Preview

Censorship: Island V. Pico

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
970 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Censorship: Island V. Pico
My Sister’s Keeper Censorship
“The Discussion of Censorship”

Censorship has been going on for many years. The first place that book censorship has taken place ever since people have started to write books. One of the early reasons why books are censored was because some people didn’t like the religious views of the book. In an overview by Claire Mullally called banned books she said that Plato stated “ our first business will be to supervise the making of fables and legends; rejecting all which are unsatisfactory.”(12/16/10) The is one of the biggest things that had started books to be censored. Another way people would censor books in the early ages is by burning the books in the middle of town. The people who would burn the books the most
…show more content…
Pico is one of the biggest cases that have come out of censorship. This is one of the biggest cases because they show how the children in a school and the parents go head to head and try to ban a book or to keep the book at the school. This event took place in the public schools in New York in 1975. A group of parents called the Parents of New York United or for short “PONYU”(2001) formed a group to try and get a list of nine books banned from the school’s library. According to the article Island Trees Union Free School District Board of Education v. Pico 1982, some of the books that were banned were Slaughterhouse Five and Best Short Stories of Negro Writers.(2001) The reason why these specific titles were banned is because the books contained graphic descriptions of sexual actions. The student who was going against the parents was Steven A. Pico and some other students.(2001) Pico took the parents to court because he thought that it was going against the first amendment to get rid of the books. When Pico and the group of parents went to court they kept going back and forth on if they should allow the students to read the books or if they should take the books off the shelves. The decision that the court had agreed on is that removing the books from the public schools because of the things that they say or do in the books violated the Freedom of Speech. This decision was decided on June, 25, 1982.(2001) Clearly, this was one of the biggest cases of …show more content…
Pico. Censorship has been since people have started to write books. The main reason why books have been censored is because of the things that they say or mean in the books. Island Trees v. Pico showed the parents that they do not have the power to get rid of the books that are in the school's library. Jodi Picoult wrote the book My Sister’s Keeper and it has since become a very popular book. My Sister’s Keeper was one of the books that has been censored in schools because of things that they showed in the book. Clearly, books of all kinds have been censored to stop children from reading things that can hurt them is some

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Vocabulary.com describes censorship as blocking something from being read, heard, or seen. Aucklandlibraries.com describes a banned book as being prohibited from being published or circulated by a government authority. Many books have been banned or challenged. Some of the reasons for banning books is offensive language, sexual content, racial themes, religious content, alternative lifestyle, profanity, violence, negativety, and political views, people also say that books challenge and interrogate people. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, Jeannette tells you about her life story and how her family treated her and her siblings. In this novel, the family is always short on cash and food. They are always running away, Rex Walls (the father) runs from his problems. Their family is dysfunctional, the father is an alcoholic, the mother has a mental illness, and the children have no friends. This book would be banned becasue of all the profanity, strong sexual content, alcoholism, abuse, and child molestation. I disagree with the banning of…

    • 1208 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the book Fahrenheit 451 books have been banned in society by the government itself. If any books are seen they are to be burned and the owner of the book has to have his house burned also. Critical thinking and books has became such a threat to the equality. Knowledge was so dangerous, that’s how censorship came to be. Everything was limited of what you can do, almost everything having to do with books were censored for the society. Ray Bradbury was the author of the book Fahrenheit 451. The censors were private organization…

    • 137 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    One way dangerous censorship is displayed is through the setting of the book. This book is set in a dystopian society where all books are banned. Knowledge is power and this society doesn't want unequal amounts of power. Books are knowledge, so since they don't want knowledge…

    • 411 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Censorship happens all around us, even if most don’t realize it. People always think of it as some far off concept, something that only happens in dictatorships or in Communism, such as in North Korea, but as Fahrenheit 451…

    • 609 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “Censorship a Personal View,” Judy Blume connects the consequences academic censorship has on young adults with her own experiences. She recalled how censoring had increased dramatically, causing activists to protest in multiple education centers. Blume believes banning books from classrooms can decrease learning in real life situations. She recounted an experience with her own book being banned from children because it contained “explicit content”. Blume adds, she will continue to write to give students the right to books she was denied due to censorship.…

    • 152 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There could be many reasons why people have to need to censor, and it usually depends on the type of government a certain country has and the type of citizens they have. And by type I mean by their race, religion, what they are interested in, what they do as a career, etc. A good example of this situation could be the book “Fahrenheit 451”. Besides from comic books and pornography, every single type of books are censored, from the religious texts to the fiction chapter books. Although books are the main things that are censored from this society, but without books, many other things have changed. Things such as it is illegal to be a pedestrian because people don’t have time to drive slowly and stop for others, therefore people drive really fast and if someone is pedestrian, they could get run over.…

    • 763 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Beatty explains that the reason why books are banned is to keep everyone happy. Books grew to be considered bad because of “technology, mass exploitation, and minority pressure.” People were too impatient to read, no one wanted to be offended by anything or offend anyone else, and the thought and knowledge brought on by books made people different, and no one wanted to think they weren’t intelligent The world began to move quicker. People were impatient, and didn’t want to “waste” time reading; they preferred to have “the gag, the snap ending.” As people began to move quicker, they had less time to think deeply. People began to be more lazy, and didn’t want any more knowledge than they thought they needed. The population of the world grew,…

