Running head: THE PROHIBITION OF POWER 1

The Prohibition of Power

Daniella Montagnino

Glendale Community College

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Abstract

This paper will examine the effects of book banning on people in the world and why it is

important that books are not banned or censored as well as determine a possible solution to bring

book banning and censorship to an end throughout the world. The research conducted will

provide an investigation of the books placed on the banned books list as well as inform about

book banning and how it can affect publishers as well as authors who have had their work placed

on one of the many lists banning or censoring literature. The evidence cited will come from

authors, libraries, publishers, and people who are affected by the banning of books in their

community. The key idea of the paper is the concept that “knowledge is power” and for an

authority to prevent readers from having the choice of what he or she deem suitable or safe for

them to explore is to keep the power of knowledge out of reach.

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The Prohibition of Power

Books are important no matter the genre or purpose of the book. A book can open minds

to a new way of thinking or a new way of viewing the world we live in today. “… A book is a

loaded gun in the house next door…who knows who might be the target of the well-read man…”

(Bradbury, R. 1981, p. 88). Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury is a book that is set in a

futuristic society where ideas and thoughts are illegal. Fahrenheit 451 has been placed on the

banned books list. Books are censored, banned, and challenged around the world due to content,

themes, religious ideologies, even author reputations in some cases. There are a lot of people all

over the world who disagree that it is any government or communities’ concern as to what

people should and should not read. The banned books list is frequently being changed and

revised with more banned and challenged books being added.

Why are so many books are being banned, censored, or challenged? Is there a solution to

this problem? I believe that books have power and that preventing people from accessing power

should not be in the hands of a select few who believe they know what is best for the majority.

Books are banned, censored, and/or challenged in an effort to protect people from ideas

or concepts that a community or governing body would otherwise consider dangerous or

unsuitable for readers. Knowledge derived from books should not be kept out of reach from

readers and to solve this problem books should stop being banned and censored in the United

States.

Mark Twain’s classic novel, among other great American novels such as Of Mice and

Men by John Steinbeck and 1984 by George Orwell, have appeared on a list known as a banned

book list. Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was one of the very first books to be
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added to the banned books list in 1885 and was deemed “trash and suitable only for the slums,”

(Banned Books That…). Books on this list appear categorized by the reasoning behind their

censorship, banning or challenging by different communities around the United States. The

issue occurs in many different countries, such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, and affects people of all

ages. In a study conducted by americanlibrariesmagazine.org in 2015, researchers found that

11,300 books have been challenged since 1982 (By the Numbers…). Books are banned due to

ideas, content, theme, author reputation, genre, etc. Examples of these reasons are books such as

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck which was banned several times in several different states

for reasons of profanity, violence, and the claim of “not representing traditional values” (Banned

& Challenged). The book has been one of the most challenged books ever written. Other reasons

people have challenged the book is because of “the author’s anti-business attitude” as well as the

book being “derogatory toward women and the developmentally disabled” (BANNED: Of Mice

and Men). Of Mice and Men’s profanity and violence made it one of the most frequently banned

novels; which has given many communities the excuse to claim it to be unsuitable for their

readers.

Causes of banning and censorship can be linked to over-conservative communities that

feel they know what is best for the members of their community. “Since 1990, the American

Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) has documented more than 20,000

attempts to ban a book. In 2013 alone, they recorded 307 challenges…Objections come largely

from parents, library patrons, religious groups, and others who deem a work’s content to be

offensive, too explicit, culturally insensitive or age-inappropriate…” (Combating Censorship).

Sherman Alexie, a critically-acclaimed author, claimed in an interview with Guernica Magazine

that “book banners want to control what every child reads…censorship of any form punishes
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curiosity,” (Sherman Alexie: Censorship…). Several attempts of Alexie’s books have been

challenged by communities. The author later the statement “I believe in any kid’s ability to read

any book and form their own judgments. It’s the job of a parent to guide his/her child through the

reading of every book imaginable…” (Sherman Alexie: Censorship…). The idea behind

censorship and banning stemmed from an authority’s efforts to shield their community from

ideas and books that they deemed dangerous or unsuitable.

The issue has not been solved because people may not see it as a major problem like they

do with world hunger or climate change. In an informal survey I conducted on

polleverywhere.com, out of 13 responses, 7 poll responders claimed they have never read a

banned book or could not recall if they had in the past. (personal communication, April 10,

2018). The issue may come across as insignificant because physical books are slowly becoming

obsolete in today’s digital age when everything is at the world’s fingertips through the internet.

