Don’t Ban Books!
In my research essay proposal assignment, my main audience was for those who oppose book banning as well as subjects who aren’t fully aware of the consequences of this practice. My rhetorical choices include a bit of all three aspects of logos, pathos, and ethos. However, I chose to maintain with the factual side within my argument with reasoning. Some of the most meaningful insights I’ve gained in this assignment and phase 2 in general would touch on the fact of how an essay should be developed, specifically in MLA format. The information I obtained was very useful and provided me with meaningful insights. Rhetoric and argument were used heavily in this section and has affected my writing practice by influencing me on how I should develop an argumentative essay without saying too much and keeping it specific. Some examples in class that have helped me in this phase would be the synthesizing activity as well as the feedback I received when writing my thesis sentence. Learning from my classmates’ point of views helped me develop into a more fluent writer. “Developing strategies for reading, drafting, collaborating, revising, and editing.” would be the Course Learning Outcome that enlightened me the most this phase.
Book Banning is the most widespread form of censorship in modern day. It has been around for centuries indicating that it is surely an enduring issue. The practice of banning books takes place when a private organization or government officials removes specific books from libraries, schools, or even bookstores due to the content, ideas, and themes it withholds. There have been thousands of cases where books have been banned in the past decade, which should raise some questions about what’s being censored from us and why it’s removed in the first place. The main topics being censored consist of LGBTQ+ themes in writing, racism (protagonists with colored skin), and violence. While many argue that book censorship is in fact necessary for younger audiences to stay safe from such explicit topics and themes, it isn’t strictly true. First and foremost, banning books is a form of censorship that violates human rights of freedom of speech, this would be the First Amendment. Secondly, the censorship of books limits the ability of students to learn about cultures they are not fully capable of understanding on their own, leading to discrimination of those cultures. Lastly, banning books also undermines the work of writers and composers considering it is their form of expressing their thoughts and ideas while also losing their unique titles.
The practice of book banning can be foreseen as a form of censorship on civilians, as mentioned before. It is a violation of the first amendment rights, which guarantees the freedom of expression and speech for American citizens; in this case, book writers and young students are victims of this. Susan L. Webb clarifies that the First Amendment of the American Constitution protects students from receiving and expressing ideas through books and literature. Therefore, supporting book banning would be a form of violating those rights that every student withholds, as argued in the article “imposing information restraints on a free people is far more dangerous than any ideas that may be expressed in that information,” (Susan L. Webb, Book Banning, 2009). Webb helps audiences understand that those who advocate for book banning also remove the right of freedom of speech from students who use books to extend on their academics and beliefs. In addition to Webb’s argument, author Simeone Scully extends on the topic claiming that not only does book censorship undermine human rights, but it also causes young audiences to lose the empathic sense on cultures and ideas. Scully emphasizes:
That’s why Maus and Maus II have long been part of Keeley’s classroom library. ‘The way Spiegelman wrote it as a young man interviewing his elderly father about having lived through the Holocaust allows us to see both the atrocities that were committed as well as the impact it had on him for the rest of his life,’ she says. ‘Many students have experienced discrimination or being othered. They can connect the prejudice and wrongdoings in Maus to what we’ve learned about slavery and legalized discrimination in the United States, the attacks against Asian-Americans during COVID, and even less brutal but still harmful attitudes and acts they’ve learned of or experienced firsthand.’ (Simeone Scully. When We Ban Books, We Severely Restrict Children’s Ability To Learn About Different People and Themselves).
Within this segment from Scully’s article, she connects literature to the situations that students deal with within their lives as well as the circumstances they themselves witness, discrimination specifically. She clarifies the events of the Asian-American hatred that took place during the pandemic as an example as to what students can observe and connect to through their literature. Therefore, book censorship is a violation of the first amendment rights which leads to the loss of comprehension and empathizing within students and other audiences.
Furthermore, the practice of book banning upholds a negative impact on writers, creators, and authors who spend time expressing their ideas and creating embodiments of work through literature. Shutting down these books not only undermines the work of writers and publishers, but also disrupts the academic prowess of many students in the millions of schools across the country by limiting their access to books, as previously mentioned. Jonathan Friedman statistically demonstrates the number of books that have been banned across America as well as how many authors were affected by it from 2021-2022:
From July 2021 to June 2022, PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans lists 2,532 instances of individual books being banned, affecting 1,648 unique book titles.
The 1,648 titles are by 1,261 different authors, 290 illustrators, and 18 translators,
impacting the literary, scholarly, and creative work of 1,553 people altogether. (Friedman J., Banned in the USA, The Growing Movement To Censor Books in Schools).
Friedman uses statistical evidence to demonstrate the amounts of books that are banned within the country. A result of 1,553 composers are affected by these actions, undermining their creativity and freedom to express their thoughts and ideas, which connects back to the violation of human rights with the First Amendment. In addition to Friedman’s observations, he also states:
Nearly half of the unique titles of banned books were young adult books, but bans also affected many books for younger readers, including 317 picture books and 168 chapter books.Of the 2,532 bans listed in the Index, 96 percent were enacted without following the best practice guidelines for book challenges outlined by the American Library. (Friedman J., Banned in the USA, The Growing Movement To Censor Books in Schools).
These statistics are a prime example of how the government limits writers from expressing their work and ideas while also limiting those same ideas from students who aren’t fully aware of the world that revolves around them.
While it is unconstitutional and irrational to ban books in most cases, many argue that books should in fact be banned for reasons they withhold. Main advocates include parents, teachers, and many private organizations. Younger audiences are the main reason as to why books are supervised in the first place. With this fact in mind, parents claim that they have control over what information their children consume and should not be exposed to explicit and inappropriate topics that contain sex, violence, and drug use for example. Former public-school teacher, Jenni White, asserts that numerous studies have demonstrated that books with explicit themes can affect children’s psychological development drastically. One of the altering ideas that would affect children’s minds include having “many casual sex partners and having sex at younger ages.” she claims. (procon.org. 8/2/2022). Although this may be true, sensitive topics such as sex and drug use are to be uncovered eventually for younger audiences to understand and learn how to avoid the negative aspects. They are as curious as anyone else would be when they don’t understand something they aren’t fully aware of. A quote from the same article states:
Robie H. Harris, author of frequently challenged children’s books including It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing up, Sex, and Sexual Health, stated, “I think these books look at the topics, the concerns, the worry, the fascination that kids have today… It’s the world in which they’re living.” Many books that have long been considered to be required reading to become educated about literature and American history are frequently challenged… (procon.org. 8/2/2022).
Insensitive topics may be difficult to discuss at the time, but it should not however lead to censorship within books as it is used to inform audiences and not alter or harm them in any way.
To conclude, banning books is not a solution to the issues that some individuals or groups may have with the content of certain books. Instead of denying people access to books, it is important to promote open dialogue and critical thinking about the ideas presented in them. Books are a vital source of knowledge, education, and entertainment, and they play an essential role in human development, both academically and mentally. Banning books also undermines the principles of freedom of speech and expression, which are fundamental to any democratic society. Ultimately, preserving the right to read and think for ourselves is crucial to ensuring a free and open society.
https://pen.org/report/banned-usa-growing-movement-to-censor-books-in-schools/ (Friedman, Jonathon. Johnson, Farid Nadine. “Banned in the USA, The Growing Movement To Censor Books in Schools”. Sep 19, 2022)
https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/986/book-banning (Webb, L. Susan. “Book Banning”. The First Amendment Encyclopedia)
https://www.procon.org/headlines/banned-books-top-3-pros-and-cons/ (procon.org. Aug 2, 2022)
https://www.wellandgood.com/why-books-should-not-be-banned/ (Scully, Simeone. “When We Ban Books, We Severely Restrict Children’s Ability To Learn About Different People and Themselves”. Feb 9, 2022)
