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Censored Book Reflection: to Kill a Mockingbird

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Censored Book Reflection: to Kill a Mockingbird
Censored Book Reflection The banned book that I have chosen to reflect on is To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. Since 1977, this book has been banned from schools all over the country. The three main reasons that I believe this book is constantly being banned is the description of rape, the profanity and racial slurs, and the racism that takes place. There are many people that believe that the discussion of rape should not be introduced to students. This could bring up discussions in a classroom that may not be appropriate for some age groups. There is profanity in this book, but the way I see it, children are being exposed to more than this in real life. The racism is apparent in this book because an innocent black man is convicted of something that he didn’t do. However, this book is a great example of how things were in that time. I do not feel as if To Kill a Mockingbird should be banned from schools. This book teaches about a time in life when the black people had a hard time. It shows the struggles that they dealt with on a daily basis in the 1930s. This book shows the people of today how difficult it was to live back then. How the black man could not get a fair trial because of the color of his skin. I think it is important for students to read this book and understand how different things are now for everyone. The racial slurs and profanity are not anything that students don’t come across everywhere they turn in this day and age. I would feel comfortable introducing this book to high school students. They have been exposed to the different times in history and would be more prepared to understand the information that is presented in this book. I would introduce this book to the students by first explaining the 1930s and how people were treated. As the students read the book, I would ask them questions about how they feel about the situations that take place and how differently things would be today.

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American Library


References: American Library Association. 2011. Retrieved on November 2, 2011 from http://www.ala.org.issuesadvocay/banned
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