Sievers1

CaseySievers
Ms.Gardner
English10HPeriod4
3May2015
BanBookBanning

Bookbanning,sometimesreferredtoasbookcensorship,istheprocessoftakingabook
offoftheshelvesofaschool,library,orbookstore.Bookscanbecomelabeledaschallenged,
meaningthattheyareplacedinjeopardyofbecomingbannedbecausetheircontentmaybe
foundoffensiveortooprofound.
Thisissueshouldbeconfrontedbecauseittakesawaythe
freedomofartiststosharetheircreativeideas.Thisconflictswiththelibertiesgiventothemin
theBillofRights.Whilebookbanningistechnicallyunconstitutional,forwhateverreasonitis
overlookedandallowedinthissocietytoday.Thebanningofbooksshouldbestoppedbecauseit
takesawayalearningopportunityfromthosewhowanttoread,shieldschildrenandyoung
adultsfromtherealitiesinlifethattheyshouldbecomeawareof,andoppressesthefreedomof
writers.

Certainparentsandpublisherswouldagreeinsayingthatcertainstoriesshouldnotbe
allowedaplaceontheirbookshelves.Anexampleofthisdesiretodeteryoungstudentsaway
fromthismatureliteratureisthedebacleregardingtheclassicnovel
TheAdventuresof
HuckleberryFinn
byMarkTwain.
AlanGribben,EnglishprofessoratAuburn
UniversityMontgomerysharesthathisconcernslieintheuseofracialslursandphrasesthatare
embeddedthroughoutthenovelastheywereprevalentduringthisera.Gribbensays,


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Whentheyoungerreaderisstaringatthatwordfivetimesonagivenpageandthe
instructorissaying,'MarkTwaindidn'tmeanthisandyouhavetoreaditwithan
appreciationofirony,'you'reaskingalotofayoungerreader.(Moore)
Becauseofeventssuchasthese,aneweditionofthefamousnovelomitstheracialterm
ni****andusesthewordslaveinitsplace.(Moore)Aschoolboardmember,Scott
VeerkampagreeswithstatementslikeGribbenswhenhesaysifwegivethemabookwiththat
smutinit,itlegitimizesit.(Penner)
Supportersofbanningbooksbelievethattheyaredoinga
civiljusticebyremovinggreatworksofliteraturefromlibrariesacrosstheglobe.Whilethose
whosupportcensorshipattempttoridschoolsofclassicnovels,othersfightactivelytoprevent
morebooksfrombeingchallengedbecauseittakestheopportunityoflearningawayfrom
students,causesyoungpeopletobecomeoblivioustopotentialthreatstheyshouldacknowledge,
andoppresseswritersfreedom.
Admittedly,banningcertainbooksfromelementaryschoolsisasafewaytoprotectwhat
theyarereading.However,whenonethinksabouthowthistakeslearningopportunitiesaway
fromchildrenwhoareinterestedinthesetopics,itisimpossibletosupportsuchthings.Sarah
Yungaddstoherargument,
Whoreallyhastheauthoritytosaya12yearoldistooimmatureto
readabouttheinevitabilityofdeath?Whatifshehasalreadyexperiencedbereavementinher
life,andismerelysearchingforrelatablesituationswithinthepagesofnovels?(Yung)Inthis
argumentYungdispelsanysbeliefsthatmaybeapparentbyimplyingthatageisnotanaccurate
reflectionofmaturity,whereatenyearoldchildcouldbemorematurethanathirteenyearold.
Thisclaimsupportsthenotionthatachildsmaturitylevelshouldbewhatdeterminesthethings
theycanreadorwatch,andanyresponsibleparentshouldrespecttheirchildenoughtothepoint


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wheretheyletthemchoosenovelsthattheycancomprehendemotionally.JakeRichwiththe
UniversityofCaliforniatheorizesratherthan
banningthebookforitssexualcontent,abetter
solutionwouldbeforparentstoputsuchsubjectsintoperspectiveforthechildrenwhomaywant
toreadthebook.(Rich)Thispragmaticreasoningisoneoffewsolutionstothecontroversies
broughtuponbybookbanning.Ifchildrenwishtobeeducatedonsensitivetopics,theyshould
notbedeniedthatrightbecauseanotherchildsparentdoesnotagree.
Basedonthisinformation,
removingbooksfromschoollibrariestorestrictwhatchildrenreadisnotthebestoptionbecause
thechildrenwhowanttolearnaboutwarordiseaseinschooldonothavetheopportunity.If
takingbooksoffofpublicschoolshelvesisgoingtohindertheirlearningopportunities,why
wouldparentsandschooladministratorssupportit?
Furthermore,banningbooksbasedoninappropriatecontentisjustshieldingkidsfrom
therealitiesthattheywillfacelateronintheirlives.Manyseethebanningofbooksas
constructingabarricadethatisolatesupandcomingcitizensfromharshoccurrencessuchas
terrorism,plague,racism,war,etc.GarthStein,authorofthechallengedbook
TheArtofRacing
intheRain
agreesthatthisonlydi
minishestheabilitytorelatetopeoplefromadifferent
background.(Bruni)Withoutsuchinformationfromnovelsthatdepictscenesofviolence,
promiscuity,orsegregation,howcanweexpectournationstolearnfromtheseandgrow?
Withoutgrowthandunderstandingofthetragediesenduredbypeopleoftodayandyesterday,
historywillbeforcedtorepeatitselfduetoalackofknowledgeonworldevents.FrankBruni
withthe
NewYorkTimes
inquires
Isn'teducationsupposedtoprovoke,disrupt,challengethe
paradigmsthatyoungpeoplehaveconsciouslyembracedandattacktheprejudicesthattheyhave
unconsciouslyabsorbed?(Bruni)Bruniswayofthinkingisonethathastheabilitytoreinvent


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thewaychildrenaretaughttocomprehendworldlyevents.Thisinformationmeansthatbecause
childrenarenotsusceptibletotheseharshrealities,theywillnotbepreparedwhenfacedwith
thesechallenges.Asaresult,schoolsneedtoprovidethesestudentswithsuchliteraturesothatif
theyplease,theycanbeeducatedonthedangersandpasteventsoftheworld.
Ultimately,banningbooksoppressesawritersfreedomofspeechandalsofreedomof
press.Thesewritershavetheirownexperiencesandareattemptingtosharestheseviewswith
theiraudience.Inaddition,theFirstAmendmentonourUnitedStatesConstitution
prohibitsthe
makingofanylaw
respectinganestablishmentofreligion
,impedingthe
freeexerciseofreligion
,
abridgingthe
freedomofspeech
,orinfringingonthe
freedomofthepress.Thefreedom
grantedtoauthorsintheBillofRightshasbeenneglectedandtakenadvantageofforovera
century.Thewordswriterschoosetopublishareprotectedbythegovernmentandneedtobe
treatedassuch.Richadds
thelinebetweensexualityandpornographymustbeunderstoodas
thedifferencebetweentheexploitationofsex,andsexasanaturalaspectoflife.(Rich)His
argumentrestsonthenaturalformsofsexualityandaimstoeducateothersontheimportanceof
itintheorganicworld.
Thisinformationrevealsthatsexandreproductionshouldbetaughtsothatyoungpeople
canunderstandthemasapartofpureandnaturallife,thisalsoshowsthattheactofbanningor
challengingbooksfortheircontentisunconstitutional.Therefore,whywouldmanyparentsand
administratorslivinginAmericachoosetosilencethesesreadersandtakeawaytheirrights?
Bookbanningshouldbestoppedbecauseittakesawaylearningopportunities,triesto
buryharshrealitieswhentheyshouldbeacknowledged,anddeniesauthorstheirrightsto
freedomofpressandfreedomofspeech.Banningbooksisthefirststeponadownwardspiralto


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alifefilledwithnofreedomofspeech.Oncethisfreedomtopublishwrittenideasistakenaway,
thefreedomtothinkandtoexpressoneselfisnotfaroff.Toomanyawardwinningnovelsare
beingstrippedfromtheshelves,anappealmustbefiledtoendthewaroncensorship.


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WorksCited

Bruni,Frank."TheWildsofEducation."
NewYorkTimes
.28Sep.2014:SR.3.
SIRS
IssuesResearcher.
Web.19Apr.2015.
DiBlasio,Natalie."SchoolsOnceAgainFaceBindOverCensorshipvs.BookLists."
USA
TODAY
.19Aug.2011:A.1.
SIRSIssuesResearcher.
Web.10Apr.2015.
"FirstAmendmenttotheUnitedStatesConstitution."
Wikipedia
.WikimediaFoundation,n.d.
Web.12May2015.
Moore,MarthaT."'HuckFinn'NavigatingChoppyWatersAgain."
USATODAY
.06Jan.2011:
A.3.
SIRSIssuesResearcher.
Web.19Apr.2015.
Penner,Diana."DecisiononReinstatingBannedBookMayComeToday."
IndianapolisStar
(Indianapolis,IN)
.30Apr.2010:A.21.
SIRSIssuesResearcher.
Web.19Apr.2015.
Rich,Jake."CanBookCensorshipSaveOurChildrenandTheirInnocence?."
University
Wire
.07Oct.2014:n.p.
SIRSIssuesResearcher.
Web.10Apr.2015.
Yung,Sarah."LocalBanonBookStirsUpControversyoverCensorship."
UniversityWire
.09
Oct.2014:n.p.
SIRSIssuesResearcher.
Web.10Apr.2015.