Premium Essay

Banning Books Research Paper

Submitted By
Words 1100
Pages 5
Did you know that, according to the American Library Association, over 11,300 books have been challenged or banned since the year 1982? Just from this one fact, you can tell that the banning of books and novels across America is a thing that has been happening for many years. Unfortunately, parents, boards, administrations, government representatives, patrons, pressure groups, and more, are all factors that push for the banning and dismissal of certain books that they find fault in. The banning of books is challenged in places like schools, school libraries, and public libraries, mainly the places that are accessible to by youth and adolescents. Represented by upset parents, government officials, and religious groups, this is an issue that …show more content…
While books can be challenged for any type of reasons by any group, the idea of obstructing justice and banning authors’ works should be considered unconstitutional and against the law. In 1788, the U.S. Constitution (also known as the Bill of Rights) was ratified, with the number one listed right being the freedom of speech and press. The freedom of press is defined in the dictionary as “the right to circulate opinions in print without censorship by the government.” This is exactly what is at stake when dealing with the issue of the bans and restrictions placed on both the authors and their content. When books are banned, it’s stating that just because somebody doesn’t approve of something, they are above everyone else, and should be able to make such a drastic call. This will then, in turn, affect more than just them and their standards, but also the people in the society around them. In 1966, Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart said, "Censorship reflects a society’s lack of confidence in itself. It is a hallmark of an authoritarian regime…” This statement by Stewart explains that when censorship is used in a place with government authority, there is a lack of respect between the content of the books (and what’s deemed as obscene) and the people. When government or people(s) interfere with the authors and the material in this manner, then they disrespect and oppose both society and the citizens who have the right to the content, and the freedom of speech and

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Book Banning Research Paper

...someone that you cannot read a certain book, you would ultimately want to read the book in spite of the person who had told you that you could not. However, what if you had no idea someone was preventing you from reading a certain book, and because of them you would never be exposed to the ideas that are presented in this book? This idea is not something that people consider as they go through the syllabus for their English class, or browse through their local library. Students, and residents of a town simply take what is presented in front of them instead of acknowledging that some books are likely missing. Lauren Myracle, an author who had a book that was facing removal has a really interesting viewpoint,...

Words: 1775 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Governmental Banning of Human Cloning Essay, Research

...Governmental Banning Of Human Cloning Essay, Research Paper A Solution to the Problem: Governmental Banning of Human Cloning Governmental Banning on human and organ cloning is posing a problem on those educated ones in academia. Researcher and scientist Dr. Ian Wilmut has successfully cloned a sheep, and has gathered from this experiment evidence that strongly proves that human and organ cloning could be performed ? safely and effectively. Unfortunately, our government has almost immediately banned such cloning in this country. Did they realize the benefits of such a discovery? Perhaps they simply believe that it is some sort of unethical, immoral experiment that is not beneficial to our society. Perhaps they should take a closer look at exactly what these researchers have derived from years of experimenting. In this paper, I will propose a possible plan to persuade our government to take another look at human and organ cloning. Many positive benefits could come out of this, and it is our responsibility, for the sake of a healthier future, to push policy makers to change their minds and loosen their grips on such a banning. Cloning of various organisms has been going on for years. This concept of cloning was conceived in 1938, but it was not until 1994 that a method using an embryo was used to clone a cow (Business Week). Much to many people?s surprise, the idea of cloning humans is not an aged concept. It is fairly new, but that hardly means that the amount, or rather...

Words: 1329 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Forever: an Overly Sexual Abomination or Coming of Age Novel?

...Abomination or Coming of Age Novel? The first amendment of the Constitution has given every American citizen the right practice freedom of speech. Yet and still, it seems that literary censorship, which is “the act of changing or suppressing speech or writing that is considered subversive of the common good,” (Merriam-Webster, 2012) has been more prevalent in the past 100 years than ever before. People all around the country have been affected by the parameters of censorship. Author Judy Blume once said when asked her opinion about it the topic, “It’s not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will never be written. The books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers.” (NMSU Library, n.d.). Blume, herself, is no stranger to censorship. Several of her writings have made ALA’s list of 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books. Her 1975 novel Forever was both challenged and banned in over 10 different states because of its descriptively sexual content, disobedience to parents, “lack of moral tone,” and use of profanity (Censorship & Judy Blume, n.d.). Forever is the story of two high school seniors, Katherine and Michael, and their journey throughout their relationship. The teens meet at a party and fall in love from there. Eventually, Katherine loses her virginity to Michael and they promise each other that they will last “forever.” They managed to keep this promise for a while until...

