Censorship In Harry Potter

The American Library Association has always opposed censorship in libraries, and actively protests the banning of books (“ALA”). The ALA sponsor “Banned Books Week” every year, in an attempt to bring attention to the censorship of books across the United States. The ALA is firmly against the practice of banning, as Barbara Jones, the director of ALA’s office for Intellectual Freedom, said in this statement ‘Using threats to books to wage war on ideas that some may disagree with is offensive to the ALA, which embraces the diversity of our nation as one of our greatest strengths.”

There is a book out there that talks about a topic that you do not agree with. While you may find the book offensive, others may find it inspiring or a reflection of their life. These varying points of view are what often lead to people calling for a ban of a certain book in a school or public library. This brings to light a topic that impacts all of us in one way or another, censorship in the form of book bans. This leads to a topic that can be the center of debate for many, whether or not we should allow the censorship of books, or other forms of media, in our libraries. And by censoring books, we are referring to taking them off of the shelves. Of course, many people have strong opinions on this. Coincidentally, I also have an opinion. My opinion is that we should not censor books, while making you understand why the idea of censorship in our school and public libraries goes against the fundamental values and freedoms that we hold dearly as citizens of the United States.

The subject of censorship is a very controversial one, especially the banning of books. Many people believe they must protect themselves and others from the "evils" of many classic books and works of art because they can be deemed "indecent" in one way or another. Many believe that this is absurd and censorship in its current form is a violation of our First Amendment right to free speech. Personally, I align myself with the latter, however I do feel there are occasions where censorship is justifiable. The censorship of books is a division of censorship that, apart from Internet censorship, receives the most publicity. Banning books is the most popular form of such censorship. Many banned books are literary classics, such as The Catcher in

Many books have been challenged or censored during different places and time periods. For example, the earliest book censorship in America was done by the Puritans in the 1600s. Seven decades ago, the Nazi Regime censored and modified The Bible in order to create a version that suited their ideologies. Today, “10 percent of all books” are removed from the public view (“2016 Book”). Nearly “ninety-nine percent” of the books that are challenged are pulled, or essentially banned, from three locations that need it the most: “the public library, school, and school library” (“2016 Book”). These are the places where people obtain knowledge from and it would be a loss to libraries to have a book removed from their shelves. Right now, the two largest demographics that support censorship are “parents and patrons” (”2016 Book”). In the past, they have had an upper hand due to financial backing from patrons, people or organizations that commit to a cause. These supporters believe that censorship must exist to prevent harm towards readers. On the other

Censorship is a problem that has popped up throughout the world. “Censorship takes place anytime a book is removed from its intended audience” (Whelan). The banning and censoring of books puts a pall on the eyes of children and adults alike. Many novels have been banned and challenged, dredging up controversies that now plague the entire world. Carrie by Stephen King is a novel that was challenged by schools and libraries.

In addition, they believe that the content of the book could corrupt their kids’ moral sense. However, there are people that argue against the idea of censoring books in schools.

Some books contain extremely harmful information that can put lives at risk. Understandably, a guide detailing the step-by-step process of making a bomb could spell disaster in the wrong hands. However, this argument falls flat when you consider that most bookstores would never choose to carry books like this. As shown in Forensic Files, even the attempted purchase of a book like this is often discovered by the authorities There is no reason why this cannot be applied to libraries as well. Less shockingly, most others cling to the concept of moral decay. Some content is supposedly not fit for children, or even people of any age. However, a study hosted on the American Library Association website between the 90s and early 2000s shows that over than 2,000 cumulative book challenges were because of offensive language and sexually explicit content. A parent’s decision to censor their child from more mature themes, should not unfairly spell the same fate for their

If you dislike something, you should not force others to your will. Everybody should have an opportunity to evaluate the subject before making their own choices. Most people nowadays tends to have a positive impression of Fahrenheit 451.”Maybe that’s why, over sixty years late, people are still talking about Fahrenheit 451, and there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight.”(Brown 2) By having a chance to determine whether or not Fahrenheit 451 is appropriate for their taste, people get to experience what it is like due to having no restrictions on the book.

