Essay on Censorship - To Censor Literature is to Censor Life

To Censor Literature is to Censor Life All that mankind has done, thought, gained or been: it is lying as in magic preservation in the pages of books. They are the chosen possession of men. Thomas Carlyle spoke these words in the early 19th century. Two hundred years later, it seems we still do not understand the breadth and magnificence of the written word. Americans have forgotten the magical experiences that can be found in the pages of books. Instead of respecting the chosen possession of men, they wield it as a tool to achieve their own ends. If we lose our respect for knowledge, we lose our respect for ourselves; indeed, as Milton so eloquently wrote, As good almost kill a man as kill a good book†¦show more content†¦These are core arguments offered by a majority of the pro-censorship population. The first, and perhaps most widely argued, is the issue of language, specifically, profanity in childrens literature. Many people argue that curse words have no place in books, and exposing children to suc h inappropriate language will contaminate them. Proponents of censorship also object to plot lines in childrens books that deal with confusion and uncertainty; they do not think books should address issues of morality or the meaning of life. They feel that children are not equipped to deal with these issues or, if they are, then their sole guidance should be parents and other authority figures. Finally, some groups object to exposing children to literature at all because they feel that it encourages the child to live in a fantasy world. They believe that imagination is dangerous and must be tightly reigned. Profanity in childrens literature has remained, throughout time, the most popular and easily exploitable target for censors; it seems these particular coals are always simmering in the agenda of some special interest group, be it the Christian Coalition or the local PTA. The theory generally goes that childrens minds are too impressionable to be exposedShow MoreRelatedPosition Paper: Censorship1391 Words   |  6 Pages Every structured society has suffered from some form of censorship of literature, art, or entertainment. Plato, the famous the famous Greek philosopher, was the first to record a method of censorship in a democratic society. In his Republic one of the first guidelines Plato designates is that The first thing will be to establish a censorship of the writers of fiction, and let the censors receive any tale of fiction which is good, and reject the bad; and we will desire mothers and nurses to tellRead MoreEssay on Censorship Within the United States510 Words   |  3 PagesCensorship Within the United States Censorship within the United States is not only an immoral and big-brotherly practice, but also an insult to each and every one of those who call themselves US citizens. Every day, censors attempt to sanitize TV, radio, music, print, and even the Internet. In their infinite wisdom, they deem what should and should not be viewed by John Q. Public. Censors succeed in suppressing our free spirits and restraining our thoughts in virtually every medium. Read MoreArguments Made in Take the Tortillas Out of Your Poetry Essay1228 Words   |  5 PagesTake The Tortillas Out Of Your Poetry Even though the cultural and veiled censorships have to do with why they wont let his book be read, he talks about why he wrote the novel, that it was a reflection of his childhood, and that censors only paid attention to one detail and that was the so-called bad words in Spanish and they used that as an excuse because the novel did not meet the criteria of the circumstances. 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It has been like this for ages. As long as someone has something to tell, another will be there to try and prevent them. Schools have been doing this for quite a while now and there is a need to stop it. Censorship of books in schools should notRead More The Censors, by Luisa Valenzuela856 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The Censors† by Luisa Valenzuela The short story â€Å"The Censors† by Luisa Valenzuela is set in Argentina during the dictatorship of Jorge Videla who reigned from 1976 to 1983. Juan, the protagonist of the text, starts the story by writing a letter to his old friend, Mariana, at her new residence in Paris. He had received Mariana’s new address from a confidential source and was too excited to think of his actions before writing and sending the letter. Later, Juan’s â€Å"mind [was] off his job duringRead More Censorship in Schools Essay3746 Words   |  15 PagesCensorship in Schools There has recently been a renewed interest and passion in the issue of censorship. In the realm of the censorship of books in schools alone, several hundred cases have surfaced each year for nearly the past decade. Controversies over which books to include in the high school English curriculum present a clash of values between teachers, school systems, and parents over what is appropriate for and meaningful to students. It is important to strike a balance between EnglishRead More Stop Literary Censorship Essay1566 Words   |  7 PagesStop Literary Censorship      Ã‚  Ã‚   Censorship is becoming more and more common all over the world today. The online Encarta Encyclopedia defines censorship as, supervision and control of the information and ideas that are circulated among the people within a society. In modern times, censorship refers to the examination of books...for the purpose of altering or suppressing parts thought to be objectionable or offensive. Henry Reichman from the Education World website defines it as, theRead More The Dangers of Censorship in High School Essay2591 Words   |  11 PagesThe Dangers of Censorship in High School Every day well meaning parents, concerned members of society, and Christian activist groups across the country fight to censor the literature that is being taught in high school classrooms. The word censorship carries all types of implications and angles; it involve s a denial of an authors right to guaranteed freedoms of expression. However, as it relates to education, this issue goes a great deal deeper than the standard First Amendment argument. InRead MoreEssay on Brown Vs. Board of Education1458 Words   |  6 Pages Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press (U.S. Constitution). Throughout the ages, censorship has shown up in various forms ranging from printed works to television and the Internet. It can have the positive effect of protecting children from things they are too immature to view, but it can also have negative effects. Censorship may even suppress new and different ideas, keeping them from being made public. It may also set limit ations, which stifle the creativity