Some of the questions require more though then I have time to give them so I will just do my best.
Not for adults no but I also don't think that places like Amazon should be required to sell books they do not want to.
Yes I do think some books should be held back. I do think it is acceptable for schools to censure which ideas they are exposing their students to.
Darwin On the Origin of Species
Mill On Liberty
Marx The Communist Manifesto
The Declaration of Independence (yes I am stretching what book means)
My overlooked one
Clausewitz's On War
Just the declaration of independence. I do think all of them should be studied and discussed but some would hard for most students to get through. I think it is better to study ideas and discuss their strengths weaknesses then it is to hope the kids never stumble across them on their own. Same goes for Mein Kampf, better to put it out there and dissect it then to let young gullible minds be exposed to it out of context.
I think I am opposed to the idea of saying there are five books that have to be read.
I think they too often bow to pressure from small vocal groups who attack books for rather shallow reasons. I also and help think the way to combat that is others need to step up and defend them to drown out the voices of the vocal minority. You can't really expect a career bureaucrat (which is what school administrators are) to step up and risk their career over Mark Twain when the rest of us can’t even be bothered to pay attention.
I think they can and they should be in the business of exposing students to a range of ideas not indoctrinating them to one set. They need to learn to leave their personal politics at the door as much as possible.
Just the ones who do things like write math books that spend more time on global warming then on math. I had two sons graduate recently and I didn’t seem them being exposed to any ideas I didn’t believe should be in a school curriculum.
No I think they do a decent job. I would like to see more range and variety instead of seeing kids read the same books over and over every year. Animal Farm is an interesting book but do people really need to read it if they are not interested? I don’t think it changes anyone’s view on communism.
The Dilbert Principle to warn them of the dangers of pointy headed managers and evil HR departments.
1. Are there any books that should ever be censored? If so, why? If so, which ones? Who should decide what books are censored and for whom?
Not for adults no but I also don't think that places like Amazon should be required to sell books they do not want to.
2. Should any books be withheld from libraries in high schools? If so, why? If so, which ones? Who should decide what books are withheld?
Yes I do think some books should be held back. I do think it is acceptable for schools to censure which ideas they are exposing their students to.
3. Name five books (aside from religious works) that you think have had a massive impact on the world, and at least one that is frequently overlooked on lists of that sort.
Darwin On the Origin of Species
Mill On Liberty
Marx The Communist Manifesto
The Declaration of Independence (yes I am stretching what book means)
My overlooked one
Clausewitz's On War
4. Do you think any of the books you listed in point 3 should be read in schools as mandatory reading? Why or why not?
Just the declaration of independence. I do think all of them should be studied and discussed but some would hard for most students to get through. I think it is better to study ideas and discuss their strengths weaknesses then it is to hope the kids never stumble across them on their own. Same goes for Mein Kampf, better to put it out there and dissect it then to let young gullible minds be exposed to it out of context.
5. Name five books (aside from religious works) that you think SHOULD be mandatory reading in schools (or at least "on the curriculum" if you don't like the word "mandatory"), and why.
I think I am opposed to the idea of saying there are five books that have to be read.
6. Do you think schools are too careful in choosing books due to pressure from those who would censor the curriculum? If so, which sorts of books do you feel are unjustly censored?
I think they too often bow to pressure from small vocal groups who attack books for rather shallow reasons. I also and help think the way to combat that is others need to step up and defend them to drown out the voices of the vocal minority. You can't really expect a career bureaucrat (which is what school administrators are) to step up and risk their career over Mark Twain when the rest of us can’t even be bothered to pay attention.
7. Do you think schools place too much emphasis on particular themes or ideas when choosing their curriculum? If so, which ones?
I think they can and they should be in the business of exposing students to a range of ideas not indoctrinating them to one set. They need to learn to leave their personal politics at the door as much as possible.
8. Are there any authors you would remove from school curricula who are presently well-represented? Why?
Just the ones who do things like write math books that spend more time on global warming then on math. I had two sons graduate recently and I didn’t seem them being exposed to any ideas I didn’t believe should be in a school curriculum.
