Preview

Catcher In The Rye Should Not Be Banned Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
734 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Catcher In The Rye Should Not Be Banned Essay
The Catcher in the Rye
Often times, books become banned in the classroom because of the controversial content that it contains. Once a book is banned, it becomes removed from the shelves of libraries, book stores, and classrooms. In some cases, banned books have been burned or refused publication. There are several reasons why books are banned, but books are most frequently banned because of the prejudiced opinions about religion, sexual orientation, and race. In school, children are taught to be mature and to not laugh at gross scenes; Children are also taught to not make commentary about the book when inappropriate content exists or if there are controversial topics. Are
…show more content…
In 2001, there were complaints that the book contained sex, violence and profanity. In 2002, The Catcher in the Rye was taken out of South Carolina for being a “filthy,filthy book”. In 2005, The Catcher in the Rye was challenged but maintained as an assigned reading for the Noble high School in North Berwick, Maine. In 2006 The Catcher in the Rye was challenged for having sexual content, insulting and not appropriate for age groups. Also stated in World Magazine “The challenges generally being with vulgar language, citing the novel’s use of words like ”goddamn”, with more general reasons including sexual references, blasphemy, undermining of family values and moral codes, Holden’s being a poor role model, encouragement of rebellion and promotion of drinking, smoking, lying and promiscuity.
Also something I was reading about on Time Magazine. At the end of the paragraph they talk about how most people do not know the storyline of The Catcher in the Rye that is why so many people want it challenged or banned. A high school teacher named Shelly Keller-Gage faced issues when she was trying to tell her students to read the Catcher in the Rye. Keller-Gage makes a comment that the students are acting like Holden from the Catcher in the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Mark views Holden as a hero, a person who understands the universe and argues society's faults. He states "… a reader of J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye learn immediately that its narrator is at war with "crap", seek truth and speaks Americanese that's vibrant with sincerity." Making direct comparisons through events, Mark relates his life to Holden's, such as his time as an "alienated freshman" in college and the football games he failed to attend because of the way the student body was supposed to behave. He proves that Holden is not insane, but a regular teenager filled with angst throughout the book acknowledging that "… the book is a simplistic tale of a boy's unhappiness over biological fact: teenagers must grow to adult hood…" He feels that Holden's character completes him in a way that he does not feel alone; that only he understands. Holden's brutal honesty and witty remarks touch Mark as he implies, "…I was not alone. Even if my fellow sufferer was fictional …". Society fears sincerity, thus the excuse of the banning on Holden's characterization. As Mark explains in context such as, "… Because our nation was founded with such idealistic optimism…" this proves that conformists are deadly because they murder the innocence of a person they try to protect.…

    • 730 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The first reason why all high school students need to read, The Catcher in the Rye, it shows people they are not alone in their frustrations. Unfortunately, now more than ever a million different kinds of distractions like; social media, the internet, drugs, alcohol, and many more are thrown at today’s high schoolers. Salinger wrote this book in 1951, an extremely censored time, and it instantly became popular among young adults because of the “realness” to the story. This book allowed them to actually see the hard aspects of life. Even though, life as a teen drastically changed since the book published, the connection still exists to today. According to the Huffington Post, “his frustrations with the disingenuousness of others, and especially his grievances about…

    • 608 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Ever since its publication in 1951, the quality of J. D. Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, has been a controversy. The story has been praised for its enlightening views on society, but criticized for its use of slang and sexual content. Nevertheless, the story is worth both reading and teaching, for the story still relates to the lives of today’s teenagers, introduces a unique writing style to its readers, and teaches its readers an important lesson about phoniness. Throughout the novel, the main character, Holden Caulfield, attempts to catch innocent children before they fall off the cliff and die or before they lose their innocence and become a corrupt and phony adult. While doing so, he suffers isolation…

    • 1244 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Holden's journey through the novel was a journey in which he searched for a purpose and a sense of finally finding that “ride or die” person he desperately needed in his life. Like many teens, he had to deal with “phony” people and felt strong emotions for someone he did not really talk to and even though students currently don’t have sleepovers at their english teachers house, “The Catcher in the Rye” is still a book that should be discussed and read in schools. This novel is still…

    • 1192 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    <br>As The Catcher in the Rye progresses, Holden comes to terms that he is powerless to rid the world of evil and forever protect both young children and himself from growing up. Although his perception of the world as a corrupt and phony place is not modified significantly, his final realization is a tremendous step towards accepting the inevitable- he must mature eventually, and the world will never be pure. The enlightenment itself is a step towards manhood. His epiphany occurs after spotting another "fuck you" etched in the serene Egyptian tomb. Holden sees he cannot escape perversion even in the ancient vault. He grasps that he cannot possible go about the world erasing all the profanity scrawled throughout it; eventually, every child is going to have to be concerned and upset as they come to terms with its meaning. They must grow up one day, as he knows he must as well. Salinger follows up Holden's epiphany with several supporting events. Holden has a nervous breakdown because he now knows with an abrupt and sickening…

