The Pros And Cons Of Banning Books

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There have been countless heated debates about whether or not books should or should not be banned. Parents argue that some book content may be too graphic for children. For example, many parents are uncomfortable with a book’s usage of profanity or pornographic instances. Others argue that these protective parents are shielding children too much from real world reality . Although banning books was significant in history, in recent years the decision of whether or not a book should be read rests solely in the hands of the parents, where it pertains only to their own child. The Constitution of the United States of America helps prohibit government interference with freedom of expression in writing. Furthermore, there have been significant supreme…show more content…
Issues such as rape, suicide, and mental health are controversial subjects that are hard for most people to talk about, especially with their children. However, certain books discuss these topics, allowing for a window of opportunity for parents and teachers alike to have mature conversations about the issues. If the book with controversial content is banned for all children, then no child would have the opportunity to learn about these issues. The book One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest has a passage where McMurphy was charged with the statutory rape of a fifteen year old girl (Kesey, Pg. 45). This passage can be helpful to teaching young boys and girls about the dangers of engaging in relationships with older individuals, or about the negative intentions of these adults. Suicide is another controversial issue. In One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest a patient named Rowler was on the Disturbed Ward and ended up committing suicide because he could not wait any longer to get out (Kesey, Pg. 129). This passage can bring up discussions about both suicide and the mistreatment in mental hospitals. Suicide is a symptom common to several mental illnesses and mental illness impacts many people. Understanding suicide and the symptoms that make people suicidal would be important to children experiencing suicidal thoughts and may encourage them to either understand they are not alone or seek help prior to taking any sort of suicidal action. In another passage from One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest described nurses were shoving food down the throats of patients that could not help themselves, and the nurses were cursing at these patients saying , “ I can’t tell no more if I’m feeding bacon puree or chunks of his own fuckin’ tongue,” (Kesey, Pg. 33). In order to prevent such abuse from occurring children need to

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