Banned Books: A Study of Censorship

Author(s): Jennifer Rossuck

Source: The English Journal, Vol. 86, No. 2, Censorship (Feb., 1997), pp. 67-70
Published by: National Council of Teachers of English
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Banned Books: A Study
of Censorship
Rossuck
Jennifer

uspired by Carole A. Williams' By the senioryear,most studentshave

"StudyingChallengedNovels: Or, developeda love forat leastsomeauthoror
How I BeatSenioritis" (EJ,Novem- genreof literature. As pre-reading exercises,
ber 1988),I createda seniorEnglish we considerthe role of booksin our lives.
electivein my all-girlsschool in We share individualreadingprofiles,re-
Tacoma,Washington, calledsimply, spondto cartoons(e.g.,Wasserman's "Once
"BannedBooks."It has becomean upon a time, there were funny-looking
immenselypopularcourse, and I thingscalledbooksthatmothersandfathers
havetaughtit everyyearsince1992. readto theirchildren. . ." 1988 TheBoston
One reasonfor its popularity, I be- Globe),conduct interviewsmodeled on
lieve,is thatstudentsputto a practi- those done by Gordonand PatriciaSabine
cal, real-worlduse the literaryanalysisand (1993) for the NationalBooksThatMade
criticalthinkingskillstheyhavebeenwork- the DifferenceProject,and,whenthecourse
ing on sinceninthgrade. is taughtin September,we celebratethe
Thelocalnewspaperhas provenan ex- American Library Association-sponsored
cellenttestimonyto theimmediaterelevance BannedBooksWeek.
of the course. This past spring,we read Onceinto the novel,studentslead the
abouttheHouseof Representative's National discussions,andI actas scribe,jottingnotes
Security Committee's vote to ban the saleof on the board.Eachyoungwomanresponds A teacher
adult publicationsas well as sexuallyori- to a differentcriticalthinkingquestionand
entedaudioandvideotapesfromallmilitary offers
presentsher ideas to the class in seminar a detailed
basesandshipstores.Wehavealsotrackeda fashion,readingfromher originalanalysis. uniton
localcensorshipbattle(in Lakewood, Wash- We end the unitwith a timedin-classwrit-
ington)waged over the sex education book, ing.Thequestionfromthe 1987APEnglish censorship.
It'sPerfectly Normal(1994), fromthe initial examworkswell:
complaintto the SchoolBoard'sfinaldeci- Somenovelsandplaysseemto advo-
sionto removethe textfromthe elementary catechanges in socialorpolitical
atti-
schoollibraryThereis no timelikethe pre- tudesorin traditions. Notebrieflythe
sent to explorecensorshipand no better attitudesortraditions thattheauthor
apparentlywishestomodify. Then
placethanthe Englishclassroom. analyze thetechniques theauthoruses
UNITONE to influencethereader's views.
RayBradbury's dystopiannovelFahren- UNITTWO
heit451framestheissuesof thecoursebeau- Next we tacklethe quintessential ban-
tifully: why might books be considered ned book:J. D. Salinger'sTheCatcher in the
dangerous; freedomof speechandthe con-
Rye.HelenFrangedis' article"Dealingwith
of
sequences losingit; and the roleof tech- the Controversial
Elementsin TheCatcher in
nologyin shapingsociety'svalues.PartOne theRye"(EJ,November1988) providesthe
exploresthe emptinessof Montag's life and basicstructureforourcloseandveryactive
the lure of ideas(books)to fill thatempti-
reading.Sheidentifieseveryreasonthework
ness. PartTwopresentsvariousarguments
mightpossiblybe bannedandrelatedissues
concerningthe questions, "Whyread?"and raisedby each objection. Consequently,for
"Dobooks have value?"PartThreeexplores each section of reading, students address
the need to rememberand understandThe
only one particularpoint of controversy:
Great Books (or Canon) via the band of
profanity, lies/dishonesty, atheism/disdain
hobos who turn out to be walking, talking for religion, sexual promiscuity,substance
"books." abuse, homosexuality.They identify which
passages might be the target of a censor,

