Thank you for visiting my website. I have dedicated this website to the freedom of speech and the expansion of knowledge across America. Censorship is often a necessary tool for keeping order in a society, all freedoms must come with limitations to keep a country running successfully. I have confidence in the judgement of our education officials, and I am sure they had legitimate reaons for banning certain books. Some things are innapropriate for certain age levels. But Schools are a government organization, and I bleieve we should encourage students to read these books on their own, and decide for themsleves wether or not they are appropriate. By informing them of what is out there, we prevent some of the greates literary works from dying out, and failing to give the impact that they were created to give. Providing this information, and offering a choice, is my sole purpose in creating this website. For "The more extensive a man's knowlege of what has been done, the greater will be his power of knowing what to do." ~Benjamin Disreali.
Most things expressed in this website are a matter of personal opinon, but as you are reading it I would beg you to keep in mind the words of Voltaite, "I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend, to the death, your right to say it."
God bless America.
P.S-
I was actually rather suprsied to find that there are not many arguments in favor of censorship on the web, but I tried to find one for you, as it is imperative to analyze all sides of an issue to see it clearly.
Also, there are some books not appearing the ALA's 100 most frequently banned books list that I believe are extremely important works of Literature. Some of these are well know classics, and some are not widely known, but I believe they are important all the same.
They are as follows:
1) Madame Bovary (Flaubert)
Published in 1857, "Madame Bovary" was banned on sexual grounds. In the trial, Imperial Advocate Ernest Pinard said, "No gauze for him, no veils--he gives us nature in all her nudity and crudity."
2) The Scarlett Letter (Hawthrone)
Published in 1850, "The Scarlet Letter" was censored on social grounds. The book has been challenged under claims that it is "pornographic and obscene." Hawthorne is a particularly bleoved writer to me.
3)Uncle Tom's Cabin (Stowe)
Published in 1852, "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was controversial. It has been been banned for language concerns. It is an important book concerning issues of racial equality, and a great window into slavery, a dark period of American history that should not be forgotten.
4)Candide (Voltaire)
Published in 1759, "Candide" was banned by the Catholic Church. Bishop Etienne Antoine wrote: "We prohibit, under canonical law, the printing or sale of these books..."
5) Catch 22 (Heller)
Banned on issues of language and sexual content, this book portraying the life of a young soldier is an important book for everyone.
6)1984 (Orwell)
This book is an important exploration of the downfall of a sociaty where the government was given to much control. This novel studies human nature, it examines the psyche of both the oppressor and the oppressed.
7)Invisible Man (Ellison)
We rely, in this world, on the visual aspects of humanity as a means of learning who we are. This, Ralph Ellison argues convincingly, is a dangerous habit. A classic from the moment it first appeared in 1952, Invisible Man chronicles the travels of its narrator, a young, nameless black man, as he moves through the hellish levels of American intolerance and cultural blindness.
8) House of Breath (Goyen)
Banned for sexual content and language, this novel (first published in 1950) was reprinted in 1975 without the sexual content, diminidhing the books original intent and beauty. The book in its original form is a wondeful meditation on the nature of identity and origins.
9)As I Lay Dying (Faulkner)
By telling the story through the voices of several narrators, Faulkner provided deep observations of a Southern family's move to a new town and life. The book is not only compelling because of the story, but also because of the depth and richness of the characters.
10)Sophie's Choice (Styron)
Banned for language and sexual content, this book is an amazing heartfelt journey through the holocaust. It is the story of one woman, remembering her heartbreaking struggle for the life of herself and her two children in Nazi Germany.
11)Clockwork Orange (Burgess)
banned because of extreme violence portrayed throughout the book. This book started a cult of violence, but Burgess strongly renounces that as the books intention. It was meant as a story against the stupidity and waste violence causes.
Additional Resources
List Top 100 Banned Books
American Library Assosciation
National Coalition Against Censorship (anti-censorship argument)
A List Of Organizations For Censorship
