Why Do Governments and Schools Censor Books?
In the later half of the twentieth century many books were banned and censored; banned and censored books are a rarity now. It is in fact less common to come across a book you are not allowed to read and when you do come across a censored book it's usually banned or challenged by a school. This raises. the question; what motivates governments and schools to censor books? Especially fascinating books such as The Great Gatsby, The Diary of a Young Girl, and To Kill a Mockingbird. In the summer of 1924 F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby, an enchanting novel about the disillusions of America after war and the immoral ways of a society obsessed with wealth and status. This novel ventures into the controversial aspects of cheating, violence and drugs. The Baptist College in Charleston, SC challenged this book in 1987 due to bad language and sexual references. This may have been to shield the students of the Baptist College from immoral messages this novel may portray. Reasons like this were very common when governments or schools wanted to censor books. Young Anne Frank left her diary and her heart when she passed away in June 1945. Her surviving father then edited the diary. This version then became well-known around the world as The Diary of a Young Girl; the heartwarming story of a girl during the Holocaust and her experiences while hiding in the Secret Annex. This story explores forbidden love, hatred and jealousy among the two families living together. There were also numerous references to Hitler and the Nazi's, as well as strong opinions on other political parties. Culpeper Public Schools in Virginia banned this book due to sexually explicit material and homosexual themes. It is very surprising that they weren't worried about references to the Holocaust. This shows what motivates governments and schools. may not be what you expect. To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee is a charming novel about two young siblings and their journey