Book Banning must be stopped

"I can't wait to go home and relax," my friend Marianne declared. After taking three midterm exams that week, Marianne planned a quiet evening at home. "Marcia, you're an English major," she said, looking up from her bag. "Can you think of a good book to me to read?" "How about Native Son or to Kill a Mockingbird?" I said. "Or did you ever read Flowers for Algernon or Ordinary People?" The four books I recommended have something in common. Although good by my standards, each has been attacked as dangerous by certain people or groups in communities across the United States. Along with other works by outstanding authors, such as Alice Walker, John Steinbeck, Kurt Vonnegut, and Mark Twain, these books - four of my all-time favorites - have been challenged, censored, banned, burned or removed from American schools and libraries in recent years.

Censorship of textbooks and other books in school libraries appears to be increasing in all parts of the country. People for the American Way, a Washington-based lobby group that recently conducted its fourth annual study of censorship, reports that incidents of censorship have increased 35 percent in the past year. In the past four years these incidents have more than doubled. Last July, the American Library Association published a list of more than five hundred books that have been banned, challenged, or removed from schools and public libraries around the country, ranging from Harriet the Spy, by Louise Firzhugh (considered "dangerous" because it "teaches children to lie, spy, back-talk, and curse"), to The Merchant of Venice, by William

Shakespeare (considered to be anti-Semitic).

Often under the guise of upholding community values, censors attack books for profane or obscene language or for scenes о sex and violence. Apparently they believe that by shielding us, they will discourage us from adopting undesirable attitudes, speech. and behavior. The censors may mean well, however, I don't think teenagers encounter many words or details in books that they have not already heard in real life. Besides, I am no more apt to swear after reading Go Ask Alice than I am to speak in blank verse" after reading Macbeth.

Instead of zeroing in on certain passages or words they find offensive, these censors should focus on understanding the value of the work as a whole. For example, J. D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye, which contains numerous four-letter words, has been a recent target of criticism. In recent years, the novel has been challenged, banned, or removed in school districts in states including Washington, Ohio, Florida, and Michigan. Perhaps by examining this work as a whole, the censors would realize its real literary value. Through his protagonist's use of strong language in a clearly unnatural "tough kid" style, Salinger depicts the struggles of a vulnerable boy who hides behind a facade as he grows up in a world that frightens and confuses him. In this work, vulgar language emphasizes Salinger's message and serves a definite purpose.

Even more disturbing to me than attacks on so-called dirty books are those against books that express ideas with which censors - who are often political, social, or religious extremists - disagree.

In Alabama, the state textbook committee rejected thirty-seven textbooks after various conservative groups had objected that the books failed to reflect certain "religious and social philosophies." In Oregon, environmentalists wanted to remove a social studies book because they believed it contained "pro-industry propaganda."' And last July a group of fundamentalist Christian parents in Church Hill, Tennessee, filed suit against the county's public schools. The group argued that a series of schoolbooks preached "secular humanism," a doctrine that they said places man above God. There are a lot of such cases

Notes:

· · To Kill a Mockinbird - "Убить пересмешника"

· · Catcher in the Rye - "Над пропастью во ржи"

· blank verse: a type of poetry that doesn't rhyme

· four-teller words: words that deal with bodily functions (very bad words)

· "pro-industry propaganda": information from industrialists that i the environmentalists

· secular humanism: и philosophy that seeks to encourage moral Dei isi Christians because they believe that people must follow the title;

· squelch: to suppress, or stamp on

Word Study.

Ex. 1. Match the phrases with their Russian equivalents.

1. as a whole A/ наряду с

2. Book banning b/ случаи цензуры

3. Vulnerable boy c/ трудный ребенок

4. Four-letter words d/ определенный отрывок

5. Renowned author e/ нежелательное поведение

6. Tough kid f/ в последние годы

7. Native son g/ в целом

8. Annual study h/ эколог

9. In recent years i/ многочисленные случаи

10. Undesirable behaviour j/ cцены насилия

11. Incidents of censorship k/ запрет на книги

12. Certain passage l/ под видом

13. Numerous cases m/ ругательные слова

14. Protagonist n/ уязвимый мальчик

15. Under the guise (of) o/ родной сын

16. Along with p/ главный герой

17. Environmentalist q/ ежегодное исследование

18. Violation scenes r/ прославленный автор

Ex. 2. Match the phrases with their Russian equivalents.

1. to make a list A/ поддерживать ценности

2. To have smth in common b/ быть склонным (к)

3. To hide behind smth c/ сталкиваться с такими словами

4. To be removed (from) d/ служить определенной цели

5. To conduct a study e/ не удаваться отражать

6. To rаnge from… to… f/ ставить под сомнение

7. To back-talk g/ подавать в суд (на)

8. To uphold values h/ провести исследование

9. To adopt the ideas i/ быть удаленным из

10. To discourage from smth j/ составить список

11. To be apt (to) k/ спрятаться за чем-то

12. To be challenged l/ иметь что-то общее

13. To serve a definite purpose m/ отговорить от…

14. To fail to reflect n/ воспринимать идеи

15. To file a suit (against) o/ варьировать от… до…

14. To encounter such words p/ дерзить

Ex. 3. Translate the following sentences into English.

1. После сдачи экзаменов в середине семестр моя подруга Марианна попросила меня посоветовать ей что-нибудь почитать, и я порекомендовала ей четыре книги - из моих любимых.

2. Мне пришло в голову (to occur to smb), что у всех этих четырех книг есть что-то общее.

3. Все они в последние годы ставились под сомнение, подвергались цензуре, сжиганию или удалялись из школьных библиотек.

4. Похоже, что цензура на учебники или другие книги в школьных библиотеках возрастает вт всех уголках страны.

5. Одна лоббирующая группа из (based in) штата Вашингтон провела 4-е ежегодное исследование по вопросу цензуры.

6. Согласно данному исследованию, за последний год случаи цензуры возрасли на 35%, а за последние 4 года эти случаи более чем удвоились.

7. В июле прошлого года Американская Библиотечная Ассоциация опубликовала список из более чем 500 книг, которые зарпещены, поставлены под сомнение или удалены из школьных или публичных библиотек.

8. Под видом оказания поддержки устоям общества (community values), цензоры “нападают” на книги за неприличный (profane/obscene) язык, за сцены секса или насилия.

9. По-видимому, они полагают, что “защищая” нас, они отговаривают нас от усвоения бранных слов и нежелательного поведения.

10. Может быть, у цензоров и хорошие намерения, но не думаю, что подростки сталкиваются в книгах с такими словами и поступками, которых они не встречали в реальной жизни.

11. Кроме того, я не стал более склонным к ругательствам после прочтения книги “Пойди и спроси Алису” и не стал говорить белой прозой после чтения “Макбета”.

12. Вместо того, чтобы убирать отдельные слова или даже целые отрывки,

цензорам лучше было бы рассмотреть значение и воздействие книги в целом.

Comprehension Check.

Answer the following questions.

1. What did the four books (recommended to Marianne) have in common?

2. What were the results of the 4^th annual study on sencorship?

3. What were the reasons for censorship?

4. Do people behave like protagonists of the books the read?

5. What is the author’s suggestion for censors?

Topics to Discuss.

1. American societies struggling against censorship.

2. Reasons for censorship.

3. Your personal attitude toward censorship.

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