In my middle school, there was a “teen’s corner” that only seventh and eighth grade students were permitted to enter. The books in this corner were of a more mature content than other books. Students were not allowed to check-out the books until they had a permission form explaining why the book was in a restricted section signed by a parent. I feel that this was a good way to allow students to read books that may be considered inappropriate or offensive by some adults. Ultimately the parents had the control over what their child read.
In eighth grade, my class read the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Speak addresses issues with alcohol and date-rape and the emotional consequences of the two. I do not remember exactly but I believe that parents were informed of the book but did not have a permission form to sign. The class used Speak to open discussion on issues such as partying and alcohol. I feel that this discussion was beneficial for students and opened the eyes of many.
Many books of this nature may be banned by some schools. I believe that many books lead to important discussions that are necessary to have with middle and high school students. Banning such books takes away these important discussions. Banning books that are used in classrooms, I believe, is even more of a problem. Allowing discussions between peers on controversial issues leads to beneficial conversations that may help the students. One such book is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. The language and social issues discussed in this book can lead to many interesting and beneficial conversations.
I believe that banning books takes away from an important part of schooling. Numerous controversial books lead to discussions about social issues that may not be happening otherwise. Many challengers admit to not reading the book in its entirety but only reading the passages that they are challenging (The Joys of Children’s Literature, 190). This causes the meaning of the book to be lost and the message presented in the books is lost to generations of students.
I agree that banning books creates a huge problem. Also, censorship of books has a problem as well. As you touched on, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has always created a lot of controversy. Recently, this book had the 'N' word taken out and replaced with slave. I was mad when I learned about this. Huck Finn is a classic that several generations of readers have enjoyed. It has also sparked many conversations about race and slavery. I read this book my sophomore year of High School. While I did not like the book, I recognized that it was a powerful book. Many of the conversations we had in class were about race, sometimes we touched on the 'N' word and what it means today. By taking this word out of the book, censorship is preventing many conversations from occurring, and also preventing lessons about racism.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree in thinking that banning books is hurtful to a student's learning. A lot of the books that have been banned I read in high school. I read Speak when I was in 9th grade and it was one of my favorite books. I thought it taught me a lot and really opened my eyes that situations like this can happen to people. Speak led to great class discussions that students would have been scared to ask if we never read the book. I really think banning books limits the questions students feel comfortable asking and it can teach them many different lessons that they would have otherwise not learned.
ReplyDeleteWe are talking about this in class right now! Banning books is a very political thing. Like I said, it really PISSES ME OFF that anyone thinks it is just to tell you what you can and cannot read. In my opinion, it is only a family's choice to limit what a child learns and when they learn about it. That process should happen at home, if they chose to limit these things.
ReplyDeleteHowever, you cannot protect your child forever and they need to read literature and have discussions on controversial things, because in the end, life is full of controversial things. This seems obvious to me. Your child will be oblivious and probably made fun of their peers if they are closed off to the world in such a way. I just think it's sad! Let them experience life! The good and the bad!
I think today's parents need to stop being so embarrassed about talking about language, sex/homosexuality, race, and violence. Children are very receptive. AND HEY! It's the 21st century people!! They will ask you questions if they are not home-schooled, so be prepared.
I agree that some of these controversial books that are being banned could really actually be helpful in a way to open up discussion about these important topics. For an English class in high school we were required to read the book "Speak". I personally thought this book did a good job of telling a story about a rape victim without being too graphic. I definitely do not believe this book should be banned. This book is a great way, in my opinion, for teachers to discuss the important issue of rape. Unfortunately, it happens all the time. So, I think it is very important to educate students about it.
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