Censored: When books are banned
- posted: 06 Nov. 2007
- scrolllifestyle@byui.edu
“Not everyone born free and equal, as the Constitution says, but everyone made equal. Each man the image of every other; then all are happy, for there are no mountains to make them cower, to judge themselves against.”
Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 describes futuristic, book-burning firemen in an intellectually and morally decaying world. Ironically, schools and libraries often ban this anti-censorship novel along with many other classic books in the name of decency.
“Local school boards may not remove books from school library shelves simply because they dislike the ideas contained in those books,” said the U.S. Supreme Court in Board of Education, Island Trees School District v. Pico in 1982.
If people deem any book inappropriate, however, they can submit inquiries to libraries and schools. They then examine the contents of the book and objections of the inquiry to decide whether the book should be banned.
“Banning books doesn’t help [keep people from reading them] because it calls attention to the book and makes everyone want to read it,” said Jack Harrell, a professor in the English Department at BYU-Idaho.
Most commonly banned books contain offensive language, drug use, sexual content or homosexual themes.
“Their main purpose is to protect children, which is great, but that also means preventing other people’s kids from reading it,” said Joelle Moen, a professor in the English Department at BYU-I. One the walls outside her door are posters with quotes by authors of banned books.
“If we want to get rid of all books with inappropriate content, let’s get rid of the Bible. That’s where we’d start,” Moen said.
The key is distinguishing the good from the bad. Good literature often gives insight into moral choices and better understanding of the complexity of choices, according to www.ala.org.
Moen encourages her English 250 class to face the book-banning issue by reading a novel from a list of historically banned books. Some of these books include The Great Gatsby, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Catcher in the Rye and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
A conflict arises when people assume that books provided at BYU- Idaho reflect LDS beliefs. Both Harrell and Moen face this conflict when teaching.
The English Department’s “Statement on Course Content and Philosophy” acknowledges that great literature may sometimes contain tragic and ugly human experiences.
Harrell and Moen try to approach controversial topics tactfully at BYU-I.
“If I spend too much time warning people who weren’t freaked out before, they go into it with the wrong attitude,” Harrell said. When students feel uncomfortable with course content, Harrell offers alternate assignments to preserve their agency.
Moen advises students to speak with their teacher if they have a problem with the book’s content.
“Teachers don’t get paid enough to want to corrupt students. Their assignments have purpose,” Moen said. 
