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Krissa Jackson

Mrs. Cramer

College Comp PD 2

20 November 2020

Sorcery, Sex, and Secrets: Sheltering Our Children

Imagine a scenario where you go to your school library in search of a book, instead to

find the PTA’s approved reading list. Gone are thought provoking books like To Kill a

Mockingbird or 1984. Due to their controversial nature these books can be and have been

censored. There is a long history of people trying to regulate the media that people absorb, from

the Hays Code to an annual book banning season; book banning is not only a gateway to more

authoritative policies, but limits children's learning based on waning taboos and prevents them

from being responsible enough to make their own opinions based on the information they read.

The taboos books have been banned because, scandalous topics that went outside of

societies strict norm, are now not incongruous in our current social climate. As Kim Garcia, a

novelist and screen writer, says in her article for UWIRE, “book banning and censorship is a

cycle of controversial issues through the decades.” In these modern and progressive times, the

waning taboos of yesterday have lost their shock. Subjects like queerness, sexuality, and open

criticism of war and rape culture, are no longer harrowing to the common reader. One could

assume that current controversial topics like witchcraft, sex, and “immorality”, will not be

stigmatized in the future as well. The use of these subjects in literature can even be credited for

the normalization of these issues. “Many of the books that are being banned challenge people to

have a better idea of the world and open the reader's eyes to a world different than their own
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lifestyle.” Being able to explore “uncanny” subjects can help a child be more open minded, and

end stigmatization. What is offensive is an objective opinion, and a short lived one in society,

limiting topics in literature will only set back our progress.

Censoring children’s reading can shelter them and limit their growth as students and people.

Students should be given the opportunity to explore all views and have the freedom to make their

own judgment, despite the obscene or offensive nature of the texts. “Access to offensive

information and offensive viewpoints is important to make ones own opinions and to criticize

them.” Students will need to learn the skill of analyzing media and deciding their stance on the

issue, limiting censorship is an easy avenue to this. “Banning books with sensitive topics takes

away the reader's chance to explore their own opinion on the subjects expressed in the novels; it

blocks off an entire thought process.” Censoring students will only restrict their potential. We

should be challenging the future generations to think critically, not shield them from the world.

As a well minded parent said to Dallas Morning News, “To ban books from schools is

banning educational aspects, imagination and creativity at the same time. Books open up worlds

that may or may not be similar to our current society. (Bertsch)” Our students should be given

the space and freedom to express themselves through reading. Not only will this encourage our

young readers to read more but will also influence how the act in the world. Imagination and

creativity are a hard thing to teach, and as such a valuable asset it should never be stifled. "These

books could have the potential to make some people uncomfortable, but our children need to be

exposed to different ideas and ways of life for others. We're doing a disservice to our students if

we don't broaden their minds and let them know more about the outside world. (Ringel) " By

teaching our students only a controlled way of thinking, we suppress their full potential. This is

important because freedom of expression and thought breeds innovation. The next generation of
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true revolutionaries, engineers, the next man to think of something astounding will not come

from censorship but from teachers and parents who let them explore and harness their creativity.

Therefore, lack of censorship is so vital to our student's education.