Censorship in Society – Pennsylvania State University

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, The Harry Potter series.

This group of novels is not merely just a list of some of the greatest books ever written, rather it is a list of some of the most frequently banned books in American schools during the past decade alone.

The rise of political correctness is undoubtedly impacting the flow of literature in the American education system; however, it is evident over the course of our history that books have been banned for many reasons. While what we define as political correctness today is a large cause of the modern banning of these books, ultimately the censorship of books comes down to suppressing ideologies and ceasing immoral language.

Over the course of American history, Mark Twains novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (in addition to some of his other works) has garnered calls for its banning from many different angles. Originally, the 1884 novel was banned throughout the southern United States for what was considered pro-African rhetoric. Ironically, the book would later become a place of controversy from the Civil Rights Movement onward for the use of its racial slurs and derogatory depictions of African Americans.

This contradiction of why the book should be banned accurately shows how culture has evolved. At the time it was written, Twain took a very liberal approach to the situation of slavery, condemning it (along with other ideas such as religious traditions) and questioning the entire basis that Jim was not intellectually comparable with Huck. While much of Jims characterization, from his dialect to his interactions with other counterparts, can be attributed to exaggeration and satirizing the archaic ways of thinking that Twains peers believed, the novel itself still contains very offensive racial slurs that are not easy to read.

This scenario exemplifies my belief in anti-censorship because even though the novel is insensitive and offensive, I believe it is crucial for children to learn about how we have changed as a society. It is important for us as a people to realistically understand the places we have come from and the places we dont want to go back to, and that is why I think that banning books like these is wrong.

Another trend in book banning campaigns is the basis that what the book describes is too dangerous or that it goes against strongly held cultural beliefs. This is seen predominantly in the reasons for banning books based on anti-capitalism or general anti-American doctrine. The Invisible Man and Death of a Salesman are just two examples of books condemned as anti-American, especially in the McCarthyism era.

In examples like these I believe it is beneficial for us as an American society to be aware of different thought processes and ideologies. While we dont have to agree with what is said in these books, we should learn about how and why critiques of our society arise; this in turn can only lead us to become more educated and better equipped at answering these criticisms, which will only make our cultural values stronger.

Trigger books are now one of the biggest reasons that books are banned today. The trigger is described as a word or idea that propels, or triggers, someone to do something, usually a very negative action. This is not necessarily a new phenomenon; however, the rise of trigger words on college campuses seems to coincide with this rise in trigger books.

Common examples of trigger books are The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Catcher in the Rye, and The Color Purple. The themes of most trigger books involve suicide, depression, rape, homosexuality, and school shootings.

These topics are very difficult to talk about and should not be dismissed lightly; with that being said, I believe it is good to normalize these topics and allow discourse to be had about them instead of blanketing them as taboo.

Furthermore, books are often banned for being too obscene or immature. By now Im sure that you know what my opinion is on the banning of these books as well.

One of the most ironically banned books is Fahrenheit 451. The book was banned for its anti-television undertones and criticism of Christianity and the Bible (which in and of itself is a widely banned book). The irony of the situation is that the entire plot of the book revolves around the quest to stop the burning of books, which metaphorically represents censorship itself.

Though many books have been banned over our history, it seems we may be taking strides in the right direction. There is now a national banned books week which encourages students to read books which have historically been censored. I believe it is through this engagement of uncomfortable discussions that will allow our society to fully grow and develop into its highest potential.

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Censorship in Society - Pennsylvania State University