Banned books express ‘freedom of choice,
Every year since 1982, Banned Books Week has been observed during the last week in September. The American Library Association (ALA) and several cosponsors have been working to make Banned Books Week a form of enlightenment.
This week will not just inform people of what books make the list or do not, but it will also encourage them to stand up for their right to free speech.
“Banned Books Week gives everyone a chance to read something that may be viewed as inappropriate,” said GCSU freshman Jackie Braer.
“It allows us to see what others in the past felt, and why they chose to ban certain books,” Braer said.
He added that while Americans do have the right to free speech, they are in no way being forced to read everything that is out there.
Freshman Katie Dunn expressed similar feelings on the subject.
“I do not believe in banning books,” said Dunn, a psychology major. “I think that if you do not want to read it, don’t.”
According to the ALA , this is a week that “celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion,” even if one’s opinion does not agree with the norms of today’s society.
Expressing one’s own opinion is what the ALA considers to be an intellectual freedom. The association believes that this form of freedom can only survive if the following two conditions are fulfilled.
First, “all individuals must have the right to have any belief on any subject, and convey these ideas in any form they deem appropriate.”
Secondly, the Intellectual Freedom Manual states that “society must make an equal commitment to the right of unrestricted access to information and ideas regardless of the communication medium used, the content of work, and the viewpoints of both the author and receiver of information.”
Once intellectual freedom is obtained, people begin to develop new concepts and ideas that can benefit the future. People begin to think outside the box of what is considered socially acceptable.
While it seems that Banned Books Week is pushing Americans to stand up for their freedom, critics question the ALA’s motives.
Critics ask why this movement is not called “Challenged Book Week, since the majority of the books are not banned, only challenged.”
The ALA responds to critics by stating, Banned Books Week has more than one sponsor, and the name can only change if everyone is in agreement; however, no sponsor feels the need for a name change.
While this response is not appeasing to critics, the ALA also reveals that they believe “a challenge is an attempt to ban or restrict materials.”
With critics still unsatisfied with the answers given, Banned Books Week continues to “teach the importance of the First Amendment,” which speaks about the freedom of speech or of the press.
A few of the books making “The Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2006,” are new to the list, but some have made the list quite a few times. Old to the list are Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” and “The Bluest Eye,” which are challenged due to sexual content and offensive language.
Taking the number one spot is “And Tango Makes Three,” by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell for the use of homosexuality and anti-family content. No longer in the top 10, but still in the top 100 were “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck and “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain.
However, the most talked about book that made the list seems to be “Gossip Girls,” which is a series by Cecily Von Ziegesar. This series is being challenged because of the use of homosexual, sexual, anti-family and offensive language content.
“If we are going to ban books, we should ban freedom of speech; if we ban freedom of speech, we should live in a dictatorship,” Dunn said.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Oct 12 2007. Filed under News.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
