Behind Banned Books
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Variety of banned books, and the reason they were banned.[/caption]
I am sure we can name all the ways that The Great Gatsby, Lolita, Lord of the Rings, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Gone with the Wind, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and Perks of Being a Wallflower are completely and totally different. To name a few, they were all published in different years, written in different writing styles, tone, and diction, displayed different themes, and written by different authors. Can you tell me what all these novels have in common? Well, during one time or another — they were all banned.
Governments all over the world have banned these books and many others in an attempt to keep the readers from learning what is inside. But what makes a person or government ban a book? What is in between the leather bound covers of the book that could be so frightening and inappropriate that it is deemed unreadable for all? Is it the content inside, the readers’ reactions, or the world that creates such a spark that makes a book banned?
For The Great Gatsby, it was the obscene language, like damn and hell, and sexual references to extramarital affairs that caused the literary classic to be challenged, and the characterization of Jay Gatsby as a bootlegger played a huge role in banning the book. The classic children’s book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was not only banned by the state of New Hampshire for promoting sexual fantasies and masturbation, but it was also banned in the Hunan province in China. The book was banned, in China, for its use of talking animals. Officials deemed the talking animals to be an abomination and for religious reasons it would be banned. The governor of the Hunan province went so far to say, “Animals should not use human language, and that it was disastrous to put animals and human beings on the same level.” Even the popular young adult novel Perks of Being a Wallflower, which in 2012 was adapted to the big-screen, was banned. Several schools throughout the United States deemed the novel unfit for the classroom due to its illicit depictions of drug use and references to masturbation, date rape, and homosexuality.
While the goal behind banning books is to keep the book from gaining momentum and power, this is not entirely feasible–there is a silent, but strong power that remains when a book is banned and censored. Even while the questionable and banned books remain in warehouses all around the world slowly collecting dust, their power is still intact and, in fact, becomes stronger. These books become even more enticing and interesting once readers learn they are forbidden to read the words inside them. Don’t believe me? All nine of the novels I have listed above have been adapted into numerous screenplays and movies increasing their popularity as books.
These carefully crafted words are shaped into paragraphs, pages, and chapters to teach the reader a lesson, maybe a lesson about themselves, the world around them, or just a different perspective. But why would governments censor and ban books, if its only purpose is to enlighten readers? It is because the words inside books generate change. They open us to see the world for what it truly is or what it lacks. Words are a book’s influence and power, and they are the most powerful weapons out there, sharper than any sword, and even more powerful than the censors and governments that try to silence them. Words ignite revolutions, create new worlds, and question the ways of life. In the end, you must decide if the words inside the banned books were banned for our safety or for the safety of order.
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