The Importance Of Censorship In Catch 22 By Oscar Wilde

“The books that the world calls immoral are books that show its own shame”. The final passage from The Picture of Dorian Gray by controversial author Oscar Wilde. This is a thought provoking example of Wilde’s beliefs on censorship and self-realization. Wilde states that any book the world deems immoral, or inappropriate, is because the book reveals a shameful aspect of the world that people, and especially leaders, do not support or agree with, because it has the potential to spoil the righteous reputation they consider themselves to have. Censorship of this manner has occurred for decades, but barely any books should be censored to the point where they are banned. Catch 22, a highly acclaimed American war novel by widely recognized author,

Wessler wrote his article about language and how it can create fear in individuals which can lead to, in serious cases, fearing for one’s life. Wessler noted that “The escalation of degrading language and slurs to more focused harassment and threats and then to violence was the pattern in virtually every case of serious hate violence in middle schools, high schools, and colleges”(Wessler 28). An example of this can be found in Catch 22 when Yossarian uses the degrading words, bitch and bastard, to insult Orr as stated above. Throughout the novel, when Yossarian uses vulgar language of that kind against someone else, he usually wants to start a fight with them, especially if that person is Orr due to the dislike between them. Another similar case was also noted in Sticks and Stones. In the incident, a young boy named “John” was harassed by four other boys of the same age, who started out by targeting John with antigay slurs. This harassment led to John being shoved into a locker, physically attacked, jumped in the bathroom and tied with a noose, and lastly; John and his boyfriend were threatened by one of the other boys by being told the child knew the location of his father’s handgun which he was going to kill them with. Wessler outlined the best ways to stop profane language

Due to the vast censorship of sexual content in entertainment, which causes a lack of knowledge about the subject, children and young adults should be taught about the consequences sex can have on your life if conducted irresponsibly. Several acts of misconduct, including irresponsible sexual behavior, can be found in Catch 22, specifically numerous accounts of prostitution and an account of rape. This irresponsible behavior should be slightly censored, but also used to teach that it is not the correct way to represent yourself. One instance of these immoral actions described in the novel is when Nately, an Air Force pilot, is in Rome and he searches for the prostitute that he loves. When he finds her, the prostitute is described as to have, “climbed five steep flights of stairs to sell herself… none[of the men] wanted her at any price, not even after she had stripped”(Heller 286). This quote can be used as an example of how prostitution works, but also to discuss how prostitution can be harmful because of the possibility of acquiring a sexually transmitted disease and the unmentionable nature of the prostitution profession. Another example of sexual misconduct and breaking of morals can be found late in the book when Yossarian tries