Censorship
at the High School Level
Censorship in the American high school system continues
to be an issue. A high school student should be able to read great modern novels
and famous literature in their school curriculum because this is where they are
supposed to learn, be inspired and create their own opinions. Curiosity is
inevitable in students. Censorship is supposedly used to “protect” these
students from reading inappropriate material. But, when this innate curiosity
in the students is ignored, they are being deprived of a natural and important trait.
These students will lose out on being educated on the realities of the world. Parental
control over what a child can read, and the hunger of teachers to encourage
their students to read and come up with their own thoughts and ideas have large
impacts on the issue of censorship in high school. The controversial topics in
banned books that envelope students, teachers, and parents are all important
aspects in the subject of censorship too, such as sex and violence. Censorship
impedes intellectual and emotional growth in students, making it undoubtedly
beneficial.
Parents love their children and feel the need to protect
them from negativity and bad influences. But, in order to allow these students
to understand the world around, literature in necessary. Literature dive into
the issues, struggles, joys, and truths of the world. To learn about this is to
grow closer to understanding how people live and adapt to the societal nature of
life. In, “School Censorship and the Null Curriculum”, Stephen Tedesco, a EdD
candidate at the University of Calgary, Alberta, states that despite the possibility
of parental anger, he believes that, “banning literature such as, Harry Potter,” will eliminate the
opportunity for students to experience pop culture to its complete degree
(Tedesco 59). Harry Potter has become an extremely successful book and movie
series that not only teaches of heroes and good vs. evil, but friendship and
courage. It is an inspiration story that, although not perfect, is worth
exposing to high school students who want to be inspired. Pop culture is in a
constant circle of conversation. Everyone has something to say about what goes
on in our culture. Tedesco makes a bold point by expressing his belief that
angry parents should not stop students from learning more about every day news
in pop culture. Another point, from Boyd and Bailey’s article, “Censorship in
Three Metaphors”, declares that although parents, “have the right to demand
that their child not read a particular book”, they do not possess the authority
to say, “that an entire classroom, school or district should not read a
particular book...” (Boyd and Bailey 655). This effectively asserts the fact
that parents have a say in what their children are exposed to, but not a say in
what a whole group of high school students are allowed to read. In order for
students to grow in intellect and knowledge of literature, parental control
must be evaluated in hopes for students to be allowed to read all suggested literature,
no matter the controversial content.
The desire for high school students to be engaged and
active learners is what makes a great teacher “great”. Students need to be
challenged and encouraged to read controversial books so that they can, once
again, learn about the world around them and form logical and informed
judgements for themselves. These abilities are necessary for students to grow
and shape into intelligent adults. Tedesco’s article, “School Censorship and
the Null Curriculum”, states the belief that students don’t comprehend the
significance of becoming an active and determined citizen because they are
exposed to the process in which we learn not to question, but to follow along (Tedesco
58). This statement clarifies social behavior encouraged of these students to comply
with what is told to them and what is expected of them. This behavior isn’t
healthy and can decrease the opportunity for a student to learn. Teachers need
to encourage a sense of individuality so that the window to learn is as large
as it possibly can be. Teachers must help enable students to think for
themselves, and literature is a great way to aid this activity through thought
provoking content. Speaking of teachers and their ability to help and encourage
intellectual discovery in their students, this next excerpt discusses the
authority teachers have over their curriculum and the messages it can teach. In
“The Representation of Violence in Young Adult Literature”, V. M Simandan
expresses the belief that teachers hold true power in the life of young
students. She does this with her thought that declares that teachers are capable
of using young adult literature to go over ethical likelihoods. It is also said
that introducing stories from different kinds of people can help students turn
out to be caring citizens (237). This emphasizes that exposing literature to
students at the high school level can result in positive learning and character
building. It also states that learning from different authors with different
experiences will help students grow in their emotional and social journey, not
just their intellectual journey. Teachers must take this opportunity to use the
content of literature to discuss moral life choices and damaging consequences
of negative decision making. Teachers can come up with creative ways to help
students better understand the controversial issues our world faces. For
example, Robert C Hanna, a teacher from Gaston Day School in Gastonia, North
Carolina, talks about how he assigns a paper about censorship to his
upperclassman in the reading, “Researching Censorship”. He encourages his
students to find a novel that has been forbidden from the curriculum in the
past decade and challenge themselves to find out why the book is under scrutiny
and in their opinion, if it should be banned from schools (89). This assignment
exemplifies the desire for teachers to encourage students to research and
educate themselves in controversial literature, and censorship itself. It is extremely
possible that students are capable of reading controversial texts and becoming
better people, in all aspects of life, for it. The teachers that inspire growth
will help to create the imaginative and intelligent students of our generation
and generations to come.
The topics that cause novels to be censored or banned from
schools include controversial issues in teen life, such as sex. Sexual scenes
in novels tend to cause a stir with a lot of people. Revealing sex to the youth
of the world can be construed as a negative thing, but due to the positive insight
students can develop through reading controversial literature, that doesn’t
have to be the case. There are ways to educate students and make them aware of
sex. One way being to form a group at a local library to inform, which is what
libarians, Mary Jo Heller and Aarene Storms, did. They discuss it in the article,
“Sex in the Library”, which is a program where librarians take it upon themselves
to educate teenagers, parents, teachers and others about sex in young adult
literature through their workshop entitled, “Sex in the Library”. (Heller and
Storms 22) This topic has become such a controversial topic that programs, such
as this, are starting to be formed in order to educate young adult students
about the topic of sex in the books they are reading, rather than telling them
not to read them at all. Jen Denzin’s work entitled, “Boundaries of
Contemporary Literature: The Role of Censorship and Choice” talks about the
topic of sex in literature. She states that students are “drawn to sexual
content” and that when a new piece of literature involving sex comes into the
media, students will want to read it. She compares this to preteens wanting to
read Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s
Me, Margaret. (Denzin) Just like Judy Blume novels, young adult novels that
include sexual activity or only refer to sexual instances can be seen as too
mature for its intended audience. The
passage also helps to show that as teenagers grow older, they will be naturally
curious and interested in sex. With this being said, it must be remembered that
sex occurs in between high school students all over the world. It is important
for them to stay informed and knowledgeable about the facts of the actual
physical act, but also be aware of the emotional toll it can take on a young
person. This aspect is often seen in books targeted for young adult readers.
Another serious aspect of
censorship is the discussion of violence in literature. The fear includes
children and young adults finding inspiration to attack a classmate or a bully
with physical violence due to the violent presence of people in the media,
television, and books. In some instances, a novel may touch upon serious
issues, such as rape, which includes the violent and sexual aspects being
discussed, in hopes of informing and persuading teenagers to be awathat this
horrible act is happening to people. In “Monstrous Acts: Problematizing
Violence”, the novel, “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson is discussed. In the
book, an older boy at a party rapes a young girl resulting in her calling the
police, busting the party, and being shunned by her classmates and so-called “friends”.
The author of “Monstrous Acts: Problematizing Violence” states that, “The
structural-cultural level of violence is evident in the way Melinda
internalizes guilt, even though she is the victim of crime” (Franzak, Noll
669). Throughout the book, she is able to gain the courage and strength through
the help of people who truly listen to her, and tells the story of what happens
to her. This book, although it does contain serious issues of sexual violence,
is intended for the youth of America. It is used to keep them aware of the
signs that one of your peers may have gone through something dramatic, and it
instills the fact that no matter how young you are or how victimized you feel,
everyone has a voice. Divulging this kind of negativity and evil that comes
with violence will allow them to ask themselves the more thoughtful and serious
questions of life. To further explain the sense that reading about violence
will cause high school students to think more about life and what it entails, “The
Representation of Violence in Young Adult Literature”, says that when teenagers
read about issues of violence, they are more likely to, “reflect on the events
rather than just simply react” (Simandan 244). This goes along with fictional
literature, as well as real issues facing the world today. Young adults will
not be sheltered from the horrors of life, such as the Columbine massacre or September
11th attacks. Learning about these events help young people to
experience empathy and understand the hate and violence that is sadly, but
constantly present in the world. With this being the case, these students
should read young adult literature containing violence in order to be able to
reflect and discuss the negativities that violence involves. Violence is a
continuous part of life. Young adults need to be able to read about this issue
so that they can grow in knowledge and awareness. These traits will help
students with their overall comprehension of the issue.
In conclusion, censorship
is a controversial issue that faces parents, teachers, and children and will
continue to do so. Parents will continue to try and censor what their children
are being exposed to, yet they must begin to see the good in the controversial
topics in helping their children grow in intelligence. Teachers will always try
and encourage their students to learn and form their own outlook on great
literature and serious social topics. This will help to encourage educated and
thoughtful ideas and opinions in a controlled, teacher-student, discussion
friendly environment. Also, the problems discussed in literature, such as sex
and violence, will forever be written about by authors who want to inform and
enlighten the youth of the country. Therefore, students can continue to read
the books that are under debate for being censored or banned. Through their
controversial nature, they can make a difference in high school student’s lives.
Works
Cited
B.
Boyd, Fenice, and Nancy M. Bailey. “Censorship in Three Metaphors”. Journal of Adolescent & Adult
Literacy 52.8. (2009): 655. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
C.
Hanna, Robert. “Researching Censorship”. English
Journal 82.4. (1993): 89. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
Denzin,
Jen. “Boundaries for Contemporary Literature: The Role of Censorship and Choice”.
Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 57.1. (2013): n. pag. Web. 30 Apr.
2015.
Franzak,
Judith, and Elizabeth Noll. “Monstrous Acts: Problematizing Violence in Young
Adult Literature”. Journal of
Adolescent & Adult Literacy 49.8. (2006): 669. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
Heller,
Mary Jo, Aarene Storms. “Sex in the Library: A Guide to Sexual Content in Teen
Literature”. E L Kurdyla Publishing
LLC. 2013. Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
Simandan,
V. M. “The Representation of Violence in Young Adult Literature”. Journal Plus Education 7.1. (2011): 237-244.
Web. 30 Apr. 2015.
Tedesco,
Stephen. “School Censorship and the Null Curriculum”. 18.4. (2009): 58-59. Web.
30 Apr. 2015.
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