    • 185 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Connelly, Deborah S. "To Read Or Not To Read: Understanding Book Censorship." Community & Junior College Libraries 15.2 (2009): 83-90. ERIC. Web. 10 Nov. 2011.…

    • 642 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Censorship fears dissent. When someone challenges a book they are worried by the different, and new ideas that a book can cause to be created. When different ideas are formed, now opinions form as well, and so does dissent. It is the goal of censorship to eliminate this differentiation in thought. It was precisely this censorship that Ray Bradbury was looking at when he wrote Fahrenheit 451. He looked at what would happen if all books were banned, instead of just books that people found offensive. The result was a dark and oppressive society that was devoid of any free thought and new ideas besides those created by the presiding powers that controlled the media. Bradbury was writing about the future that he saw occurring based on the increasing…

    • 1910 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Almost four hundred years later, books are still being banned based on the fear of information. People of religious backgrounds question books which preach atheism, and fear for their religion. Parents question books which detail graphic or adult themes, for fear of their children’s innocence. Fear has been the primary motivator of literary outlawing for centuries, and it encroaches on our right to information to this very day. As Claire Mullally points out in her article ‘Banned…

    • 1004 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Table of Contents Censorship in American Public Schools; Two Examples: The Catcher in the Rye and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn I. II. Purpose Introduction a. A Brief History of Censorship b. First occurrence of censorship in America III. Censors a. Teachers as Censors b. Parents as Censors c. Librarians as Censors d. Effects of Censorship on Students IV. Censorship a. Reasons Books are Censored b. First Amendment and Free Speech V. VI. Censoring Two Classics Censorship of The Catcher in the Rye a. Language b. Sexuality c. Reasons to Teach VII. Censorship of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn a. Language 1 1 2 3 3 5 7 8 9 12 13 13 15 17 18 20 22 23 25…

    • 9094 Words
    • 37 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Catcher in the Rye. The Scarlet Letter. Huckleberry Finn. Harry Potter. The Diary of Anne Frank. Animal Farm. To Kill a Mockingbird. The Da Vinci Code. The Grapes of Wrath. These literary classics have been vital to the education of many, especially children and adolescents (Banned Books). These great novels both teach important values and educate children about world affairs and classic themes. Unfortunately, each of these novels has been banned at one point in time. In a country where freedom is so adamantly advocated, it is a wonder that an issue like censorship would even come up, that such a controversy would sink its claws into the minds of states’ boards of education across the nation. Censorship is a needless restriction placed on developing minds that need the morals and values that banned books can give.…

    • 1208 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Since written word has existed, it has been a target for censorship (Books, 1). Book banning is a problem in the United States still to this day. Hundreds of books are banned every year in the United States (Banned, 1). A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials (Cho, 1). To ban a book is to remove the materials completely. Books are banned or challenged to protect the children. Throughout history many different peoples and groups have attempted and will continue to challenge books, which they don’t agree with. Parents are the people who challenge books the most. Banned Books Week started in 1982. It is an annual celebration of the freedom to read and is held in the last two weeks of September. Banned Books Week focuses on efforts across the country…

    • 1487 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Books shouldnt be banned

    • 940 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees our right to free speech, which includes the right to read and write books that might be considered by some to be too violent, hateful, or offensive. Some people feel that schools, libraries, and governments should be the judge of what books are good. Others believe that kids or their parents should have the freedom to decide for themselves, and shouldn't have others' viewpoints imposed on them." How is an author supposed to do right to free speech if the people in charge can pick and choose what books they want kids to read? Banning books would take away from their right to free speech. The author's that is. They wrote the book expecting anybody to be able to read it. By banning a book you are taking away from what the first amendment was supposed to do. If a person wants to read the thoughts and mind of an author, they should have the right to, regardless if it's bad or not. I believe it's what best for them; we can't tell a child what is best for them if we haven't met them. Because this freedom is one of our rights as Americans, people feel that any form of censorship is wrong. Most people believe that people should be free to read whatever they choose. According to Carol Brey-Casiano, "Not every book is right for every person, but providing a wide range of reading choices is important for learning, and imagination. The abilities to read, speak,…

    • 940 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    High school is a time of new experiences and changes in a student’s life that help set them on a path to adulthood. The world is changing around these kids and they are coming into social issues they’ve never had to deal before. The issues like fitting in with the popular kids, getting that first date to the big school dance, or even their first high school party. These issues can overload a young teenager so they look to other sources for guidance. Most kids will go to their parents or teachers for help while others will look to upper classmen hoping to become more like them. While these are very black and white other students will look to the media for some sort of clear cut answer. While it seems like movies, television, and music seem to be the big driving force behind most high school students these days, another outlet is reading. Books based on real life social issues such as drugs, gangs, sexuality, religion, and many more questions are posed make them relatable to students of all ages. The problem with all of this is the parents and the school board members believe that students are too young to learn about these issues let alone form an opinion of their own. They are limiting students from finding some sort of light at the end of the dark tunnel that is their high school career. This is a classic form of censorship that is ever present in modern day society. Schools and parents banning certain literature in high schools damage a student’s ability to learn and grow.…

    • 5244 Words
    • 21 Pages
    Powerful Essays