Explain Why The Book Should Be Banned Essay On Of Mice And Men

Jack Theil

Mrs Schulke - P.4

Banned Book Essay

8 May 2018

Of Mice and Men In modern schools and English classrooms, books are read and studied as a way of better enhancing students’ knowledge, and spreads the culture throughout a society, among many other reasons. However, many books can become controversial in schools and libraries based on the sensitive content they contain, for a variety of reasons. Books are often censored due to bad language, drug or sexual related references, or racial or religious preconception. Parents, guardians, and teachers are often times the ones challenging these books, for the sake of their children or students. The problem with banning the book is simply that authors’ have a freedom of speech and pen

This is an American novel published in 1937, told in third person objective style writing, that follows two characters, George and Lennie, whom are West Coast migrant workers seeking to find work in order to maintain a life for themselves. The two men are complete opposites, physically and mentally, and don’t always work well together, largely in part of their differences and arguments. Both George and Lennie have big, unrealistic dreams for peasant workers, with a long road of challenges ahead of them. Through much journey and difficulties, including Lennie accidentally killing a girl, George ends up shooting and killing Lennie, and lies about it, saying it was suicide. George apparently did what he thought he had to do, seeing no other way to handle Lennie in part of his long struggles throughout the story. The ending is jarring, yet truly focuses in on the themes of hopes, mistakes, and isolation. This book particularly was first banned in 1983 by parents for the use of profanity, and continued to have troubles staying in classrooms and libraries over the

Because students are not shown adult themes in books that are banned, they will not understand situations that may happen in real life. “‘If we’re preparing our young people to be adults’ Blasingame said, ‘then they’re ready to read about adult subjects’” (ASU professor). Books allow children to learn about adulthood and what to expect, and if that is taken away from them, they may have a harder time learning about how to react to situations as adults. Also, school is a system in which students prepare to grow up and become adults, and shielding them from the real world can negatively impact their mental growing process into adulthood. “We want kids to read about these adult situations before they face them in person” (Blasingame, ASU). By having children read more mature books, with tough situations that may not be ‘appropriate’ for classrooms, they are better prepared for what is to come later in life. By doing this preparation, they will be more well-suited to deal with situations in the right way, rather than being clueless with what to do and say. The book Of Mice and Men helps teach children how to act later on in life, how to reach goals, and how to connect to