Friday, January 29, 2010

Who Should Decide Which Books are Suitable for Young People?

I agree with the those who oppose censorship because of many reasons. To start off with, though i do agree that parents should have the right to tell their child or child's teacher that they don't want their child to read a certain book, i also think that people should have a choice about what they read. I think this because sometimes it's a maturity issue. For example, some children might read a book and discover a word that they have never seen before and start using it even though it's bad because they aren't mature enough to control themselves. But why should other student who can handle reading those words and who can control themselves from saying them be punished? It is up to the parents what their child reads, but its not up to the parents what other children read. so if a certain book is not O.K. for one family, that doesn't mean its not O.K. for another family.
I also Believe that it is not wrong for teachers to suggest books that may not be completely appropriate for children, because if the book is not one that the child is allowed to read, then they don't have to read. I don't think the teacher is in the wrong until he/she forces a student to read a book. People should have the right to read whatever they want as long as it is alright with the parents and with their beliefs. As I said before, some people can handle certain things that others can't, so they shouldn't have to be stuck with only safe children's books all the time instead of being able to open their horizons and expanding their brain and creativity.