BANNING BOOKS IN GRADE SCHOOL

Banning Books In Grade School

Banning Books In Grade School

The banning of books in grade schools libraries will not stop situations from existing; it only will provide for the ignorance of people stemming from the ignorance of others. (Gourley, 2001) Many people have read some of the books on the ban list and did not have any problems with them, however other people did. Banning books not only takes away knowledge from the students; it takes away their first amendment. Every person has their own opinion of what is controversial. Religion is not allowed to be talked about. However books are something different. Books provide us with knowledge and insight to valuable life lessons. The Catcher in the Rye is one of the most favored books for students in high school. This book did present issues of suicide, sexual content and violence. However it does not mean that it is supposed to be banned. We cannot guard students from things that occur all around them.

By banning books in school libraries all we are doing is promoting a society of ignorant people. A person that supports the banning of books could argue that because some works of literature present us with issues of vulgarity, violence, sexual content, and race relations that they shouldn't be allowed to be taught in schools. Schools don't want their students reading about situations that might be of harm to them. Some of the students reading these books might even be offended by the content. When the students tell there parents that they are reading something that offends them, the parents start complaining to the school board.

By the time students are in high school they have to understand that this literature is not always realty. Just because something is written in a book doesn't mean it is true. Harry potter is considered a fantasy genre. One could argue that because Harry potter is about witchcraft that it shouldn't be taught in schools. However some of the themes in Harry Potter have a greater symbolism. Community connectedness and entering adolescence are some of the books main themes. This book has themes that are closest to students from the age of fourteen to seventeen. By banning the book the students are being robbed of a way to gain knowledge; just because of the ignorance of others. The books on the ban list are some of the greatest literature in history. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Fahrenheit 451, The Catcher in the Rye; these are American classics; it would be absurd to keep students prohibited from reading these wonderful masterpieces. Banning books violates the first amendment.

Banning books will not solve any problems. It only places censorship on the students in the wrong way. Keeping students away from books is not the right way to get them away from inappropriate content. In today's day and age teenagers have access to sexual content and movies that illustrate violence and race relations. Banning books will not stop situations from existing it only ...