Key take aways

Faith Tyranski

Dr. Ellis

Banned Books Seminar

2 key takeaways

1) Banning a reality that you don't like, does not strike such reality from the entirety of the world. Oftentimes, parents attempt to ban books like Drama for being too sexually explicit or THUG life because of the tension surrounding race; yet by banning those two books, sure the students have less access to topics that their parents deem inappropriate; yet, what happens when the students walk into their classroom and not every student sitting at a desk is white, blonde, and blue-eyed? Or when that same student walks into a mall on a Friday night and sees two partners of the same sex kissing as they part ways. Just because one form of literature becomes banned, does not equate to the fact that the entire world shall morph into that parent's desired view. 

2) The outstanding ramifications; when the book is banned, the students are blocked from understanding that material or becoming exposed to it; however, these students then also miss all of the underlying themes and alternative plot lines within the book. If students were given a book to read that only discussed racial profiling, drugs, or sex, the book would not be longer than perhaps 50 pages; however, because that is not the case and these books often span from 200 to 400 pages, we see other storylines unfold and therefore, other lessons to be learned. Students who miss out on Drama may further struggle with their ability to find their place in middle school when students really start becoming aware of how they fit into their social environment.