In another informal survey I conducted, I asked my audience if they would consider book

banning a relevant issue today. Out of 12 responses, 5 said that they would not consider it a

relevant issue (personal communication, April 10, 2018). The obvious solutions of stopping the

ban of certain books or just ignoring the issue come off as inadequate or not workable because it

takes more than that to fix the problem. There must be steps that can be taken to slowly reduce

the occurrence and addition of literature to the banned books list. People around the world are

being denied the power of knowledge because an authority thinks he or she know what is best for

the majority. Negative consequences of not changing or eliminating the list could be that people

will never get the chance to read an eye-opening novel such as Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

or Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut or literature as magical as J.K. Rowling’s Harry

Potter series because an oppressive authority has prohibited the reading of such novels.
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Opposing views of book banning and censorship have a good point that young readers

need to be protected from being exposed at too young an age to profanity and violence and

derogatory slang that some books can possess. “…’knowledge NEVER hurts’ … [is] a near

perfect distillation of the fuzzy post-modern sentiment that intentions trump outcomes, and on a

basic level, it’s empirically untrue… it’s…true that every responsible parent makes

determinations every day about how much they should inform their children about the tragic and

difficult aspects of life relative to their need to know and maturity level…it is universally

understood that knowledge given to those who are unprepared to responsibly apply it will, in

fact, hurt. To say that knowledge never hurts is to deny that books have any power to influence

people at all. And if you’re not trying to influence people, why write?” (Hemingway, M.). Kids

today are in a hurry to grow up and think they can handle any situation that comes their way.

Kids have a mentality that life will be just like it is in books and movies where the teenager is a

one-man army and handles mature situations with ease and disregards the consequences of their

choices. “One must always be careful of books…and what is inside them, for words have the

power to change us.” (Clare, C. 2010, p.87). The influence books can have on young,

impressionable minds is powerful.

The resources required to change or eliminate book banning could include the state

government pass a law or statute that prohibits the banning or censorship of any novel or piece of

literature. The solution should be implemented through the passing of a law stating that books

should not be banned or censored regardless of content, genre, author reputation, etc. The time

table to solve the conflict of book banning is very flexible. Since the issue has been in place for

so long, the solution may take its time to spread, especially since the conflict is on a global scale.

Measurement of progress of the solution could be determined by the discontinued use of the
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banned book list. Books that are on the list should be removed, uncensored, and no longer

challenged or viewed as “dangerous” or “unsuitable”. It is a better solution because it does not

require a lot of time, there is no current sense of urgency about the fixing the problem, and it is

the path of least resistance. Asking communities and countries to no longer be the authority on

determining what books are suitable for their communities to read will be peaceful and effective.

If countries or communities refuse to cooperate I propose that the countries of the world come

together in a United Nations fashion to hold a conference where they discuss the issue of book

banning and censorship and attempt to come to a consensus about settling the conflict through

reasoning and discussion.

This research has taught me that my topic is relevant, and that research takes time if you

want it to be credible and useful. This topic is important because people are being prevented

from gaining knowledge and experience that can be gathered only by reading and exploring the

magic and power that books can provide. Reading books is a way of spreading experience and

knowledge, as well as cultural influence, throughout the world by the written word. Literature

can change the way people view and understand how the world around them works. Books allow

readers to explore worlds they may never get the chance to visit. Reading can transport the

reader to a different world. Through reading, a person could live a hundred different lives

without ever leaving the comfort of their favorite chair.

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References

BANNED: Of Mice and Men. (n.d.). Retrieved April 17, 2018, from

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/banned-of-mice-and-men/

Banned & Challenged Classics. (2017, October 17). Retrieved April 17, 2018, from

http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/classics

Banned Books That Shaped America. (n.d.). Retrieved April 17, 2018, from

http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/censorship/bannedbooksthatshapedamerica

Bradbury, R. (1981). Fahrenheit 451. New York, NY: Ballantine Books.

By the Numbers: Banned Books Week. (n.d.). Retrieved April 17, 2018, from

https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/by-the-numbers-banned-books-week/

Clare, C. (2010). Clockwork Angel. London: Walker.

Combating Censorship. (n.d.). Retrieved April 17, 2018, from http://publishers.org/priorities-

positions/combating-censorship

Hemingway, M. (2014, March 11). In Defense of Book Banning. Retrieved April 19, 2018,

from http://thefederalist.com/2014/03/11/in-defense-of-book-banning/

Sherman Alexie: Censorship of Any Form Punishes Curiosity. (n.d.). Retrieved April 17,

2018, from http://cbldf.org/2012/10/sherman-alexie-censorship-of-any-form-

punishes-curiosity/