The Pros And Cons Of Censorship Of Art

“Somebody 'd written ‘Fuck you’ on the wall. It drove me damn near crazy.” This is a line from the classic novel The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, which has been both praised as a contemporary masterpiece and banned from schools and libraries alike. If this book had never been censored, if it had been accepted for the story and realism within it, then it is possible that other works of art would not be censored today. Limiting expression has been done since leaders discovered that they could exercise such a power. Censorship is detrimental to most people around the world’s well-being because it limits the free flow of information and can inhibit mental maturity.

What would happen to the world if kids of any age were able to watch any movie, listen to any song, and create any art they wanted? Well for starters, that would never happen, but that would be complete freedom, right? Artists, just like regular people, have their own individual opinions, but unlike regular people, some artist face censorship when expressing their ideas. In Artistic Freedom, Holden, the main character of J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, originally feels that art should be censored because it could be considered harmful to children’s mindsets. However as the movie progresses, Holden learns that this is not true. Art should not be censored because art is the only way for people to express their individuality and thoughts.

Censorship in America is often debated. Erin Manning, texas-based writer explains that the American Library Association chooses to censor certain books because of “inappropriate content” and “second rate writing”(Manning 1). Parents attempt to protect their children from the outside world, by limiting their exposure to age appropriate language. When parents do this, their children’s knowledge of the outside world may be limited to what parents let their child view. Although some parents may feel that their child needs filtered information and entertainment, others believe that children and teens need to be shown uncensored content. Don Gallow, professor of English at Central Connecticut State, suggests that teens should be allowed to access

In Derek Bok’s, Protecting Freedom of Expression On The Campus, he brings light to the issue of censorship in universities. He states that students at Harvard University got offended after a few students displayed the confederate flag. There have been many cases in which people have tried to censor offensive material however; the Supreme Court preferred to conserve the freedom of expression. He believes that if censorship starts to take place, it will be difficult to know when to cross the line. In addition, it will not fix the initial problem since the offenders will continue to abuse others using different means. To him the best solution to this problem is, to encourage students to ignore the obnoxious behavior, thus leading them to stop.

Censorship in America can vary between the silencing of young voices and the prevention of exposing others of inappropriate material. Many people are afraid of losing their freedom of speech, as first amendment rights should be mandatory for American citizens. Polar to this argument insists the importance of censorship, as it can shield the public from information that can lead to fear or chaos. Leaving students ignorant to world problems, however, is argued by Sonja West that it removes their first amendment rights and creates a future working-class of Americans who are clouded from the truth. West is a law professor at the University of Georgia who is distinguished for her expertise in the first amendment law and minor in journalism. In her article, “Censorship 101,” West crafts her text through numerous court case experience and skill in rhetorical devices as her background expertise is used to her advantage.

Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, is a uniquely shocking and provocative novel about a dystopian society set in a future where reading is outlawed, thinking is considered a sin, technology is at its prime, and human interaction is scarce. Through his main protagonist, Guy Montag, Bradbury brings attention to the dangers of a controlled society, and the problems that can arise from censorship. As a fireman, it is Guy's job to destroy books, and start fires rather than put them out. After meeting a series of unusual characters, a spark is ignited in Montag and he develops a desire for knowledge and a want to protect the books. Bradbury's novel teaches its readers how too much censorship and control can lead to further damage and the repetition of history’s mistakes through the use of symbolism, imagery, and motif.

I believe that the author’s thesis is about the issue of censorship and how it impacts our First Amendment. The author presents us a two different perspective of the issue. Such as, our practice of our First Amendment can lead us to a place where someone can create materials that we may find offensive. But are protected by the First Amendment at the same time could have people who want to limit offensive material and therefore, through censorship are limiting the First Amendment rights of others. To demonstrate her point, Susan Jacoby, interviewed a small sample of women to gather their perspective about an image from a Playboy magazine. She discovered,“… responses that ranged from “lovely” and “sensuous” to “revolting” and “demeaning.” She

Censorship has been a topic of debate for decades. Despite the existence of the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech, the United States has a long history of censoring literature. Most Americans believe that it is unethical to stifle freedom of expression, but often some of the First Amendment’s biggest supporters are its worst enemies. It shocks many to see how rampant it still is in the present day. This paper will show examples of how governments, religious institutions, and schools try to limit first amendment rights through censorship.

The piece entitled, “Censorship,” by J. Frohnmayer, displays a person’s mouth being covered with hands. These hands have words that represent principles and laws in the society. This signifies that laws limit the freedoms of people. This can represent that people are limited in their words as an attempt to suppress chaos amongst the people. It can also be seen that the person’s eyes are closed, symbolizing that he/she is not happy that they are not allowed to express their thoughts and beliefs. “…if you have a differing opinion from the rest of society, your word in is danger of getting censored. The relationship between censorship and cultural values is also apparent …….. we really value young children’s innocence and this is obvious in our attempt to protect them using censorship” (Sarelly par.

The world gets crueler everyday. There are new crimes being committed daily, and sometimes it can be because of what people are subjected to. In Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, this topic is discussed. In order to create a more positive environment, the world needs censorship. Without it, kids would be surrounded by bad influences, people would always find topics to argue about, and lives can even be ruined without it.

What do you think when you hear something has been banned or censored? Most of us think this “Oh that’s great” because it had content that wasn’t okay for people to see. Today in modern society books are banned/censored because people see them as not appropriate for people to see. The banning/censoring books isn’t the best idea because some books are banned just because they have content that is seen a “mature” or “illegal”. One category of books that has been banned and censored time and time again are books with LGBTQIA+ material. Banning these books are not okay. They are closing door for not only to help people who identify with an LGBTQIA+ ,but they are closing the door so people can learn about the LGBTQIA+ community. One’s actions of banning anything affects everyone, it can be out of selfness or selfishness, it can impact everyone around

Censorship can be described as the act of cutting out certain material that can be considered obscene or inconvenient for the community. This material can be found in social media such as in the TV, radio, or the internet. Censorship can be challenged because of the first amendment: freedom of speech. Free expression is the right of expressing opinions and ideas without any fear of being restrained or censored. However, freedom of speech does not include the right to incite actions that would harm others or the distribution of obscene material (Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, 2000). There are many reasons why various organizations and people are censoring different kinds of topics; some people say it’s the right thing to do and others think its controversial to the first amendment.

The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde, was first published in 1890, right in the middle of the Victorian Era, an era that was characterized by its conservatism. Ever since, and due to the content of the book, it has been condemned as immoral. Furthermore, on 1891, Wilde published a preface protecting his book from public punishment in which he said “There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.” (Wilde 2) In order to understand the reasons why both society and Oscar Wilde marked this book as immoral and moral (correspondingly),

On the last decades, the freedom of speech has become one of the most discussed and relevant topics inside general population and governments. When it comes to human basic rights, it is clear that the free and open shared of information and communication between all parts plays an important role to ensure a healthy development and progress. However, to think that every country will be willing to spread all kinds of ideas and opinions without placing a boundary would be a utopian assumption.

In a society where children are bombarded with electronics and technology, it can be challenging to convince them to sit down and either read or listen to a story. Reading and hearing stories helps to spark children’s imaginations and dreams. For some children, bedtime stories are not only special for the heroes or princesses they feature, but also for the scheduled time they get to spend one on one with their parent or guardian. In order for children to learn to enjoy reading they must be able to have a choice in what they are able to read. This is something that is taught to them from a young age, whether they are picking a bedtime story or a novel to read at school, it must be something that interests them. Literature should not be classified