In this world, there are few things no more precious than freedom itself. The freedom to choose one’s own religion, and if it doesn’t suit you, to fe free from religion; freedom of thought, expression, political belief and affiliation. The freedom to think as one wishes. The freedom to move around and associate with different people. The freedom to grow as an individual. The freedom to read and write… and in my case, the freedom to publish your thoughts and opinions in a blog.
Why is freedom so important? Perhaps a quick tour through the above link will remind you why it’s just so important. Every day, somewhere in this world, there is a writer who wants to express their thoughts in the form of fiction as a way of commenting on society, but that writer find themself facing a wall of people who want to prevent that message from being released. Censorship. It’s the only possible word to describe it.
More often than not, censorship arises when people refuse to read the book they claim is a violation of their morals and values. They are simply bleeting, mindless sheep who are listening to the loudest of their kin. They echo everything and believe it with their dying breath because no one told them to read the book and think for themselves.
Challenged Books & Magazine List
Rather than simply list off challenged books, I’d thought I’d link to the pdf itself and allow you the read to take a look. After all, I couldn’t include everything; it would take all day. In whis way, I’m providing you with the information you seek if you’re interested.
You’re probably wondering at this point, what could have prompted me to key in this diatribe? What kind of idiocy could I have encountered? To you, I point to this article in the Toronto Star: Atwood novel too brutal, sexist for school: Parent
The Atwood novel in question is one I studied in OAC Canadian Literature, The Handmaid’s Tale. The novel was originally meant to be studied by 18-19 year old students; in my case, I was much younger since I managed to finish my English credits before the end of the first semester of grade 12. The novel is now studied by students who are 16-17 years old. And yet, there is a parent concerned that his son won’t learn anything from this.
If this parent was concerned about his son’s exposure to anything vile, maybe the father should be starting with whatever the son watches at home, the games he plays or the music he listens to. Sanitize your own home all you want, but leave the public realm untouched. The public doesn’t need another nanny-figure telling us what students should and shouldn’t read.
Russell Morton Brown, a retired University of Toronto English professor, said The Handmaid’s Tale wasn’t likely written for 17-year-olds, “but neither are a lot of things we teach in high school, like Shakespeare.
“And they are all the better for reading it. They are on the edge of adulthood already, and there’s no point in coddling them,” he said, adding, “they aren’t coddled in terms of mass media today anyway.”
He said the book has been accused of being anti-Christian and, more recently, anti-Islamic because the women are veiled and polygamy is allowed.
But that “misses the point,” said Brown. “It’s really antifundamentalism.”
I could have quoted different aspects of the article, but this is the best part. It best summarises up the point as to why books shouldn’t be removed from schools just because there is one parent who doesn’t like it.
As for me… I’ll be reading a book or two this weekend. I haven’t decided what I want to read yet, the three chapters of my corporate law text, the first one of wills and estates or if I want to delve into my real estate text…
