Banned Books
One would not think books to be a controversial topic, but since the mid-nineteenth century book censorship has been present in the United States. Reasons for banning books includes the presence of witchcraft, violence, racial issues, sexually explicit content, and religious and political views all present within the book. Now, I believe that books should not be banned starting with the fact that banned books, goes against the First Amendment, freedom of speech. Books should not be banned just because sone parents don't like real-world content within books.
Of course, parents want to censor the books children read because of the negativity that may be present. Children may read such dark content present in banned books and be brought down and sadden by what has occurred. Adults also find that many banned books just aren't appropriate for the age group they are intended for.
Negativity in banned books should not be a big problem because kids should be able to view the world as it actually is and if they can't handle it, then the child. and only that child, is unprepared to read that type of dark and tragic content.
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank is a banned book because of it's negative, explicit, and dark content. The famous Harry Potter series is also banned for it's presence of witchcraft, while classic To Kill a Mockingbird is banned for racial slurs and issues present.
Books are some of the best teachers we have and a fun and easy way to show and teach child and adult alike about the world. Books like The Feminine Mystique was a spark that ignited second-wave feminism, and Gone with the Wind and Catch-22 have been known to have helped shape our heritage.
I believe that a simple solution to these banned books, is to not ban them at all. If a certain person can not understand or handle the content within the books, then they should decide for themselves if they want to read banned books or not. Parents should not try and ban books simply because they dislike the content within it.
If adult who don't want their child to read these banned books, them they can personally tell their child to wait until they are older, or of the appropriate age to read said book. No one should be telling others what they can or not read, but parents have the privilege to control their kids reading habits to an extent.
Also, if parents are simply trying to protect their child from mature content and offensive language, their mission is in vain. With the rise in media, children are less likely to not be exposed to darker content of the Internet. There is no way to fully and completely protect a child, or anyone for that matter, the reality of things. If anything, letting the child discover the reality of the world through a gentle book is better than the dark caves of the media.
In conclusion, books should not be banned simply because the content is disliked by others who don't understand that the gravity of the content should not be taken lightly. Everyone should make their own choice about what they read and see. No one has that other right but ourselves.
