Book Banning

Zachary SenchakPd. C-D

What is book banning?A banned book is one that has been removed

from the shelves of a library, bookstore, or classroom because of its controversial content.

In some cases, banned books of the past have been burned and/or refused publication.

A book may be challenged or banned on political, religious, profanity, or social grounds.

Challenged BooksA challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict

materials, based upon the objections of a person or group.

Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others.

As such, they are a threat to freedom of speech and choice.

CensorshipThe act of examining a book, play, news

reports, or television programs for the purpose of suppressing parts deemed objectionable on moral or political grounds.

“Since when is critically assessing what one

reads censorship? Perhaps it’s time we look at

what censorship really means.”

- Kelley Jenson, Librarian

“What cannot be said above all must not be silenced but written.”

-Jacques Derrida

“What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist.” ― Salman Rushdie

Racism

A belief that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is more superior than the others.

Mark Twain was not racist as he wrote in one of his books, “Man is the only slave. And he is the only animal who enslaves.”

“Our true nationality is mankind.” ― H.G. Wells

Mark Twain

In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain attempts to move away

from pure literary writing.

After his father's death Twain spent several summers with his uncle, John

Quarles. His uncle owned twenty slaves. Twain spent time with the

slaves on the farm. He learned slave stories, folklore, and speech patterns.

This is how he chose to write the book in a southern accent because he thought it best fit in when he learned about his southern customs as a child.

examiner.com/article/Mark-Twain- dialect

Adventures of Huckleberry FinnPublished in 1885

Author: Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

Written from 1876-1883 in Hartford, Connecticut and Elmira, New York

Setting: Along the Mississippi river sometime from the 1830s – 1840s reaching the states Missouri, Illinois, and Arkansas.

Reasons the book should not be bannedIt does not have a direct meaning to racism.It is how the world is no matter if the truth is

good or not.It is a good educational book.Teachers discuss many topics about the book

(slavery, racism, or censorship) that lets their students have their own opinion on it.

Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a book written by Mark Twain that has been banned as well.

Banned Book by Mark Twain

Why the Book was BannedAdventures of Tom Sawyer was banned

because:

The use of the “N” word appears many times in the novel.

His derogatory portrayol of Native Americans in the form of the dangerous villian in the story Injun Joe.

Why the Book should not be BannedIt accurately showed how the people at the

time talked.

The language was never an insult but was just inferring the person as their race.

Critic Views

"All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn." - Ernest Hemingway

“I found this book to be very good. The

language in the novel made me feel as if I was in the south.”

“Hard to understand at times because of the old English language the characters use, but overall well written.”

Twain’s Thoughts and ExpressionsHe wrote this book from the information he

learned while growing up as a child on a slave farm.

He did not write it in any way to harm others.

He tells many about the journey along the Mississippi river and gives the readers information about it.

Informative Quotes from the Book"Please take it," says I, "and don't ask me

nothing—then I won't have to tell no lies.“-Mark Twain

"To be, or not to be; That makes calamity of so long life.“

-Mark Twain

The Concord LibraryThe library reached the conclusion of banning

the book off the shelves of libraries.They concluded that Mark Twain’s book,

“Huckleberry Finn”, is trashy and vicious.The library also determined that in many of his

works degenerates into a gross trifling with every fine feeling. The trouble with Mr. Clemens is that he has no reliable sense of propriety.

http://libraryhistory.pbworks.com

The Contention of the “N” WordIt challenged authority, poked fun at religion and

was accused of leading children astray. What's surprising is that 125 years later, Huckleberry Finn is still making news.

Today there are school districts in America that ban this American classic for one reason – the “n” word.

Facts of the Book being Bannedthe fourth most banned book in the US.

A

new edition would replace 219 references to the 'N-word' with 'slave’.

"It's such a shame that one word should be a barrier

between a marvelous reading experience and a

lot of readers." -Gribben

____

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This picture shows how many times the “n” word is used on a single page in the book.

Works Cited“Censorship”. “Racism”. Merriam-Webster. 2 e.d 1997 print

Huck and the Concord. librarytwain.lib.virginia.edu. New York Herald.1885: March 18.

"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain Study Help Famous Quotes." The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Study Help. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2013.

Mark Twain Banned Books. slideshare.net. by mortdida on April 28, 2010

Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. United States, Illinois: The American Publishing Company

"Banned & Challenged Books." American Library Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2013.