Essay On Bless Me Ultima

Superior Essays
Bless Me, Ultima Essay For many years, schools have been trying to ban the book Bless Me, Ultima from their reading lists; the book has caused a lot of controversy on whether to keep it in the reading lists or ban it from schools. Bless Me, Ultima is a book about a young boy named Antonio who grew up in Mexico; he tries to live up to his parent's expectations and questions his religion many times. Bless Me, Ultima was listed as the most commonly challenged book in the U.S in 2013. In 1992 California banned it from one of their districts; Colorado banned it in 2005 and Idaho banned it in 2013. The book has also been challenged in Texas, New Mexico, and New York. Bless Me, Ultima was number 75 on the American Library Assn.´s list of top banned books in the 1990s. Though the book has been challenged and banned because of the profanity, anti-catholic and it being sexually explicit, some people still enjoy it while they have it. Bless Me, Ultima has been banned and challenged because many parents were upset and claim it …show more content…
Bless Me, Ultima also includes witchcraft and a lot of death which causes many to believe its anti-catholic. In the article inspired by Robert Doyle, he states,¨ many profane and obscene references, vulgar Spanish words, and glorifies witchcraft, and death¨. What also makes people say its anti-catholic is that Antonio doubts his religion a lot. The book states,¨The golden carp, I whispered in awe. I could not have been more entranced if I had seen the Virgin, or God Himself¨(Anaya 114). In Newman California, the book was, ¨removed by the superintendent for being profane and anti-catholic, the teachers claimed the superintendent circumvented policy on book challenges and set a dangerous

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Book-banning in school libraries has been on-going for as long as people have been writing novels. Stories are usually censored for its language, sexual content, religious reasons and many more. One book looking at to be censored is Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher. In this questioned book, Sarah Byrnes is a senior, who has a friend named Moby. Moby struggles with his weight and Sarah, also struggles with her appearance having burn marks from when she was younger.…

    • 1290 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    During this instance in 1997, the book was put into the advanced reading list which made it be censored, instead of banned. Even though these are the reasons that were said, there are plenty more that make the book harmful. The fact that the main character is continuously in abusive relationships where she is “happy” until something “bad” happens. For example, at one point she was in an mentally abusive relationship and when she was threatened to be killed, she realized she had to leave because it wasn’t “healthy”. This shows that she was okay with being mentally brought down until she was threatened.…

    • 1235 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Since then the book has variously been praised and denounced. Some call it the greatest book written in America. Others are calling for it to be removed from libraries and required reading lists in schools. Most of the objections revolve around the repetitive usage of the word "nigger". It was used an immense (219) number of times.…

    • 875 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Ultima Qualities

    • 82 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Those qualities of Ultima you mentioned are certainly a trait of an excellent mentor. She did not let fear persuade her goal of promoting good in the community. Even after several accusations and threats, she still stood her ground and helped Lucas and Tellez’s family. She gave indispensable moral knowledge to Antonio and guided him throughout the story. I believe this is the strength that Antonio had learned to mimic from Ultima and stand up for what he believes in as well.…

    • 82 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Giver: Banned Books

    • 1408 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Avoiding Dystopia According to the American Library Association, over 11,300 books have been challenged since the origin of banned books began 33 years ago. Parents most often challenge these books rather than organizations, teachers or religious groups, and the majority of books banned are within schools and their libraries. When books are banned, it reveals a disapproval of the censors to look at the world with open eyes, to close their eyes just like they closed the banned books. Prohibiting a book means uncovering more about the sensor than the book or the author brought into the center stage.…

    • 1408 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    With the death of Lupito and Narciso, and the other situations that arise, Antonio begins to question his faith, and his God. He begins to become open to the possibility of other God’s taking the place of The Catholic God. He recognizes other religions, such as his friends, Cico’s religion, The Golden Carp. And the natural religion Ultima participates in.…

