According to the article, “Banning Books: An Overview”, Michael Aliprandini and Carolyn Sprague state, “The core arguments against the banning of books have been based on protecting the rights of individuals to free speech as well as to promote intellectual freedom – the rights protected by the First Amendment.” They are basically explaining how arguments of book banning connect to the idea of intellectual freedom and protecting individual rights, which are implied in the First Amendment. Censorship of books can be expressed as violating the rights and freedom of the individuals.

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There may be many occasions when people file complaints about a book for personal reasons such as racial slurs, religious intolerance or, even sexual references. made in the book. I believe that the decision to ban books as previously mentioned has the ability to shut down not only a book but a whole other world. Books are much more than words on paper they can mean so much to us it is like we have been in a whole world without the work of actually being there. That being said I still think people have the right to handle books for what best suits the school.

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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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Chelsea Condren, the author of the article about “Banned Books Week” says “ Banning books is about individuals who believe they have the right to decide how we think what we see, and especially about individuals who believe they are protecting our children by attempting to bar them from reading certain books. The power and danger in book banning lies in someone’s ability to think their opinion is the only one that matters, and, thereby, the only one that is allowed.” (Condren 5). She points out that by parents trying to ban books for everyone, they are basically just telling the world that their opinion is the right opinion and that everyone else is wrong. One of the most common reasons that a books is challenged, or eventually banned, according to the Butler University Library is because the book contains racist or sexist comments.

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Banning books has always been a big debate if it’s acceptable or not in the field of language arts… most Americans believe people should have the freedom to choose what they want to read. By banning books, our basic rights as US citizens are kind of taken away. Book banning affects the people who read books to the people who write them. I feel that most people banned or try to ban books because they want to protect others from different ideas and information.   Banned books are basically books that are thought to be “unsuited” for their intended age group and are therefore challenged by parents to be removed from a school or any local library shelf.

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