    • 1325 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Catcher in the Rye is a good book in my opinion. It relates to the teenagers of today, including myself. It focuses on peer pressure and finding yourself in a clique/group. The point of the novel was for the main character (Holden) to choose his fate. At the end, he makes the best decision. Which in my opinion makes it so appealing to people my age.…

    • 683 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The feelings and certain experiences Holden goes through are universal, and with his age, increase how much teens are able to relate to this work of literature. J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in The Rye is still relevant to many readers, especially teens, today, because the experiences and feelings that Holden has are similar to that of teens…

    • 430 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    While the 1951 novel, The Catcher in the Rye has been challenged many times by school boards across America, it has also won the hearts of countless fans, who claim that the merits outweigh the controversial issues. Sailinger's most popular novel has been ridiculed for its use of vulgar language, sexual references, alcohol abuse, and violence. Although the novel contains mature subject matter, The Catcher in the Rye should be included in all high school curriculums because it is a classic coming of age story that students can learn from and connect to their own lives.…

    • 1220 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many people argue whether or not the book, The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D Salinger, is an appropriate text to be taught in American high schools. Holden Caulfield, the main character, is telling his story from a rest home he is in for therapy. He has been through quite a lot as a child, so he is extremely bitter about everything. Holden has been kicked out of schools, and put himself in dreadful situations, however he gives good insight on life itself. The Catcher in the Rye is worthwhile to be taught in American high schools because of the lessons and themes it teaches teenagers.…

    • 635 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Holden confronts many issues throughout Catcher in the Rye that still pose a problem to teenagers: such as the need to succeed, the desire for friendship, and the need to mature. These issues are generally forced upon a teenager by a more authoritative figure with higher expectations in comparison to themselves. Although some may regard these as a eustress, they cause distress to many teenagers, and society still upholds such standards.…

    • 808 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the years many schools have banned or taken the novel Catcher in the Rye. There are various reasons as to why some schools have banned the book, a few are “too vulgar”,“too sexual”, “anti-white”, “morals”, “too much violence” and “having to do with occult”also it is considered a symbol for teenage angst. But when thinking about it, is a type of language and imagery enough to ban a book? The book is also considered a valuable lesson and experience for adolescent teens to learn about. Whether people choose to admit it or not high school in itself outside of class is vulgar, far more than what is suggested in this book.…

    • 272 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Banning Catcher In The Rye

    • 1189 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Although Catcher in the Rye implements many inappropriate topics for school such as drug abuse, alcoholism, and swearing, it should not be banned because it allows for an open and safe discussion about the dangers of engaging in these actions.…

    • 1189 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In 1960 a teacher was fired for assigning the novel in class; he was later reinstated.[27][dead link] Between 1961 and 1982, The Catcher in the Rye was the most censored book in high schools and libraries in the United States.[28] In 1981 it was both the most censored book and the second most taught book in public schools in the United States.[29] According to the American Library Association, The Catcher in the Rye was the tenth most frequently challenged book from 1990–1999.[10] It was one of the ten most challenged books of 2005[30] and although it had been off the list for three years, it reappeared in the list of most challenged books of 2009.[31] The challenges generally begin with Holden's frequent use of vulgar language[32],[33] with other reasons including sexual references,[34] blasphemy, undermining of family values[33] and moral codes,[35] Holden's being a poor role model,[36] encouragement of rebellion,[37] and promotion of drinking, smoking, lying, and promiscuity.[35] Often the challengers have been unfamiliar with the plot itself.[28] Shelley Keller-Gage, a high school teacher who faced objections after assigning the novel in her class, noted that the challengers "are being just like Holden... They are trying to be catchers in the rye."[33] A reverse effect has been that this incident caused people to put themselves on the waiting list to borrow the novel, when there were none before.[38]…

    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Censorship is caused when books, movies, etc. are examined, and unacceptable parts are suppressed or the whole thing is banned. Schools nationwide have been banning books due to reasons such as racial issues, sexual explicit content, religious affiliations, violence, political bias, encouragement of “damaging” lifestyles, and etc. Often it is argued that banning books protects students from being exposed to inappropriate content, while others say that students should have the freedom to read what they want.…

    • 147 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Catcher in the Rye written by J. D. Salinger is a story depicted in the 1950s. THe main character Holden Caulfield is a sixteen year old boy who is currently attending Pencey prep school in Agerstown, Pennsylvania. Failing out of three other schools, this is his fourth school.Which he is currently in the process of being expelled from. The story is set on a Saturday afternoon as Holden goes to visit a teacher to say goodbye. Since Pencey is a “sleep away” school Holden does not return to Manhattan (where he lives) until that Wednesday. Through the story we learn that Holden is being expelled because he is failing four out of five of his classes. Holden gets irritated very easily, by his teachers comments, his neighbor and roommate in the…

    • 311 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays