Kaitlyn Nicholson

Honors English 11Censorship Essay

   September 1, 2006 4th Block

 

Censorship is the control of speech and other forms of human expression. In ones opinion, censorship is both limiting and controlling. I believe that censorship is when the government, or any amount of people, decides that something is obscene and try to keep you from reading, having, seeing, listening to, or buying it.

 

There are several books that have been banned from schools in the past few years. One book, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, caught me off guard because it was actually a book that I had already read in my free time. The Perks of Being a Wallflower was banned because of passages describing a date rape, teen suicide and profanity. What I do not understand is why the book would be banned if it was tested and approved by professionals because of its ability to help students transcend into more difficult literature. Even though drugs and sex are mentioned in the book, they are not mentioned in a good way. The story includes a bad acid trip and a drunken rape. I think that people who want to censor this book feel that if you read about certain things, in any context, students will want to engage in them. What people do not realize is most students learn from the main characters mistake, so that they themselves do not have to make it. The author, Stephen Chbosky, has even received letters from young adults who said the book has saved their lives.

 

Another book that is very publicly banned in schools across the United States is the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Huckleberry Finn was mainly censored because of the numerous times the word nigger is used during the novel. Those who have read Huckleberry Finn know that Huck encounters several traders and liars throughout the book, all of which are white. The only man of honor is ‘Nigger Jim’. The word nigger was not used to degrade, but to emphasize the struggles during a certain time in history.

 

Censorship does violate the writer’s freedom of speech. I believe that if you do not like a book, then you do not have to read it. Most authors have to use sensitive subjects to connect to the audience on a more personal level because those issues are what are real. When an author has no freedom of speech, it can completely take away the whole point that the author was trying to portray. Freedom of speech reveals the authors honest thoughts and opinions, and these are the things that are essential to teaching children the truth.

 

             Although I do believe that censorship should be allowed, it could easily go both ways. Censorship should be done in a reasonable manner, such as the government trying to better its community. When you get into banning things that should be controlled by the individual himself, censorship can go too far. TVs, commercials, movies, and radios should be censored, but only for a younger audience. Sometimes both parents are at work, so a young child has no one to tell them what and what not to watch. Most of it has to do with your child’s maturity level because if your child already knows about bad things, then it will not make any difference if it’s mentioned to them again. When a child first hears about something negative and it does not come from a guardian or teacher is when censorship should most definitely be allowed.

 

            An author does have a responsibility in what he/she puts into a book that young adults might read. As long as a positive example is being set, I do not see why it matters what that author said that could be taken offensively, because sometimes that is just what people need to understand it. If that is the style of the author, then so be it. Why I say that an author does have a responsibility of what he puts in his books, is when nothing good could possibly come out of it and sets a very bad example. When no good can come from a book, then the book is no good.

 

            Personally, I believe that students do have the right to be exposed to certain materials that will help advance their education. Note that in the last sentence, I said students. The students are the ones who have to read the novel, but if you look back, one of the top reasons for censorship being placed on a book is because of a parent. I can understand a parents concern if it is only a novel that their particular child is reading, but when you place censorship on a book as a whole; you are depriving other students who had no problem with the novel to begin with. Parents should trust a teacher to treat their child with respect but to also be able to teach them how to challenge and question beliefs and values. This will make them stronger, smarter, and more independent in the end. Even if the parent still has a problem with their child being introduced to such topics, you would think that they would want their child to learn about these issues in a more structured setting around people who want what’s best for them rather than somewhere else.