Dear Ms Berner, 11/11/13
Hi my name is Tabo Ceman, I am an 8th grader at
your school. While I wish I were writing to you on brighter terms, I find that
it is important to attempt to persuade you away from banning books in the 6th
grade library. I think instead; to read books that are vulgar, violent or include drug use, we
should have parent’s and teacher permission necessary .
Book banning is like a screen; covering children's eyes from
information that may very well be of use to them in the present or future.
Writer Sherman Alexie wrote in his article,Why The Best Kids Books Are Written In
Blood, about how books helped him fight the
problems in his life. “They taught me how to battle the real monsters in my
life”. Moreover, this is one reason why we should not ban books because we
cannot take away a child’s only way of fighting his problems. In addition, if
his parents are the problem then the kid should be able to speak to his teacher
about reading the book and find his courage that way.
Another reason why I think book banning is not appropriate
in our school is because, banning books is based off what some people think
books should resemble. For example as Sherman Alexie, spat out; referring to
book banning groups in his article. “ They are simply trying to protect their privileged notions of what
literature is and should be”. One example was shown in an ABC news coverage in
Montgomery, Texas. Where Diana Verm was given the classic Fahrenheit 451 as an
assignment. After reading about the burning of the Bible, she complained and
was given a new assignment. Alton Verm; her father wouldn’t leave it at that
and wanted to ban the book from the entire school saying “I think there is no
reason anyone should want to read this”.
Mr. Verm based his need to ban the book of what he thinks proper
literature should be. I think this is wrong because literature is never the
same. It must change as time does. The problems in life change, consequently so
does literature. This is one reason why I think book banning should not take
place in our 6th grade libraries.
I think parents and teachers should be in charge of what
their kids read because they are the ones in charge of how kids are growing. If a parent or teacher does not like
the idea of their child being exposed to sex, drugs or violence then, we cannot
stop them, but once a parent or teacher sees it as their job to take away
powerful learning tools from others, then it becomes a problem. As Bill Moyers
says, “censorship is the enemy of truth. Even within a lie, lies can be exposed
censorship can prevent us from knowing the difference.” A parent is allowed to,
with the consult of a teacher sensor their children’s knowledge as they think
it is best but they should not sensor what another child needs.
Meghan Cox Gurdon on the other hand believes that books
nowadays are “dark” and “smut” as she describes novels in the article Darkness
to Visible. She believes that books nowadays are horrible and that they may
give children dangerous thoughts and ideas. I say that there are dark books.
But if parents and teachers are the ones in charge of what his/her child reads
then together they can take care of explaining and helping the child understand
the morals of the literature. If the parents are as the article, The Banned
Books We Have Loved, describes “seemingly afraid or unwilling to have conversations
with their children about what they are reading” unable to help their children,
unable to deter dangerous thoughts. Then the child should talk to his teacher,
and the teacher should speak to the child and parents about the future of the
child’s reading curriculum. This is why I believe that even though, books are
dark, they can still be and should be read, even in the 6th grade
library.
All in all book banning should not even be considered for
the 6th grade library, or any library, because it blinds children
from learning about the outside world and stops them expanding their knowledge.
“The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who'll get
me a book I ain't read.”-Abraham Lincoln. So how can we learn what we want to
know while banning books?
Thank you for your time
Yours truly,
Tabo Luka Ceman
811
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