Words: 1438 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Analysis of Assault Weapon and Large-Capacity Magazine Bans

...Homicide Report and both clearly come to the same conclusion that from the time that the ban was put into effect, firearm homicide has decreased. As far as exactly how much of this decrease is accredited to the ban has been widely discussed but the policy cannot be both a failure and a success. Therefore the data will lead us to one evidence-based decision as to whether or not the ban was able to complete its intended purpose. Large-capacity magazines, listed as having the capability to carry more than 10 rounds of ammunition, were also banned because the less bullets one criminal has, than it is reasonable to believe that the less people he/she could harm. By banning assault weapons and large-capacity magazines, America had hoped homicide rates and the amount of these types of weapons would decrease. At the end of this paper, it will be clear as to whether or not policy makers were successful...

Words: 3922 - Pages: 16

Premium Essay

Students and Cell Phones

...GTechnology in a global society APPLIED RESEARCH (Students and cell phones) TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION 3-4 BODY School Emergencies 4 Reduced Emergencies 6 Staying Connected in a Time of Need 6 Unethical Usage 7 Cell Phone Abuse 8 Cell Phones in the Class Room 10 Limiting Student Use of Cell Phones 11 Short Term Solutions 11 CONCLUSION 12 REFERENCES 16 INTRODUCTION In modern society people rely on technology to stay connected and the cell phone is the most versatile way for them to do just that. Cell phones have become indispensable tools for far more than just making phone calls. They act as a mobile office, an Internet browsing device, a personal digital assistance, a calculator and more. The explosion of cell phone ownership in the last decade has presented a challenge for institutions of learning all over the United States. The concern has been raised that cell phones are disruptive to the students overall education. A district policy has not yet been standardized in all schools; while some allow them and implement an out of sight out of mind rule, others simply ban them from the campus. There was a time when parents would only buy a cell phone for their child to use during emergencies...

Words: 3816 - Pages: 16

Premium Essay

Violent Games

...Games: Single Benefit-Double Harm By Dan Nguyen Rhetoric Research Prof. Melody Heide 15 April 2013 One day, I visited a far relative; and when I came into the house, I was startled by the shouts of her kids, “Kill him,” “Die,” “Screw you!” Those kids were playing video games, and they were screaming bad words to each other’s face. I looked up to the screen and saw an extremely gory image of a violent game. I could tell the excitement on the kids’ faces, and when I greeted them, they did not even reply to me. That incident made me think about all the articles of how violent games affect children. Whereas school violence becomes more and more serious, violent games without close control from the government and families is one of the main reasons. Just because of a small contradiction, students can go straight to a fight, acting like some gangsters, and in the worst case, deathly accidents happen. Do violent games lead to violent behaviors? Do they have bad effects on children and society? Many people nowadays would reject those questions and provide various reasons to prove that violent games are good in general. If we take a look on both sides of the problem, video games are great products of entertainment technology that can bring some good effects, but in most of the cases, the bad effects infringe the good effects, especially for violent games, and that’s why we should limit children playing those by banning violent games for all minors in all states. Video games are...

Words: 2843 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Wikipedia Evaluation Research Paper

...Media course. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Timie Lee Harper, Department of Education, Online Studies, University of West Alabama, 100 US-11, Livingston, AL 35470. Contact: harpert1303@uwa.edu Abstract This paper evaluates Wikipedia and explores three published articles that discuss Wikipedia and its credibility. It also discusses ways it can be used in a school library setting as a tool to teach many useful resources such as how to find creditability information and cite sources....

