In this article, Deborah S. Connelly talks about the history of book banning, its presence in society today, and actions that have and can be taken against it. Most of these actions stem from the responsibility of librarians and organizations. Connelly believes that librarians have an obligation to keep their content uncensored and readily available to the public. She has stated that the best way to prevent book censorship is to educate our society about the importance of diverse books. A more specific approach regarding this idea might be for a librarian to remind an opposing patron why the book on trial was bought in the first place, and what it could have to offer the reader. As said on the final page of her article, “Knowledge is the key…
In “Censorship a Personal View,” Judy Blume connects the consequences academic censorship has on young adults with her own experiences. She recalled how censoring had increased dramatically, causing activists to protest in multiple education centers. Blume believes banning books from classrooms can decrease learning in real life situations. She recounted an experience with her own book being banned from children because it contained “explicit content”. Blume adds, she will continue to write to give students the right to books she was denied due to censorship.…
A quote by Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Speak and Chains, states, “Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance.” Ray Bradbury exhibits the two main factors that support self censorship in his dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451. Through the development of a shallow culture and hostility towards books, Bradbury implies how mass media can suppress free speech as thoroughly as a controlling government. With the growth of a pleasure centered culture, fast cars, loud music, and television overpower the popularity of books. The abundance of stimulation in this new lifestyle makes published materials overwhelming and unable to hold society’s concentration. Bradbury describes how society slowly loss interest in books, by condensing…
To Kill a Mockingbird, The Catcher in the Rye, and The Scarlet Letter are classic novels that demonstrate sex, profanity, and racism, but what sets these books apart from the rest is the classy way they introduce ideas of sin. Teens of the 21st century are indulging more and more into inappropriate novels. Students are going to school where they are commanded to read books with mindful tactics, sexual content, and vulgar language. We need to help restore youths moral values, and to achieve this we should prohibit certain books from being read and reintroduce the classics alongside new books presenting strong values. Banning books is valid because we may be using books to enhance our children's knowledge, however, books often contain content…
Another thing is that this book and theme does have a message for all of us, it’s that the anticensorship message has often been cited by opponents of book banning in the United States. This means people also have to look out on what they are reading. `…
The banning of books creates a dystopian society, people may look happy because of all the things around them the fast cars, games, television etc. Often many people are moving so fast they don’t have time to slow down for a second and think. And the government made it that way in their society so they don’t have time to think and have their own thoughts and opinions. The government knows that reading provokes thinking and creating your own opinions about the world around us. This could relate to today’s society, not necessarily saying we don’t think rather that since technology is so advanced now days everything is instant, quick fast, and in…
the books are burned, the offender is arrested and taken to prison. Although book burning…
Connelly, Deborah S. "To Read Or Not To Read: Understanding Book Censorship." Community & Junior College Libraries 15.2 (2009): 83-90. ERIC. Web. 10 Nov. 2011.…
Potter Stewart once said, “Censorship reflects a society’s lack of confidence in itself.” Stewart’s personal definition of censorship is constantly portrayed throughout Ray Bradbury’s novel Fahrenheit 451 as readers see free-thoughts being restricted by government efforts. This can be seen first as government-directed firemen burn books to keep citizens from developing their own opinions on matters. Secondly, ideas and questions are kept off limits by distracting people through the technology surrounding them. Finally, censorship is enforced by removing situations where people can ask questions, such as in classrooms at schools. Fahrenheit 451 is a novel that gives us prime examples of ways a government can suppress and censor individual ideas and free thought.…
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…
After all, the book focuses heavily on the alienation felt by teenagers as they transition into adulthood and banning one of the few books taught in school that we might resonate with is more or less completely in synchronicity with the view of adults presented in the book. However, such philosophical digressions can be benched for another day. What my peers and I know is that being a teenager is hard. Being in a place where you are widely misunderstood by anyone outside of your age group is frustrating at the least and can be completely ruinous. By exposing us to a work of literature that not only is technically advanced and well-written, but is sonorous to the reader's psyche, a profound opportunity to truly impact the way a teen reader feels is created. To dismiss such an opportunity because of some ridiculous “American pastime” of denying literature based on superficial discrepancies with what society deems as appropriate is ignorant of the intelligence that teens possess and can apply to literature that has the potential to affect us more…
Censorship has been a controversial topic for as long as it has existed. Should media and books be censored? And if so, who gets to decide what is? Censorship prevents people from being able to have their own thoughts, since everything is delivered in a "safe" form. This results in the inability to involve or move forward in society. These topics are explored thoroughly in Fahrenheit 451, a book written by Ray Bradbury in 1953. The story takes place in a dystopian society where all books are banned and free thinking is discouraged and punishable. It is told from the point of view of our protagonists, Guy Montag, whom of which is a firefighter that (ironically) sets fire to books, destroying them. From his perspective do we witness the true dangers of censorship and how it prevents the characters from thinking for themselves which, if continues, will cause humanity to fail ro evolve and move beyond their mistakes.…
Have you ever read something in a book or an article and found yourself wondering about how much that could affect readers? For some reason, whether due to a personal disagreement with the message, or academic dissatisfaction with content, or something else entirely, you ask yourself ‘How is this allowed to exist, to be circulated and available for our posterity?’ In some form, that sentiment, and the censorship of information which results from it, have both been around for as long as information itself has existed. Whether it be the Church’s rejection of the spread of heresy, or the Third Reich’s manipulation of propaganda, information has always been controlled and taken advantage of. And yet, it may still surprise some to find that information…
At first glance, the debate over banning books appears unimportant. Nevertheless, this debate has divided our nation into those who favor censoring books to protect their impressionable adolescents, and those who argue that education should be open for everybody without interference from the government in restricting the publishing and accessing of these books.…
They each have gone through different experiences and have formed to become the person they are different from any other person. Therefore, the only person who can decide what they want to read, or wat is against their own personal set of morals is themself. By banning books or censoring books, people can not choose for themselves, limiting their freedom given to them by the government. If a particular person does not approve of a topic, idea or theme in a novel, then they do not have to read it, but trying to have it banned is not allowing others to make that judgement for themselves (Harvey, Linda). Some may say that libraries or publishers are not trustworthy of protecting the youth of today from ideas that they see as “wrong’ or “immoral” (Manning, Erin). Should those readers not be allowed to decide for themselves what they believe is good or bad? For example, the way that today's teens have grown up is completely different than that of their parents or grandparents. These teens see the world differently, than the adults of the world. While it is important to learn from past mistakes, should the older members be allowed to continue to dictate what youth read and ultimately come to believe (Harvey, Linda)? A recent study has shown that adults are more likely to support censoring or banning books while most youth are against it (Rampell, Catherine). Neil Gaiman once said, “ Ideas- written ideas are special. They are the…