9. Are there any authors not represented that you would like to see added generally? Why?
No I think they do a decent job. I would like to see more range and variety instead of seeing kids read the same books over and over every year. Animal Farm is an interesting book but do people really need to read it if they are not interested? I don’t think it changes anyone’s view on communism.
10. Is there ONE book (aside from religious works) that you think EVERYONE should read? If so, what book and why?
The Dilbert Principle to warn them of the dangers of pointy headed managers and evil HR departments.
Censorship, promotion of books and dissemination of ideas.
05/02/2010 05:15:17 PM
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Tough Subject, censorship
05/02/2010 07:24:39 PM
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I think I would be worried if a school had more than one copy of Mein Kampf
06/02/2010 06:30:08 PM
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I was mostly just using it as an example, since it was what the article talked about
06/02/2010 10:20:08 PM
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tough questions
05/02/2010 08:26:30 PM
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I actually ran into this in high school.
05/02/2010 08:33:10 PM
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I found that we covered a lot about American Indian issues in US History.
06/02/2010 06:23:16 PM
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Anyone interested in German history in particular and European history in general should read it.
05/02/2010 08:47:14 PM
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I think jane austen and the brontes would be good to leave in
06/02/2010 03:44:10 AM
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I read a great number of books I don't necesarily agree with, so I'm on your side.
06/02/2010 06:19:21 PM
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Hmm.
05/02/2010 09:11:13 PM
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It's interesting that many of the most influential books are hardly ever read.
06/02/2010 06:15:19 PM
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Love the survey.
05/02/2010 09:42:29 PM
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Interesting. Do you really think that Nineteen Eighty-Four is plausible?
06/02/2010 10:13:56 AM
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Re: Censorship, promotion of books and dissemination of ideas.
05/02/2010 11:09:41 PM
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Re: Censorship, promotion of books and dissemination of ideas.
05/02/2010 11:47:08 PM
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I agree with most of that. But to quote our eminent Camilla...
06/02/2010 10:30:15 AM
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Re: I agree with most of that. But to quote our eminent Camilla...
06/02/2010 12:25:37 PM
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I agree on the Shakespeare (and mentioned that below).
06/02/2010 05:54:50 PM
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Re: I agree on the Shakespeare (and mentioned that below).
06/02/2010 06:05:48 PM
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I don't think high school students need to discuss possibilities for staging.
07/02/2010 01:36:03 AM
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nice post
06/02/2010 01:27:23 AM
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Re: nice post
06/02/2010 01:29:34 AM
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A lot of people think von Clausewitz is important.
06/02/2010 05:51:44 PM
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More than Sun Tzu? *NM*
06/02/2010 08:31:44 PM
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Sun Zi was relatively unknown in the West until recently.
07/02/2010 01:30:06 AM
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Sure, but he could still have influenced world history by influencing Asia... *NM*
07/02/2010 01:35:17 AM
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Doubtful.
07/02/2010 01:41:01 AM
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In many ways, books are like automobiles or power tools...
06/02/2010 11:08:01 AM
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The interesting thing, to my mind, is that the BBC article talks about "Lebensraum".
06/02/2010 04:46:34 PM
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And nary a thing about Alois Hitler, no?
06/02/2010 05:52:50 PM
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I have yet to see a literature teacher in schools teach history through literature.
07/02/2010 01:33:57 AM
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But yet I know several history teachers who have done this
07/02/2010 10:38:49 AM
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Viewing history through a literary prism is usually an injustice to the study of history.
07/02/2010 03:16:30 PM
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No, the opposite: viewing literature through historical lens is what I'm interested in
07/02/2010 03:31:04 PM
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Hmm.
06/02/2010 11:33:02 PM
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I will answer yiour survey but may I ask a question first? What did you think of Steinbeck?
07/02/2010 06:20:52 AM
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The Grapes of Wrath was required in Sophomore English in HS. And I loved it.
07/02/2010 03:25:55 PM
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