16Embracing Banned Books by Karma_Chameleon
How many students in school today recently spent a quiet weekend at home with the Harry Potter books? How many others doggedly applied themselves to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or The Catcher in the Rye, trying to glean enough understanding for an acceptable book report? Both experiences are common to many high-school students. Unfortunately, these books are no longer available to some teenagers whose parents and educators have deemed them unacceptable.
Throughout the last few years, many parents and professionals have made an attempt to remove books they feel are “inappropriate” from the hands of students. These novels are categorized this way for a variety of reasons, including drug use, violence, sexuality, and profanity; some, like the Harry Potter books, have even been accused of endorsing occultism and Satanism. In light of these claims, many libraries, schools, and teachers have been forced to remove them from coursework and collections.
While some may panic when exposed to ideas different from their own, in my opinion, the broadening of the mind through literature is never wrong. When scholars read books of “questionable” substance, their moral values and beliefs are challenged, tested, and often, ultimately strengthened. As young adults, only we really know if we are mature enough to cope with a particular subject matter. If the truth is that we are not, our parents should ensure that we don’t read books that call for a higher level of maturity. No one else should have the right to make that decision for an entire group of students. No school administrator, politician, or government official should be able to eradicate our freedom to enjoy the written word as we please.
Personally, when I am searching for a new novel, I prefer to select one that will expose me to new ideas, sometimes drastically different from my own. Books of philosophy, debates, and novels based in ancient civilizations (especially Greek and Roman) are guaranteed to present new concepts, whether about the meaning of love, the idea of fate, or other philosophical ideas. Reading authors from other eras helps us understand that other cultures often embrace ideas and lifestyles that our society has struggled with. For example, in the times of early thinkers like Socrates and Aristotle, homosexuality was widely accepted, and not a subject of contention or debate. Very different from today’s world, wouldn’t you say?
I strongly urge teenage readers to find novels and stories that challenge you, and force you to think outside your comfort zone. Do not dismiss a writer’s work because you disagree with the character’s opinions or values; instead, face these conflicting beliefs head on. Because if you are unwilling to test your opinion, how can you be sure it is truly your opinion at all?
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Reading A Book VS. Watching A Movie by Sumantha Dutta
How many times have you said about a movie “it was good but I preferred the book”? The great thing about books is that they do not have a run time limit or budget for sets, because words are in control of everything. Character’s can be described however the author wants and readers can imagine the character rather than a movie which has to find the right actor/actress who fits the look and persona of the character. Regardless of whether a movie is based on a book, books are better for providing the type of entertainment which allows you to escape reality and immerse yourself into a different world as often as you like - you can read a few pages every night but can’t really watch ten minutes of a movie every night. Movies on the other hand are a great way to allow your mind to be a bit lazier and rely on visuals and scripts to entertain you for a couple of hours. With movies things are laid out for you which often doesn’t require you to think as much as a book does. When a movie is based on a book, the book is almost always better as movies cannot always capture the depth and length of detail that the book depicts. It also natural to compare the movie to the book and it is rare that casting and storyline variations are 100% true to the book - it just isn’t feasible. Even when you are impressed at how the director has managed to capture the setting just as you had imagined it, included and excluded details that you agree with and casted actors and actresses to look and act just as you had imagined, it is still hard to say that you preferred the movie to the book. Books are also a medium which relies on imagination - you picture settings, people and events in your mind, whereas movies tell you exactly what a character looks like, how they talk, what the setting looks like and so on. It leaves very little room for imagination which removes the extra dimension that a book provides. On a practical level books are also something which can be enjoyed in different situations - whether you are on a plane, train on your journey to work, at night in bed or even in a doctor’s waiting room! You are more restricted when watching a movie. Whilst technology on the market does allow you to watch a movie say, on the train, it is not quite the same as watching it on the big screen or in the comfort of the couch in a house. Although I enjoy books and movies, if I had to pick I would say that I tilt more towards books - they exercise your mind, keep you entertained for longer and are less restrictive as to where and when you can enjoy it.
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