Mullally & Ringel

 Throughout this semester, we have read several books that are known for being challenged and banned in schools and libraries across the United States. We have also had a lot of insightful conversations about these novels and why they were banned. However, Mullally & Ringel's texts take what we have been discussing in class but give us facts, background, legal battles, and more to give us a broader context to think about. These articles truly shared many interesting stories and facts that I want to highlight and discuss... 

Ringel discusses the matters of the publishing industry and the role they have played in censorship. One statement that Ringel made that really caught my attention was that "publishers today still haven't figured out how to address the subject for younger children in a way that's both historically accurate and acceptable to parents." The idea that it needs to be historically accurate and acceptable to the parents hints at the notion that the parents are modifying or changing history--they are blocking out certain texts because it does not align with the version of history that they would like to share with their children. Parents, politicians, and many others are quite literally changing history by banning books. Ringel also refers to parents as "cultural gatekeepers," and I think that is very accurate, especially in regard to modern texts, such as Drama or The Hate U Give. However, I would argue that they are also becoming historical gatekeepers. This is shown as they are beginning to band To Kill A Mocking Bird and The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass that is errasing and rewriting very important parts of history. 

However, Mullally's piece focuses more on law and the legal aspects of banning books; also noting on the long history of this way of censorship. The history of banning books truly shows how sad and absurd this is form of censorship is. The idea that a 17-year old student, Steven Pico, had to fight in court in order to be able read certain novels is truly absurd. Also one part of this article that shocked me was when the district court found in favor of the board, stating that “respect for the traditional values of the community and deference to a school board’s substantial control over educational content.”  This language of "traditional values" truly cause the word "traditional" here is truly code for "not diverse". 

These articles, and this entire semester, has continued to really cause me to think about my future and my role as an educator. I have known for most of my life that I wanted to work in the field of education, it has been my passion for as long as I can remember. And as I prepare to begin my first year as an English teacher I find myself wondering on What I Can Teach vs What I Should Teach. 











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