Censorship In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

This idea is known as self-censorship. However, some authors do not censor they hide their identities by using pen names. Well- known authors such as Theodor Geisel known as Dr. Seuss publish under own names. Stephen King use to be known as Richard Bachmann and Charles Dickens was known as Boz. (theatlantic.com 2012) Most of the authors avoid writing certain stories because they 're afraid that it 'll ruin their career and their relationships with other journalist and sources. Most of them also try to attract advertisers and please the government at the same time that they completely alter their stories and agree with ideas they normally oppose to. They know if they don 't self-censor the government and other people such as parents, and teachers might challenge their works and bring complications into their careers causing their books to be placed on the list of banned books. At this rate my fear is not about the books that have been banned, but the books that will never be

The book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is one of the most challenged pieces of literature in school systems today. Challenged meaning, being the subject of debate on whether or not it should be banned. The reason for the challenge is largely due to the profanity that finds its way into the story. This raises many questions as to whether or not this profanity should be exposed to children or endorsed by the school system. Although the use of profanity in the book Of Mice and Men may lead to dangers of children using those bad words more frequently, the use of it in the story allows teachers to explore the use of profanity and its effect on the english language. Furthermore, restraining a child’s exposure to that language may hinder that child’s interaction with the world outside of academics.

What could be so terrible about a book, that it has become one of the most frequently banned/challenged books? Of Mice and Men is a fictional book written by John Steinbeck in 1937. The book has been banned in many schools due to racism, profanity, foul language, violence, treatment of women, and for seemingly promoting euthanasia. This book is usually read by high school students around the age fourteen or fifteen, however many parents have gotten upset when hearing about what their kid was reading. Many parents have stated that this book is not age-appropriate and should not be read in school. However, in my opinion this book should not be banned.

Throughout history, music has been a vital piece of culture. With music, censorship of it coincides. For America, this has been the case, especially with the invention of radios in the early 1900s which aided the development of widespread music in the nation. However, not all music is meant to be broadcasted for each and every listener of radio to hear. It is because of this that censorship of music on the radio is so necessary for a country with the potential it has to thrive.

According to the article “The First Amendment: Censorship,” speech is routinely censored due to bias, or personal issues with the content (First Amendment, 3). Also, in the article “Censorship Goes to School,” Nancy Day discusses how advocates for removing “hurtful and dangerous” books believe that they are protecting children, and that is more important than access to free speech (Day, 4). Because integrity in education is important, teachers should stay within the bounds and follow the requirements of education (First Amendment, 2). Author Zibby O’Neal said “We try to teach young people the first amendment rights, but then deny them a book” about repeated efforts to ban The Chocolate War (Day, 3). You would think the people who educate would be open minded, they are actually the most critical (Censorship, 2). Some teachers and librarians believe that scarce funds would be wasted on books that will be questioned (Day, 1). Often those who fight literature are against: homosexuality, Darwin’s Theory and several other topics (First Amendment, 1). Religion can be used as a cause to censor certain information in text books (Day, 2). Operation Rescue is a Christian organization that protests various books. There are many groups that advocate censorship on both sides of the political spectrum. Right-wing groups, like Operation Rescue, want to censor books dealing with civil rights and slavery. Left-wing groups, however, want to eliminate books that they think offend minorities (Hechinger, 2). Both groups are finding that the most effective method of censorship is “fiscal” censorship. Fiscal is where State Legislatures forbid the spending of state money on certain material (Lee,

John Steinbeck was born at the beginning of the twentieth century and experienced the turning point of many eras that are evidenced throughout his writings. Steinbeck lived through the strong economic years during World War I, the dirt poor years of the Great Depression, and even saw the beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s; all of his dreams for these decades are evidenced in his works, more specifically, Of Mice and Men. Of Mice and Men is set in the 1920’s in the Salinas Valley of California. Other writers, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, char-acterize the 1920’s as a fun decade with a booming economy filled with men rising from rags to riches, but Steinbeck shows how life was for men

