The
article, “Censorship and Book Banning in America” by Melissa Kelly discusses
the issue of controversial books in education. Kelly raises the question of
where the line should be drawn when weighing the educational value of a book
against its offending content.
She exemplifies
this question with a hypothetical situation involving The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, one of the most notable books
that have been banned in the past. Kelly presents the possible difficulties a
teacher might face when introducing his/her students to its content which
features a prevalent use of the “n-word”.
She points out the necessity of Mark Twain to use such profanity in
order to capture the essence of the time and the plight of the slave, but also
points out that despite what students can learn from the book, parents still
might react negatively.
So, as
Kelly wonders, is censorship in schools good? Books like Twilight, The Hunger Games, and
Harry Potter are used to illustrate some of the absurdity in book banning. As
far as book banning goes, Kelly poses the question, ‘when do we stop?’ She says
that there is a point in which we must censor what is in schools but wonders
who gets to decide.
“Education
is not something to be feared,” she states before offering tips and guidelines
for teachers who will knowingly distribute controversial content. To me it is
clear she supports less censorship and more explanation of these issues.
Personally,
I think there is a line to be drawn in regards to censorship dependent upon the
age of students... elementary students should not be exposed to books containing
rape, profanity, sex, graphic violence. Yet I believe if an adequate lesson is
taught in conjunction with offensive material, students can gain more insight
and knowledge to better face issues in their future in or out of school.
Should parents have the ultimate say in what their children
read in school?
If so, what about the rest of their child’s peers who learn
what their child does not?
If not, how would you propose schools could go about
determining what is suitable or unsuitable for education?
Are issues like profanity, rape, violence, sexuality, and/or
drugs something children should be exposed to through school?
I think that you need to keep the content of the book appropriate for the age of the children. Obviously, very young children should not be exposed to rape and murder, but I don't think there is a problem having high schoolers read material that contains this. Children of this age know that that kind of stuff goes on in the real world.
ReplyDelete
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hindi ako makapaniwala na kailanman ay muling makiisa ako sa aking kasintahan, labis akong na-trauma sa pananatiling nag-iisa na walang katawan na manatili sa akin at makakasama ko, ngunit napakasuwerte ako sa isang tiyak na araw upang matuganan si Dr Akhere, matapos sabihin sa kanya ang tungkol sa aking sitwasyon ginawa niya ang lahat ng makataong posible upang makita na ang aking kasintahan ay bumalik sa akin, sa katunayan matapos na ihagis ang spell ang aking dating kasintahan ay bumalik sakin ng mas masg 48 now, dumating ang dating kasintahan ko. bumalik sa pagmamakaawa sa akin na hindi na niya ako pababayaan, 3 buwan mamaya kami ay nakipag-ugnay at nag-asawa, kung nagkakaroon ka ng parehong sitwasyong ito makipag-ugnay lamang kay Dr Akhere sa kanyang email:
AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com maraming salamat sa sir sa pagpapanumbalik ng aking dating kasintahan bumalik sa akin, ang kanyang email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com o tumawag / whatsapp: +2349057261346
I think parents should have at least some say in what there children are exposed to until they reach high school. I agree with Matt that high school aged students should be able to process mature subjects and topic within literature. With younger individuals it should probably be based on a case by case basis as some students are more advanced than others.
ReplyDeleteI feel this is a sticky issue because while I believe that parents should have some say in what their children are exposed to in their schooling, there are many parents that who take advantage of this and get too involved and too pushy. Exactly like the comments above, I agree that children should be exposed to mild topics when they are young and heavier topics, such as rape, murder, death, etc. as they move along in their schooling, for example in high school. While it may not be appropriate to expose young children to these issues, they are realistic and I feel that exposure when they are at the correct age (whatever that may be), could, as Katie said, help students to gain insight and knowledge into life.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the previous comments that the topic and contents of the book needs to be age appropriate. I also believe that parents should have a say in what their children are reading or learning. Depending on social or religious beliefs, a parent may not want a topic presented in a certain way. I believe that it is up to the teacher or instructor to respect the wishes of the parents and create an alternative assignment for the student that is just as educational, but just about a different topic.
ReplyDeleteParents should have some say in what a child reads in school,but its at school and its the teachers choice on what they want their students have to read. The teachers should know in the first place that there are somethings that younger children should read yet, even if there is a good lesson to be learned. There has to be other books that arent as bad for students to read that will satisfy the teachers and parents. Things like sex, profanity, drugs, and violence shouldnt be banned from schools because its hard to keep all of that away but they should promote it or explain what they are specifically.
ReplyDeleteIt is very difficult to know where to draw the line when weighing the educational value of a book. I think the biggest factor in where to draw the line should be the age of the students. Parents can have a say in what their children read in school by the school that they enroll their children in.
ReplyDeleteParents should have a say in what the children read, but some books should be banned for there violence, or sexual content. At the same time i think that schools are excessive with the books they ban and is preventing kids to from reading books that they would enjoy ultimately preventing kids from the overall goal which is too learn to read.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeletei couldn't believe that i would ever be re-unite with my ex-lover, i was so traumatize staying all alone with no body to stay by me and to be with me, but i was so lucky one certain day to meet this powerful spell caster Dr Akhere, after telling him about my situation he did everything humanly possible to see that my lover comes back to me, indeed after casting the spell my ex-lover came back to me less than 48 hours, my ex-lover came back begging me that he will never leave me again, 3 months later we got engaged and married, if you are having this same situation just contact Dr Akhere on his email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com thanks very much sir for restoring my ex-lover back to me, his email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com or call / whatsapp: +2349057261346
hindi ako makapaniwala na kailanman ay muling makiisa ako sa aking kasintahan, labis akong na-trauma sa pananatiling nag-iisa na walang katawan na manatili sa akin at makakasama ko, ngunit napakasuwerte ako sa isang tiyak na araw upang matuganan si Dr Akhere, matapos sabihin sa kanya ang tungkol sa aking sitwasyon ginawa niya ang lahat ng makataong posible upang makita na ang aking kasintahan ay bumalik sa akin, sa katunayan matapos na ihagis ang spell ang aking dating kasintahan ay bumalik sakin ng mas masg 48 now, dumating ang dating kasintahan ko. bumalik sa pagmamakaawa sa akin na hindi na niya ako pababayaan, 3 buwan mamaya kami ay nakipag-ugnay at nag-asawa, kung nagkakaroon ka ng parehong sitwasyong ito makipag-ugnay lamang kay Dr Akhere sa kanyang email:
AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com maraming salamat sa sir sa pagpapanumbalik ng aking dating kasintahan bumalik sa akin, ang kanyang email: AKHERETEMPLE@gmail.com o tumawag / whatsapp: +2349057261346