In my middle and high school years I can remember being taught “banned” books such as the wonderful Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. My teachers always made it seem so cool that we were reading material “not suitable for children.” It was as if we were being rebels by reading a novel.
I always wondered why the books were banned in the first place. They all seemed like great stories that held universal truths. Did schools wish to keep truth from its students?
This semester I am going to make it my mission to discover why books are censored and if it is possible for teachers to use this as a way to get students excited to read as my old teachers did. I will be exploring articles from various magazines and also other people’s blogs about censorship. These articles and blogs are sent to me thorough my account with Google Reader.
I hope to explore if censorship is really necessary in all cases, if teachers can challenge when a book is banned, and why the book was banned in the first place.
I believe that reading and writing gives all people a way to express themselves and when people begin to censor and ban writing students lose out. If students are taught why a book is controversial and then allowed to explore the book and its ideas I believe they learn much about their own personal beliefs on an issue.
Hopefully my exploration on censorship will lead me to some interesting ideas about teaching controversial materials. Who knows I may just have to make a couple of lesson plans using some of the books that I find!
kamarsh said,
January 17, 2007 at 1:25 pm
Hi Marie, I think you are exploring a very interesting topic. I went to a small Christian school, and books like HUCK FINN wouldn’t have even been an option. I didn’t read it until a couple of years ago in an American Lit. class at Muskegon Community College. It’s one of my favorite books! I think censorship to a point is ok…..I wouldn’t want one of my daughters reading something with graphic sexual scenes, for example. Of course I’m not totally naive and realize I can’t prevent it! But, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn are classics! I feel like I missed out on a well rounded education in a Christian School. I know all Christian schools aren’t the same, but I believe the classics should be taught and analyzed. If there is concern about the content, the teacher should discuss it with the students. Of course, there probably would need to be parent meetings too, discussing the topic and possible “off limit” words. I’ll be interested to read more on your blog! ;o)
Candace Knight said,
January 17, 2007 at 7:45 pm
Marie,
I also think this is a great choice of topic, possibly because I also choose to look at the same issue. If I find any good info or sites I will be sure to send a link to you or let you know (I am in your Literary Circle and you English 310), so we will have a good chance to converse. I haven’t found a great blog on this topic though, so if you happen to find one let me know.
I am looking at this topic because I would like to know why certain books are banned. I know that at least three of the books that are commonly banned in schools were read by my high school classes. I know that all of the information in the books may not be quote on quote “morally sound” but that doesn’t make the literature bad. It is almost as if people are saying that students are not smart enough to make ethically sound decisions for themselves so they are trying to shelter them from certain literature. I think that if they want to shelter them from something for this purpose than it would be the entire American culture. There is so much to be said about the topic.
Just like the previous comment and what I posted on my first post, I am not totally liberal, but I think there is a fine line, and some of the books banned do not cross the line. I would like to think I operate on a decent moral level,and I find nothing wrong with teaching Huck Finn and other banned classis novels. There are certain books that cross the line. My mom was a parent who was all about getting a book banned from the high school that my oldest brother was in. She had the news and papers at the board meeting. It was a big deal for our small town, and I am going to follow up on that situation with her, just to see it from her perspective.
Anyway, I am excited to see where this all goes and I hope that we will be able to chat and discuss the topic throughout the semester. I can’t wait to get started!
cherneyn said,
January 18, 2007 at 3:35 am
I find it very interesting that schools think it is ok to ban books. I love that someone else thinks that censorship is something some schools should reconsider. I never had a problem with my family being upset with the books I was reading, it was some students I went to school with thinking that Fahrenheit 451 was a book that should not be taught in schools because of how certain things are handled.
I am interested to see what you and I come up with this semester on censorship. I hope that maybe we can find ways to come up with a system that schools can use to see that not all books are bad and that some books are jsut worth reading!
wdok said,
January 18, 2007 at 3:57 am
Once when having to decide upon a debate topic, I remember my middle school teacher telling the class that the topic of abortion was strictly off the table—he banned it. Responding to the curious looks he received from us, he explained that it was just way too much for us to handle and left it at that. Looking back, he was probably right. A room full of kids barely in their teens debating abortion probably doesn’t end well—not well at all.
I’ve always wondered why books were banned from classrooms, as well. You make a good point when you comment on how rich and full so many banned books seem to be, making the decision to rid them from classrooms seem really very odd. On the other hand, I’ve always liked to think that the higher-ups had good, or at least reasonable, reasons. Perhaps there are some topics that are better left for another time and place. That doesn’t mean, however, that shying away from a book shows a surprising lack of faith in students and the instructor. It would be interesting to know, as you have written, “if teachers can challenge when a book is banned.” It seems like a fight worth fighting.
I also wish that I had a teacher like yours who made the class feel like “rebels” because of the reading material. Though it probably would have ended badly—with the class being hopelessly misinformed by the end of the hour—I still kind of wish we could have taken a stab at abortion. …Maybe not.
This sounds like it’s going to be an interesting topic, and I look forward to reading about what you find.
Jonman said,
January 18, 2007 at 12:34 pm
High Marie,
I think censored books is an excellent topic to look into, partly because I am doing it myself, but mainly because it is so controversial. Many books are banned from schools today, as you pointed out Huck Finn being one of them, and it is interesting why they are being banned. I have always wondered if it was a small minority that is creating such a fuss and getting the books banned or is it the majority of the people who want the books banned. If it is a minority group that wants the books banned, what is their motivation behind it? These are some of the questions that I have and hope to get answered throughout the semester. Hope you stop by and leave a few comments and good luck searching.
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