Censorship In Young Adult Literature

“Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance,” stated author Laurie Anderson when her book, Speak, was challenged and censored from education systems (Censorship Themes in Young Adult Literature). Censorship is the ability to remove sensitive subject material from the potential viewing audience. With the ability of censorship, anyone in power, like a government, education board, or parents, can control the media. Content is only appropriate when the correct audience receives the message that the media is trying to convey. This makes censorship appropriate to use in making sure that the recipient is a part of the correct audience. However, the use of censorship has been overused and abused. In today’s age, media censors the content

A way censorship has been used in this way is as a tool of the government to make their people ignorant of certain topics via media, or to make the people easier to govern. Several examples throughout history show this, ranging from the Nazi’s burning books to China and Russia censoring their internet. In America, the first amendment is the freedom of speech. While there is a limit to that freedom which outlined by the ability to hurt people down and go against what is humane. Censorship violates the freedom of speech when people have their voice silenced. American history brings the prime example of censorship of the Red Scare and McCarthyism of the 1950’s. The Red Scare was a moment in American history when Americans were in the Cold War with Russia and the Americans feared anyone was a communist. The hysteria of communism and general fear culture was developed by Joseph McCarthy. He used unprincipled ways of finding communist spies and disregarded evidence unless it actually condemned the person accused of being communist. McCarthy would then turn on anyone who opposed him and call them a communist and put them to trial, effectively censoring the opposing side. The power of censorship made people helpless and powerless in McCarthy’s reign of terror. The Red Scare was a time of blatant abuse of power and made American citizens fear each other. Authors and people in the media had to be careful of the messages that they were conveying. Author Ray Bradbury wrote Fahrenheit 451 about censorship and the abuse of power that McCarthy was wielding. In an ironic twist, Fahrenheit 451 is censored in schools for foul language, not allowing the message that Bradbury wanted to convey about voices being silenced in a time that communication was critical. Similarly, John Patrick’s reference of the Hazelwood case illustrates the principle of voices being