First Amendment Banned Books Essay

The authors' opinions are frequently reflected in child fiction works, which is why they are criticized. When a figure of authority takes steps to prevent the reading of a book or portions of it, this is known as book banning and censorship. Book banning has been going on for a long time, and it applies to a wide range of work for a wide range of reasons. Books are banned and restricted because the content of the books is deemed to be damaging to the reader. Children's fiction books are being challenged and banned. Even though a challenger may have a variety of motives for desiring to, the motivating factors are usually the same. The four motivating factors for book censorship and banning are family values, religion, political beliefs, and minority rights.

Book banning has become an issue that has started to affect children and their interests. Children's fiction literature was created for children to enjoy and relate to this type of literature. There are studies where it shows that this level of literature is a good exposure for children. Fiction novels help children to relate to real life and compare what is right and what is wrong. One factor that has been affecting children's fiction book banning is religion. This is due to the different stories that are told and that sometimes involve characters or things that are not real. A lot of fiction books talk about magic which in some religions may be seen as witchcraft. Not only do authors use fiction to give children imagination they also use it to address environmental problems or their political point of view. For example, the book “The Lorax” was used to address environmental problems that involve global warming. A lot of people were not happy with their children hearing about this topic since they did not agree with the author’s point of view. Family values influence what a child is allowed to read and what may be seen as unacceptable, but in the end, it all goes back to religion. Each family's values are distinct from one another. What is considered appropriate reading for children is determined by its values. As a result, the reasons for banning books vary greatly. A book involving violence, for example, would go against the principles of a family that values peace and does not believe in violence. The family may object to the book being read and may challenge it. There is tension in every story and every person has a different point of view.

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Book Banning plays a leading role in schools. In the past four years, there have been at least 250 attempts by school districts at book banning. There has been a lot of public controversy and considerable legal debate on how much power the school boards have. The article” The Role of motivation in judicial review of book banning in the public schools” by Elizabeth Gamsky talks about how the school' boards' abuse of discretion becomes so flagrant that the courts must intervene. Even in the highly constrained setting of primary and secondary schools, school boards are bound by constitutional restraints. The Supreme Court recently addressed this issue in Board of Education v. Pico, to the language of the note, but the Justices were unable to reach an agreement. The Justices attempted to strike a balance between the schools' inculcative purpose and the First Amendment's prohibition on ideological prescriptions in seven distinct rulings. Pico plurality developed a motivation test to examine whether moves to remove books from libraries are lawful. The dissenting Justices expressed concerns that the plurality's standard would turn the Court into a 'super censor' of school boards' discretionary judgments. The Court has never dealt with the subject of book banning in public schools before Pico. However, the fundamental conflict has already bedeviled the Court. The Court encountered the same challenge in identifying the constitutional boundaries on local school boards' authority in the desegregation decisions. In both book removal and desegregation cases, court examination into motivation has the same goal: to prevent a school board from doing something it could not do plainly. This issue has been going on for many years, but it has never truly been addressed. It has been attempted to be solved but there has never been a fair agreement and solution.

To continue we have the right to read whatever we want, and just because someone else does not like it does not mean we have to agree with them. Every year, new books are added to these lists, and you would think that in the twenty-first century, we would not need to have lists like this, but some people have the same right to ban books as we do to read them. Many of the books that have been banned are those that discuss real-world issues and how people behave in real life. Some people do not want to read about such things and believe that having them banned is a good method to prevent people from doing so. In the article “Book banning is not about protecting children; it is adult political posturing Kathie Obradovich talks about her own experience with book banning. She talks about how the books that she grew up reading are now banned. Books that were required to be read for schools are now banned due to parents' beliefs. One example she gave was “To Kill a Mockingbird” which has been a very known book for many years, and I loved that book. As she mentions in the article parents are trying to shield their children from topics that do not want to be talked about such as LGBTQ content or race-related content but have no problem with exposing their children to extreme violence and sexual content that can be found on the internet or video games. These actions just show how parents do not care about books, they just want their children to share their same values and beliefs and they see books as a threat. This article also explains how legislative analysts do not take any time to see if a book would qualify as obscene under the United States Supreme Court standards. Most of the books that have been banned should not have been because it does not show any kind of threat to children. This just shows how much effect politics have in book banning.

Book Banning has been happening our whole life, but it has never been talked about. The article “Book Banning” by A.G Noorani talks about the system of book banning in India. Book Banning has occurred throughout the years in India since books covered topics such as religious controversy, nationalism, and politics. This action did not only introduce the action of book banning but it also provided the banning of literature. Even though India has instituted these policies it also recognizes that citizens are entitled to such rights. Due to these rights India banns books using two methods, prevention of importation and confiscation of books sold in India. The reason to take this action is to maintain the security of India and to maintain public order and standards of decency. This action is considered unconstitutional because it takes away the right of freedom of speech to citizens. The article “Banning Books” by Romila Thapar talks about the frequency with which books are banned or publishers are forced to withdraw them because of threats from groups linked with religious, caste, or political organizations has been one of the more worrisome occurrences in recent times in India. The argument provided is almost always that the book in question offends a community's religious, caste, or ethnic feelings. It is also illegal to portray a political figure in a negative light, even if he is no longer living, or to criticize a politico-cultural group for its actions. Those who are calling for the ban claim to be speaking on behalf of the entire community. The article “Book Banning, Censorship, and Ethnic Studies in Urban Schools by Luis Arrieta talks about how the U.S. has not been a model in the protection of minorities and people's human rights. It has never really addressed the problem and even though it has been taken to court there haven’t been any fair solutions proposed.