    • 816 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Often times parents will challenge a book for its language and the violence present in the book, because they want to keep their child innocent and protected from the wrongs of the world. While it is a understandable concern, it is ridiculous considering what the average high schooler sees and hears in the halls of their school on a daily basis. Parents like this wanted to ban A…

    • 495 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Book Banning is Misguided. Book banning refers to the restriction of access to a book through assertion of processes initiated by a ruling organization or individual. Targeted books mostly those in schools, libraries or book stores are challenged by individuals in any particular society due to kind of content illustrated in them. Generally, the content is normally categorized as immoral by the challengers who believe that the said content can pollute or adversely influence a young readers mind.…

    • 1319 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Charjully Goff Ms. Lippay English 9th September 23rd, 2014 Banned Books “The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame”- Oscar Wilde, an Irish writer and poet. Banned books are books that people can’t have access to. This is considered also as book censorship, sometimes due to religious, political and moral purposes. The main books that have been banned are usually because they contain religion purposes that might offend, sex scenes, drugs, prostitution, crimes ,and racism that are found “influential” to teens. In other words they are mostly books that contain inappropriate content.…

    • 823 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    An instant moment of realization can transform the inner soul and take away ones purity and replace it with a sense of quandary and maturity. As life offers more experiences and obstacles, the degree of innocence that is within the body begins to withdraw. Experiences tend to offer knowledge, but may also instill confusion and change. As shown by Antonio, the main character in Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya, the epiphanies that he underwent brought about change and altered his view of the world and his beliefs. At a tender age, the innocence of a child is often preserved and is in its purest form.…

    • 1698 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Faulkner is best known for his novel, As I Lay Dying , which has been banned in mostschools for the protection of students. As I Lay Dying includes real­life issues, profanity, cursewords, and death. This novel teaches students about the reality of society and what could behappening to others around them, it should be unbanned from high­schools due to the fact thatthis novel is a teaching novel about society. William Faulkner is an American Writer who was born in New Albany, Mississippi, onSeptember 25, 1987. William was named after his great grandfather, William Clark Faulkner.…

    • 496 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Since the dawn of the pen and pencil, literature has existed to communicate the human experience. There are countless numbers of books in the world, all of which drastically vary in content, size and quality. Despite all of the disparate traits between them, this drive to relay another’s view on life is shared among all literature. However, there are many individuals that seek to suppress these views by banning books from libraries and schools. This desire to ban and suppress an author’s interpretation could arise from a variety of factors: differing ideological viewpoints, aversion to graphic content, or a distaste of a book’s “offensive” subject matter to name a few.…

    • 1307 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    To Ban or not to ban books? That is the question Should people be able to ban books because they think that the situations are to complex for younger children or to “inappropriate?”Should books be banned because kids are too young to understand things?Should books be allowed to be banned because an adult will think its to harsh about reality, or that the past is too horrific?Some people believe books in schools and libraries should not be banned because they are important parts of our history and 1st amendment right. Books should not be banned in schools and libraries because kids need to learn the controversial topics of yesterday.…

    • 1072 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the editorial, "Is Harry Potter Evil?", the author Judy Blume discusses the danger of allowing people to censor books so freely. Alex Beam, author of "Why Stop with Mark Twain's 'Huckleberry Finn'?", points his fingers towards the people whom he feels are making foolish decisions by banning books. Although both articles discuss the problems and dangers of banning books, they do so in different ways. They use many of the same techniques, but with different approaches. In "Is Harry Potter Evil?", Judy Blume makes many points about why censoring books is wrong.…

    • 1085 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Love Of God Essay

    • 701 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Love of God God is the creator of all life and he is the highest of all powers, he embodies all ‘persons’ (The Father, The Son, and The Spirit). Although we cannot be as him, we should try to follow his guidance. In this world, it is easy to get wrapped in earthly things. We are humans, and many of times we fail by trying to hold a certain status, gain certain materialistic possessions, and cause great emotional/physical harm to one another. In my beliefs, that is not the way one should live.…

    • 701 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays