This post is for JUNIORS only.
Bellow you'll find two articles originally published in Time Magazine. Read both carefully and then check in at the bottom for further instructions.
Banned Books: A School Librarian's Perspective
Sharon Coatney, Time.com - Friday, Sep. 22, 2000
Many years ago, when I began my teaching career in a small rural high school, the library was in a cage. Literally. The books were all locked inside a large metal cage in the corner of a study hall, and that was the library. At that time the library was staffed only one or two days a week, and I suppose it was considered necessary to lock it up for security. Still, I remember thinking that it was a great shame the students had so little access to the books. For most of the year, all of these books were essentially "banned."
But banning or censoring books is certainly not a new concept in any kind of library. All libraries have specific policies that are followed in selecting books for inclusion in the collection. Many libraries have very narrowly defined purposes, and books are only selected in those particular fields. Selection is also limited by funding and available shelf space, and often is age- and time-sensitive. For public schools, libraries have the very narrow function of having library collections that adequately support the curriculum.
Each year as Banned Books week arrives, I reflect on the ways the collection in my elementary school library has been censored. Every time I chose a book for our shelves it is done according to our school district selection policy, which says books must be age-appropriate and related to our school district curriculum. School librarians are, like all teachers, considered to be "in loco parentis" and are thus responsible for the safety of the children in their care. Over the years, I have developed a very fine collection of materials, but I have often "banned" books. That is my job, but we call what I do "selection," not "censorship." The hardest part of the job is to constantly keep in balance all viewpoints, not push my own agenda and remember that the education and safety of all of the students is my top priority. The exercise of the right to know must be tempered by a child's need for physical and emotional well-being.
Still, there is the very real issue of what to do when an individual parent asks that a book be banned from the library collection because he does not want his child to be exposed to it. Certainly, as patrons of that school district, parents do have that right. All school libraries have specific procedures that must be followed to review a contested book; when these are well crafted and followed meticulously, they usually work well. They allow for the school community's representative group to calmly review the book in light of the school's stated selection criteria and evaluate the book on its own merits.
Sometimes a book is removed. This usually happens because the selection criteria were not fully met or the process for reconsideration of materials was not followed, or if, upon reflection, the book is deemed to be inappropriate for that age level. In most cases, the complainants begin to look at the book in light of the whole process and realize that although they may not want their child to read a book such as "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson because it has several profanities, it is actually a very fine book that other parents might want their own children to read.
Several years ago, the mother of a Muslim child in our school asked that I not allow her son to check out any book about Christmas or other Christian holidays. She was not asking that those books be banned, only that her child be banned from reading them. But I could not ban her child from checking out Christmas books. She needed to do that with her child. Even small children can learn to evaluate materials and decide what is best for them to read or not. This is where teachers, librarians and parents have the very real responsibility to expose kids to only the very best in literature and the most fair and unbiased nonfiction materials.
In my library we teach very young children to try to read a page in their selected material. If they cannot read and understand five words in the first paragraph, the book is probably too hard for them to read by themselves. In this way, children will grow up to be discriminating adult readers. I remember my own daughter, who at the age of eight had already created several criteria to help her select recreational reading materials. She would not read any book in which the main character was older than she was at the time — actually, not a bad beginning criterion for a young child to have.
It's dangerous to think that the only banned books are the sometimes outrageous examples highlighted during Banned Books Week. All of us ban. Censorship abounds. It's more important for us to think about how we should be educating our students to make good choices, to know what is worthwhile and to be able to think logically and weigh all ideas in order to choose wisely. Books may no longer be kept in cages, but our students are still often being denied access to the materials they need. Educating discriminating readers today is the way to reduce the inappropriate censorship of tomorrow.
Sharon Coatney is the library media specialist at the Oak Hill School in Overland Park, Kans. She is a past president of the American Association of School Librarians (a division of the American Library Association), and has been a librarian in grade schools at all levels.
Texas: If You Can't Ban Books, Ban Authors
Phil Bildner, Time.com - Wednesday, Sep. 29, 2010
But this school year, there will be no such celebration of books. Not because of budget cuts, and certainly not because of lack of interest. This school year's teen literature festival has been canceled because of a string of events that followed the banning last month of best-selling young-adult author Ellen Hopkins — just in time for the controversy to ripen for Banned Books Week, which is commemorated during the last week of September. (See the top 10 banned books.)
Secular and religious authorities have been attempting to ban books ever since people have been writing them. In Germany, where Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press, the first official censorship office was established within decades of the innovation. In the U.S., Anthony Comstock, considered to be the pioneer of modern American censorship, persuaded Congress to enact the Comstock laws, which banned the mailing of materials found to be "lewd, indecent, filthy or obscene." Under those laws, the works of literary giants such as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and John Steinbeck were censored. Nowadays, beloved characters ranging from Harry Potter to Captain Underpants are frequent targets of censorship.
But banning authors?
"Banning authors isn't the same as banning books, but the intent is the same," says Hopkins, whose most recent novel, Fallout, the final volume of her Crank trilogy, just debuted at No. 5 on the New York Times series list (which is devoted to series of three or more). The trilogy (which also includes Crank and Glass) has been lauded by educators and reviewers alike. Its popularity among teens is rooted in Hopkins' pull-no-punches story lines that tackle issues such as crystal-meth addiction, teen prostitution, suicide and incest. (See the 100 best novels of all time.)
But it's her no-holds-barred approach that has ignited the current controversy. Upon learning that Hopkins was scheduled to speak at this school year's festival, several parents complained to the school board. The superintendent, after consulting with the head librarian, instructed the festival's organizers to remove Hopkins from the roster and rescind the invitation.
Since her books are available in Humble libraries, and because she had appeared at high schools in the district last year, Hopkins was shocked by the snub. After much soul-searching, she reached out to the other young-adult authors who were scheduled to participate. Pete Hautman, who in years past had been disinvited from appearances elsewhere after his work was deemed "inappropriate," withdrew from the festival. Then, in a show of solidarity, Matt de la Pena, Melissa de la Cruz, Brian Meehl and Tera Lynn Childs all followed suit. The district, in turn, canceled the event altogether. "As authors," Hopkins recently blogged, "we must maintain a unified voice against the idea that one person, or even a few, has the right to decide for everyone else what they are allowed to read, or what information they can have access to."
Hopkins' banning and the resulting boycott lit up the blogosphere and social-network sites. Several industry publications rushed to the author's defense, and a letter of protest from six national organizations, including the National Coalition Against Censorship, the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and the National Council of Teachers of English, excoriated the superintendent for violating "basic constitutional principles." "Those kids surely lost out," Hopkins notes. "However, those same kids will now view censorship through completely different lenses, and I hope they understand why authors must defend the ability to write books without fear of would-be censors."
Hopkins' critics questioned whether a formal invitation had ever been extended and contended that a disappointed author was merely throwing a bruised-ego tantrum. Yet Hopkins says she had negotiated the terms of her appearance and received a confirmation e-mail from a festival coordinator. Still, her critics apparently saw little value in young people reading about such edgy and unpleasant topics.
"When middle school parents challenge books, it's often a last gasp to stay involved," says Camille Powell, a Houston area school librarian whose BookMoot website is a go-to destination for educators and kid lit aficionados. "Elementary schools are fairly responsive to parental input. However, the junior high transition years are frustrating and difficult for parents as their control over their children and the school gradually erodes."
Like many, Powell was disheartened by the turn of events in Humble. However, she remains hopeful that the festival can be salvaged and believes the opportunity exists for a valuable teaching moment. "There could be a forum," Powell says, "where parents would be able to ask questions, raise concerns and share views and opinions. What could be more worthwhile than an impassioned, thoughtful tussle over books and how they affect us?"
Hopkins says she'd welcome the chance to participate in such a discussion. "I would pay my own way," Hopkins says. "We need to take back the dialogue. A misguided few cannot be permitted to dictate what's best for an entire community. These young people are depending on us."
Mr. Cowlin here again. Here are a few questions for you to answer. You don't have to answer all of them - just make sure your entry is a thoughtful paragraph. Post your responses in the comments section. Be sure to include your name in order to receive credit. As usual, you can earn some extra credit for commenting on your peers' comments. (Each reaction should be posted separately.)
- Coatney, author of the first article, says, "It's dangerous to think that the only banned books are the sometimes outrageous examples highlighted during Banned Books Week. All of us ban." What are some ways "all of us ban"? Should we stop, or is banning necessary sometimes? (Be sure to include specific examples - real and theoretical - in your response.)
- Author Ellen Hopkins says that "As authors [...] we must maintain a unified voice against the idea that one person, or even a few, has the right to decide for everyone else what they are allowed to read, or what information they can have access to." Do you aree? Why or why not? Is there a time when an individual voice should decide what media others are allowed to read or view? (Be sure to include specific examples - real and theoretical - in your response.)
Some of the ways that "all of us ban" is by not making things appropriate for us and others. I don't think we should stop banning.To me banning is necessary sometimes because we certainly don't want little kids to be reading books for ages older than they are. For example, if a little girl went to a library and that library did not have a kids section, the little girl wouldn't know what book is good or what book is bad for her, thus making her get a book that could be either too violent, too romantic, or too scary for her to comprehend. It would just not be right because kids need kid books aswell as adults need adult books.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree that one person has the right to decide for everyone else what they are allowed to read, or what information they can have access to because people can make the decision on their own. If someone wants to read something than they have the right to do so, no one can tell them what to read. There is a time when an individual voice should decide what media others are allowed to read or view and that goes for younger children because they might not know what they are reading but other than that, to me if the child is above the age of 13, then they can make their own decisions about what they can read and what they can't, but the parents can also have a say on what their child can read or view.
Schools should not beat aloud to ban books. Kids are already exposed to all sorts of crimes and outrageous things whether it’s in video games, movies, or television. If parents don’t want their child to read a certain book, they can just tell them not to read it or check it out. Books that are banned can sometimes be great research material for other children. Plus, if the libraries say that the child can’t read that book, the child will most likely just look up on the internet about the topic. Children have other ways to get their information now days. Instead of banning books, people should start banning guns. Throughout all of the violence in video games and television, children might be tempted to play with guns. That’s a whole other topic, but it’s hard enough to even get kids to read. Banning books are just wrong.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with Ellen Hopkins statement on one voice or a few can decide what we should or shouldn’t read. I understand there’s an age issue but regardless kids can still read any children’s book they want such as Harry Potter, Captain Underpants, Goosebumps, etc. If parents are concern about this then why don’t they just talk to their kid instead of going to the extreme and ban books? They’re already trying to ban TV shows and now books. Games are already having age issues but they’ll get banned eventually. But it won’t stop there, because of these parents will soon ban movies, and what else can they ban? History? Again, talk to your kids like a normal parent would instead of cause a big deal over a BOOK. This is probably worse than the over exaggerated fans that calls people dumb for not liking a book that they like. So yes, I agree 100% with Ellen Hopkins because if I wanted to read a Stephen king book then I’ll read a Stephen king book. We have rights to view and read whatever we please. Ok maybe not view whatever we want but we can still read whatever we want in our schools or libraries. And just o let it out, THEY ARE BANNING BOOKS? ARE YOU SERIOUS?
ReplyDeleteAuthor Ellen Hopkins says that "As authors [...] we must maintain a unified voice against the idea that one person, or even a few, has the right to decide for everyone else what they are allowed to read, or what information they can have access to”. I disagree with what Ellen Hopkins says because I feel like people shouldn’t have the right to decide for everyone else what they are allowed to read because it should be up to the person who’s reading to make the decision whether there allowed to read something or not. I think this because if schools ban books its limiting kids education i feel like our education rate would go down if people banned books from school or limited what people could and could not read. This is why I disagree with what Ellen Hopkins said.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what David, Alex, and Erica said. If parents think something is inappropriate for their children then they should just talk to their child about it instead of making it into a bigger deal than there needs to be.
ReplyDeleteEveryone bans something out of their lives for a reason. Sometimes after an actor, singer, or role model embarrasses themselves and does something stupid like the Kanye thing, people then look at the actions of that person and decide to ban that person's music from their music selection. People also do this when they aren't interested on a topic, they decide to "ban" the information from their brains. I don't think banning something should stop because i think it is a part of life or at least part of our time.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with the fact that one person should have the right to decide whether something is ok or not ok to be banned. I think that it should be first descussed in a group. Then the group should decide and have a majority vote on whether something should or shouldn't be banned. I think it should be a majority vote agreement because if one person states their opinion on whether something should be banned, and the only person who thinks that thing should be banned then it isnt fair to everyone else. Also, I think it might turn out bad and end in a huge fight between everybody. When I was in 8th grade my friends and I had to decide on where we were going to go over the summer between Wisconsin Dells or Six Flags. The majority of us wanted to go to Wisconsin Dells but one person decided that he wanted to go to Six Flags, and we ended up having to go to Six Flags which made the rest of us angry at that one person. We all felt that, that was a selfish thing for the person to do, but we did end up having a great time.
I agree with author, Ellen Hopkins, about why one person’s voice should decide what everyone else is allowed to read. If a book is inappropriate and far too advanced for children then it is their parent’s choice to allow their child to read it. I do not think it is right for one person or parent to stop everyone else from reading an author’s masterpiece. I mean author’s write books and people read them. Well when people aren’t allowed to read an author’s book, it can ruin an author’s income. I believe there is no example of where an individual can stop or “ban” any media. In both articles the main audience that this issue is referring to is children. It is the parent’s responsibility or choice to keep their children away from inappropriate content.
ReplyDeleteIn the first article I don’t think it’s necessary to ban books because everyone has a choice to read different genres. When they have a “Banned Books Week” they ban books that children shouldn’t leave. I agree that some kids like under the age 12 shouldn’t read about drugs, prostitution, or about a kid who got raped. With those types of books the libraries can ban for kids younger but it doesn’t mean that adolescents should get the same. They are grown adults who need to learn, and studies show that reading increases you vocabulary. The question is why the elementary schools would even buy books like that, when they don’t want the kids to read those types. In other words they should pick books that they think are appropriate and let the kids read those, instead of banning the whole library. How would they ban the books is what they think is their opinion. I think they have a vote and the majority that votes for the same book gets banned for the week. On the other paragraphs about banning authors, haven’t people heard freedom of press? In the Constitution it clearly says the right for press. You could publish anything, you have the freedom to write anything you want and publish. The people in Texas are going against the Constitution and banning the authors for writing things they want so others can read. They can’t just ban people from books because they think it’s “not right”. It’s not right for just one person in town banning all the books because they think it’s inappropriate. It’s like saying the mayor banning all the Chicago libraries because the books aren’t good for the kids to read. If the kids can’t read then how are they going to learn? Textbooks are hard, and some science textbooks are also inappropriate showing naked people, and things some people might find not appropriate. Then would the town also ban textbooks too?
ReplyDeleteI do not agree that one person should have a big influence on what others read. Individuals should not have the right to ban authors from writing what they please or censoring them. Authors should be able to write about whatever they want without having to worry about what they write being censored. The authors have the right to defend their writing and have anyone who wants to read it, read it. An individual should not ban others from reading an authors work, that is up to them if they do not want to read it or not. If an individual decides not to read a book then that is up to them, it should not be because they were told it was inappropriate.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what David and Tamara said. I think that if parents storngly think their child shouldn't check out a book instead of banning it they should just talk to their child about it. Also we should ban guns.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what tamara, erica, alex, and David said. Parents should have their own responsibility on their children. It's not the schools responsibility to see what the kids check out. The school can't go around banning books just for one kid. It's the parents responsibility.
ReplyDeleteI think the banning of books is sometimes necessary because parents are the ones that are asking for this kind of stuff. If parents don’t want their kids being exposed to material that sometimes the kids don’t even want to read about is perfectly fine. For example, Sharon Coatney, author of the first article wrote that one girl “would not read any book in which the main character was older than she was at the time.” (Sharon Coatney) This clearly shows that the girl didn’t want to be exposed to the material any books want to share about an older character. Another reason why I think school books should be banned at school sometimes is because of religious reasons. If a parent doesn’t want her children reading about other religions, I think they should listen to what she has to say. They shouldn’t disagree with what they think is best for their children. For example, the mother of the Muslim kid, in the first article didn’t want her son checking out Christmas books or any books that had to do with Christian Holidays. The librarian said that she couldn’t ban the kid from checking out these types of books, which she clearly had to do as part of her job. Her job is to listen to what patrons of the school have to say and what they think is best for their kids.
ReplyDeleteSome say banning is necessary. However, I disagree with them because if you have more books, you will have better chances of getting right books for you. Also, we have rights to read whatever books we want. They cannot stop us from reading our own books. Furthermore, if parents do not want their kids to read certain books, they can talk to their kids not to buy them or not to read them. They cannot just try to ban certain books because they do not like them. If they are going to just ban random books, there is no point of people to write books. So banning should not be allowed!
ReplyDeleteOne thing I know I ban myself from is knowing politics. The information is very easy to access but I ban myself from it by not seeking the information. I choose to watch TV but I choose not to watch the elections. Another thing I banned myself from was having a job, once I became the age of 16 I knew I could get a job at some places and make money. I again banned myself from doing that simply because I didn’t want to. An example of something being banned to everyone is live TV, ever since the incident with Janet Jackson happened, live TV is banned. I think sometimes banning is necessary depending on age. If you’re really young then there’s no reason why you should have to watch elections and learn about politics. As you become an adult I think it’s important to know that information because these people make decisions for us and we’re old enough to know the things they are talking about.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with the fact that one person should have the right to decide whether books should be banned or not. I dont feel like that should be in the control of random people. That should be in the control of the parents. If a book is too inappropiate then the parent can make that choice for their child. I dont think that theres any reason to ban media from anyone, everyone should be able to make decisions for themselves and if they're too young that their parents can make the decisions for them.
I think that it is necessary to band books, but only to some extent. School libraries should only have books that are age appropriate. There should be no reason why they have books inappropriate available to their students. I think that is what creates problems in schools when it comes to banning books. For example in the article “Banned Books: A Librarians Perspective” it states that some parents do not want their kids reading the book "Bridge to Terabithia" because it has inappropriate language in it. When librarians order new books to add to their collection in the libraries they should take that into consideration. Like if a elementary was to try and order that book it would not be appropriate for kids that age, but for middle school kids it would be more appropriate and acceptable because at that age kids know what they are reading and know what they like and is appropriate and what their parents would allow them to read. Banning books should be allowed but not banning all books from kids. If we banned books from children they will lose interest in trying to read books, because we do not allow them to read other books that they might want to read.
ReplyDeleteI dont think banning books its up to us because if they were already published they had to be good in order to make it go on sale. So we shouldnt have the right to banned after published maybe before its published, if you think the book should be banned then dont read it and read somethin else. A writter should have the right to express their writting in any way he or she wants. It would only be right to band it if its the whole state that thinks the book should be banned not if only one person decides to banned the book.
ReplyDeleteWe all ban things from people. Some people ban things like clothes and music from their children that they don't think would be appropriate for them at their age. Banning can be necessary for certain age groups on what is appropriate for them so I don't think banning is a bad thing but it is when it gets out of hand and people can't make their own decisions. A few people can't decide for the community. We all have our own views on many different subjects and we should have the choice on what we are exposed to as we get older. I do not think there is any time where the few can decide for the many. If the few don't want it then they can turn away and not pay attention while the community gets what they want.
ReplyDeleteAll books tell different stories, some are apropriate some not so much. The thing about books though is that they are all someones story and their freedom to be diffrent. Banning books is wrong because you're takking away the right for a person to enjoy the unique and outrageous words somone thoughtfuly put on paper. A book someone has writen can tell a hole lot more than just a story if you really pay attention and get down to it. Banning books is bad, but that doesn't mean the act of banning other things is wrong. I think baning guns in the city of chicago could be the best thing for us to do, but that's my oppinion and others may beg to differ. With the banning of certain issues, things, or substances comes the oppinions of all types of people. I think banning books is wrong because you are taking away from a persons oppertunity to be educated in diffrent ways and that is the way my oppinion will always be.
ReplyDeleteI agree with david its up to the parents if they should let their kids read it, not up to one person to decide if the whole nation should stop reading it
ReplyDeleteI agree when someone says that we can do some thing or in this case banning books then they do. But i don't get why they bann the books if it is that bad then why do they have those books in their schools if the students aren't allowed to read them. They are just there like ornaments on a tree. Maybe someone might be able to not ban books and find what are in those books. Who knows.
ReplyDeleteSchools should not be able to ban books. It is pointless, because no one is forced to check out and read a certain book. If a parent or guardian is strongly against a book, then they should tell their child not to check out the novel. Different books attract different people. Many find the "violent" books interesting, and learn from them. Children have access to anything throughout the internet, so banning books would just be a waste of time. If something were to be banned, it should be guns. What I've learned is that books teach, and guns kill. So to ban books and keep guns seems very rediculous. Both subjects are completely different, but I do feel that all books have a message, and therefor should most definitely not be banned.
ReplyDeletei personally think that books shouldn't be banned. the author took his sweet time to write the book and th xpress him or her selve and then when his book finaly comes out, people ban it. i know that alot of books are banned but those books are sometimes a great source for homework and other school work and its just stupid that they are banned from the library because maybe it has too much violence or maybe because its talking about the real world and teachers or our own parents dont want us to know whats really going on around the world.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ellen Hopkins we shouldn't let on person choose what everyone else can and can't read. If a parent does not want their kid to read a book then they need to sit down with the kid and tell them that they can't read the book because those parents might not want them to read it, however their might be an other parent that thinks it is good for their child to be exposed to what ever might be in the book.
ReplyDeleteWe all decide on our own personalities what should be banned and what shouldn't. We stereotype and base on what we see or think we know. We decide to ban certain books or activities just becaue of the effect it might have on a certain group of people. Even small children can learn to evaluate materials and decide what is best for them to read or not. We should not be decideding what people should read, but let people make their own responsible decision in what they want to read and whats ok for them.
ReplyDeletei think banning books is sometimes necesary for kids the right age. kids in elementry school should not be reading inapproprite books.for example the book "Bridge to Terabithia" because of their bad language usage. but, banning books for every kid is just wrong kids entering middle school could be reading the books they want they chose those books because they interested in it. if the book has bad words that does not mean they can't read it they know what it means, they sometimes even say those words before reading the book. the more books that come out the better students the right age would want to read them because of the present language now days. i think if parents dont want their kids to read the books talk to your kids about it dont try banning the book from other kids that aren't your own. so banning books should not be allowed for kids the right age, let them read what consider reading.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with the fact that one person should have the right to decide whether something is ok to ban or not ok. People should be able to read whatever they choose. If a large amount of people feel the need to ban a book, they should meet as a group and come to a conclusion. They should have a large majority of people to vote on whether to ban a book or not. The majority always wins even if one person decides to vote with it or against it. This will only be fair if the majority wins. An example of majority wins is, when my family wanted to rent a movie all three of them wanted a comedy and I chose an action movie. So we ended up getting a comedy because the majority wanted it. This shows that you shouldn’t allow one persons opinion, decide whether or not to ban something. It is always good to have other opinions to come to a logic conclusion.
ReplyDeleteThere isn't a single moment when one person should or many persons should decided anything for anyone. Unless of course its life threatening. People can learn to evaluate materials and decide what is best for them to read or not.
ReplyDeletei agree with alex castillo, no one should be telling us what to read and what not to read just because they dont like whats in the book.. this parents need to grow up and just talk to their children!! and like alex said, they should just be NORMAL parents and they shouldnt make a big deal out of something small
ReplyDeletei agree with Michael Americus he said that every book has a message its true kids learn from books on how to act or what to do in certain things. its true also that different bokks attract different people.
ReplyDeleteI agree with cesar most of the time when books are banned its because parents don't want us to know what is going on because a ton of books are baised on what happened in the real world.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the author Ellen Hopkins that the voice of just a few do not have tyhe right to ban books from people. the poeple have the right to read whatevere they want, even though some things in the book are inapprppriate like: profanity and actions the characters might do. A lot of books have many life lessons and could teach people some things they have never knew before. Like the mother of a Muslim child in our school asked that her son was not allowed to check out any book about Christmas or other Christian holidays. Thats just outrageous that he cant look at though kind of books. The kids should be able to read these books because his family and he live in the country where the majority of people are Christians and celebrates Christian holidays like chirstmas. the books are just more just to read, they teach our society good things that would be used in lives. So, the only person that would be able to banned to himself or not read the book is the person, himself.
ReplyDeleteI say that we should not banned books because it keeps us from learning new ideas or thoughts. It keeps us from learming because the book that has been banned might have a usefull ideas or thoughs that someone might need. Like for example if you were to do a research and needed an answer and you couldnt find it it might of been in the book that was banned. It also keeps you from learning diffrent or new ideas that might be usefull to you in your future or that you might need in your life. Banning books also takes away a new possible learning experience that might teach you to see ideas from a diffrent point of view that you have never thought of before. So thats why we should noy banned books because it keeps us from learning.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with the idea that one person, or even few, has right to decide for everyone else. Even when it comes to banning books, there should be a discussion from groups of people. By discussing and voting, it would make fair decision for more people. It would also be harsh to let one person decide for everyone else, then take responsibilities for all the complaint and questioning. However, there are times when an individual voice should decide for others. This is when things are totally not right and inappropriate. For example, there shouldn't be groups of people deciding that kids have right to read all the books. This is because it would let the kids expose to violent and other inappropriate things too early for their age.
ReplyDeleteSome ways that “all of us ban” are by criticizing movies and books and saying that they are terrible and you shouldn’t see it. In this way you are trying to tell people not to watch the movie or read the book. It could also be just giving your opinion about something would change the way someone does something. An example would be a political commercial her they try to tell people not to vote for this person for whatever reason. They also give a great example of how religion could also play as a factor of why we as people ban thing.
ReplyDeleteParents should have the right to ban books that they dont want their kids to read. But i do think there is a certain time when parents should back off and let kids read what ever they want.
ReplyDeleteIt isn’t necessary to ban many things in life, like reading some books. Parents should not ban their children to stop reading certain books. Some parents want books to be banned because of inappropriate showing towards religion, bad influences, or unrealistic experiences. However, these things do not only happen in books. They happen in movies, video games, and most of the time in real life. Children have the right to read what they want to. Instead of banning the books for everybody, they can talk to their kid about it. Parents can tell their kids what is right and wrong about some of the books they are reading and don’t take away the reading for every child in the world. In general, banning things is not a bad idea, but taking away children’s rights to read what they want is.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Paige. we shouldn't let one person choose what everyone else can and can't read. If one Parent doesnt want their kids reading inapropriate books then they should tell them that the story isn't suitable for their age and should try a different book.
ReplyDeletei agree with Michael Americus because books sound not be banned because like he said, "no one is forced to check out and read a certain book".
ReplyDeleteI think people shouldn't be able to ban books from schools or libraries. Every person in the world have their own personal books they would like to read, and if the schools are going to ban them then it's not fair for them. The "banned" books show us students not to do what other people or people that are capable of doing their wrongs do. Its an example for us not to do what other people did. It makes us become better people from learning or reading the mistakes books teach us. It is a good way of teaching us that if we are going to do what books show us they do, then we better be prepared for what is coming to us. In other words, we better be prepared for everything you are going to get yourdelf into. Mainly teenagers learn from other people's mistakes, and the banned books are a great example to learn from. I don't think schools or even public libraries should ban those types of books. Parents or teachers but mainly society should allow us to read the books we want to read. It just shows that we actually can pick up a book and read it. Which every parent would like to see their child do!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ellen Hopkins because we shouldn’t let an individual make decisions for everyone. No one should tell people what they can and cannot read because no one should be able to control what other people read. I believe that people have the right to decide what they want read. I feel that in the article the people were having their rights removed. I don’t think that at anytime one person should make a decision for everyone. We all have your options on topics and by letting some decide something for you might not like what they decide. Then you can’t change what has happened. I feel that under no circumstances it’s ok to let someone a decision for a group of people.
ReplyDeleteI believe that censorship is almost always over the-top for most audiences that are at least middle school age because by that time you probably have been exposed to profanity and negative subjects and it probably won't shock and bother you. These things also should be looked at because they do Happen.Ellen Hopkins is a good example because she writes about kids that have drug problems or that are in prostitution. While these are gritty and negative subjects they do happen in real life and finding out about them only makes you more knowledgable so it should not be seen as a bad thing. sure profanity and negative subjects are not good things for young audiences but older audiences can learn things from these sort of books and knowledge is power,and taking it away takes away some of that power. Just because a select few puritanical nuts hate swearing and negative things does not mean it should be banned for everyone instead maybe they should come up with a rating system like they do for games and movies just to warn sensitive people. Everyone else however can pick up any book they want and be just as happy.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Eli, everything we do or decide to do has a full affect on us. It either comes from television or people critizing something. We are use to this because the way our society works nowadays!
ReplyDeleteThese books, that are sometimes banned, help kids to start reading. These books have interesting topics that relate to them in their life. Some books that are banned teach kids about history in a different way. Take the book Fallen Angels for example. It teaches us about the Vietnam War and how you should never leave somebody when their down or out. It may have swears in it but who cares. They learn something from it other than new vocabulary. Kids are already exposed to video games, TV shows, and movies. So, what would be the point to ban books when there is other stuff out there than can hurt them even more. The first amendment is another thing to take into effect when banning books or other things.
ReplyDeleteI don’t really think that one person should decide what other people think. If we let them decide on one thing, who knows what they could make people decide on next. Also, if somebody wants to read something that appeals them, let them read it. They may get something out of it when they read it. But sometimes, a book teaches kids how to do stuff that is completely wrong. If that were to happen, let kids read it with a school so teachers can get the main point across with them about the book so they don’t do something crazy.
I don’t think that it is necessary to banned books. Not saying there should be killing violate, or racism in a book, at a school’s library, but is it really necessary to ban a book? There are so many things that can offend someone, so we might as well get rid of all books. Like the book “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” this book is about how a slave escaped using the underground railroads. The book does help to do something about slavery but it also prejudice against blacks also. This book is was banned because it was prejudice towards African Americans, but this book did help white in the north, at the time of slavery, to understand that they had to do something about slavery. This book a big part of history and it did help slavery, so I don’t so the logic of banning the book.
ReplyDeleteSome ways “all of us ban” are by not making the books have inappropriate content and bad things that happen in real life. Banning is sometimes needed due to the content of the book, but if there are books out in the open talking about drugs, crime, war and prostitution. Banning is a major part in today’s world. People ban certain things like books, magazines and movies. Like the movie “Songs of the south” was banned to the content of the movie and how the movie is racist. The movie had to be banned because if the movie was available to the public, there would be a protest against Disney and then no one would want to watch Disney movies anymore. Another example of banning is that people are banned from certain places due to their actions. At a theme park, there are certain rules that the park has and if someone disobey the rules, then you are banned from the park due to the dangerous actions the person has taken. I don’t really find it fair for someone to be able to speak their mind and say that should be banned for this reason without explaining the reason to everyone. I don’t think one person’s opinion should be the reason something is ban without hearing everyone else’s opinion. I also think that everyone should be able to state their opinion and then vote on whether or not something should be banned. Just like the way each state selects who the governor, state senators and state representatives are, should be the way to decide whether or not something should be banned. Majority vote is the best way to decide if something should be banned or not. Things should be banned sometimes, but they shouldn’t be banned just because one person wants it to ban; it should be the majority of the people who make the decision.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ellen Hopkins we shouldn't allow one person to decide what we can and can'r read. what one parent may find innapropriate another might be okay with their child reading. if oner person had a say in what we can and cannnot read they would be taking away our freedom of press and our belifes. the only book peopel would be reading would be dumned dowm and we wouldn't learn anything. by readign we learn about the past we would be making the same mistakes other people made. Reading aso allows us to excape reality for a while and just have some quit time to our selves. If we let one person or a group of people decide what we can and can't read well repeat history. We won't be able to really get in to the bok and enjoy it. Persoally i love a good war story or a survival story something with alot of action I can really connect with those books and enjoy them. If those would to be censored because they were too violent or cussed to much anyone who enjoed those books would not enjoy reading becuse they couldn't connect with them. Another reason banning books is bad reading improves grammer and vocabulary. the more you read the better your vocaulary. if people didn't enjoy the books they were reading they wouldn't read them and their vocab and intelegence would suffer. Reading is very important adn thats why we souldn't bann books
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alex Castillo, and Carla. Everyone should have the right to read what we want. We shouldn't have others ban books just because it offends a certain group. Yes, Carla I totally agree on the fact that actually picking up a book and reading is what students should do. Even though this generation is shown to be one of the smartest still people don’t take the time to read. Personally, if my school banned books about others religions I would get offended. We should have the right to learn about our world!
ReplyDeleteYes I completely agree with Ellen Hopkins. Authors should have the right to write whatever they want. They should not let a group of people decide whether the book should be banned or not. If a person thinks a book is not right they should banned them self’s. For example everyone knows McDonalds is bad for you but when was the last time someone banned it, if you don’t like don’t eat there it’s that simple. There are a lot of things in the world you aren’t going to like but the doesn’t give you the right to and start banding things, even if it’s a group of people who don’t think it’s right. If there’s a movie you think is inappropriate you don’t go watch it. When you buy cable you can’t get a plan with only the cannels you like, you just don’t watch those channels.
ReplyDeleteI don’t agree with only one person banning books or the fact that they banned books that are already published. If they published the books and sell them is because the books are good and appropriate. It’s also not fair for the authors to get their books published and then banned just because one person says they’re inappropriate or not good for children or teenagers. If they’re going to banned books they should do it because a lot of parents or people vote to ban the book not because only one person says it’s not appropriate or it’s not suitable for the children. Also why does the school keep on buying the books if they’re just going to have them banned and the students are not going to be able to read them? The books are just taking up space and the school is wasting money instead of saving money and buying books that are suitable for the students. I think they should stop banning books and let people enjoy them because that’s why their written. Also I’ve seen that many of the books that are banned looked pretty interesting and some that get banned are pretty good and have no explanation of why they got banned.
ReplyDeletei disagree with the people who think it is okay to ban certain books just because they dont want there child to read it. If they ban a certain book that means that no one else has acess to that book just because of one person. if someone doesnt want to have there kid reading a certain book they can tell there child no and there not aloud to read it. No one should have the right to take away some great books that someone else might want to read just because of there opinoin or outlook on a certain subject.if they censor a certain subject book that means that there censoring everything that everyone else reads not just what there child reads.
ReplyDeleteI think that banning books shouldn’t be allowed. Banning books is like banning history. Banning history can upset people and make them not want to read r publish books by fear of their book being banned. I agree with author, Ellen Hopkins, about why one person’s voice should decide what everyone else is allowed to read. It’s not up to one person to choose a book that’s not eligible for kids to read and make the whole choice to for the country. It should be up to the parents of their own child to make choices for them and not just one person. In some cases though banning books can be a good thing to banned thing because of the profanity it might hold within or the language it has.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the first story because we should truely not have to ban inappropraite things from out school. We shouldnt be able to do this because children and even young teens have to have the option of exploring reality. In a sense, most of the books that we read, at least one parent is going to be troubled by that book. I do not think that should mean that we all of a sudden have to ban that book because it most likely has a moral behind it that we could all benefit from. Children and young teens should never be censored from reality.
ReplyDeletei disagree with becky about censoring things from childer becuase when like 9 11 happen we want our childern to know who did it and why it happen. We can't everything from them sooner or later they will find out.
ReplyDeleteLots of things should be banned. Like schools and they way they ban websites that are inappropriate for school settings. They do this to increase the educational matter of the student body. There are a lot of things that should ban from today society like drugs, alcohol etc... But it comes down to the matter if it can be banned. Like schools should have the right to ban books that are not suitable to be in the school but if the student wants he or she could go and get it form a library.
ReplyDeleteIn the article “Banned Books” written by Sharon Coatney, she is trying to explain how important it can be to “Ban” books. In my opinion I think it’s honestly not right to “Ban” books, it’s not like books are like movies and have ratings saying how bad they are. If you are a parent or a teenager like me, you should be able to either control what you or your child is reading. Everybody today is always expressing that kids should be shutting off the T.V and picking up a book, now they’re taking books away from kids just because some of the books say certain criteria. Anyways kids are exposed to all kinds of violence today coming from T.V mostly and the internet and now people are trying to say putting violence or profanity on paper is bad.
ReplyDeletei agree with david blau, if parents dont want there child reading a book they can tell them not to check it out, but for parents to ban a certain book for everyone is just wrong. if children cant read about certain issues or truths on a subject because parents dont think it is appropriate that is just as bad as lying to them. books are great resources when studying a certain subject and no one should monitor what children have the knowledge of, children should be able to know the truth and get the information on any subject they want to learn about.
ReplyDeleteI believe that yes, authors should wright whatever they want, but books should not be band. I believe that the student will decide if this book is right for him or her. Yes,i do believe that some books may be innapropriete to others,its the readers choice, and its another way of learning whats going on around the world. For excample, in the first story it said that a muslim mother asked the librarien to ban allthe books which are related to christianity or christmas, i think that its the boys choice not the mothers choice, if he wants to learn about different religoens or celebration then let him learn. Any book will teach you something. I am sure 100%.
ReplyDeleteI think that banning books shouldn’t be allowed. Yes, there a few books that aren’t necessarily good for children or adolescents to be reading but I think that a books doesn’t have to be banned to prevent that child from reading it. I think kids should be taught self- censorship and knowing what books they shouldn’t and should be reading. I think that libraries should have books that are age appropriate. I disagree with author Ellen Hopkins I don’t think that one person should decide whether a book should be banned or not. What one parent allows is different for the next so I don’t think that such a big problem as banning certain books in a library could just be decided by one person.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mike Fish, kids are already being mesmorized by the crazy fiction coming from the television and the violence coming from the video games they play. Most parents allow their kids to play violent video games, which are most likely past their maturity level. Kids are being opened up into a whole new world when they play video games and sit infront of the television. If they are allowed to watch or play whatever they desire, when they desire, reading a book on the same topic, such as violence, is not going to be the end of the world. Therefore, nothing should be banned from a kid.
ReplyDeleteCensorship was a huge issue in that small rural high school, and I guess that the school thought it was in the students’ best interest to keep them from certain subjects and situations that the banned books may have been about, but I don’t think censorship is a good thing. The school should allow the children to read the books because although they may be somewhat inappropriate at times, the students should have the right to choose what books they want to read and if they are really young, their parents should also be involved in this decision.
ReplyDeleteThere are five general types of censorship: moral, military, corporate, religious, and political. Each type is withholding some type of knowledge from another person. Sometimes it may not even be someone withholding information from another person, an individual may withhold information from themselves just because they have no desire to know the information or they are just simply not interested. For example, I am not interested in politics so if someone asked me if I know who won the current election I would not know the answer to that question; I am censoring myself from that material.
I agree to some what a matter. If it deals with children who can’t make their own decisions then they should be guided on what to read. But if you’re a grown man hell you should be able to read whatever the hell you want. It comes down to if you are old and mature enough to choose what you want to read. Alone adults can ban things on their children and adults can ban it from schools.
ReplyDeleteI agree that authors can write about anything they write, as long as it is appropriate and truthful. One person can't always decide about what is best for all the people. People should learn what is right, and what is wrong. In cases where something is wrong, we need to know this is the time to ban that idea or event. But, banning a whole event because a person thinks it is wrong, that is not cool. Ban the authors or books that are bad, but don’t just ban a whole event. The biggest issue comes along when one person thinks someone is doing something wrong, and the other one thinks he is doing the right thing. Do not ban for all the people to read. Just ban yourself if you think something is untruthful, a lie, or just stupid.
ReplyDeleteI Agree with Taeisha Barrett that its up to each parent to make the choice for thier children and not just have one partent decide for a whole district.
ReplyDeleteI think banning books is sometimes necessary to band books because some people don’t want to be exposed to certain kinds of books. For example, some parents don't want their kids to be reading books that are either inappropriate or something that is bad. The parent is just banning those certain books just to their kids. I don’t think someone should ban a book period. Unless if the book has things in it that shouldn’t be read or exposed out. But I don’t think one person alone should do it. It should be done by group of people. They should all decide by votes to decide either the book should be banned or not be banned.
ReplyDeleteWe all ban things from our lives. For example, say if you don’t like and individual, you don’t really think of them or talk to them so u banned them from your life. Or you can ban a certain type of music. Some schools ban hats or gum chewing. People ban things all the time from the lives.
David Artellano, you are agreeing with me. I said that they shouldnt be able to censor things from children, come on now.
ReplyDeletePeople should not be limited on what they can view or read. This I believe only applies directly to fictional works, movies and television. Issues pertaining to politics, religion, or anything which would be considered offensive to the reader should be censored to a degree in which the reader may choose to find out the rest of said subject. If the subject is to be deemed inappropriate for the reader it should be under the reader’s discretion to stop viewing such. The government s of countries, at least democratic ones, should not enforce censorship upon books, movies, videogames, and news articles. Instead they should put warnings that say said material is offensive to some, and should proceed with caution if you’re easily offended. No one should be limited of knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI think that books shouldn't be banned just because one person doesn’t like it. Many people have different likes and dislikes and different ways of thinking if something’s good or bad. Today if we don’t like a book we just stop reading it and read another one, but other people may be interested in books you just don’t like because u think they are just inappropriate. If books weren’t good enough then they would have never been sold to anybody but many people write about different things that get some people’s attentions. And if parents don’t like what their children are reading they should just do something about it with their own kids and stop going to schools and libraries to ban their children from reading books they don’t want them to read. But other than that I strongly think books shouldn’t be banned because other people are interested in such subjects.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jreis when he said that, "Lots of things should be banned. Like schools and they way they ban websites that are inappropriate for school settings. There are a lot of things that should ban from today society like drugs, alcohol etc." These things could bring harm to us, and did. That is why we ourselves need to know what is right and what is wrong.
ReplyDeleteI have learned that in Colorado they have banned all of the Harry Potter books. I believe thats totally wrong. I agree it may be not realistic but its something people read for enjoynment.
ReplyDeletei agree with anna synowiec, you should be able to censor yourself, if your simply not interested in a subject thats fine but for one person to not be interested in a subject and ban it from everyone is wrong. Everyone should be able to learn about a subject they like and monitor what they read themselves. just because there may be a bad book on the shelf doesn't mean you have to read it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sean Christ… Kids today are already exposed to so much crime, violence, and profanity. I don’t understand how putting it on paper would be any worse. I also agree with him on taking readers away from the author, if a author puts time and effort into a story for children, kids should be able to enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Billy, books arent like movies, you can choose to read them or not.
ReplyDeleteI honestly don’t think that there should have the right to speak for others. There might be the president that speaks out what he thinks is good for us and what’s bad but I don’t think he would have the right to make us his slave. We should be able to read and write whatever we want & if it’s too “inappropriate” for us then they should make it appropriate. Having someone speak for us or make decision for us doesn’t really make us human. Every human in this world has the freedom of speech.there might be times when teachers have the right to speak for others but i think that would only be in school situations. and also if we are in school there's a limit to what we can read and write but other than that i dont think no one has the right to speak for others thats why god gave us a brain and handss to write whatever we want and think whatever we want
ReplyDeleteSORRY, Becky Nelson
ReplyDeleteeverybody calm down....
ReplyDeletei agree with Gabby Montesinos because authors do work really hard just to get a book published and then ruin it by getting 1 person to ban it from the rest of the world that might want to read it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with DAVID ARTELLANO.I dont think that the problem of not wanting kids to read certain books can easily solved by just banning a book. Some of those things have a history to it or can help people in some way. The book may not be appropiate but it can help somebody and you wouldnt even know it because people are too busy worrying about what is and isnt appropiate.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Suzie Nedic. I don’t think it’s right for a couple of people to decide what others should read and when to read them. Everyone has different interests, and anyone should be allowed to read what they want to. I also agree with Marissa M when she says “Things should be banned sometimes, but they shouldn’t be banned just because one person wants it to ban; it should be the majority of the people who make the decision.” She’s right when she says that sometimes things should be banned but only if MAGORITY of the people make the decision. Another thing I think is ridiculous, is when obnoxious parents don’t let their kids read certain types of novels because of their race, religious views, etc. Children are in the stage where they are learning about so many things that are out in the world, and they, themselves should be able to decide what they are interested in, not their parents, or teachers.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Taeisha's response, “I think that libraries should have books that are age appropriate. I disagree with author Ellen Hopkins I don’t think that one person should decide whether a book should be banned or not. What one parent allows is different for the next so I don’t think that such a big problem as banning certain books in a library could just be decided by one person.” I believe that books should not be banned because each child has a different level of maturity and one child may be ready to read about a certain subject while another may not be quiet ready yet, and I don’t believe it should be up to one person to pick what is okay or not okay for a child/individual to read. People should have the right to read whatever we like. There should be no restrictions on books.
ReplyDeletePeriod 8
ReplyDeleteI don’t really agree with banning all books because each one has a message in them. Yes, some books might be racial or really disturbing but we shouldn’t ban them. After all America has gone through its important to keep some books great author’s wrote maybe that way we won’t see something as offensive but as a guide to understand what was happening before. Even like small schools who have their library’s locked from students that stops the kids from learning and prospering just because a book might have some racial terms or might be against a certain part of the government doesn’t mean we should censor what kids learn. Students who read more have a better chance in life from all the knowledge they collected in their school years. No matter how much we censor books or ban them kids will still know what has happened before and it will just cause them to start reading more even if we don’t let them read this “bad books”. Are grownups that afraid to let their kids know what happened in their lives and in their parents past lives too? Ellen Hopkins has a very good reason to stand against banning books and I support her debate. Knowledge is power so why let the kids of the future not have it we can make a better world if this banned books where free to read learning what every book has to say can make even the common person fight for something right.
crank that soldier boyyyyy
ReplyDeletei agree with joel, books aren't movies you can choose to read them or not but movies those you'll end seeing, even if there not on the movie theathers they'll end up on TV.
ReplyDeleteI honestly would not ban anything that is out there in the media today. My only concern is more of the visual media such as movies. You are probably able to read a book and have a slight idea on how the character looks like,unless the author did not describe the character's features. On the other hand, if a movie is too graphic, with blood and gore, you will most definetly feel more sick to your stomach than if you read a book about it. Studies show that those who as children were exposed to violent TV shows were much more likely to later be convicted of crime. Researchers said that, "Media violence can affect any child from any family," regardless of social class or parenting. Media is not nessesarily the problem. The discipline and guardian control over what children watch can be a huge impact. Phobia's and fears can be formed watching a video underage. A strong suggestion should be that children and up should watch movies that are appropriate for their age group.
ReplyDeleteChicka chicka bow wow
ReplyDeletehey shout out to all my boys out there!
ReplyDeleteAlexi Arcos has a good point if people dont like the books or think they're not interesting instead of just banning them they should just stop reading them and let someone else or other people enjoy them because im pretty sure there are many more that enjoy the book that get banned.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lukasz because kids should stick with their age groups.
ReplyDeletedont mess wit meeeeee
ReplyDeletecomment has been censored
ReplyDelete@DAVID ARTELLANO exactly!! blocking history prevents from the future kids to learn from it and never repeat good job!
ReplyDeleteI won the NOBALL PRIZE
ReplyDeleteI agree with alexi Banning books is something that should be against the law unless necessary. books help us alot through out our lives.there might be people who dont like reading boooks but other people do. authors are able to communicate with others by writing stories about thier feelings. it takes time for people to connect to a book & in that case if someone reads the first page of a book they already dont like it.. they should just suck it up and be patient for the best part because the best part is always in the middle towards the end sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Wiz Khalifa. Hey buddy
ReplyDeleteeverybody get up and start dancing
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ellen Hopkins that we shouldn’t let a few people to say want we can or can’t read. It not right and it goes against the first amendment of the bill of rights. It not right that the school has to listen to a few parents that disagree with idea of an author if the parent didn’t want their kid to see him there they could have just not let their kid go to see her there. It would have been a lot less problem for everyone. Plus want about the kid that did want to see him there lost out on a change to meet her. Also the school had already agreed to have her there and it is unprofessional of the school to suddenly to cancel on her like thaqt.
ReplyDeleteWana fight?
ReplyDeleteEveryone bans, no matter what form it is. In this article people ban books, in other articles people want to ban other people. Banning things and people can be good and bad. There’s only so far you can take it. There is a very fine line between banning and just wanting control over everything that happens. I agree that some books should not be in Elementary school libraries. I think the people that are trying to ban fantasy books are stepping over the line. Fantasy books will help children’s imaginations. If someone’s kid brings home a book that they don’t approve of just have the kid take the book back and get another one. It’s not that big of a deal. The woman who is trying to make it the schools responsibility to keep their Muslim child from checking out Christmas and Christian books is also stepping over the line. That woman should tell their child the types of books that are appropriate for them. I don’t think we should stop banning but I think some of the things that they are trying to ban are ridiculous. Sometimes banning is needed. If someone tries to get a book that is very inappropriate submitted to a children’s library then it should be banned.
ReplyDeleteI personally do not agree with Author Ellen Hopkins. I believe that the kid should have the choice in what book he/she wants to read. No one should decide for you if a book is inappropriate or not. The reader should decide for themselves if the material is appropriate or not to them. If one reader thinks it is not appropriate, then they should stop reading the book. They should find a new book that interests and seems appropriate for them. If another reader thinks it is appropriate then they should continue reading the book. I believe readers have the right in what they want to read in a book.
ReplyDeleteOk lukasz kids should stick with their age group BUT they can also pick something more challanging!
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Nayeli because sometimes we do learn good things from books. Sometimes they even help us through life. Authors sometimes also write so we can connect to their life or to their story too.
ReplyDeleteI like to run and pee
ReplyDeleteLets go cool cat
ReplyDeleteTo ban a book is to turn one’s head to reality. We all tend to “ban” certain things in our life. One can personally ban anything that is not appealing to him. Parents to request to ban certain “edgy” books because they want their children to grow up with the ethics that had once been instilled in them and to have books that contradict that should be banned. Times are changing and with this change come a new sense of appropriateness in what one puts before their eyes. One does not question when a controversial show appears on a child programming station. Every parent has a responsibility for his / her child when they are young, and protecting them from ideas that contradicts their own is a concept every parent struggles with. That may lurk in books, may contain and banning books is a extreme, but effective way of insuring that strong imprinted values are not discarded. In the A School Librarian's Perspective article a Muslim woman wanted her son to be banned from reading books on Christmas. This was most likely brought upon by a fear that her son would stray away from his religion and become curious of other ideas. This article showed that sometimes it is necessary for a book to be banned. It is unethical to tell a mother what her child should learn, and banning books is a great way for parents to take charge of their Childs ethics. Although banning books is most likely frowned upon by most people , they must be informed that people who have different opinions than them have rights too.
ReplyDeleteCheese and Crackers shouldn't be banned
ReplyDeleteMeet me by the printer cool cat #2
ReplyDeleteI agree with what gabby said about Nayeli's comment. We do learn something from everybook, even if we dont need that information. That is what books were meant for....so someone can read it and they learn something..
ReplyDeletei agree with nayeli you do leaqrn lesson from books but what if its a bad lesson so thats why i think there should be a little restriction
ReplyDeleteI wish i was a monkey
ReplyDeletei agree issac chesse and crackers are good
ReplyDeletefuck
ReplyDeletei like to eat
ReplyDeleteThanks for using my article! Such a great and informed discussion. Way cool!
ReplyDeleteI think that people should be aloud read what ever they want to and that they don't need to be told that they may be too young or immature. If someone says that to you; it just means that they are rude and undermine you. If you read a book it will educate you about the topic so you can make more educated decisions in the near future.
ReplyDeleteI'd have to agree with Steven also. The school should not be aloud to decide what books you can or cannot read. It is an invasion of privacy and violation of the First Amendment.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the author Ellen Hopkins when she says that people should be able to decided for themselves what they want read.I believe that just because a book has swears in it or bad grammar doesn't mean that people shouldn't be able to read it. Sometimes using swears and bad grammar is the only way to express the mood and culture of the book. For instance the book The Adventures of Huckle Berry, the author Mark Twain uses southern slang to capture the mood of the time period and culture. When it comes to movies or TV i feel it should be regulated because movies and TV have visuals so if it is inappropriate it could be more scaring to a young kid. Like if a little kid saw the movie American History X it could affect the way they act towards others, or they wont understand the movie. Thats why there is ratings for movies, so little kids don't see movies that were made for adults. Since book are less graphic i believe that anyone should be able to read any book they want.
ReplyDeleteIt is not right for one person to decide what people can or cannot do, what to wear or what to think. I stand by this statement 100% because people have a mind of their own and they are capable of making their own decisions. However, there is a time where an individual can control the media. This section reminds me of Tiananmen Square in China back in the ‘70s or 80’s. A man carrying groceries stood up against several army tanks before being taken away by some other guy. Since then, China has banned everything and anything that has to do with it. It was seen in TIME magazine in America but China just brushed it off like nothing ever happened. China doesn’t its people to start thinking a certain way and exposed to that kind of behavior. This goes along with the book banning. The people that started the whole thing don’t want theirs or anyone’s children exposed to themes and ideas that are in those books. Overall, book banning is the biggest mistake they could make.
ReplyDeleteAll of us ban books in our own way. Some of us ban books by the title, the way it looks or who it's written by. I don’t think its right to literally ban books for other people because we would be missing out of a ton of great books. Of course I think it's wrong for little kids to be reading about violence or anything inappropriate for them just because they wouldn’t be able to fully understand it. I would get if your parents told you not to read a certain book when you’re young but when you’re older and you can comprehend what’s right and wrong for you, I think it’s up to you to read whatever you please. Books are a great way to learn something new, or to open your mind into something different.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think someone should have a say in what is right or wrong for us to read. I think it’s up to us to decide what is good for us. No one should have the power to ban books just because they think its right. I think that everyone should be able to read what they want because it’s their decision, they will know if they made a good or bad decision in reading a certain book. The only time someone would have to stop someone else in reading something is parents to their child. Only because children shouldn’t really be shown the full concept of anything that books offer. Children wouldn’t understand and parents should wait till they are older so they can realize what’s good and bad.
i am a chickenitting in a butt hole
ReplyDeleteI would have to disagree with the people who think certain books should be banned for two reasons: If there're certain books in school libraries that are not age appropriate for the students or don't fit into the school curriculum, then why are they in the library in the first place? Finally, if there're books that are considered to be "banned" then parents should talk to their kids on what books they should read and discuss the matter with the teachers at the school
ReplyDeleteI think books shouldn't be banned because of a mojority of reasons ,but only a few important easons i will discuss. Books shouldn't be banned because of the importance of futures reference. whether a book is bad or good (any reasons for both of those catgories) it can still be used in arguments in current or futre settings to debate or to explain what might be happening in an individual during a past or current time period.
ReplyDeleteI agree that no (one) person should be the decider of who should or who shouldn't read something. For one person to decide what someone should or shouldn't do. But, if a person with power for some reason thinks they are going to decide for people based on his concerns should absolutley try to do so.
ReplyDeleteI agree that no one should ban books. I dont think its right for one person or a group of people to decide which books the children should read or not. if a parents doesn't want their kid to read certain book then they should talk with the child not the school beacuse it cant forbid a child from reading a book. it's not right or fair to allow a child to not read a book because whether or not its a non-fiction or fantasy, books help out by furthing someones education. And by not allowing someone to pick up a book and reading itt, there allowing that child not to grow in reading.
ReplyDeleteSome ways “all of us ban” is by coming to an agreement of whether or not to ban whatever we are banning. But I think banning is sometimes necessary because if we stop banning, then there would be a lot of problems. For example if all of a sudden music was banned and no one could listen to it, people won’t have any entertainment in their lives and everything would be dull and boring, plus music brings a lot of joy to everyone around and it can make people learn something about the music they listen to or music other people listen to like music from different countries or different genre.
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