Essay on Censorship in Schools is not Justifiable - 959 Words

Censorship in School is Not Justifiable Walt Whitman once said, â€Å"The dirtiest book of all is the expurgated book.† Between the years 2000 and 2009 a total of 3200 books were challenged in school libraries in an attempt to expurgate, or censor, the content in books provided to students. Today the trend of censorship continues as popular novels such as The Hunger Games, The Fault in Our Stars, and Captain Underpants are censored from schools across the nation (Challenges by Reason).Censorship in regards to literature refers to the examination and suppressing of a book because of objectionable material. The process of censorship in school libraries often begins with an outspoken parent, teacher, student, or administrator and ends in the†¦show more content†¦Heinrich Heine states, â€Å"Wherever they burn books they will also, in the end, burn human beings.† Restricting the discussion of new and controversial ideas rather than tolerating and acknowledging the presence of new and controversial ideas is causing more pain than it is worth in the school setting. The idea of censoring reality from school libraries is unreasoned, yet that is exactly what pro-censorship individuals advocate. The discussion and knowledge of new, controversial, and necessary ideas among students is restricted due to censorship. Censorship in school libraries allows teachers, administrators, peers and their parents to decide what a student may or may not read based on their opinion. Opinion is variable between different groups of people within the school; therefore, a single person or a small group of people cannot be trusted to make decisions on the behalf of a larger group. Kekla Magoon argues, â€Å"That no one person can be trusted to censor material, individuals can choose to be exposed to.† Expurgation, banning, and abridgement of books are not allowing students to learn how to guard themselves from topics they do not personally believe in. Students would benefit much more if they practiced self-censorship rather than depending on adults to make decisions for them. AShow MoreRelated The Controversy Around Banning Books Essay852 Words   |  4 Pages The subject of censorship is a very controversial one, especially the banning of books. Many people believe they must protect themselves and others from the quot;evilsquot; of many classic books and works of art because they can be deemed quot;indecentquot; in one way or another. 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