Censorship

Throughout this class I've seen that censorship--what gets censored and who gets to decide it-- is a huge grey area. Material that has been censored spans a wide range of subjects, including sexuality, religion, politics, profanity, and race relations. The intended effect of censoring material varies as well. For example, The Catcher in the Rye is often banned in schools because parents worry that it will negatively influence their children. Similarly, literature and film about Communism was often banned because people worried it would cause people to sympathize with the political movement. To Kill A Mockingbird, on the other hand, is often censored because the language might be hurtful or offensive to those reading it. Most often though, it seems that literature is banned or censored because it represents an idea that the body with the ability to censor disagrees with. It is used as a means to quiet voices and suppress the spread of certain ideas. However, there is always disagreement over if and what should be censored, what is considered controversial, and who has the right to take away free speech. This class has given me deeper insight into the issue of censorship and greater respect for the writers who have struggled against and persisted in spite of it.