Why Slaughterhouse Five Should Be Banned

The Banning of Slaughterhouse-Five

Banned or challenged books are novels that have been banned completely from school and libraries or attempts for them to be banned. Censorship is defined as “an official who examines books, plays, news reports, motion pictures, radio and television programs, letters, cablegrams, etc., for the purpose of suppressing parts deemed objectionable on moral, political, military, or other grounds.” (Dictionary). There are a few reasons a book might be banned or challenged such as racism, vulgar language, murders, and sexual content. The book Slaughterhouse-Five has a few reasons to why it is banned, it possesses offensive language, sexual references, and psychotic thoughts. This book should not be banned for the context it holds within in the novel it should be a personal decision on whether or not the kids are allowed to read the book or not.

Some of the most famous early banned books are Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, and The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. These two books were banned for different reasons. The only thing they have in common is how is breaks the First Amendment. The First Amendment states ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” (The First Amendment). The banning of books breaks the rules stated by the First Amendment, the people should have the right to read and write what her or she pleases. The government should not be able to say what a person reads or write in their