The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

    It is hard enough to get people to read

    Last week was Banned Book Week, and people across the nation embraced the idea of having the freedom to read whatever they want. Sims Memorial Library put up signs and a display encouraging students to read books that were once banned or challenged.
    Personally, I think banning any kind of art is ridiculous. Books, music and artwork are just some of the mediums through which individuals choose to express their creativity, and people have every right to exercise their freedom of speech through art forms.
    I don’t think anyone should have their freedom of speech taken away. Censorship is a serious thing, and surprisingly, it’s still a major issue in our country.
    Apparently 464 “challenges” were made to the Office for Intellectual Freedom through the American Library Association in 2012. Among the top 10 most frequently challenged books last year, I have heard of four of them and read just one of them, the tenth on the list: Toni Morrison’s “Beloved.”
    I have to admit, I was assigned to read “Beloved” for my Advanced Placement English Literature class my senior year of high school, and my English teacher gave a full disclaimer about the content. As a 17-year-old, I thought it couldn’t be that bad, but even I found that the book had pretty graphic sexual content and offensive language. However, I wouldn’t go as far as to challenge it.
    As a writer myself, I understand the importance of allowing an author to express their ideas the way they want to. I would be furious if someone tried to have one of my books banned just because they didn’t like the characters, a few bad words or part of the storyline. If you don’t like it, don’t read it. It’s as simple as that.
    Now I think censorship is a tricky business, but in some cases I can understand it. For instance, E. L. James’ “Fifty Shades of Grey” was the fourth most challenged book of 2012. I haven’t read it and personally never plan on reading it, but if some people like that sort of thing, they should have the option. I don’t think it should be in an elementary or middle school library, but I don’t think that every copy of the book should be burned either.
    Last week in the Student Union people were given the right to write anything they wanted on a free speech wall. Not everything on that wall was flowery and friendly. There were some expressions of hatred and distaste, and I’m sure some offensive language made its way onto the wall. Yet it made people really think about what they wanted to say but felt that they couldn’t. For some people, art, whether it’s music, dance, painting or writing, is just the expression they need.
    I know that writing has helped me through some rough patches, and I’ve also written during some of my best times, too. Whether you use art to express aggression, sadness or excitement, shouldn’t you be allowed to continue doing that as long as nobody is getting hurt?
    I firmly believe that a person puts a piece of their soul into their artwork, whatever the medium, and it’s a shame that people cannot view it as art and accept it the way the author made it to be. Banning a piece of art is a harsh way of censoring someone, and it’s also taking away other people’s right to choose what they want to see or read.
    I think it would be acceptable to set up a rating system for books, like the MPAA movie rating system. If publishers selected an age-appropriate rating for each book before it is released, we could ensure that the proper age groups are reading the proper books, and then adults wouldn’t worry about banning books for the sake of their children’s innocence. There are much more serious things for adults to be worried about than what their kids are reading. With all the mind-numbing TV shows that kids watch today and the economy going downhill, people would be smart to pick up a good book and relax. They would be lucky if kids actually wanted to read more often!
     

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