Banning Books Essays - Book Censorship In The United States

Banning Books Banning Books Our freedom is under attack! Censorship is clearly an attack on our freedom. There are a number of books that are banned or challenged that are great books, such as The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. These books are classics. Banning these books robs students of great literature. Censorship of books in secondary schools should not be allowed. The list of books that have been banned completely in many schools across the nation is expansive, and so are the reasons that parents and schoolboards give for banning these books. Advocates of literary censorship say that it's best for the students. Opponents say that it is detrimental to the educational system. The students have mixed emotions. Literary censorship at the secondary school level is indeed very widespread. One of the most controversial books is Huckleberry Finn, which is currently under fire by the Pennsylvania Chapter of the NAACP because it contains the word ?nigger? 39 times in the first 35 pages. They feel that the liberal use of such a derogatory word is detrimental to the self-esteem of young African-American children. The NAACP says that they want the book removed from required-reading lists, but they are not out to censor it (Campbell, par. 4). Large groups such as the NAACP are not the only people pushing for Huckleberry Finn's banning in America's schools. Small groups of parents have protested the book's status as required reading in their children's schools because of its language. Huckleberry Finn isn't the only book targeted by parents. Another frequently challenged book is Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. This book was handed out at an Irvine, California, middle school in 1992 with profane words such as ?damn? and ?hell? blocked out. Students wrote to Bradbury describing the situation and pointing out the irony that a book about the evils of censorship had to be censored before they could read it. The books were soon replaced with uncensored ones (Campbell, par. 27). The Catcher in the Rye was challenged in several school districts nationwide because of the liberal use of slang and obscene words that author J.D. Sallinger used to make the book more realistic. Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird has been banned in several secondary schools for containing racist slurs. Some readers felt that the book portrayed Negroes as barbarians and criminals. The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare was banned in a secondary school in Midland, Michigan, because a small group of parents felt that the character Shylock projected a negative image of Jews. Another Shakespeare classic, Twelfth Night, was banned in Merrimak, NH schools in 1996 after a prohibition of alternative lifestyle instruction act was passed by the school board. Other Shakespearean works have been challenged in various schools in America because parents and administrators felt that some characters project a homosexual image (Banned, par.7). Every person who is involved in debate over literary censorship believes that he or she is doing the right thing for the students. The advocates of literary censorship believe that exposing children to such material as Huckleberry Finn in high school will contaminate their minds with racist garbage at a time in their lives when they are searching for things to believe in. Opponents see the banning of Huckleberry Finn in many schools a form of censorship that will teach children that speaking their minds is not a good thing to do (Campbell, par. 8). However, the debate over literary censorship in schools is not a debate over whether or not literature should be censored at all. Most parents, teachers, and administrators would agree that censorship is necessary to maintain a good environment for learning. The debate is over whether or not to draw the line at Huckleberry Finn. If the book was good twenty years ago, then why all of a sudden is it not good for students to read anymore? Peo ple read the book before and they are doing just fine. If the book can stand the test of time, then it must have some value to it. Even people who consider themselves the most avid opponents of literary censorship in schools would agree that pornography

buy custom Internet and the Social Skills of Teenagers essay

buy custom Internet and the Social Skills of Teenagers essay Internet use is very vital in the current life (Valenti, Lacovelli, 2009). It has an enormous store of information that can be used by different people. Most parents encourage their offspring to use it in order to learn new information. This is because they believe that their children can be educated through the information that is available in the Internet. This has led to a large reliance on the Internet by many teenagers. However, the parents have never perceived the negative effects of the Internet dependence. Though being very informative, the Internet has very many challenges for the teenagers (Romer, 2011). The research paper explores the effect of the Internet addiction on the social skills of the adolescents. This is achieved in two major ways. There is an analysis of the relationship between the Internet addiction, and the attention deficit and the hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, social phobia, and hostility (Cheng, 2007). Sex differences among the adolescents are also evaluated before a conclusion is made. Internet addiction results to ADHD symptoms. It is one of the most common psychiatric disorders. This is a mental disorder that is characterized by an increased sensitivity to get reward. Teenagers with this problem normally derive their satisfaction from the Internet only. They have a feeling of controlling what is around them (Romer, 2011) ADHD victims are also notorious of fighting for freedom of self- expression. It is reported that adolescents who play more console or Internet video games have higher level of the ADHD symptoms. Depression is another effect of the Internet dependence. It is a situation where someone resorts to an activity that is highly affective to his or her behavior, thoughts, and feelings (Lebow et. al., 2011). The teenagers adjust their emotional condition by the use of the Internet. They are convinced that the use of the Internet is less harmful, and more available than some of the illegal substances. The results presented in the Cyber Psychology Behavior journal shows that adolescents with the Internet addiction have higher depressive levels. These youths feel imperfect in their real life. They try to hide this truth using the Internet. They believe that they can get positive feeling, and control of pleasure from others through the Internet (Whang, 2003). Social phobia is yet another effect of the Internet addiction on teenagers. This is a state of intense panic of social situations. It is usually accompanied by the fear of being evaluated by other people. The study revealed that the teenagers, who heavily depended on the Internet, had social anxiety. The adolescents find themselves hiding more and more in the cyber surfing, than being with the other people. This is because they fear that they may bee scrutinized by the public. Hostility is a major social effect of the Internet addiction. It is an internal angry rejection of the reality. It involves the thoughts and ideologies, which are not in line with the human life or norms. This disorder is characterized by conflict, rejection, and tension. The teenagers with high level of hostility often engage in interpersonal conflicts, and denial (Valenti, Lacovelli, 2009). In most cases they do not have means for self expression. They therefore resort to the use of the Internet in order to escape from stress, and reality of life. This is very risky, and the social skills of such teenagers are spoiled. In comparison, the Internet addiction differs for both the male and female. Male adolescents with high hostility need much more proper attention and patience in preventive measures, than their female counterparts do. The study also shows that male teenagers are more likely to have Internet addiction than the females, even if there are controls. This is because the females are under closer family supervisions, than the males are (Yen, 2007). In conclusion, the paper has evaluated the major effects of the Internet addiction on the social skills of teenagers. It has also shown that male teenagers are more vulnerable to the threat, than females. Corrective measures are required in order to help the teenagers live in the real world. Buy custom Internet and the Social Skills of Teenagers essay