Banned Books

“The Bible, encyclopedias, and dictionaries contain the same terms, should they be banned?” was stated on the Oprah Show of the “inappropriate” terms in some of the challenged books in schools. Books around the country (and world for that matter) have been challenged by many parents and in some instances banned from schools due to content the parents feel is inappropriate for their children. For example, several books have been banned on the basis that they promote and/or encourage profanity, explicit material, and homosexuality. Banning and censorship of these books is morally wrong because it can be seen that the children will, without a doubt, learn the material at some point in their life whether by word of mouth or the Internet. Also, as given to them in the first amendment, these authors have the freedom of speech to state what they want in the books. In the instance of the novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, censorship of the book is unethical since it teaches good childhood lessons, entertains boys and girls, and presents superstition to assist in educating children through themes.

Those who oppose Twain’s Tom Sawyer argue that it presents poor role models to American youth, but in actuality it teaches them beneficial ch

. . .

View the whole essay, without interruption

The wrongdoings in Tom Sawyer are meant to entertain children around the world and persist them to keep reading rather them turn them Communist or subversive. It is neither subversive or promotes Communism as argued by some parents around the world. Twain’s novel isn’t meant to present poor role models to youth but entertain them and teach them lessons on the way.

The book not only gives a good historical display of the time period, but its superstitions are a great theme for anyone. He receives no structured education, and often he does not even have enough to eat or a place to sleep. Tom's adventures to Jackson's Island and McDougal's Cave take him away from society, which prepare him to return to the village with a new, more adult relationship to the community. Huck's exclusion due to his father being a drunkard means that many of the other children are not allowed to play with him. The many crimes committed in the novel range from minor childhood transgressions (playing hooky) to capital offenses (murder). In this regard, Twain suggests, superstition bears a resemblance to religion, at least as the populace of St. The boys mention again and again their admiration for the circus life and their desire to be clowns when they grow up. From this point forward, superstition becomes an important element in all of the boys' decision-making. Twain first explores superstition in the graveyard, where Tom and Huck go to try out a magical cure for warts. Their fear of death is real and pervasive, for example, but we also have the sense that they do not really understand death and all of its ramifications. The games the boys prefer center on crime, giving them a chance to explore the boldness and heroism involved in breaking social expectations without actually threatening the social order.

Approximate Word count = 925
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Simply subscribe to view this paper, and 100,000 others.