Banning Books: Barbaric or Brilliant?
Books are our insight into other cultures, worlds, and ideas, but sometimes those very things can cause parents and officials to question the nature and appropriateness of specific books for children. In books like The Glass Castle and To Kill a Mockingbird, parents give the argument that the language and ideas portrayed are inappropriate. In contrast, the American Library Association and the Library of Congress argue that all books have something that can be learned from them. Literature is frequently banned and/or challenged by churches, parents, schools and teachers for being sexually explicit, violent, containing explicit language or for going against the moral views of said banner, however; some people …show more content…
Jeannette’s parents are not quite up to par as the book shows in many different instances. For example, Jean’s father continually screams “sink or swim” as he throws her into a body of water when she is unable to swim. She almost drowns many times and each time he barely saves her (Walls 66). Comparatively, while her children were starving, Jean’s mother still refuses to sell a ring that could provide money to feed her family with stating, “It (the ring) could improve my self esteem. And at times like these, self esteem is even more vital than food” (Walls 186). Children will learn, as expressed by the quote, it is perfectly fine to put material things above people, above family if they are permitted to read this book. Later in the novel, when Jeannette is grown and on her own, she meets with her father about her husband. While she is talking to him about her marriage, he says “I will by God kick his butt so hard his a****** will be up between his shoulder blades”(Walls 268). The violence conveyed by her father was uncalled for and may teach students that threatening to harm one person for another is the right thing to do. Because the book is filled with an abundance of cursing, cheating, lying, violence, and immoral characters, it is imperative that the world protects children from reading such
Books are our insight into other cultures, worlds, and ideas, but sometimes those very things can cause parents and officials to question the nature and appropriateness of specific books for children. In books like The Glass Castle and To Kill a Mockingbird, parents give the argument that the language and ideas portrayed are inappropriate. In contrast, the American Library Association and the Library of Congress argue that all books have something that can be learned from them. Literature is frequently banned and/or challenged by churches, parents, schools and teachers for being sexually explicit, violent, containing explicit language or for going against the moral views of said banner, however; some people …show more content…
Jeannette’s parents are not quite up to par as the book shows in many different instances. For example, Jean’s father continually screams “sink or swim” as he throws her into a body of water when she is unable to swim. She almost drowns many times and each time he barely saves her (Walls 66). Comparatively, while her children were starving, Jean’s mother still refuses to sell a ring that could provide money to feed her family with stating, “It (the ring) could improve my self esteem. And at times like these, self esteem is even more vital than food” (Walls 186). Children will learn, as expressed by the quote, it is perfectly fine to put material things above people, above family if they are permitted to read this book. Later in the novel, when Jeannette is grown and on her own, she meets with her father about her husband. While she is talking to him about her marriage, he says “I will by God kick his butt so hard his a****** will be up between his shoulder blades”(Walls 268). The violence conveyed by her father was uncalled for and may teach students that threatening to harm one person for another is the right thing to do. Because the book is filled with an abundance of cursing, cheating, lying, violence, and immoral characters, it is imperative that the world protects children from reading such