How Does Censorship Affect Creativity

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Censorship or Creativity and How It Affects Students
Are we privileged to have books? Some of us may dread the thought of looking at one, others may jump in excitement at the idea of becoming lost in one. But is it a privilege? “We know that books give people ambitions, expectations, a sense of dignity.” There are cookbooks, guide books, textbooks, books that teach people the simplest things like how to pick a baby’s name. In other words, books teach people things. So why should they be blocked out? Why try to shelter people from the harsh truth, that eventually will be exposed? Sheltering people from these truths, whether they be harsh or helpful, causes the death of imagination, along with creativity. “It’s only been the past two decades that I’ve begun to notice its greatest damage to us-the death …show more content…

Censorship is the control of what people may say, hear, see, or do. Censorship can affect books newspapers, movies, music, television, etc. Creativity is the use of imagination and original ideas. But how do the two correspond? Because censorship limits the ideas of most students, and the public in general, it’s become hard for students to think for themselves. In a recent study, information was gathered that students have become lazy in literary thinking and writing. “‘They tended to be more traditional stories. They had less fantasy elements’” (DiMara 8). But where does one draw the line? Where does one stop this censorship and let students start finding their own resources or even start thinking for themselves? Is it safe to say that we can censor things based on our opinions? “It is argued that censorship is only valid, ethical and required when it appears to be the only way to avoid or to mitigate provable physical, social, emotional, or intellectual harmful outcome for students, teachers, or the school itself” (Petress 248). So in other words, censorship does have an impact on