Censorship In Modern Society

Improved Essays
Today in modern society, the right of free speech is generally regarded as an entitlement an individual has. However, this particular entitlement, which is rooted in deep-seated beliefs that anyone is qualified to emphasize anything they please, can often cause friction and overall conflict on many levels. In most cases, the use of language in mediums such as radio, television, and books are restricted by censorship to a certain extent for a variety of reasons. The central reason is mainly because there needs to be a line drawn at some point to satisfy different audiences based on what is considered appropriate or appealing. Arguably, censorship has become necessary in many situations to please specific groups of people. Nonetheless, with the …show more content…
First and foremost, the age group of an audience is a pivotal purpose as to why censorship should be taken into account for public consumption. Rationally, children are usually hindered from being able to obtain material that is otherwise regarded as unsuitable for their current stage of development and maturity. In recent times, the censoring of books has become a hot topic of debate and some people believe that it would be best to not have kids become involved with literature that could potentially be disturbing. This can be due to the fact that they have not supposedly come of age yet to truly understand the subject matter within. Mary Elizabeth Williams from the article, “Huckleberry Finn loses the N-word”, articulates an argument about how in the novel Huckleberry Finn, “The unease that many contemporary readers feel when facing Twain’s characters is natural and appropriate. It’s certainly something to be keenly attuned to, especially when introducing the book to children.” She then explains how censorship could give educators and other readers an option of enjoying Twain’s work without “tripping over a derogatory term, especially one coming from its hero.” With this in mind, children could still be able to engage with timeless

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    In fact, Mark Twain, a great American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer does not think that books should be censored: “Censorship is telling a man he can’t have a steak just because a baby can’t chew it.” This shows that censoring a book is similar in this hypothetical by telling a person they can not read a book because other people can not handle to. This portrays that censoring books is blown out of proportion because one person might not be able to manage the maturity it takes to read the book, but it does not mean it should be banned for everyone else to be allowed to read it. The same idea is also represented by Oscar Wilde, author of The Picture of Dorian Gray, when he articulates that, “The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame.” This shows that when the world censors a book, it goes to show that they are to be put to shame for taking away ideas and morals into the world for it’s learning.…

    • 702 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Should The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn be Banned in Schools? The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain can be seen as a very controversial book. Some readers object to the strong and sometimes racist language and believe it is inappropriate for children. However, many educators believe giving a proper context the book allows students to benefit more from the book.…

    • 913 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Why It Shouldn't Be Banned The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain have caused lots of controversy because of the language that Twain uses. The novel is banned in certain high schools for various reasons like some african american students can get offended by the frequent use of the n-word. There have even been “clean” versions of the novel made which certain people don't seem to like because it defeats the meaningful purpose behind Twain’s work. The novel should still be read because it gives kids a new experience and they can learn things from it.…

    • 684 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The author tells us how censorship effect citizens in today’s society. Beatty states, “All of those chemical balances and percentages on all of us here in the house are recorded in the master file downstairs.” The author states how people deal with censorship. This book shows readers, how censorship can be bad and good in many people’s lives. People in this society should not be under censorship.…

    • 683 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    But, it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet, and, hopefully, we shall overcome.” The 219 times Twain used the word “nigger” will open everyone’s eyes to the past and, hopefully, not repeat history. If Huck Finn is censored, the message Twain was sending us will just disappear and the meaning behind Huck Finn will never be the…

    • 620 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Imagine taking a small part from something that greatly impacts the general “picture.” Some states have decided to take away the N-word and replace it with slave to make Huckleberry Finn less offensive. Replacing the word with ‘slave” does not make it any less offensive than it already is. Huckleberry Finn has tremendously impacted American literature with the powerful story it has to tell. Taking away this tiny part of the story can alter the general meaning of the story.…

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Ever since the book was published in 1884, the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by author Mark Twain has been making waves all across the country with its repetitive and controversial use of the word nigger and apparent disregard toward the dignity of black people. The argument has been raging on ever since: Should the original and uncensored version of Huck Finn be allowed as a tool to teach our country’s youth about American Literature? My answer to that question is yes, that with a combination of understanding, preparation, and maturity this book could be a very helpful tool in education. One reason I would like to point out as to why we should stay with the original book and not replace them all with censored versions is that nothing comes free, and somebody somewhere will have to find a way…

    • 1412 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Throughout the years there have been debates about teaching The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in school. People who want it out of schools think of the Huck Finn as “‘trash and suitable only for the slums’…because it struck them as coarse” (Source D). The people attacking Mark Twains’ work also say that the word “n*****” was abused and because of its overuse high school students are influenced to make fun of black people. On the other hand, the book represents a big part of our history that just cannot be erased despite the controversies. Even though there are many controversies about Huck Finn, Twains’ novel has stayed amongst us because of the history that was incorporated into text.…

    • 669 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Although some wants to ban the book Adventures of Huckleberry Finn due to the demeaning African American’s Stereotypes and controversies, there are protests in keeping the book in the school district’s curriculum because it allows the student to be acknowledged about history. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is about a mischievous 13 years old named Huck Finn and his journey to escape with Jim, a slave. School districts should consider the topics Twain tries to convey beside slavery that is documented with an epic journey filled with messages before trying to ban the book. Twain’s purpose in writing The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is to show the lifestyle and culture during the time period of the book.…

    • 625 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Ben Johnson O Dea Comp Lit P.1 16 January 2015 Huckleberry Finn The Controversy of Huckleberry Finn Over the past decades, the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain has been castigated, and banned from school districts all across America. The banning of the book has been up for debate because of the number of social and political faults which includes its profane language, racism, and satirical voice that can come off in the wrong way.…

    • 747 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    These books were challenged and banned for ridiculous reasons. The reason Huckleberry Finn was banned was because its use of the N-word made students uncomfortable reading it (Akkoc 1). Other books of it’s kind have been challenged and banned for similar reasons.…

    • 606 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Censorship in the media has been a controversial topic ever since the founding of the United States. From the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 that restrict the rights of immigrants, under the John Adams presidency, to the Edward Snowden and NSA scandal in 2013 that concerned government surveillance of its citizens and government transparency. These controversies have caused a public backlash against media censorship of any kind but there are aspects of media censorship that protect society rather than hurt it. Instead of hiding government secrets or preventing certain political ideas from being expressed, media censorship can be used to hide criminal’s and victim’s names as well to hide sensitive and graphic images or video from the public.…

    • 875 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Book banning and censoring is something that happens in this country to stop children from being exposed to topics that are sometimes deemed too explicit to be suitable for children. Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, keeps getting banned from the curriculum of a Mississippi middle school. This is happening for the books inclusion of rape and derogatory language, particularly the overuse of the n-word. Many also do not like how some of the characters in the novel are portrayed, and do not realize how this portrayal is very accurate to the time period. Because of the truthfulness of the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, along with every other book, should not be banned or censored because books reflect and bring awareness to real life problems, the practice of banning books violates the First Amendment, and reasons for book banning are often easily contradicted.…

    • 889 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved 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

    Censorship and the effect it has on social media. The world has been changing over the years and with it society has been changing as well. Now, change might not always be for a negative result but it can confuse many people; in their way of thinking and even the way of behavior. There will always be people trying to express themselves in ways other people do no understand and think it is wrong because that was the way they were thought and raise.…

    • 591 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays