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Banning The Secret Life Of Bees Research Paper

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On Banning The Secret Life of Bees from High School Curriculum How many books are banned every year? In 2004 the American Library Association estimated that 547 books were banned or challenged in schools and libraries primarily in the US. Parents challenge books because they don’t want their children to be exposed to explicit material. Explicit material can include anything from violence, harsh language, drugs, sexual situations and death, some of which are present in The Secret Life of Bees. These attributes do not require the book to be barred from educational systems, The Secret Life of Bees is a moving story that should be included in schools because the controlled environment of the classroom and academic view of the material presented …show more content…

Including books that expose students to racism and discussions about the information can provide a deeper understanding of the racial epithets and the connection to history. According to a study done by Kernahan and Davis with Teaching of Phycology after students took a class learning and being exposed to racism the “results showed increases in awareness and in feelings of racial guilt and responsibility.” Discussing racism in a controlled environment like a classroom can change the opinions and attitudes of young adults and create a safer, better learning environment and life for all generations. Without an educated opinion guiding the students through the literature containing racial slurs or being banned from exposure to it, it is likely they would misinterpret it once they are exposed to it. It is inevitable that a student will be exposed to these ideas in some way, if not in the classroom because of how common racism is in politics and the number of racial epithets on social media today. Everyday on Twitter, “10,000 tweets containing a racial slur of some sort are posted” and that is only includes the tweets posted in English (think tank Demos). Including The Secret Life of Bees in the high school English curriculum would benefit students because it would allow students to be educated on …show more content…

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