I was intrigued by our discussion on banned books the other week in class, so I did a little internet sleuthing to learn a bit more. I found this article on the Christian Science Monitor and thought it might be of interest:
10 Banned Books that May Surprise You
The list includes: James and the Giant Peach, Where's Waldo, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, Harriet the Spy, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The dictionary (yes--the dictionary), Grimm's Fairy Tales, A Light in the Attic (Shel Silverstein poems), and A Wrinkle in Time.
Yes, this list is pretty surprising. But even more surprising are the reasons behind the bans. Tom Sawyer and Harriet the Spy were both banned because the protagonists weren't good examples for children. Though both books contain valuable moral lessons and are excellent examples of children's lit, the fact that some of the characters can be a bit naughty (spying on your friends, bending the rules) is enough to get them taken away from school and public libraries. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble--an animal realism picture book--was banned because it depicted pigs in police uniforms. This could've been a harmless choice by the illustrator, but even if it was purposeful, what's the big deal? God forbid we encourage students to question or mock authority in any way. Even the dictionary has been banned before because it includes sexual definitions. Like it or not, parents, the words "penis," "sex" and "vagina" do exist in the English language, and sheltering your kids from the entire vocabulary probably won't prevent them from learning them.
I understand the need for children to read developmentally appropriate material--but removing valuable learning tools from entire libraries is not the way to make it happen. Parents, instead of spending their time whining about what books exist in the world, should instead focus their efforts on encouraging their children to read what they think is appropriate, and not ruin it for the rest of us.
So, what do you guys think? Are there any books on this list that really surprised or angered you? Or do you think banning books is OK?
A book that really surprised me on that list was Harriet the Spy. When I was growing up that was one of my favorite books because I loved the idea of having a secret journal and keeping all your thoughts and observations in it. I think it is unnecessary to ban this book because the character could be a bad influence. Harriet can give kids inspiration to start keeping a journal and could encourage them to pursue writing. If a parent truly thinks that this book is harmful than they should have the choice whether or not their child can read it. I don't think that a banned books list is beneficial because kids will still read them regardless of they are on the list or not. I think it is the job of the parent to censor what they don't want their own kid to read. It shouldn't be up to a school board to decide what the students can and can not read. A lot of the banned books have other really great literary aspects that are beneficial for students to read. For example, Catcher in the Rye, which has been on a banned book list before, has really great symbolism and a well developed character. If students are banned from reading books like this they can miss out on opportunities to experience new characters and literary elements.
ReplyDeleteI think banning books in libraries and schools is ridiculous. I understand that parents are trying to protect their children's innocence, but come on, the dictionary??? Children are going to learn about these kinds of things sooner or later, so shouldn't they find out the real truth from the dictionary as opposed to random stuff that little kids find hilarious to share? And to ban a book because the protagonists weren't good examples for children? I want to know how these parents can think it is their personal judgement that can dictate what makes a good example or not for children. I really believe that people in our society need to lighten up. Not to the point that they're allowing their kids to read Playboys, but let them read these fun books for the joys that come from them!
ReplyDeleteBanned books, schmanned books! We were always ENCOURAGED to read these books when I was growing up. In fact, my librarian had a whole sections of "banned books" on display when I was in elementary school. Reading is so many things but one thing it should never be is restricted. When we restrict what we read, we restrict our minds. A well-balanced "diet" for your mind does phenomenal things for readers, academically, culturally, socially, ect. As we strive to raise our academic standing in the world, we need to stop placing limits of what children are allowed to consume.
ReplyDeleteBanned books, schmanned books! We were always ENCOURAGED to read these books when I was growing up. In fact, my librarian had a whole sections of "banned books" on display when I was in elementary school. Reading is so many things but one thing it should never be is restricted. When we restrict what we read, we restrict our minds. A well-balanced "diet" for your mind does phenomenal things for readers, academically, culturally, socially, ect. As we strive to raise our academic standing in the world, we need to stop placing limits of what children are allowed to consume.
ReplyDeleteI think it is unfortunate that parents let the little things stop their children from reading certain books, and therefore effect all kids by banning books. I can't believe the dictionary has been on the banned book list. In my opinion parents should be encouraging their children to use the dictionary when they do not understand a word. The dictionary is helpful resource for kids to learn the meaning of new words and expand their vocabulary. I agree that parents should encourage their children to read books they feel are appropriate, but I do not think banning books is a good way to go about doing so.
ReplyDeleteAt first I found it surprising that many of these books were on the list but after thinking about it, I know a lot of over protective and controlling parents who think that they are doing the right thing for their children by shielding them from literature that they believe is inappropriate. I've decided that banning books from libraries and schools is something parents use to gain power. I find it extremely sad that the administrations of some schools have actually given in to these parents. Not to mention, when something is "off limits" it becomes very intriguing to children.
ReplyDelete"A Light in the Attic" was banned because it supposedly encourages kids to disobey their parents, is at times too melancholy, and discusses supernatural and satanic elements. In my opinion I think that the collection of poems encourages kids to open their minds and think for themselves, but hey, that's just me.
The whole idea of censorship is such a debated and heated topic. My thoughts, blatantly put, if you don't like it, don't read it. Or don't have your kids read it. It seems ridiculous that there are even people out there that go and decide which books are deemed "fit" for children and others to read. I think its the parents decision what they're kids are aloud to read or not but all this banning stuff seems like a load of crap to me.
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