ipl-logo

Book Banning Essay

1355 Words6 Pages

Elek Pulinka
Mrs.Frye
English 9 Pd 5
March 12 2023

Famous author George Orwell once said "If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear." The Issue of book banning has existed throughout history as a way to control information. Many instances of book banning are rooted in the unwillingness to hear what you do not want to. In the US, book banning has a long history dating back to the 19th century, with books such as Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" being targeted for its depictions of slavery and racism. In the 20th century, the banning of books continued with works such as J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye" and Vladimir Nabokov's "Lolita" being challenged for its controversial …show more content…

A democratic society values open discourse and the free exchange of ideas, and book banning stifles this fundamental principle. Grose from the New York Times says “Few censors, if any, tend to see that censorship itself runs counter to certain basic American values” explaining how the action of book banning undermines democracy specifically in America. In many cases of book banning it's also an issue of parents seeking to control the media their children consume: “Despite parental outbursts, teens are going to continue to find ways to assert themselves publicly and privately, and to get their mitts on whatever their parents don’t want them to read, see or discuss”(Grose NY Times). Though parents do not realize the harm they're causing by sheltering their children. This can also lead to the creation of echo chambers where people develop outdated or ill informed opinions. When books are banned without a democratic vote it creates more of an issue. An example of a book being banned without the decision being voted on is the case of "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie. In 2007, the novel was published and won numerous awards. However, it also faced challenges and bans in some school districts for its depiction of sexuality, drug use, and profanity. In one case, the school board in Stockton, Missouri, decided to ban the book without a vote or public hearing. The …show more content…

2023, https://pen.org/report/banned-usa-growing-movement-to-censor-books-in-schools/.
Grose, Jessica. "Book Banning Is About the Illusion of Parental Control." New York Times 02/09 2022. ProQuest; SIRS Issues Researcher, https://explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2628380362?accountid=70789.
Network, The Learning. “What Students Are Saying about Banning Books from School Libraries.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 18 Feb. 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/18/learning/students-book-bans.html
Reichbach, Sean. "Book Banning Must Be Stopped." University Wire, 02/10 2022. ProQuest; SIRS Issues Researcher, https://explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2628381201?accountid=70789.
Smith, Delaney. "Why Aren't Book Bans Illegal Yet?" University Wire, 02/08 2022. ProQuest; SIRS Issues Researcher,

Show More
Related
682 Words | 3 Pages

“The School Library versus the School Board: An Exploration of the Book Banning Trend of the 1980s,” written by Amy Pelman and Beverly Lynch recounts various cases involving public schools desires to ban specific novels. Several lawsuits, varying from Island Trees Union Free School District No. 26 v. Pico to Minarcini v. Strongsville City School District are presented in this article. All of the cases address school board discretion, student First Amendment rights, the right to receive information and ideas, and the selection likewise removal of books in school libraries. Overall, the act of obscuring novels from schools or developing societies is simply unconstitutional. Furthermore, The United States Supreme Court ruled against the Island

Read More
652 Words | 3 Pages

Books are an essential way to gain knowledge whether they are controversial or not. Thousands of books have been banned from public libraries and schools due to being deemed ‘inappropriate’ by parents, administrators, or religious leaders. Whether Americans should ban books in public libraries and schools is an often debated topic. This censorship of books is dangerous, as it restricts the American people's’ ability to access information, leaving Americans ignorant. Historically, banning books is not a new practice.

Read More
859 Words | 4 Pages

Banned Books Essay Banned Books Week is an annual event starting on September 23 and ending on September 29 celebrating the freedom to read books freely no matter what topics are present throughout the book. The purpose of Banned Books Week is to bring the community together and express and seek ideas in books even if they are considered unorthodox. Throughout this celebratory week publishers, librarians, booksellers, journalists, teachers and more all celebrate the freedom to read and access information that they desire to explore. The outstanding novels by the names of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie are both banned books in many middle school and high

Read More
316 Words | 2 Pages

Book banning is not as common as it is made out to be in the U.S., but it does put a restriction the constitution’s first amendment. To ban a book, in the U.S., from a public or school libraries, for offensive content, a challenge must be made against the book. A challenge can be made by anyone but of the challenges made between “1990 and 2000, there were 6,364 challenges reported... sixty percent were reported by parents, fifteen percent by patrons and nine percent by administrators” (Schools and censorship: Banned Books). Most of these challenges sent to the American Library Association do not get accepted and officially ban the book.

