Call Me Ishmael... Or Call Me Censored Literature.

Ahh, censorship.

It has its all-important place in many areas of media, but in one particular field it seems it has become absolutely ridiculous; and that field is literature (and its place in the classroom).

I remember quite vividly some of the commentary by my 10th-grade English teacher when she was discussing PABBIS (Parents Against Bad Books in School), and her comments have very much affected my ideas on the matter. Over the years, I have decided that censorship has become misunderstood in educational contexts.

Censorship is not useless. Sure, there is no earthly reason why students should read Cosmo for English or tabloids for history. The books in the classroom need to have true value for the students. And that is exactly why teachers want to use novels like Lord of the Flies. There is some value.

However, it is my understanding of PABBIS (through the impression given to me by my former teacher) that basically every book is bad... simply because there is bad language or suggestion. For example, one may not be able to use Gone With the Wind because there are sex scenes and the word "damn." (I do apologize, Clark Gable.)

This is a simple case of contextual misunderstanding. One thing that people are quick to forget is that not all books were written in the gross political correctness that we are so used to today. Some books were written in highly-racist times, others in eras of religious fervor. However, we are so quick to judge books by contemporary standards... and what are we losing by doing so?

A fabulous book which I have studied in numerous classes is Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. It is a wonderfully-simple book about the trials of an African community which is suddenly faced with Western influence.

As great as that book is, Achebe wrote an article addressing the issue of censorship. He discussed in particular Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, pointing out that teaching such a book in school reinforces inequality issues and racism and stereotypes. Basically, there is a negative influence on children. For all of us familiar with Conrad's work, we know there are definitely racist remarks in there.

However, we understand that Conrad lived in an era which encouraged racism and separation. Thus, we see the value in studying his works and opinions, but we know to distinguish the rights and wrongs for our children and students.

So, my fellow educators, there is your problem. We forget to mention that part of teaching literature in school is actually TEACHING it. We aren't setting these kids free to read possibly controversial books without taking the time to explain things to them. Sure, they need to read all that classic literature- Tom Sawyer, Heart of Darkness. But if we, as educators, make sure to describe contextual beliefs and era-produced attitudes, they can still come away from class as informed (and un-prejudiced) citizens.

Teachers. Teach the books. Explain the material. Prosper.