The information that children take in will shape their opinions about morals and values in society. In Fahrenheit 451, the reading of any book is made illegal; if one found out about another’s hidden stash of banned material, firemen would light the entire house on fire. The burning of books was extensively drilled into the society that a schedule evolved, which Montag explains to Clarisse. “Monday burn Millay, Wednesday Whitman, Friday Faulkner, burn 'em to ashes, then burn the ashes” (Bradbury 8). Even in modern day society, many schools and universities still ban books because they do not adhere to their teachings. According to the American Library Association (ALA), the top five most frequently challenged books to be banned in public libraries and public school libraries last year were: The Great Gatsby, The Catcher in the Rye, The Grapes of Wrath, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Color Purple (B). The authors of all of these books were similar to Bradbury. They questioned popular opinions at the time, and suggested opposing views that those in charge did not like. However, without these challenged views, Americans would never question those in power and would not allow themselves to create their own beliefs and

Without question, the banning of books has increased in public schools due to the complaints submitted by parents or school officials. According to the Butler University, these complaints range from it containing racial issues, violence, witchcraft, religious affiliations, age inappropriate and so forth (Libguides: Banned Books: Reasons For Banning Books). In short, the person reading the book does not agree with the theme or the context in which it is written because it does not concord with their own beliefs. When these reports are handled to the librarians the following is carried out, “… if a book is challenged, they might not know the process and will just remove the book. And no one talks about it. Censorship succeeds when there is silence.” (Why Are Books Banned? | TIME For Kids). This proves as to why it is a unchallenging process to remove books from the shelves. To illustrate, 15-year

Some parent’s argue that the book should be banned but their argument can be overturned. Parents continue to argue about the violence that the book has, but they soon are going to have to notice that the world is filled with violence and if you’re going to ban a book because of the PG-13 violence in the book you should think about what revolves around you every day. The opposition also argues that the book causes nightmares but without evidence that the book was the thing that cause the child to have the nightmare or was it something that your child seen on TV before bed or thought about we will never no because there’s no evidence the book caused the nightmare. Parents in the situation seem as if they want the best for child and try to avoid and hide their child from the violence but as they grow older there are going to be more harsh violence around them in the real world and the book I think is preparing and maturing them for the

Imagine discovering that you’re not an ordinary person, but a wizard with magnificent, magical powers. Imagine attending a school where you’ll study transfiguration and charms instead of trigonometry and chem. Imagine the thrill of flying across the sky on a broomstick. These adventures and many others are waiting to be experienced in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by novelist J. K. Rowling. This fanciful and entertaining tale has taken the youth of the nation by storm, and its sales have only been surpassed by the book’s sequels, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Book Banning Our world is slowly but surely living up to George Orwell’s preditctions in his book about a dystopian society, 1984. One of his predictions that is happening frequently in the United States is book banning. For example, the famous book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee that has been a standard book every high schooler reads has recently been challenged in multiple schools because of its racist profanity and its promotion of white supremecy.

Ray Bradbury once said, “There is more than one way to burn a book. And the world is full of people running about with lit matches.” Knowledge is power, and those who yearn for absolute power will execute anything to suppress the knowledge of those they try to control. In the book, Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury enforces this by showing the lengths society will attempt to reach the objective of eliminating the people’s knowledge. The positive impact of literature often goes farther unnoticed the longer time goes on. Fahrenheit 451 presents many parallels to our current society. Bradbury’s predictions of the future are heavily mirrored in reality.Censorship is common, and in a few forms, it is generally accepted. Lack of

J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, which have reached worldwide popularity have an effect on children has not been matched by any other book. The novels have encouraged children to read for entertainment instead of turning to television or video games. When a piece of literature inspires children as the Harry Potter novels do, limiting a child’s access to the novels seems ridiculous. Unfortunately, this is what is happening with Harry Potter. The books are challenged and banned in schools and libraries all over the world because parents contend that the content is unsuitable. The content, which revolves around a world full of wizardry and witchcraft, has some parents actively