Book Banning in Public School Libraries Essay

Submitted By Andrew-Umana
Words: 1158
Pages: 5
Open Document
Book Banning in Public School Libraries
Music, films, art and literature all have different styles that are geared toward certain audiences. There a three audience types that tend to naturally occur– adults, teens, and children. Due to the age ranges, many of the works such as music, films and other forms of entertainment have age restrictions. Placing age requirements on certain things is generally a welcomed practice because people know that the minds of adolescents can be easily manipulated. Children can easily learn violent, sexual, and offensive behavior from movies, music, images, video games and literature. For almost all of these types of work, the government has placed laws to restrict younger age groups and the parents usually have the final say about permitting their child to partake in certain things. Someone should be able to regulate the literature a child has access to as well. Government organizations such as school boards should be able to control the books available in public school libraries, but not all parents will agree with school boards. So at the very least, parents should have the power to ban books from public school libraries if there are enough parents in agreement.
Ratings are found on all types of entertainment. Movies have ratings such as G (General Audiences), PG (Parental Guidance Suggested), PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned), R (Restricted) and NC-17 (No One Under 17 Admitted) that determine which age group is able to watch a film. As stated in legal documentation on the history of the motion picture rating system, “the creators of motion pictures undertake a responsibility to make available pertinent information about their pictures which will assist parents to fulfill their responsibilities” (Motion Pictures Rating System 1986). This is clearly stating that specifically parents should be informed about motion pictures. Music albums sold in stores can often be seen with a label on the front that reads “PARENTAL ADVISORY EXPLICIT CONTENT” that informs a buyer of explicit material. Video games also have ratings similar to movies that allow parents to be aware of the content a child will witness during gameplay. All of these ratings and restrictions are results of legalities causing the government to provide safety measurements, but in each of the situations the parents have the final say in what a child can do. A movie theater won’t admit a child for an R rated movie because of rules, but if a parent purchases a ticket for the child it is okay. It is the same way for purchasing music and video games. The only reason for these ratings is because it is known that they can affect the minds of children. With literature having the same capability of negatively influencing a child, parents should be able to control what their children read even if it means banning books from a school library.
There are many accounts of children committing violent, sexual, aggressive and offensive actions, and more than expected can be associated with entertainment and arts of the same nature. An article specifically on the impact of video games on adolescents stated, “they [video games] are a unique form of entertainment, because they encourage players to become a part of the game's script” (Norcia, “The Impact of Video Games”). When a child plays videos games they are invited to become the actual player in the game. All senses of reality flea and the player becomes the character in the video game soon enough. Through taking on a virtual form of body, children can forget their real life and become captivated entirely with the freedom of doing anything they want in a video game without any repercussions. The realistic settings of today’s video games don’t make this issue any better either. Nowadays, the best games are less and less arcade styled like old-fashioned Pac-Man and Galaga, and much more lifelike with human characters and insanely realistic graphics. How can a child not get confused when the games
Show More

Related Documents: Book Banning in Public School Libraries Essay

Pro Book Banning

experiences, and existence. Eventually, books became a huge part of the quest for knowledge. They were an easy way to store, transport, and consume large amounts of information before we had any electronic means. Even in modern days, books are still utilized for teaching and recreational purposes. Unfortunately, censorship comes with any convenient way to access information. Book banning has been implemented as a form of regulating access to content for many years. Book banning should no longer be practiced…

Words 1947 - Pages 8

Banning Books Should Be Banned

might be controversial, then why not eliminate it” (“Display Ideas for Banned Books Week”); that was one of the reasons behind banning the book Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown at an American high school. Book banning and censoring books has been occurring since as early as 399 BC when it was recorded that Socrates was forced to drink poison for spreading his ideas to his many students (Gould). Since then, book banning has been a continued form of censorship, and has often been supported by…

Words 1427 - Pages 6

Book Banning Research Paper

Book Banning vs. John Green Over time and history, myriad books have been banned as society constantly questions their contents and whether they should be allowed in public libraries for all to read. While people's cautiousness regarding books is understandable, it is unreasonable to ban these books in certain areas/places around the world or country because of personal beliefs or interests regarding what is good or bad. To be specific, those who fervently support banning books across the states…

Words 1488 - Pages 6

Against Book Banning Research

Book banning has been a controversial topic for a while and has come in and out of the spotlight. The banning of books happens because a group of people will agree that a book's material is controversial, offensive, or inappropriate. Then that group of people will fight to get the book banned. There are many reasons why a book might be banned, like religious views, moral values and many other things. This has sparked debates regarding the freedom of expression and the role of censorship in society…

Words 1187 - Pages 5

Annotated Bibliography: Common Reasons For Banning Books

Book Banning The American Association of School Administrators and the American Library Association define censorship as: “The removal, suppression, or restricted circulation of literary, artistic, or educational materials – of images, ideas, and information – on the grounds that these are morally or otherwise objectionable in light of standards applied by the censor.” This essay discusses why Public Libraries should ban books, Public libraries should ban books because it could improperly influence…

Words 479 - Pages 2

Book Bans

Perspectives on Book Bans in Schools Meagan Tran West Delaware High School ENG 105: Composition I Mrs. Gelwicks February 28, 2024. Perspectives on Book Bans in Schools Book banning in schools is a topic that elicits diverse perspectives among educators, parents, and policymakers. Stemming from historical instances of censorship and moral concerns, the practice of restricting certain books from educational settings continues to provoke discussion about intellectual freedom, educational value,…

Words 2294 - Pages 10

Argumentative Essay On Banning Books

should be able to write a book without the worries of someone trying to ban it. For decades, Americans have gotten books banned due to them finding the material outrages. So many books are removed from schools and libraries because society found it offensive. Books are banned for the smallest reasons, “Sometimes books are banned not because of what they say but because of something the author said or did” (“Library Censorship Is Not Justified” 2). The reader can ban a book if they did not like what…

Words 1104 - Pages 5

Banned Books Research Paper

2 Sp. 2024 Banned Books and Freedom of Speech Book banning has been a moral and legal issue throughout history. Books are a powerful information tool, but have also been used to harm society. Recently, there has been an increase in the number of books being banned in the United States. According to the American Library Association, the number of public library titles being challenged increased by 92 percent, and school libraries by 11 percent in 2023. (American Library) Books that are being challenged…

Words 1456 - Pages 6

Banned Books Research Paper

2024 Banned Books and Freedom of Speech Book banning has been a moral and legal issue throughout history. Books are a powerful information tool, but have also been used to hurt and harm society. Recently, there has been an increase in the amount of books being banned in the United States. According to the American Library Association, the number of public library titles being challenged increased by 92 percent, and school libraries by 11 percent in 2023. (American Library) Books that are being…

Words 1389 - Pages 6

Banning Books In Schools

Book banning is when a government or authority limits access to a book. This occurs mainly in schools and public libraries. Supporters of book banning claim that it can benefit librarians and parents by making them confident about a student’s book choices if there are only books that meet social standards. On the other hand, people who refuse to ban books in schools and libraries claim that book banning is a violation of the First Amendment, which grants people free speech. The books that are frequently…

Words 640 - Pages 3