Why Ban Bronx Masquerade?

 Faith Tyranski

Dr. Ellis

Banned Books 

Blog Post 

Ringel on Banning Books

Throughout this semester, our class has been developing a working storyline, which details how books come to be banned, but moreover why people actively seek to ban books. One reoccurring part of our discussions centered around how parents or school administrators seek to ban books in their children's libraries or even books that are specifically targeted towards children. Ringel notes that "since the inception of the American children’s literature industry in the 1820s, publishers have had to grapple with the question of who their primary audience should be," and our class expanded on this idea, to incorporate the factor of maturity and autonomy. Building upon that initial claim by Ringel has enabled us to understand the banning of books as going beyond trying to segregate books based on target audiences, but rather as an attempt to halt progression, awareness, and systemic change. 

When understanding why books are becoming banned faster than ever, Ringel underscores a shift in material, which subsequently drove a shift in societal response. "In researching my book Commercializing Childhood, I discovered that children’s stories and magazines during the 19th century rarely discussed slavery," notes Ringel, yet with a quick search to see how many pieces of literature discuss slavery and are readily available today, I was met with 20 google pages of options. Yet as our class continues our narrative, with the help of Ringel, we understand that the material, slavery, nor the deliverance, targeted at youth, is the problem. Literature such as The Patchwork Path, is filled with pictures and shortened structural components, to invite children to explore a new area of knowledge. Similarly, books such as Drama, a graphic novel, are easily digestible for children in the form of familiar dialogue- yet both are continually banned. 

The problem ultimately arises from parents who use these claims of 'wrong audience' or 'too mature' as a false shield. A generational gap severs the understanding and principles which govern the generation that seeks to ban books and the generation which thereby can not experience this literature. As previously noted, authors can deliver literature that engages with 'higher level' topics in a manner suitable for children, and thereby renders that principal argument from parents useless. So then when we begin exploring beneath that superficial claim, why do parents seek to ban literature? Returning to that generational gap, we see a difference in awareness. Whereas in past generations, women found themselves inferior to men, people of different races, or with any disability too inferior, those boundaries have begun to break in today's generation; change threatens the known, and for many, the unknown, even with the promise of a better future, is more threatening than the known. 

Therefore, this older generation seeks to ban books, directly halting the spread of information, awareness, and ability to progress. By first understanding this, we can then begin to explore secondary ramifications of banning;  Ringel underscores how Wonder transports children beyond their own experiences and instills the feelings of empathy and humility that are an essential part of life," and without the ability to engage with this piece of literature, students are not only blocked from experiencing Augie's facial, but also a crucial life lesson. Through continuing this understanding, our class will further our narrative and reveal truths as to why books are banned but moreover, the dangerous implications in doing such.