Some books deserve their cancellation

B-A+freshman+Jessie+Corrado.

B-A freshman Jessie Corrado.

Jessie Corrado, Student Contributor

The push to remove some pieces of literature from America’s cultural library can help stop the spread of ideas that contribute to racial hatred and division, sexism, misogyny, and violent acts. It is especially important to take action to this situation now because of the society children are currently being raised in. In the past years, things like racism and violence have been a big problem facing our world. If children are raised reading books that influence ideas like that, it may cause them to think it is okay to harm others either physically or with what they say.

I do not know if there is currently a problem with books being published having offensive things in them, but a lot of older books that include them are still being read in schools. Some of the most reoccurring issues with the older books being read in schools is the ideas of racism, sexism, misogyny, violence, sexual acts, profanity, religion, discrimination, sexuality, and suicide. Having those ideas in books read in schools could give off the idea that what is happening in the books is okay. If the teachers of the classes that are reading these books don’t explicitly explain that what is said in the books is wrong, it could have an influence on how their students think and act.

Having books in schools that promote ideas like racism and violence towards others is a problem. Others could try to make the argument that the words in the books don’t really mean anything because of how many years ago they were written, but I don’t find that statement true. Just because something was said in the past, doesn’t mean you can just take the meaning and message behind it away. If people can get their entire scholarships taken away from them because of something they said on social media as a kid, then the things said in books shouldn’t get their message behind them taken away just because of their publishing date.

Some of the most popular books to be removed from America’s cultural library are the ones of the “Harry Potter” series, “To Kill A Mockingbird”, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, “Of Mice and Men”, “Thirteen Reasons Why”, “The Hate U Give”, “The Catcher in the Rye”, “The Color Purple”, “Animal Farm”, and “Looking for Alaska”. These books being are being banned due to being “anti-family”, violent, satanic, promoting racial hatred and division with the use of slurs, having adult themes, profanity, troubling ideas about man’s relationship to God, African history, and human sexuality, and being based around suicide and negative activity. Although some of the reasons behind banning these books may be a stretch, the main ideas they’re trying to stop promoting are valid.

If we continue to teach in schools using books that promote ideas of racism, violence, and other harmful things, students can potentially pick up some of the mannerisms from the characters in the books. Instead of continuing to read these books to students, teachers and schools should find new literature to read and learn about with their students. However, if the school does not want to completely separate from certain books, the teachers should at least try to demolish the hateful ideas that some of the books are providing for students by openly stating that what is happening or being said in the book is wrong.