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Argumentative Essay: Book Banning Should Be Allowed In Schools

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Argumentative Essay: Book Banning Should Be Allowed In Schools
Kristen Farley
English 105
11:30-12:20 MTWTh
Sally McIntosh
September 13th, 2014

Ever since the founding fathers of America wrote the first amendment, there has been controversy about what is and is not censorship. The first amendment states that “[c]ongress 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; of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for redress of grievances.” In relatively recent history, a popular test of this amendment has been whether or not book banning should be allowed in schools. Book banning is when an establishment, such as a school system, decides that certain …show more content…
Oftentimes books are – quite literally – judged by their covers. There is much more to most frequently challenged books than a controversial topic. What lies between the covers are breakthroughs in expression, timeless plots, and new perspectives for readers. Books that break the mold are what we need to educate the future of America. High school libraries should foster open expression without limitations by censors. When it is assumed that high school readers can 't understand and appreciate the language and culture being portrayed in these controversial books, censors misjudge student intelligence and swindle teens out of experiencing groundbreaking …show more content…
However, a novel can deal with this delicate subject with more empathy than the evening news. Maya Angelou 's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings confronts this touchy subject. Yet while rape may not be a comfortable topic, the problem is not alien to many young women. By pulling these books off shelves, censors close our eyes to the world around us. Such books can teach the confused or comfort the suffering. If ideas in books are too taboo for some readers, no one is forced to read them. Someone who thirsts for that information, however, shouldn 't be deprived of the opportunity to find it.
In Mark Twain 's novels, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, many people confront uncomfortable language. Delia Lloyed states that “”Huckleberry Finn” is the fourth most banned book in U.S. schools”. These books offer the reader a peek into another time period when a different set of values reigned. We should be trying to reclaim the innocence of that era, not censoring the slang of the time. Censoring regional books such as these distorts
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