Journal
English 67
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 what literarypurposeeach passageserves, also works such as Shel Silverstein'sA Light
andhow theypersonallyreactas a readerto in the Attic and Wherethe SidewalkEndsor
seeingsuchideasandincidentsin print. Judy Blume'sForeverand Deenie.Anything
Afterwe finishstudyingthe text itself, found on the AmericanLibraryAssociation's
we preparefora mockschoolboardmeeting Hit Listworks well.
duringwhichwe debatetheuseof Catcher in As studentsread, they recordin journal
our high schoolclassroom.We watchseg- entriesspecificlines and passagesthat might
mentsfromthe filmsFieldofDreams(1989) be targetedby a censorand writeaboutwhy
andFootloose (1984)to studyother"simula- they are controversialand whether or not
tions"of school boardmeetings(calledto they serve any literarypurpose.Studentsre-
discussthe banningof literatureand dance search the work'sauthor,literarycriticism/
respectively). It is also usefulto show stu- book reviews,and its banninghistory All re-
dentsWillSmith'smonologueaboutCatcher searchculminatesin anotherposition paper
in the movie Six Degreesof Separation in which students state if and where the
(1994). Smithexpoundsan interestingthe- work belongs in our school's curriculum.
sis aboutthenegativeeffectsof the novelon They may ban it altogether,place it on a
severalof its morederangedreaders. reading list, in the library,or in what they
Studentsdraw"roles" out of a hat:any- deem as the most appropriateclassroom.
thing fromthe parentwho files the com- Students give 20-minute oral presentations
plaintto theteacherwho usesthe text,from of their position papers during the final
studentsin theclass,to thelocalclergy.Next week(s) of the course.
we divideinto threeresearchteamswhich
UNIT THREE
investigatethe author,the literarycriticism, To add variety to the readings and to
andthecensorshiphistoryof thenovelwith
broaden our discussions about censorship,
the purposeof gatheringeven more "evi-
we readInherittheWindnext and enter into
dence"for both sides of the battle.Teams
the Creation-Evolution debate. Jerome
presenttheirfindingsto the classin a clear Lawrenceand RobertE. Lee'sdramaextends
andcreativelesson.
our discussionfromthe banningof individ-
Wethencreatea masterlist of allpossi-
ual works of literatureto that of standard-
ble reasonsto banandnot to banthe book.
ized textbooks. In addition to discussions
Studentsdeterminewhichcharacter in our
about churchand state,religionand science,
role-play would be most likelyto use which
we grapplewith the question, "Whoshould
line of reasoningandattemptto evenlydis-
have the greatervoice in deciding what is
tributethe supportingmaterialsto ensurea
read in school: teachers, parents, school-
morevariedandexcitingsimulation.
board,clergy,the communityat large,politi-
Finally,studentswrite positionpapers
cians, the studentsthemselves?"Once again,
usingthe voiceof theircharacters to articu-
our topic is timely The TennesseeSenatere-
lateanargument eitherfororagainsttheuse
of CatcherOn thepaper'sduedate,we con- cently considered legislation to fire any
teacherwho presentsevolution as fact, and
ducttherole-play
there is a Broadwayrevivalof the play star-
Availablefacultyand administrators act
as the school boardmembersto whom stu- ring GeorgeC. Scott and CharlesDurning.
dents must addresstheir remarksas well as UNIT FOUR
hecklers in the generalaudience to add at- Lastly,we read ChaimPotok'sMy Name
mosphere.Costumesand props are optional is AsherLev to consider censorship of the
but stronglyencouraged.The "schoolboard" arts. The novel raises questions such as:
is instructedto vote basedsolely on the mer- What is the purpose of art? What is the
its and strengthsof the argumentspresented; artist'sresponsibilityto society,and what is
outcomes have variedyear to year.We end society'sresponsibilityto the artist?Can art
the unit with a debriefing. hurt people? If so, what do we do about
This unit models for the students what that?We compareAsher Lev'spaintings to
they must do on theirown in an ongoingin- our study of literature as the author in-
dependentresearchproject.Studentschoose tended. EdwardA. Abramson,in his work,
any other banned book-not only the likes ChaimPotok,quotes the author as saying,
of HuckleberryFinn and The ColorPurple,but "AsherLev [is] the metaphor for the prob-

68 1997
February
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All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
lems of the writer."Although perhaps not under the guidance of responsible adults.
entirelysuitablefor use in the classroom(it Not many parents that we know take the
containsnudity), one studentsuggestsview- time to read and discuss the racism, child
ing segments of the film Sirenswhich ex- abuse,teen pregnancy,and homosexualityof
plores a similar moral conflict between art MayaAngelou'sI KnowWhy the CagedBird
and religion. Sings and Alice Walker'sThe Color Purple
If time allows, students could research with their children. Yet we read and hear
banned art such as EdouardManet'sDeje- about these "newsworthy"issues on an al-
uner sur l'Herbe,the Robert Mapplethorpe most dailybasis.
exhibit, and relatedissues: the televisionV- 4. Banning a book denies the author
chip, censorship on the Internet, and the the right to express his/her ideas. Jill illus-
variousratingssystemsused for movies and tratesthis concept for us duringher presen-
music. tation on Aldous Huxley'sBraveNew World.
Afterasking us to write down one fear that
LESSONS
we hold, the origin of that fear and its ex-
During the oral presentations,students in our daily lives, she goes around
draw several conclusions about literature pression
the roomand readseachpaperone at a time,
and challengesto it.
1. Context is crucial. Manycensorsdo responding with statements like: "This is
trash!"(she crumplesthe paper in her fist),
not read most or all of the texts they chal-
"Not valid!"(tosses the paper to the floor),
lenge. Students learn to never isolate one and so on. Her position: banning Huxley's
word, sentence, scene, or passage but to work is like callinghis past life, his concerns
considerthe whole in orderto properlyana-
for the stateof presentsociety,and his warn-
lyze each part. Alanaand Lucy point out in for futuresocietiesinvalidgarbage. Thereis no
their presentationson MarkTwain'sHuckle- ings
5. Respect students' abilities to read timelike the
berryFinnand HarperLee'sToKillA Mock-
ingbirdthat censorswho decry the use of the
critically, to think logically and to use
old-fashioned common sense. In her
presentto
word niggerseem to overlook the facts that plain explore
presentation,Briannasharesher own child-
Huck would rathergo to hell than betrayhis
hood memoriesabout the poetryof Shel Sil- censorship
friend (Jim, the slave) and that Atticus de-
verstein as well as data collected during and no better
fendsTomRobinsonin both the courtof law
as well as before an angry mob at the jail-
interviewswith neighborhoodchildren. No place thanthe
house.
one remembersa desire to break dishes in English
2. Weigh the positive against the
orderto get out of doing chores or to make classroom.
oneself sick in order to manipulateparents
negative aspects of the text and base your into extravagantpurchases. "I'm not that
analysis and interpretation on which out- dumb! I know these poems aren'treal,"the
weighs the other. In her presentation, children
Valerierecommendsthat because Slaughter- reply to her queries. Instead,what
they do remember are the sounds and
house-Fivehas merit as an example of an al-
the music and magic, and the
ternativeway to tell a story,of modernsatire, rhythms,
moral lessons found in poems like "HugO'
and of a 1960s popular anti-warnovel, it
should be taught around the tenth- or War."
eleventh-gradelevel, or used in any class CLOSURE
with a focus on war novels or alternative During the two-hour final examination
tellings of novels despite the use of science at the end of the course, we consider,once
fiction (a sub-genre to many high literary again,the role books play in our lives. Each
