Banned Books Should Be Taught In Schools

When looking at the argument as a reader, it's difficult to understand why people banned unique books that encourage questioning your opinions. The books also face the dark realities of history, the ugly parts that are difficult to learn about. The topics touched on in these books can also introduce different ideas from the ones possibly taught at home. For a change in our society, these change in ideas needs to be accessible to all individuals. This is not to influence but to teach about an alternative view to the one they have currently been introduced to.

For the Love of Books A quote from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury says that “... books are to remind us what asses and fools we are.” Ironically, Fahrenheit 451, whose main theme was the harming effects of censorship, was banned from some schools for using the word “hell” and “damn” and for using God’s name in vain in 1953. But it is this kind of gall and truth that students are deprived of when books are banned from schools. Other banned books include The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain for its racist language and themes, and Beloved by Toni Morrison for its sexual content, language, and discussion of bestiality. In every case though , rather than protecting the innocence of children and students, it denied them their first amendment right, their access to the lessons and themes of the world around them, and their tools to open their minds and expand their imaginations.

One book, such as Fahrenheit 451, being banned from a school library could lead to the entire collection of books being examined with possible removal. While restricting certain books in school libraries doesn’t ban them from public libraries, it does significantly reduce the amount of students that will have access to them. Banning certain books from a school’s curriculum harms teachers just as much as it does students. Teachers have to curve their lesson plans around which books are deemed banned, inhibiting the way they are able to reach and engage with their students. This limits the potential educational value of lessons.

Book banning is not as common as it is made out to be in the U.S., but it does put a restriction the constitution’s first amendment. To ban a book, in the U.S., from a public or school libraries, for offensive content, a challenge must be made against the book. A challenge can be made by anyone but of the challenges made between “1990 and 2000, there were 6,364 challenges reported... sixty percent were reported by parents, fifteen percent by patrons and nine percent by administrators” (Schools and censorship: Banned Books). Most of these challenges sent to the American Library Association do not get accepted and officially ban the book.

One of the key principles that make the country great is our freedom to say, write, and read whatever we want. Despite this, countless public figures and schools have chosen to restrict access to certain books, whether it’s in order to protect political correctness or explicit sexual content and violence. Rarely do these people stop and consider the dire effects book banning might have on both students and society as a whole. An author does not write because they are looking to offend someone, they right because they have a story to share. The First Amendment of the Constitution not only works to protect this right to the fullest extent possible, but also serves to protect the rights of the people that choose to be offended by these stories.

In the 21st century, many books are challenged and banned for their content, some of these include The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Animal Farm, and Fahrenheit 451. Many of the reasons given for banning are the same. The reasons include violence, language, symbols, and religion. This makes it very difficult for educational professionals; which books should be taught and which ones should be banned, when does protection become unnecessary censorship? Although Fahrenheit 451 shows some dark themes such as banning books, disregard for human life, and suicide, it should be included in the school curriculum because it shows the dystopian future that awaits the world if the events in the book become a reality.

Books are banned for various reasons including religious views, racial themes, alternative lifestyles, profanity, sex, violence, negativity, witchcraft, and political views. Banned books even include holy books, like The Bible or The Quran. Even children’s books have been banned; like Green Eggs and Ham by Doctor Suess. Some studies show that making a chapter, or even an entire book challenged is a much more effective way to get kids to read it, rather than making it homework. Even though people challenge books, we do have the right to read what we want.

Some people believe that books should not be banned from schools because they need to learn what happened. The first reason is that the books can be about our history and they used some words that are know bad. In the book Animal Farm “The three hens who had been ringleaders in the attempted rebellion over the eggs now came forward and stated that snowball had appeared to them in their dreams and incited to disobey napoleon 's orders” (Orwell 84).The book Animal Farm by George Orwell is a good book, but on page 84 the leader of the farm murdered 3 hens because they were rebelling to save their kids. Some people think that Animal Farm should be banned for having murder in the book but thats what happened back then during the russian revolution.

Books can create portals to different life experiences and encourage reading. A few schools and libraries have challenged the educational value of some books, however, therefore leading them to eventually be prohibited in a particular place. Each reason may be different depending on the book and the location of the exclusions. Books are icons of literature and their value should outshine the occasionally offensive topic. Be that as it may, there are multiple reasons why books should be taught and included in a curriculum.

Ironically, Fahrenheit 451 is one of the most banned books in American schools. The book was seen as evil for ideas like opposing the suppression of freedom by parties that presumed they had all the answers. Books such as Fahrenheit 451, 1984, Brave New World, The Giver, and The Hunger Games have been banned in schools, and they all explore the themes of suppressing freedom, information, and intellectual thinking. Prohibiting these books will only lead less thought; it will lead to the ultimate demise of society. If we do not learn from them, we will become them.

The Bean Trees takes place in rural Pittman County in Kentucky. Taylor Greer, the narrator, and main character, talks about her childhood and her years as a teenager. Later on in life she starts to travel the country and a stranger drops off a kid in her car and she decides to take her in and take care of her. This book was challenged because of sexual scenes and vulgar language.

Some books were banned not because of content but they were banned for the accuracy of the content which leads to the over arching question that is

At one point in time, over 7,220 books have been challenged to be banned. Though these books have been removed for the safety of children, not all books should be banned for many reasons. These include the fact that banning books is infringing on the First Amendment, keeping children from understanding the real world, and, even though there are many reasons for book banning, not banning books could help a student’s education and can even work against itself. Banning a book from a school or public library could go against a person’s First Amendment of the freedom of press.

Either way those are all to teach us something. When you ban and censor books inside those books are the fears you hold and that you don’t want to see. It is because of that reason why today there are so many social problems in our world. Not banning books wouldn’t solve all the social problems in the world but it would take us into the right direction. Keep people from the truth of banned books is the same as lying to them.

There are countless reasons that everybody should know why books are being banned all over the world! One of the reasons is that parents do not want their children to be exposed to inappropriate topics. Moreover, some books discusses topics that people object to like dark arts and homosexuality. However, there are also reasons why books should not be banned. When children enjoy books, it improves their vocabulary, and it teaches them life lessons.