Read More
925 Words | 4 Pages

Books being banned

Read More
643 Words | 3 Pages

Ban This Book by Alan Gratz takes a look at the banning of books through the lens of elementary schooler Amy Anne. It details what it means to ban a book and what implications it can have on society. It covers additional themes such as child-adult hierarchy, fact vs. opinion, family dynamics, and finding your confidence: all of which contribute to Amy Anne’s fight to get books unbanned at her elementary school. Overall, I liked this book.

Read More
969 Words | 4 Pages

CONUNDRUM OF BOOK BANNING: AN ARTICLE REVIEW INTRODUCTION Book critic Katy Waldman cultivated an article to describe the oppressive trend of book banning and its negative effects titled “What Are We Protecting Children from by Banning Books?”. Waldman hoped to force open the public’s eyes and convince them that the current uptick of book banning is only serving to suppress minorities instead of genuinely trying to censor mature content in children’s books. She mentions a plethora of different books that have been banned, some for reasons such as racism or profanity, others that were prohibited only because of a singular character that personifies a minority. Throughout the article Waldman makes great points and provides examples for her

Read More
996 Words | 4 Pages

Giselle Mata 4/28/23 Period: 4 Book Banning Books play a crucial role in our society, by providing knowledge and empowering generations to come. According to PEN America, from July 2021 to June 2022 there have been 2,532 instances of individual book bans, affecting 1,648 book titles. Throughout the past years, long lists of book titles have been challenged for addressing LGBTQ+ themes or instances of racism and police brutality. It has become clear that any book can be challenged for anything no matter how minor, giving future generations minimal chances to learn their history.

Read More
728 Words | 3 Pages

It denies individuals of finding out about their general surroundings. Books should not be banned because of what they appear to be. For instance, restricting books are unlawful and not valuable for schools. '' I don't think a school board can wrap its political concerns in the cloak of educational suitability,'' Mr. Levine said (“Book-Banning Arguments are heard ”). The statement is vital in light of the fact that it gives

Read More
709 Words | 3 Pages

Also, some say that you should not be exposing bad behavior or language to students but in reality they hear and see these things everyday, and by banning a book, that is not protecting them. Writers have the freedom to write whatever they want and that is a part of the First Amendment, so why banned their book? “The First Amendment allows individuals to speak, publish, read and view what they wish, worship (or not worship) as they wish, associate with

Read More
880 Words | 4 Pages

“over 1500 books are challenged becuase of “explisit” sexcual content..” (“Banned and challenged books by the numbers”).(12 infographics about banned and challenged books). Books are one of the best sources for information Kids are missing out on the great quality of books that have/will be banned. “Parents who don 't like specific books can have their kids "opt out" of an assignment without infringing on the rights of others. The National Coalition against Censorship explained that "Even books or materials that many find 'objectionable ' may have educational value, and the decision about what to use in the classroom should be based on professional judgments and standards, not individual preferences." [6] In the 1982 Supreme Court ruling on Board of Education v. Pico, Justice Brennan wrote that taking books off of library shelves could violate students ' First Amendment rights, adding that "Local school boards may not remove books from school libraries simply because they dislike the ideas contained in those books."

Read More
709 Words | 3 Pages

Also, some say that you should not be exposing bad behavior or language to students but in reality they hear and see these things everyday, and by banning a book, that is not protecting them. Writers have the freedom to write whatever they want and that is a part of the First Amendment, so why banned their book? “The First Amendment allows individuals to speak, publish, read and view what they wish, worship (or not worship) as they wish, associate with

Read More
1174 Words | 5 Pages

Intro 1: What if your young child is looking through a book at your public library and comes across a topic that was way too mature for their mind set. Would you be okay with it? A big controversial issue that has been going on in the past year is if books should be banned. Now, no one is trying to banish libraries across the globe but people have requested to ban books that are inappropriate. This matter has grown to be worse because everyone has an opinion.

Read More
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.

Read More
472 Words | 2 Pages

Books should not be banned from schools and libraries, everyone should be allowed to be informed on what’s happening in the world and learn about diversity, despite a book having unpopular views. Opponents claim that all books should be monitored and banned if they give off unpopular opinion or can possibly hurt the public. 1.) One

Read More

More about Book Banning Essay

Related Topics

Open Document