Censorship Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography: Censorship
Research Question: What is the value of Censorship in literature?
Censorship Is a Must
Writers in the “censorship is a must” perspective believes that censorship is important for the general public. Specifically, these writers believe that whoever is in the know must not tell the whole truth to others. People would surely go crazy and should not be allowed to read just any piece of literature. Also, in that respect, not just any piece of literature should be published and writers themselves should be censored, according to this perspective.
This perspective has good reasoning in the sense that certain people might be overwhelmed when learning the truth about something and it may be a good idea not to allow
Written in his article entitled, “Letters from Voltaire, 20 June 1733”, Voltaire implores the public not to “clip the wings of our writers so closely...those who, allowed a start, might become eagles; reasonable liberty permits the mind to siar--slavery makes it creep. (par 5). This is an example of an author who feels very strongly about the demolition of censorship. This writer’s argument is that when authors are censored, it affects the outcome of their work. People are not allowed to publish literature that is deemed “inappropriate” to a certain group of people, therefore, not being granted the freedom that writers deserve to perfect their craft. He also touches on the subject of readers that “enjoy the fruits of the labours of the great men who have worked for [their] pleasure” (par 13). Voltaire believes that since writers have worked so hard they shouldn’t have to be censored because then those who genuinely enjoy their products will be let down in addition to the reader. Voltaire is whole-heartedly against censorship within literature and does not see the
The transcript of Chimamanda Adichie’s speech, which was entitled, “The Danger of a Single Story”, discusses “how impressionable and vulnerable we are in the face of a story.” (par 4 ). Adichie discusses how important books are to young naive readers. She herself formed her opinions around books even though “there weren’t many of them available” (par 4) to her. In Adichie’s argument it is vital for readers, especially at a young age, to have a variety of books to read. She explained to her audience the idea of a “single story” and how when you witness something just one way, that becomes the only way. This is the reason why diversity is so important and why censorship should not take place in literature. If others are not allowed options to read, it could result in ignorance to all who are disadvantaged, according to Adichie. Chimamanda Adichie is an advocate against censorship due to the damages it can cause, since it has no place in