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Reasons For Banning To Kill A Mockingbird

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People who want to ban To Kill a Mockingbird from our schools have argued why it should not be taught. One of the largest issues is that the book portrays a white savior and protagonist. This is often seen as unfair, especially for the difficult topic of racism dealt with. However since this is an older book, this would have been extremely common in the 1930s. The only savior Tom would have would be a white man. And the book in no way approves of the unfair white jury convicting Tom, in fact, it largely disapproves of this unfair treatment. To Kill a Mockingbird was designed for white people in the 1930s to open their eyes to the unjust society they were living in. So though it may seem unfair to us today, the book would have been very fitting for the time period. …show more content…

This word has been and is used to try to bring down the African American community so it is easy to see why this is a big issue with the book. But the sad reality is that this was the word used to refer to African Americans during this time period. And finally one of the biggest arguments used to ban this book is that it makes students very uncomfortable largely due to the extremely difficult topics of rape and racism. And while this book may make some uncomfortable, “Being uncomfortable with history is [no means] to change it”. At some point, we must grow up and see the truth for what it is. That was how things were back then. And the whole point of the book is to show that and make us never want to go back to that. Hopefully being uncomfortable makes it so we never repeat our mistakes. Those who would like the book banned still argue that the topic of race should be taught, they simply wish for an

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704 Words | 3 Pages

The book was very informative of life when racism was more apparent. I think that books like this show that standing up to racism is an option. It shows that even children of a younger age were involved in the situation.

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1195 Words | 5 Pages

Firstly, I believe it is reasonable to challenge this novel because it contains racial slurs. If students read them in a book, they may think that it is okay to use them as a result, so it is best to limit exposure to them. Also, this creates an issue for students who are reading the book aloud to a classroom, because others could be offended by the language. On the other hand, that is a part of American history, and the topic shouldn’t be completely avoided. A solution to this problem could be crossing out the slurs with permanent marker, so students won’t be reading them over and over

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1666 Words | 7 Pages

From complaints such as; this book is racist, and it is discrimination against “Black” people, the novel was removed from the Concord, Massachusetts, Public Library. (Apstein) In another case, the novel was marked as number five on the American Library Association’s “100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-1999.” (“Fight”) It isn’t shocking that the novel ended up on the list with all the misunderstandings that happened.

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202 Words | 1 Pages

To Kill a Mockingbird is famous for its controversy. In fact, it has been banned from being read at many schools for its use of racial, sexual, and political content, all of these aiding the book’s “big ideas”. To Kill a Mockingbird has many themes. For example, one is about racial injustice. You would think a jury would establish their final decision based upon the facts, but in this book, the jury had already made up its mind once it heard that the case was a white man versus a black man.

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292 Words | 2 Pages

During Mark Twain’s time it was much different, that was what they called black people. It was written in a dialect natural to Twain’s era, he could not have known that in the future the word would not be politically correct. Some have argued that high-school students are not mature enough to understand the novel’s racial

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475 Words | 2 Pages

To add to what has been said before is that the book glorifies this white savior and only white people can do what actions of Atticus does. The environment that students are in should invite them and not make them feel uncomfortable. Students should not have to sit in class listening to words that are harmful and hurtful to them. In some schools, they read the book as early as 8th grade. Some students of color may think life isn't fair from the start because of how the book shows Tom Robison obviously not doing the crime but still being convicted and sentenced to prison.

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736 Words | 3 Pages

In 1971 the book was challenged by parents due to its "obscene, filthy language," and many demanded that it be removed from the nonrequired American Culture reading list. Throughout the novel African Americans are referred to as “coons,” “boys,” and “niggers”, these are just some of the countless obscenities that are featured in the novel. “In 1974, five residents of Strongsville, Ohio, sued the board of education to remove One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest and Manchild in the Promised Land from the classroom” (Sova). Both novels were branded as “pornigrafic material” and accused of debauching young minds by “glorifying criminal material”(Sova).

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768 Words | 4 Pages

To Kill A Mockingbird The color of people doesn't change the fact that everyone is equal. The novel “ To kill a Mocking Bird” the man that was being accused of beating and raping Mayella he was discriminated because of his skin tone. Tom was found guilty for something he didn't do. Atticus was defending tom because he felt that it was the right thing to do and he knew that tom wasn't guilty. Tom Robinson's case affected many people because it made people realize that racism isn't right and that they should stand up for what's right.

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1254 Words | 6 Pages

It is 30 times worse back then compared to now and now kids can't even handle being called the N word by white people. This crazy because back then that was the last thing to worry about.looking into the book by Steinbeck was showing how northern African Americans weren’t slaves but they weren’t people either. They were these figures that no one cared about like they were pointless things on the earth. They just wanted to show how it feels to be an nothing black guy in a white area.

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731 Words | 3 Pages

The book was challenged by a middle school in Brentwood, Tennessee in 2006 because the book contains “profanity” and “contains adult themes such as rape and incest.” The complaints also say that the book promotes “racial hatred, racial division, racial separation, and promotes white supremacy.” The people that say that are people that are trying to ‘protect’ other people from knowing and understanding what happened in the past because they believe that if they do know and understand what happened in the past then they will become racist and believe in white supremacy. These kinds of people are like the Holocaust deniers who believe that six million Jews where not murdered despite all of the evidence against that. George Santayana once said “Those who cannot remember the past are bound to repeat it.”

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872 Words | 4 Pages

To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee in 1960 ,is one of the most controversial novels between society and school boards. School boards across the country question whether Lee’s novel should be taught in classrooms, or if it should be banned because of the vulgar language and inappropriate context throughout the book. To Kill a Mockingbird revolves around a white family who is living in the south, and the narrator 's dad is a lawyer. His latest case is to defend a black man in court who had allegedly raped a white woman. Throughout the book a lot of harsh language was used, along with ideas that may be considered inappropriate.

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666 Words | 3 Pages

She points out that despite any proof to the contrary, the white guy is virtually always believed in court instances where it's a white man's word versus a black man's. The quote serves as a reflection on the nature of prejudice and discrimination and draws attention to the institutional racism and inequality that existed in the American South in the 1930s. Even the legal system was prejudiced against people of color since it captures the realities of the era and the continuous fights for equality and civil rights. The inclusion of "To Kill a Mockingbird" in school curriculums is valuable as it provides an opportunity for students to develop a well-informed and nuanced viewpoint on complex issues. By teaching the book's historical and social context alongside its narrative, students can gain insights from diverse perspectives, which can help them overcome any personal

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577 Words | 3 Pages

Ban Killing a Mockingbird in Schools “One of the prominent issues with the book is that it feeds into the narrative of the “white savior,” portraying people of color, black people specifically in this case, as helpless and unable to stand up for themselves. In most classrooms across the country, Atticus is discussed as this “savior character” (Jade Von Doepp, 2022). To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, is a Southern Gothic fiction that takes place in a small town of Maycomb, Alabama. It's believed Lee wrote the book based on his childhood, where his father was a lawyer.

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1630 Words | 7 Pages

Education systems across the nation have been banning the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee due to the idea that it could make the reader “uncomfortable.” The novel accomplishes multiple themes that tackle social issues that include racism, classism, and the prevalence of deceit. Racism could indeed make the reader uncomfortable by surfacing unwanted, realistic social issues. Many find the idea of racism unsettling due to its

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481 Words | 2 Pages

I just wanted to be able to climb into that book and scream at them for saying that. Unfortunately, African Americans are still treated unfairly occasionally from some people and racism is still in today's society, but I am glad that this is not regarded as normal for everyone, which it was back in that

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