“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”-Ray Bradbury. Censorship is the act of limiting information, ideas, or the freedom of thought, from life. Censorship can be used because of offensive, sensitive, harmful, or objectionable speech/ideas. In life, censorship is used a lot, more than people think. It also affects lives too. People barely notice it, or care for it, but censorship is there. Censorship has been used for a long time, it has a lot of history. Censorship is found in books, media, or any other form of expression. Censorship is powerful. Everyone should be aware of censorship. Censorship is a theme conveyed in the works of many, such as, I am Very Real by Kurt Vonnegut, Harrison

First we should define censorship in order to discuss its effects and purposes. The Oxford English Dictionary defines censorship as, “The suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security.” In this case we are mostly concerned with the censorship of “politically unacceptable” literature. However, Anaya states that reasons such as vulgarity can be used as excuses to ban politically challenging literature. This is not good because it provides an opportunity for people to censor works they do not like for political reasons. One student in the Socratic seminar, Maya Schulz, brought up who is doing the censoring. Her words were, “ it is those who are in power currently and wish to remain in power who use censorship of literature to suppress those who could potentially challenge the power they hold as a result of the self-serving nature of mainstream culture.” This quote is pretty self explanatory, but it shows that like many things, this issue is ultimately about money and power. One student had a good way of summarizing the way that censorship is used by those in power to keep the rest of the population out of power. This student is Charisse Armstrong, she said “I think that censorship is making sure that what you want to be said is said and that what you do not want to be said is not said.” This amount of contrail takes great power, and according to Rudolfo Anaya in his essay “Take the Tortillas out of Our Poetry,” there are powerful groups who pressure the big publishing companies to not publish work of contentious minority authors. It is lucky however, that big publishers are not the only publishers out there. There are also numerous small publishers called alternative publishers, who are less affected by the bias of mainstream culture. Maybe readers and literature

“Although Of Mice and Men is a literary classic, it is also a frequently banned book in many schools and libraries in the United States. This book has been either banned or challenged for over twenty years from a variety of different schools and libraries. I think Of Mice and Men should not be banned, but instead be taught in EVERY school, with responsible and mature teachers.” says jmonkey1080 at http://www.teenink.com/opinion/school_college/article/534583/Should-Of-Mice-and-Men-Be-Banned-Worldwide/ .This is how I belive people should react when they see the book “Of Mice And Men” by John SteinBeck If you harm others there are consequences that you have to face they might not be as bad as in the book. This teaches kids how to use proper language while speaking to others. The rest of this essay is about why, “Of Mice And Men” should not be banned from schools.

However , no piece of literature should be banned or censor. Instead , there should be warning labels such as movie labels. According to a graph from www.ala.org , one of the main reasons why books are banned was because of offensive language , and violent behaviors. Why are books being banned when the media is showing similar materials without being banned ? We as students , are actively aware to events occurring with media. Banning books while media shows related content is double standards.

In the novel “Of Mice and Men” John Steinbeck portrays the theme of social injustice throughout the story in the lives of several characters that include Lennie, Curley’s Wife, and the stable buck, Crooks. All of these characters are mistreated in some way, shape or form. The hardships that these characters faced help guide us to see the social injustice that is prevalent in the story.

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.

The First Amendment states many of the freedoms a US citizen posses, banning/censorship of books however has violated this idea of freedom. Some authors dislike the idea of censorship of books, such as Ellen Hopkins. Hopkins is a successful writer who wrote a bestselling book called, Crank. She also wrote the poem Manifesto which was adopted as the official manifesto of the American Library Association banned books week back in 2009. Crank was a book that was banned and censored, which Hopkins disliked. She shared her thoughts on this dispute, “If you don 't like the content in a book, don 't read it. If you don 't want your child to read a book, take it away. But you do not have the right to decide “appropriateness” for everyone” (Hopkins

While Steinbeck frequently used profanity throughout the story, he arguably did so in order to enhance the story. Although racial slurs are currently a very hushed topic, they were not that way in the time period

Censorship is a serious matter that has been discussed through the years. People are divided on whether censorship should be in school libraries or if it should not. Books such as “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, “The Autobiography of Malcolm X" and many more have been greatly affected because of book banning. Not everyone has the same style, which causes outrage when certain books are banned. For example, if one book was banned and people prefered that book, it can make the community furious. However, I believe books should not be censored in school libraries.