The Censorship of Books - Essay Example

English Moderate Censorship on Books Censorship on books is a topic that has been controversial for the last more than four decades. Censorship is the removal, suppression of restricted circulation of literary or educational materials mainly for reasons of standards of writing. Research shows that censorship of books is in the rise and that it is becoming a reason to worry in the libraries. In 2013, the American Library Association had to deal with over one hundred cases of books, which had received criticism from a wide range of groups. The proponents of censorship of books argue that some books fall below the standards as they subject the students to unacceptable ideas concerning sexuality, racism and occult themes. The anti-censorship groups argue that while censorship of certain books is important, it is clear that censorship abuses the right of freedom of speech and reduces the insight of learning. From a critical point of view, it is clear that a large number of books that have been censored are informative and contain important themes for learners. On this note, it is crucial to moderate censorship of books to foster the process of learning within the community. Over the last four decades, the topic on censorship has garnered a lot of attention within the public. The public have been particularly critical about the use of language within some books due feeling that these books fall below the standards of literary works. In some instances, the students had to read new books since their course books had fallen victim of criticism of the parents who cite different reasons for censorship. In the last decade, over one thousand books have been banned and the rate seems to be on the rise (Patterson 78). In 2013 alone, over a hundred books the American Library Association had to ban over a hundred books for criticism within the public. The main reason for censorship has been that the books contain vulgar language, others depicts racism themes, gayism and lesbianism and occultism. The anti-censorship groups are the Kids Right to Learn Project (KRLP) who has successfully raised bans against books that the public had formerly raised concerns about (Doctorow 22). The increase in the censorship rate has become a controversial issue with different groups supporting a different side of the coin. The censorship of books prevents the circulation of materials that cover the contemporary issues in the society. Over the past, the public among them parents have launched complains against coverage of themes such as homosexuality and racial bias in a wide range of literature (Antell, Molly and Downey 104-107). For instance, the book “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” received criticism from majority of parents for its theme of the racism that dominates throughout the chapter. The parents concern was that racism was an obsolete topic and that teaching the students on the same theme would be exposing them to a culture that the government has fought throughout its history. The parents raised response because the author used the word “nigger” throughout the book to explain on the plight of the slave. In America, the word “nigger” is a manifestation of racial prejudice against the blacks, a topic that has drawn attention among the public (Trott 14-17). While this exposure may be a subject of criticism, it is clear that this book covered one of the most crucial topics that learners should acquire within their learning. The war against racism is ongoing and raising such a theme is contributing to this war. While the parents succeeded to censor this book in schools, it is clear that it was a barrier to the war against racism. On this ground, it is true to state that censorship of books is against the work of writer to critic contemporary topic in the society. Secondly, censorship of books has become a barrier to the process of learning in institutions. The students are the makers of the society and they should be aware of the various topics that are important within the nation. A number of books that the public have censored are informative books and help the students to make their decisions as scholars in future (Doctorow 22-23). For instance, after the teachers had spent a lot of time discussing the books “the Huckleberry Finn” for a whole term, the parents raised their concerns against the use of racially biased language just when the students were supposed to take their exams on the book. After the parents insisted that they would take a further step regarding these complains, the school had to drop the book and choose a new one for the students. This was a great inconvenience for the process of learning and the students did not accomplish their learning objectives at the end the term (Boyd and Bailey 653). It seems rather unreasonable to stop learning process at such a time after the students had already analyzed the whole book with their teacher. On this note, it is crucial to moderate censorship against to ensure that it is not a barrier to the process of learning. In addition, censorship is the abuse of the right of freedom of speech granted in the constitution. Authors of books express their own freedom of speech by documenting ideas that they feel are important in the society. For instances, authors of political books provide criticism of the government and often show the negative aspects of government administration to the public. The first amendment act in America provides the public with the right to present their own opinions against the government as one way of guarantying freedom of speech within the public (Isajlovic-Terry and Lynne 38-43). However, many parents have reacted negative towards books that touch on controversial political issues arguing that such books are likely to expose their children to unhealthy politics. For instance, the book “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” is a political book that covers the life of Malcolm as a human rights activist. The book shows the government’s slow pace to react to public issues and criticizes it for failing to protect minorities. Despite the book receiving credit as one of influential works of history, the book was censored for reasons of political criticism and racial issues (Trott 14-17). Many scholars criticized this move as a suppression of the freedom of speech that the authors use to shape the public and raise issues of concern within the government. From this angle, it is clear that censorship of books must be moderated if it has to respect the right of freedom of speech within the public. The anti-censorship groups have raised concerns that censorship against motions is ignited by lack of understanding of the works of authors. The