There are things in this world that exist only to allow one to attain power. To rise above adversaries, one must eliminate all that stands in the way. Murder, destruction, and slavery, all subsist to serve that purpose. In our lives today, and many centuries past, there has been one other despicable sin that has too frequently been overlooked: The banning of books.
Many think that banning a book and censoring a book are the same thing. However, that is not the case. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, censorship is ¨the suppression of words, images, or ideas that are offensive.¨ Banning a book is, to put it nicely, prohibiting free access to a book.
We must ask ourselves why we allow this dastardly crime to continue. We must ask ourselves why we have sat back and done nothing as our rights have been swept away. In order to answer these questions, we must first stop and consider why books are banned in the first place. What makes these books so undesirable?
¨Each book that is banned or censored is done so for the content within the pages¨ (Reasons for Banning Books). The list of reasons goes on and on ranging from petty, insignificant details-Little Red Riding Hood carrying a bottle of wine in her basket …show more content…
In Nazi Germany, students and professors compiled lists of books that they deemed inappropriate for Germans. Libraries were raided and books thrown into huge bonfires. These books were destroyed simply because they contained ¨ideas the Nazis viewed as different from their own and therefore not to be read¨ (Nazi Propaganda). Books like 1984 and Animal Farm, both by George Orwell, have been banned in communist Russia ¨for implicitly criticising the Soviet regime¨ (Capon and Scott). These reasons, in and of themselves, are folly. Destroying books can not destroy the thoughts that thrive in the minds of those who are
Many think that banning a book and censoring a book are the same thing. However, that is not the case. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, censorship is ¨the suppression of words, images, or ideas that are offensive.¨ Banning a book is, to put it nicely, prohibiting free access to a book.
We must ask ourselves why we allow this dastardly crime to continue. We must ask ourselves why we have sat back and done nothing as our rights have been swept away. In order to answer these questions, we must first stop and consider why books are banned in the first place. What makes these books so undesirable?
¨Each book that is banned or censored is done so for the content within the pages¨ (Reasons for Banning Books). The list of reasons goes on and on ranging from petty, insignificant details-Little Red Riding Hood carrying a bottle of wine in her basket …show more content…
In Nazi Germany, students and professors compiled lists of books that they deemed inappropriate for Germans. Libraries were raided and books thrown into huge bonfires. These books were destroyed simply because they contained ¨ideas the Nazis viewed as different from their own and therefore not to be read¨ (Nazi Propaganda). Books like 1984 and Animal Farm, both by George Orwell, have been banned in communist Russia ¨for implicitly criticising the Soviet regime¨ (Capon and Scott). These reasons, in and of themselves, are folly. Destroying books can not destroy the thoughts that thrive in the minds of those who are