According to a study done by Butler University, use of offensive language to describe a situation, thought, or even another character, is one of the most cited reasons for banning a book. Supporters of banning say profanity can influence the actions and thoughts of readers, especially younger readers that may not have heard or read many corrupt words in books. Huckleberry Finn, a book commonly challenged for its use of controversial racial language, is one of those books that many view as damaging. Martha Moore wrote for USA Today, “When the younger reader is staring at that word five times on a given page and the instructor is saying, 'Mark Twain didn't mean this and you have to read it with an appreciation of irony,' you're asking a lot of
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Diana Penner argued in the Indianapolis Star that if a student reads a book that contains controversial ideas, such as rebellion, believing in magic or dark arts, bullying, being mean to people, not doing homework, and so on, the book legitimizes the idea in students’ minds. Therefore, schools ban books with controversial topics, and discourage those ideas, protecting students’ futures. However, it is critical that schools do not ban these books, because allowing students to reflect on these ideas helps them define their personal opinions. After all, no school can force a student to believe anything even if they ban books contradicting their statement. Students will believe what they want anyway. This is a key topic in Adriana Lopez’s article, “Literary Censorship in Schools Impedes Progress”. She argued that schools should not hide these books from students because they will still experiment with their ideas and individuality anyway, regardless of what their schools or parents believe or try to make them believe. For example, a parent that maybe did not believe in a higher being could ban the Narnia book series from their children because it references religion, but their children will make the ultimate choice whether they are going to believe in God or not. Harry Potter is …show more content…
Though many believe that banning books can steer children onto the right path and enforce their beliefs, no school can control a person’s political beliefs, religious beliefs, or their individuality. Likewise, schools try to control the explicit or inappropriate text that their students read, but they should not keep this information from teens because it gives them a greater sense of the world- including, how they should deal with dangerous situations, the correct facts about serious topics, and problems that different people around the world face. Again, schools try to ban books with inappropriate words from students, but those books can certainly teach students much because they have many elements to learn from, much value throughout the whole book, can show a lot about the time period from the language used. Anyway, it is clear to see that challenged books are better read than dead, and students should have the freedom to read any book they those. Schools should have no right to ban challenged books from students, because these books can help students define their individuality, see the world from a different view, and learn things about the historical value of the setting, plot, and other components of the book. Students all over the world deserve a world that they can escape to at any time. Whether it is Harry Potter’s bedroom under the staircase, District 12 from the Hunger Games, or the magical
Diana Penner argued in the Indianapolis Star that if a student reads a book that contains controversial ideas, such as rebellion, believing in magic or dark arts, bullying, being mean to people, not doing homework, and so on, the book legitimizes the idea in students’ minds. Therefore, schools ban books with controversial topics, and discourage those ideas, protecting students’ futures. However, it is critical that schools do not ban these books, because allowing students to reflect on these ideas helps them define their personal opinions. After all, no school can force a student to believe anything even if they ban books contradicting their statement. Students will believe what they want anyway. This is a key topic in Adriana Lopez’s article, “Literary Censorship in Schools Impedes Progress”. She argued that schools should not hide these books from students because they will still experiment with their ideas and individuality anyway, regardless of what their schools or parents believe or try to make them believe. For example, a parent that maybe did not believe in a higher being could ban the Narnia book series from their children because it references religion, but their children will make the ultimate choice whether they are going to believe in God or not. Harry Potter is …show more content…
Though many believe that banning books can steer children onto the right path and enforce their beliefs, no school can control a person’s political beliefs, religious beliefs, or their individuality. Likewise, schools try to control the explicit or inappropriate text that their students read, but they should not keep this information from teens because it gives them a greater sense of the world- including, how they should deal with dangerous situations, the correct facts about serious topics, and problems that different people around the world face. Again, schools try to ban books with inappropriate words from students, but those books can certainly teach students much because they have many elements to learn from, much value throughout the whole book, can show a lot about the time period from the language used. Anyway, it is clear to see that challenged books are better read than dead, and students should have the freedom to read any book they those. Schools should have no right to ban challenged books from students, because these books can help students define their individuality, see the world from a different view, and learn things about the historical value of the setting, plot, and other components of the book. Students all over the world deserve a world that they can escape to at any time. Whether it is Harry Potter’s bedroom under the staircase, District 12 from the Hunger Games, or the magical