Why A Lesson Before Dying Should Not Be Banned

“Censoring books that deal with difficult, adolescent issues does not protect anybody.
Quite the opposite. It leaves kids in the darkness and makes them vulnerable. Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance . Our children cannot afford to have the truth of the world withheld from them.” Many Americans agree with this statement by Laurie Halse Anderson about censorship. Banning a book is never the right choice when it contains a strong message that is not found in other “safe” books. A Lesson Before Dying include a message about a male, African American living in a white mans society. Although the novel contains different religious views and explicit language, A Lesson Before Dying should not be banned because it shows the

Jefferson was quickly sentenced guilty after being the only man left at a crime scene. After hearing the lawyer say that Jefferson was a hog, Miss Emma, who was Jeffersons godmother, needed to make sure that he knew he was dying a man, not a hog. Jefferson had taken these words to heart and it had not only hurt Jefferson but the African American society. It attacked their intelligence. The book teaches from a different perspective, unlike textbooks. If the book is banned it takes away the important lesson this book has to offer. A Lesson Before Dying shows first hand on how the culture was lived in the south. Charles Rowell describes the book as “With their distinctive American and keenly southern histories, each site holds particular significance to the the lives of African American males” (3). The book examines the past and proves how significance and hard of lives they had to live. By banning this book, it hides the crudity that once was common in the United

Unlike many history books it is first person about the harshness of life. In the book the public defender indicates “He said it would be like tying a hog down into that chair and executing him—an animal that didn’t know what any of it was all about” (40). In the quote they were calling Jefferson unintelligent because he was a different race which was an insult to every African American. Also, it dehumanizes Jefferson when calling him a hog and it takes awhile after for Grant to get the point across that Jefferson is a man but a hog despite what they say. It shows how much Jefferson was affected because of racism therefore the book should not be banned in schools because it gives a different look on history.
Ultimately, A Lesson Before Dying should not be banned because it demonstrates the type of culture that once existed in the 1940s. The book does contain different religious views and explicit language but that shows the harshness of life and the racism that happened in the south. This book uses a different perspective that other cautious books do not use, which makes the message a lot stronger. The overall message should not be disregarded or overlooked because of controversial topics. A book should not ever be banned when it contains a strong message that is not found in other “safe”