critics), obscenities, graphic violence, and student assesses her literaryeducation and
casualtreatmentof religionand morality. how the books she has read duringher high
3. Most censorship is a form of de- school career,including the books in this
nial. Students already know much of the Banned Books course, have contributedto
truthand realityfromwhich parentsattempt her growth as a reader,writer,speaker,and
to shield them--either by direct personal thinker.One prewritingstep asks the ques-
experience, second-hand knowledge from tion, "Youknow in advancethat you are to
peers, or exposure to the modern media. be maroonedon a desert island for the rest
Studentswant and need to confrontpainful of your life. In preparation,you are allowed
and controversialissues in the presenceand to take ten books. What titles will you
EnglishJournal 69
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 choose,and why?"Anothersolicitsa com-
prehensivelist of all texts readin English
andbeyondduringeachyear,grades9-12.
We reminisce,we sharefavoritetitles and
authors,we becomeexcitedaboutand en-
proclaimour love for books.
thusiastically
Wehavecomefullcircle.
Works Cited
Abramson, Edward A. 1986. Chaim Potok.
Boston:TwaynePublishers.
American LibraryAssociation. 1989. Hit List.
Chicago: The Young Adult Services Divi-
sion, AmericanLibraryAssociation.
En Route
Angelou, Maya. 1969. I Know Why the Caged
BirdsSings.New York:BantamBooks.
Blume,Judy 1973. Deenie.Scarsdale,New York:
Andover to
BradburyPress.
S1975. ForeverScarsdale,NY:Bradbury
Press.
New London
LaurieZimmerman
Bradbury,Ray 1953. Fahrenheit451. New York:
BallantineBooks.
Fieldof Dreams.1989. Dir. Phil Alden Robinson.
I passfivebogs,threemountains,
andfour
Hollywood, CA:Universal.
lakes
Footloose.1984. Dir. HerbertRoss. Hollywood, eachdayonmywaytodropping
offmysonat
CA:Paramount. school.
Frangedis,Helen. 1988. "Dealingwith the Con- Heinforms
meofthese
factsenroute.
troversial Elements in The Catcherin the Thisnumberingnature
somehowcheers
me
Rye."EnglishJournal77.7 (Nov.):72-75
of
Harris, Robie H. 1994. It's PerfectlyNormal. of random
whenreports murders
in Miami
Cambridge,MA:CandlewickPress. andhomeless
bodies bymovemeto
nearer
Lawrence,Jerome and RobertE. Lee. 1955. In- foregofor awhilemyrelentlessradio.
heritTheWind.New York:Bantam. Webegintocountthebogstogether,
Lee, Harper. 1960. To KillA Mockingbird. Lon- thistimethreebitsofBlackwater
don: Pan Books. including
andnext,limitless of
possibilities
Potok, Chaim. 1972. MyNameis AsherLev.New
York:FawcettCrest. hiddenbeaverandblackbear
Sabine, Gordon and Patricia.1983. BooksThat Bythetimewepullupat theschool
Made the Difference:What People Told Us. we havetheworldprettywellin hand
Hamden, CT:The Shoe StringPress,Inc. foruntold
except miseries
elsewhere,
Salinger,J. D. 1951. The Catcherin the Rye. andas hesays,
theunforeseen,
Boston:Little,Brown& Co.
Silverstein,Shel. 1981. A Lightin theAttic.New
moreunicorns
thanwecanname.
York:HarperCollins. LaurieZimmerman teachesEnglishto secondarystu-
. 1974. Wherethe SidewalkEnds. New dentsat Proctor
Academy inAndover, NewHampshire.
York:Harper& Row. Shehaspublished poemsin variousjournalsincluding
Sirens.1994. Dir.John Duigan.New York:Mira- BellowingArkandRadixMagazine.
max.
Six Degreesof Separation.1994. Dir. FredSchep-
isi. Hollywood, CA: Metro-Goldwyn-
Mayer/UnitedArtists.
Twain,Mark.1884. Huckleberry Finn.New York:
BantamBooks.
Walker,Alice. 1982. TheColorPurple.New York:
HarcourtBraceJovanovich.
Williams,CaroleA. 1988. "StudyingChallenged
Novels: Or, How I Beat Senioritis."English
Journal77.7 (Nov.):66-68.
Vonnegut,Kurt. 1969. Slaughterhouse-Five. New
York:DelacortePress.
Jennifer Rossuck teaches at Annie WrightSchool in
Tacoma,
Washington.

70 1997
February
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