argument here is that whenever the public fail to understand a book or the take the meanings literary, they end up censoring the books. Evidently, a number of books that the public bans receive freedom of circulation on the ground that the reason of the ban was not genuine. For instance the book “Leaves of grass” written by Walt Whitman received a ban when the public failed to understand the poetry symbolism used in the book (Trott 14-17). The New York Society for the Suppression of Vice stood out against the book arguing that the sensuality of the text was disturbing. Unrealistically, the booksellers in New York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania succumbed to pressure and advised their patrons not to stock their libraries with these books. The idea that the sensuality of the book was disturbing shows a lack of understanding of the book (Karolides, Margaret and Sova 12-17). Therefore, there seems to be need for close examination of the books before censoring it as many books have been censored out of misunderstanding. This concept supports the idea that there is dire need to have a close examination of every book before censoring it to ensure that there is an adequate reason to censor the book. However, encouraging such a trend would be disheartening to the authors who work day and night to produce informative books in the society. Moderating censorship would ensure that books are censored for genuine reasons. Additionally, some of the ideas raised in censoring the books are misdirected and may be ignorant of the contemporary issues of the society. For instance, the public have been very concerned of the issues of homosexuality raised in a number of books while they ignore the fact that the topic is a current issue that has become a reality in America (Kidd 217). While there are those who feel that such vices as homosexuality are still matters that the public should not heed, it is clear that it is a contemporary issue especially after the government granted the freedom of homosexual marriages. Books such as “Our bodies, Ourselves, Boston Women’s book Collective” remain banned for the reason that they support homosexuality (Antell, Molly and Downey 104-107). This is a misplaced idea at a time when homosexuality is a reality and the young people need to be guided more as they make such decisions in the society. It would be more reasonable to focus on the World Wide Web that today incites youths to engage in homosexuality without showing them the disadvantages of these approaches marriage types. Therefore, it would be worth to moderate book censorship as it is misdirected and the reasons behind it may be past time. However, a counter argument to moderation of book censorship is that some books encourage immorality within the youth, a subject of public criticism in the society. Books such as “the Scarlet letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne were banned for reasons of having pornographic content, deeming it unsuitable for the books (Nye and Barco 23-34). This argument seems valid, as books are part of the communication media that today is spreading immorality in the society. However, it is possible to judge the idea of censoring books that contain pornographic content as biased. This is because the learners and the public as a whole have access to a lot more pornographic content today and the public has not censored these sources. Pornography is more serious in the film industry, the internet and the television programs. So far, little has been done to prevent the public from accessing such content while they continue to ban books that have shallow adult contents (Cannici 12). While it is wise to protect the youths from such content, it would be fair to do so to all access sources to ensure that the process is transparent and unbiased. In conclusion, there is an urgent need to moderate book censorship to ensure that only books that warrant such actions receive bans. In the recent past, the increase in the book censorship has raised concerns among many in the society. Most schools and schools have banned books on the ground that they contain sexual, political and racial content which the learners should not have access to. While it is clear that some books do not meet the standards of writing, it would is clear that censorship of books is against the process of learning, denies the freedom of speech and is a result of misunderstanding. In addition, the process is biased as some books are banned for reasons of sexual content while other sources such as internet and media that give such information have been ignored. To ensure that the process of censoring books is fair, it is crucial that they moderate it and they make a review of the book to ensure that it warrants a censor. Works Cited Antell, Karen, Molly Strothmann, and Jennifer Downey. "Self-Censorship In Selection Of LGBT-Themed Materials." Reference & User Services Quarterly 53.2 (2013): 104-107. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. Boyd, Fenice B., and Nancy M. Bailey. "Censorship In Three Metaphors." Journal Of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 52.8 (2009): 653-661. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. Cannici, Jr., William J. "The Global Online Freedom Act: Combating American Businesses That Facilitate Internet Censorship In China." Journal Of Internet Law 12.11 (2009): 3-17. Business Source Complete. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. Doctorow, Cory. "A Whip To Beat Us With." Publishers Weekly 259.14 (2012): 22-23. Business Source Complete. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. Isajlovic-Terry, Natasha, and Lynne (E.F.) McKechnie. "An Exploratory Study Of Childrens Views Of Censorship." Children & Libraries: The Journal Of The Association For Library Service To Children 10.1 (2012): 38-43. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. Karolides, Nicholas J., Margaret Bald, And Dawn B. Sova. 100 Banned Books: Censorship Histories Of World Literature. Checkmark Books, 2008. Print Kidd, Kenneth. "“Not Censorship But Selection”: Censorship And/As Prizing." Childrens Literature In Education 40.3 (2009): 197-216. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. Nye, Valerie, and Kathy Barco. True Stories of Censorship Battles in Americas Libraries. Chicago: American Library Association, 2012. Print. Patterson, Jessie. "On Reading And Sharing Banned Books." Journal Of Childrens Literature 39.2 (2013): 78. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching File. Web. 30 Apr. 2014 Trott, Barry. "Helen E. Haines: A Life With Books." Reference & User Services Quarterly 50.1 (2010): 14-17. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 Apr. 2014 Read More