Censoring

Brian White Ms.DiRe English 10 1/20/10 Censoring: The Chocolate War Have you ever been disgusted by offensive language or actions seen in media? I’m sure you’re shaking your head in approval thinking about contents you’ve experienced in movies, television, books, magazines, etc. that could be inappropriate. Books are a great example that we usually associate with being educational but in reality could contain violence, which could result in the book being censored. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier should be censored for children under the age of 14. Throughout history, people have banned books for various reasons either by book burning dating back to the 15th century and present time in schools. Books can be banned in various locations by different people, for example The Chocolate War which included material unsuitable for kids and was banned by different schools districts and reported by ala.org. The Chocolate War should be banned for its use of bullying, sexual situations, profound language, theft, and the underage use of illegal substances that children under 14 would not understand and feel threatened by. Throughout history, people have banned books for various reasons either by book burning dating back to the 15th century and present time in schools. “With the invention of the printing press in the 1450’s, it became much easier to censor books because they were now more readily available for the masses” (Kravitz 67). Censorship or book banning is the restriction of works that are either offensive to the general public or too inappropriate for

Cited: Page White 5 “Chocolate War Captures Top Spot on Most-Challenged List” ala.org February 11, 2005 http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/currentnews/newsarchive/2005abc/february2005a/challenged.cfm Cormier, Robert. “The Chocolate War” NY: Dell Publishing Company, 1974. Kravitz, Nancy “Censorship and the School Library Media Center” Libraries Unlimited, Portsmouth, NH