Censorship 101

Is censorship keeping Americans from being free? Freedom of the press and freedom of speech are monitored to make sure nothing too extreme is released into the public. In a way, the government decides what it wants the citizens to have access to. Perhaps it is the government that has the total freedom, and the people have the choice of the watered-down leftovers of what is deemed fit for society. 

Americans have the freedom to read any book they want, right? Then why are books banned for containing racial slurs, excessive profanity, or explicit sexuality? All of that is freedom of speech and expression. While I do agree there is a time and place for such books, I do not believe they should be banned. I do, however, agree they do not belong in schools with children and young adults. At that age, you don’t necessarily understand the significants of such language or obscenities. 

Novels such as Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are censored so young readers can enjoy the story. I fully support that. However, students should also know that a lot of the book is censored to cover up the parts regarding slavery, and essentially, parts of the book were removed entirely. Children need to understand (maybe at a more mature age) that at the time of the book’s creation, that was a way of life. The book’s setting takes place in a Southern area along the Mississippi River. The book was published in the US in 1885, shortly after slavery was abolished. The themes and ideas were not seen as obscenities in the context of that time period. 

I believe censorship is an important part of keeping children protected from ideas they should not know about yet (i.e. violence, drug use, etc.), but I also believe that censorship should not compromise the value of a story the way the author intended it to be told. Our American rights should protect us from having our freedoms taken away; that should also include our right to know the true story of a book or poem, and not be forced to read a “safer” version of a piece of literature.