Words: 794 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Yres

...CS 121 – Pathways to Academic Success Unit 4 Library Assignment - Worksheet Learning Objectives You will: * Be able to find and log in to the KU Online Library * Be knowledgeable about navigating the Library site * Be able to conduct a search in the KU Online Library and limit results * Know how to select a specific database within the Library * Be familiar with ways to contact a KU Librarian for assistance Directions * Save and submit this Microsoft Word 2010 document as directed by your instructor. Type all answers directly into this worksheet. Note: Questions to be answered are in purple. * Carefully read and follow instructions in order to answer the questions correctly. Activity Your name: ___________________________________________ PART 1 KU Online Library Basics There are two ways to access the KU Online Library. * If you are currently logged in to KU Campus, look for and click on the Library link under the My Studies tab. Look at the upper right corner of the screen and confirm that you are logged in to the Library (You should see the words You are logged in.). * Alternatively, for times when you are not logged in to KU Campus, you can open your Internet browser and go to the KU Online Library by typing http://library.kaplan.edu into the address line. Take a moment to bookmark, make a favorite, or create a shortcut to this page – you will want to return often! Look at the upper right corner of the screen. It...

Words: 1490 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

The Australian Road Rules

...THE AUSTRALIAN ROAD RULES – WHAT ARE THEY AND WHERE ARE THEY GOING? Ian W Shepherd and Fiona A Calvert National Road Transport Commission PO Box 13105 Law Courts MELBOURNE VIC 8010 “Motoring in Australia is daily taking on more of a national aspect by shedding its earlier parochial garb. Yet there are few fields in which legislative and regulatory inconsistency have freer play than in the Australian motoring world. At the moment a motorist passing from one State into another has to unlearn much of what he has learned in his own State and to learn a lot that is strange to him. This produces irritation – or worse - in the motor owner and motor driver, and tends to unnecessary costs of traffic administration (which the motorist usually has to pay for). It also adds to traffic dangers through ignorance or unfamiliarity with local conditions or practices on the part of drivers. Therefore, anything that can be done to lay down a national basis for motor traffic control must be of much practical value. Commonsense suggests that there should be uniformity instead of variety, and that the growing volume of interstate traffic requires a national instead of a local viewpoint in things common to traffic in all of the States. Were all motor vehicles kept within their own State boundaries, little disadvantage would arise from the present welter of confusing motor legislation, but when a system becomes national, a system (or lack of system) of arbitrarily...

Words: 3747 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

Internet Pornography

...Internet Pornography: Freedom of Press or Dangerous Influence? The topic of pornography is controversial many times because of the various definitions which each have different contexts. Is it nudity, sexual intercourse, art, or all of these? Is it magazines, videos, or pictures? For the purposes of this paper, pornography will be defined as any material that depicts erotic behavior and is intended to cause sexual excitement. With all of the arguments presented in this paper, it seems only a vague definition of this type can be applicable to all views on the subject. Pornography on the Internet has brought about difficulties pertaining to censorship. All of the arguments in this paper can be divided into one of two categories: those whose aim is to allow for an uncensored Internet, and those who wish to completely eliminate pornography from the Internet all together. All arguments for an uncensored Internet all cite the basic rights offree speech and press. While arguments in this paper are international, almost everyone of them cites the First Amendment of the United States. In many of the papers it is implied that the United States sets precedent for the rest of the world as far as laws governing the global world of the Internet. Paul F. Burton, an Information Science professor and researcher, gives many statistics showing that presence of pornography on the Internet is not necessarily a bad thing. He gives one example that shows that "47% of the 11,000" most...

Words: 4313 - Pages: 18

Free Essay

Green Life

...Research Paper Sara Lewis Dec. 03, 2013 Censorship of Poetry There are many debates and arguments on the topic of Censorship. However, in this essay, I will focus on only one; Censorship's importance in books and, more specifically, poetry. Some say, to protect our children, censorship is needed; cutting out overly violent and gory scenes and or sexual content, along with other inappropriate types of media, is very important in the lives of parents and children alike. Others, however, wish that censorship was not so strict. Censorship has removed content from schools that are considered necessary; classics like Tom Sawyer are in a dangerous spot, as is the works of DH Lawrence, because of this law that has control of what we see, hear, and expose ourselves to. In some cases, this law is useful; however, there are limits to what it can do. Censorship can go from simply trying to keep our media and content clean for our children, to full censorship and banning of books because of one simple word. Even though censorship is needed in most parts of the media to control the inappropriate content, it should not be used when it comes to scholastic content, especially books and poetry. Poets, especially, few this law as a ball and chain of sorts; not just poets, but artists, musicians, creators; all do not like it when one wrongly put word would mean the destruction of their whole work. But, when it comes to books, knowledge, and poetry, censorship should never be used. Censorship...

