Banning Books - Research Paper Example

Banning books Books have always been one of the most important educational resources for teachers, and other members of the academia. The learning community has heavily relied on books for the advancement of their knowledge and ongoing learning. Even after the arrival of the internet, a large portion of students, teachers, and other learners rely on the availability of books for acquiring knowledge and understanding. Not all books are informational, yet they still provide essential information on many aspects of life that may not be otherwise communicated well through other channels. Books act as central means of imparting knowledge and communicating diverse thoughts, ideas, and viewpoints. As such, they act as useful instruments for writers and other literarians to express themselves through articulated works crafted skillfully. Because books present a powerful way of communicating new, and sometimes radical, ideas, they are sometimes viewed as a threat. Those who view books as a threat are willing to restrict the transmission of the book’s message through censorship or banning of books. However, the phenomenon is not a new one and apparently the history goes back to the Greek days of the philosopher, Plato, who suggested that certain tales must not be told to children due to their content (Lusted, 13). Banning books has its implications on many of its stakeholders including students, parents, teachers, and the government. In many ways, banning books involves the conflicting interests of its various stakeholders thereby motivating the action. Books are banned due to various reasons. DiMarco mentions how one of his colleagues jokingly said that his book should be banned because it contains explicit content such as “sex, violence, and adult language”, something which would definitely not be seen as suitable for young students to read (368). While many books are banned due to its objectionable content, it should be noted that such actions inhibit greater learning by restricting the transmission of knowledge. In most cases, book banning limits a student’s comprehension of applicable knowledge as it exposes one to only accepted ways of knowledge dissemination. By doing so, students are only introduced to one side of the picture rather than giving them a thorough exposure to the wider picture thereby limiting their view. Book banning has been practiced since a long time and thus, students have been limited to only specific dimensions of knowledge. It is important to understand that any kind of censorship inhibits constructive knowledge expansion, critical thinking skills, and problem solving ability. Let’s consider children and it should be kept in mind that many books that were considered unfit for reading by children have been banned. Casares has examined how child development is impacted by its environment and particularly the factors that contribute to the child culture, such as art, music, literature and other forms of expression (n.pag). Cesares points out that literature allows children to learn how to make valid judgments though banning books, through censorship or other measures, establishes a sense of parental control over children (n.pag.). For older students, the impact might not be as productive. For centuries, the critical thinking skills of students have allowed constructive advancement of knowledge building upon earlier knowledge – sometimes debunking previous knowledge – to create new knowledge. In many cases, students have built upon the works carried out by their teachers. Teachers are, therefore, important stakeholders in the debate about book banning. To a great extent, teachers are aided by the availability of books in order to transfer knowledge to students. The presence of a varied set of books allows students to be introduced to different aspects of knowledge thereby bringing them closer to realistic issues and applications of their knowledge. Since teachers are supervisors of students, they get inevitably involved in any instance of book banning. In some cases, teachers have also suffered suspension and other punishments for letting their pupils read banned books (Goldenberg, n.pag.). Teachers are important educators in educational institutions such as schools and libraries and hence, are common targets for such challenges. There have been many efforts to control and restrict written expression in the form of books in schools (“Schools and Censorship: Banned Books”, n.pag.). Although some may advocate the freedom of expression and right to intellectual liberty, other stakeholders may have contrasting views and stand on the subject of book banning. While many teachers may consider book banning to be repressive to their pedagogy and educational endeavors, other stakeholders such as parents may feel necessitated for such actions if they see it as affecting their children’s educational experience negatively. Although parents support the best possible educational methodology for their children, they may sometimes object to the reading of certain books by their children. Many parents show their concerns regarding their children reading books that they do not see fit for their age, or to be read at all. Parents normally object to books that contain material that they do not approve of being read by someone aged around the same years as their children. Doyle mentions that “sex, profanity and racism” are among some of the objections behind book banning pointing towards the fact that parents are spurred by the intention to protect their children from being exposed to explicit, violent or mature content (iii). Following the change in literary trend, there has been a rise in unorthodox literature that speaks about subjects that parents may not approve of. Bertin points out how parents feel that exposing their children to novels about “same sex literature” goes against the religious beliefs they hold (9). Religious sensitivities may also therefore prompt parents to raise their concerns over books thereby leading to their banning. Excerpts from student letters to Banned Books Weak suggest that students support their freedom to read and access books as guaranteed by the First Amendment (Scales, 52). Thus, the issue of book banning is likely to be met by varied responses by the different stakeholders although some educators may respect the response by parents and may leave the decision at the discretion of parents as to whether some books should be allowed or not. Among the varying responses regarding the subject and the conflicting interests, governments form an entity among the stakeholders. The Encyclopedia of Censorship compiled by Green and Karolides mentions several books that had been banned due to their content including the erotic book by John Cleland (346). When John Cleland’s book Fanny Hill was first published, it had to face severe criticism by the government inclusive which rejected the book as a severely explicit book containing graphic images. Several other books have been banned by the government, however not solely on the basis of their explicit references, but because they seem to conflict with government interests. The writer, Kathlyn Gay regards censorship to be an act of intolerance to other individual’s views which goes on to restrict the freedom of expression and speech (119). This takes on the form of censorship where the publication of any material is banned that speaks about sensitive subjects. The government may also ban the publication of any material that may threaten its integrity or its sovereignty. In general, parents may be concerned about their children encountering explicit content unfit for reading however banning books restricts the learning capacities of children inhibiting their imagination to fixed ideas. The educational endeavors of particularly learners are best fulfilled as they read diverse literary works so as to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills that help them in coming down to valid judgments. Banning books not only limits their academics but also their healthy development as learners. Works Cited Bertin, Joan. "Book Censorship 2008: A View from the Trenches." Random House Inc, 3. 1 (2008): 9-11. Print. Casares, Allyson J. "The Effect of Book Banning on Child Culture: A Close Look at the Harry Potter Series." The Looking Glass: New Perspectives on Childrens Literature, 8. 3 (2009): Print. Dimarco, Scott R. "Why I banned a book How censorship can impact a learning community." College & Research Libraries News, 74. 7 (2013): 368--369. Print. Doyle, Robert P. Books Challenged or Banned 2012-2013. Banned Books Week, 2013. Print. Gay, Kathlyn. Bigotry and intolerance. Rowman & Littlefield, 2013. Print. Goldenberg, Suzanne. "US teacher is suspended for letting pupils read bestseller." The Guardian, 2008. Web. 15 Apr 2014. . Green, Jonathan and Nicholas J. Karolides. Encyclopedia of Censorship. New York, NY: Facts on File, 2005. Print. Lüsted, Marcia Amidon. Banned books. Minneapolis, MN: Core Library, 2013. Print. Scales, Pat. Protecting intellectual freedom in your school library. Chicago: American Library Association, 2009. Print. "Schools and Censorship: Banned Books." People for the American Way, 2013. Web. 15 Apr 2014. . Read More