As a future educator, the first amendment is a topic of controversy throughout many domains of the classroom and curriculum. The type of speech we allow in the classroom, the way we decide to talk to our students, and the regulations put forth by administration all fall under possible ways in which speech is conserved or limited. However, I want to focus specifically on the notion of banned books, in accordance with this weeks reading of Fahrenheit 451 and specifically being a preservice English Language Arts teacher. Banned books are always something that have peaked my interest, especially since I have read the majority of them. Just for reference, here are a few books included on the Banned Books list:
Captain Underpants - Dave Pilkey
The Hunger Games - Susanna Collins
To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee
The Hate U Give - Angie Thomas
It is obvious that there are certain books on this list that shouldn't really be shared in the classroom such as Fifty Shades of Grey, some of these other texts are much less obvious in their nature. Not only is this a sense of censorship but it also speaks on the speech of authors, teachers, and students. Many of these books are outlets for people to read, write, and connect with. I know when I was younger, I spent all of my time reading and much of that reading translated into my day to day life. So, when these books are taken from classrooms and library shelves, many ideas, concepts, and manners of speech are being hindered. Books such as The Hate U Give have powerful messages that resonate with many students and their sense of expression. To limit audience is to limit rhetoric.
My question though: is what limits (if any) can we put on these texts? They are so different in nature that it would be practically impossible to come up with a specific criteria for each book. Is it defined off of language, depictions, suggestive content, etc. or is it put under review by a committee? As we look at these texts, it almost seems illogical to exclude many of them from the classroom. Current or timeless classics, some of the books on this list are useful and beneficial texts to present to students and open them up to a wide range of ideas and language.
As educators, we don't always get to have a say on what texts we teach or have chosen into the curriculum. However, we can work to encourage students to work with diverse literature and to expand their knowledge and perspectives. While this will without a doubt come with its challenges, but to understand the limitations on these texts also includes and understanding of limitations of speech and ideas both inside and outside of the classroom. This also further calls into question the types of writing we can teach to students. Many teachers would love to incorporate more opportunities for expressive, creative writing. But this isn't taught in schools for a few years including standardized tests and college prep. However, it is also difficult to monitor and assess. Students often share more than they realize when given more lenient guidelines on reading and writing, or just assignments in general. So, if we limit texts in the class is it also right to limit the exploration of various types of writing or the expression of ideas within said texts?
To answer your question about the limitations of text and ideas within certain texts, I think it is all a matter of context. Of course, you wouldn't read "50 Shades of Grey" to 1st graders for example. However, a passage or two in a senior high school class setting, perhaps related to a health class, I do not see why certain passages could not be examined. If we can talk about the harshness of our history in history classes (like death and murderer) why can't we talk about sex? Diversity? Children and a certain point in time NEED good education on things! Banned books are definitely interesting to me, but at the end of the day I think it results to a matter of context sensitivity.
ReplyDeleteI thought the list of banned books was really interesting, so I did a little further research to find out why some of them have been banned. The Hunger Games, being a series I read in middle/high school and still love to this day, especially piqued my interest as it deals with themes like oppression. According to the American Library Association, THG was a challenged book because of its "language, insensitivity, violence, anti-family, anti-ethic, and satanic themes." These are some exaggerated accusations, the only somewhat valid reasoning I can see for banning it is that it does detail a group of literal children fighting to the death, which can be upsetting. But middle and high schoolers are aware of violent themes, especially (as Lauren points out in her comment) in their history classes--so it doesn't add up that this would be grounds to ban the book. Captain Underpants was banned due to "insensitivity" and the encouragement of rebelling against authority, while The Hate You Give was banned because it was "pervasively vulgar" and included drug use/profanity. Also, did you know that "Charlotte's Web" was once hotly banned in places like Kansas because talking animals were deemed satanic? It's interesting to think about how the ethical ideals that are in place work to censor texts more frequently than the government does.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting observation about this list of banned books is that most of the authors are women. I am prompted to consider how "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a banned book due to racial slurs and themes of sexual assaut, but how "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is an unquestionable part of the American literary canon despite using similar language. Many banned booked, such as Toni Morrison's "Beloved" or Alice Walker's "The Color Purple" deal with subject matter around womanhood, race, and the intersectionality of those identities that is necessary and vital to understand when cultivating empathy. Looking at this list and other lists of banned books, it is imperative to examine on what grounds a book is banned, and the content of the book in question. What voices are we trying to silence? And why?
ReplyDeleteI think the idea of banned books is interesting. I agree, to an extent, that some content is inappropriate for a certain age group (we should not be letting a five year old read "50 Shades of Gray"), but let's think about film for a second. If you look at the Disney franchise, there are hidden innuendos for the entertainment of the adults watching these films with their children. For example, when Buzz Lightyear sees Jessie rock the Hot Wheels track, his wings go "erect". Because of our development differences, some kids would know about this before others and that is where it becomes blurry as far as censorship goes. I believe education is key.
ReplyDelete