Words: 1650 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Drug Addiction

...drugs. Based on these findings, the study recommends police and customs control, family support, friends’ supports, prohibition of drug use, compulsory treatment of drug addicts as primary solution to reduce the rate of drug addiction.The study also recommends among others the need to organize awareness programmes in our campus to educate students that drugs can alter brain circuitry, which will affect their learning; and the university authorities to put in place severe disciplinary measures to stem the tide of drug abuse. Content: Chapter-1 Introduction 1.1. Introduction 1.2. Statement of the problem 1.3. Rationale of the study 1.4. Objectives Chapter-2 Literature review Chapter-3 Research Methodology 3.1 Types of Research 3.2 Area of the study 3.3 Sources of data 3.4...

Words: 6803 - Pages: 28

Premium Essay

Research Paper

...Abra Valley Colleges Bangued, Abra Research Paper Submitted to : G. Marquez “ The Effects of Jejemon Phenomenon in Language Proficiency ” Marso 20, 2013 DEDICATION This Research Paper is lovingly dedicated to our respective parents who have been our constant source of inspiration. They have given us the drive and discipline to tackle any task with enthusiasm and determination. Without their love and support this project would not have been made possible. Researchers ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Apart from the efforts of our self, the success of any project depends largely on the encouragement and guidelines of many others. We take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the people who have been instrumental in the successful of this project. We would like to show our greatest appreciation to Sir, Marquez, we can't say thank you enough for his tremendous support and help. We feel motivated and encouraged every time we attend his meeting. Without his encouragement and guidance this project would not have materialized. To God the father of all, we are thankful for the strength that keeps us standing and for the hope that keeps us believing that this study would be possible and more interesting. To our group mates who willingly helped us gather the necessary data and information needed for this study, we thank you. And lastly, we wanted to thank our families who inspired, encouraged and fully supported...

Words: 4224 - Pages: 17

Free Essay

Consumer Safety

...Congressional Actions on the Improvement Act * CRS Summary * Major Congressional Actions * Public Law 112-28 * Chronology CPSC Commissioners The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is an independent federal regulatory agency, which was established with the passage of the Consumer Product Safety Act in 1972, and began operating in 1973. The primary responsibilities of the CPSC were to protect the public from unreasonable risks of injury associated with consumer products. The CPSC also promotes the evaluation of consumer products for potential hazards, establishes uniform safety standards for consumer products, eases conflicting state and local regulations concerned with consumer safety, and selectively conducts research on potentially hazardous products. In a 1970 precursor study to the establishment of the CPSC, the National Commission on Product Safety’s Final Report (Final Report) was issued to the President and Congress. This report included extensive surveys – on product hazards, accident information systems, voluntary product standards, consumer education, the state of product safety law, the relationship between Federal law and State law, product safety policy in other countries – and also contained proposals for general product safety legislation, the core of which was to be the creation of a Federal Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The report concluded that not only was the American public being exposed to many unreasonably...

Words: 3784 - Pages: 16

Premium Essay

Psychology

...General Certificate of Education Advanced Subsidiary Examination June 2010 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Psychology (Specification A) Unit 2 PSYA2 Biological Psychology, Social Psychology and Individual Differences 9.00 am to 10.30 am Thursday 10 June 2010 You will need no other materials. 10 11 TOTAL Time allowed  1 hour 30 minutes Instructions  Use black ink or black ball-point pen.  Fill in the boxes at the top of this page.  Answer all questions.  You must answer the questions in the spaces provided. Do not write outside the box around each page or on blank pages.  Do all rough work in this book. Cross through any work you do not want to be marked.  If you need extra space for your answer(s), use the lined pages at the end of this book. Write the question number against your answer(s). Information  The marks for questions are shown in brackets.  The maximum mark for this paper is 72.  Question 3 should be answered in continuous prose. You may use the space provided to plan your answer. In Question 3, you will be marked on your ability to: – use good English – organise information clearly – use specialist vocabulary where appropriate. (Jun10psya201) G/T52601 6/6/6/ PSYA2 2 Section A Biological Psychology Answer all questions in the spaces provided. Do not write outside the box Total for this question: 6 marks 1 The following data show the results from a study into different strategies for coping with stress. 100 student volunteers were first given a talk about...

Words: 1237 - Pages: 5