Fatima Mendoza
Period: 3
4/23/18
Is censorship destructive or beneficial?
Censorship is a form of prohibition and punishment. Censorship thus relates to public
communication and content in word, image, and sound. Censorship generally focuses on
communication and content that is displeasing to religious rulers. It concerns opinions on state
and politics, theological and religious issues. Issues related to social (in)equality, sex, honour,
norms, and values. Censorship is destructive because it takes the ability to learn and enjoy, no
freedom of speech or thought, and no preparation.
In “Excerpt From: What Do Harry Potter, Captain Underpants, and Huck Finn Have In
Common?,” says that removing books from children takes away the ability for them to learn and
enjoy. “The removal of the books from the open library shelves violates the First Amendment to
the Constitution, impermissibly restricting students’ ability to explore, to learn and to enjoy.”
The removal of books tramples on the student’s right to receive information and ideas. Students
won’t be able to gain any knowledge if books are taken away. The reason being is because books
are filled with so much information that we can’t find nowadays.
In source #2, it states that the shelving or “unshelving” of books offers a constitutional issue,
particularly where there is no showing a curtailment of freedom of speech or thought. If
children/students don’t have the ability to have their own freedom of speech, they won’t be able
to to express their own opinion and speak freely in essential to bring change into society.
Censorship blocks ...
