Books Should Not Be Banned In Schools Essay

Although banning books is quite a drastic measure, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest should not be taught in any school's curriculum because of the effects that the graphic intensity and brutality shown throughout the novel could have on the minds of adolescents. The debate of whether or not to ban certain books has gone on for ages, throughout this period of time, many books have been deemed acceptable and some have received the opposite fate. The majority of these decisions have swayed toward giving the book the benefit of the doubt, however in the case of Ken Kesey's novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, the book should be banned from the schools' curriculum. Despite being a literary masterpiece depicting the mind of insanity and how life
Graphic violence is too influential on adolescents' thoughts and minds to be taught in a classroom environment. All throughout the novel, there are depictions of violence, murder, and suicide. Sharon Begley of The Boston Globe writes, "'The brain,' says Sowell, 'undergoes dynamic changes much later than we originally thought.' Maturity is not simply a matter of slipping software (learning) into existing equipment. Instead, the hardware changes," (Begley 2). The brains of adolescents are not fully developed and many may not be able to correctly decipher which parts of the book are morally right or wrong. The teenage or adolescent brain cannot always make proper judgement calls, even when the decision seems blatantly obvious for adults. The graphic nature of the book and the passages containing details suicide or murder could influence the students in very negative ways. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest has many passages of this fashion, such as when Kesey states, "'He cut his throat,' she said. She waited, hoping he would say something. He wouldn’t look up. 'He opened the doctor’s desk and found some instruments and cut his throat. The poor miserable,