Juliana Stilwell- Censoring Reality

Literature has been censored since people have been writing. Some of the books that we probably know that were or are censored are The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Beloved by Toni Morrison, and The Call of the Wild by Jack London. These three novels were censored because of their language, sexuality, and brutality. However, it is important that students are socialized with books that have violence in them. Children are going to deal or see violence all throughout their lives. It is better that they learn about violence at a young age in an educational environment, so that they know how to handle it when they see it. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn refers to African Americans in a derogatory way, but it is important that this novel stays in our schools; because it shows students how bad things use to be in the United States. They need to see how bad slavery used to be, so that they can respect those around them and make sure that we never slip back to treating each other like animals. Also, Beloved by Toni Morrison is about slavery and it is so important that students realize that America was not how it is now. In order for us to feel pride in how our society accepts one another’s differences, we need to know how bad things were before. Children are surrounded by sexuality and violence as soon as they turn the televisions on. However, books make students use their imaginations and think freely. Television just shows students images and forces their message upon them. It is important that students are able to read books that are referred to as “trashy” and “brutal” to others. Students need to be given the chance to read a novel and think for themselves. We need to give them the chance to read novels how they want and take from it what they want.