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Re: Censorship, promotion of books and dissemination of ideas. rebelaessedai Send a noteboard - 11/02/2010 10:58:23 PM

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?

I don't think books should ever be censored.
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?

Maybe erotica, but that's about it.
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.

I'm sure everyone has a ton of these. In the interests of being short, I'll say The Hobbit. I'm sure there are tons of kids like me who were introduced to the joys of books through this classic.
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?

I'm always kinda "meh" on required reading. I hated a lot of what we read in high school. Depressing, generally, although I guess if your English classes are pushing existentialism so damn much, that's about what you could expect.
Yeah, I do think everybody should read The Hobbit/ Lord of the Rings... LotR more for high school because there's a lot to discuss there. The Hobbit is more for enjoyment, and I'll give it to my kid one day.
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.

Blech. I haven't read enough to really be able to say "these five". A lot of stuff that's required is on a long list of stuff to choose from. I didn't approve of much I was required to read in HS, but I'm sure there are thousands of books that would be beneficial as an early introduction to literary criticism. I personally appreciated Lord of the Flies, Ender's Game, Night, and Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
Interestingly enough, my final for English in tenth grade was a discussion of fate that compared and contrasted Night with Gaiman's Neverwhere. You probably would've appreciated reading that one. ;)
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 don't know much about what's generally censored. Of course I feel like censorship is ridiculous, so just about everything I do hear about just makes me snort in frustration. :P I read And Tango Makes Three recently, because I knew it had been removed from school libraries a lot. I was stunned.
7. Do you think schools place too much emphasis on particular themes or ideas when choosing their curriculum? If so, which ones?

Heh heh. Yeah, the existentialist stuff was important to learn, I think, but I could've used some more positive philosophy as well. Jonathan Livingston Seagull, now that was an inspiring book. Don't laugh at me, either. :P
8. Are there any authors you would remove from school curricula who are presently well-represented? Why?

I don't think so. Maybe crap like Twilight. :P
9. Are there any authors not represented that you would like to see added generally? Why?

Well, of course. I read some "out of the way" kind of stuff that I'd like to see become more mainstream. I'm glad I came to wotmania so many years ago, because that, combined with Anastasia's gifts and tastes, led me to this new world of reading I might never have found otherwise. I don't know much about how to open others' eyes, besides being active on the internet and talking about books I like.
10. Is there ONE book (aside from religious works) that you think EVERYONE should read? If so, what book and why?

I don't really think there's anything like that. The closest I could come would be Jonathan Livingston Seagull. I guess because it has proven a positive influence in my life. It's a short, easy read that everyone should be able to appreciate.
Atheism is a religion like abstinence is a sex position. - Bill Maher
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Censorship, promotion of books and dissemination of ideas. Tom - 05/02/2010 05:15:17 PM 1429 Views
Interesting post nossy - 05/02/2010 06:19:06 PM 945 Views
I agree. One Shakespeare is sufficient. *NM* Ghavrel - 06/02/2010 06:42:51 AM 346 Views
Oh, fun! You mentioned the 语录 by Chairman Mao... Tom - 06/02/2010 06:35:21 PM 847 Views
Tough Subject, censorship LadyLorraine - 05/02/2010 07:24:39 PM 935 Views
I think I would be worried if a school had more than one copy of Mein Kampf Tom - 06/02/2010 06:30:08 PM 853 Views
I was mostly just using it as an example, since it was what the article talked about LadyLorraine - 06/02/2010 10:20:08 PM 898 Views
tough questions random thoughts - 05/02/2010 08:26:30 PM 911 Views
I never saw the humour in Dilbert... Tom - 06/02/2010 06:28:57 PM 930 Views
I actually ran into this in high school. Apsalar Shadowdancer - 05/02/2010 08:33:10 PM 1081 Views
I found that we covered a lot about American Indian issues in US History. Tom - 06/02/2010 06:23:16 PM 859 Views
we coverd most of those things as well Apsalar Shadowdancer - 06/02/2010 08:08:22 PM 1013 Views
Anyone interested in German history in particular and European history in general should read it. The Shrike - 05/02/2010 08:47:14 PM 1041 Views
I think jane austen and the brontes would be good to leave in LadyLorraine - 06/02/2010 03:44:10 AM 779 Views
They could read Pride & Prejudice & Zombies instead. *NM* The Shrike - 06/02/2010 04:03:34 PM 340 Views
They could. It'd be very educational. LadyLorraine - 06/02/2010 04:37:23 PM 704 Views
I read a great number of books I don't necesarily agree with, so I'm on your side. Tom - 06/02/2010 06:19:21 PM 875 Views
What about... Macharius - 18/02/2010 06:57:56 PM 1134 Views
Hmm. jh - 05/02/2010 09:11:13 PM 913 Views
It's interesting that many of the most influential books are hardly ever read. Tom - 06/02/2010 06:15:19 PM 852 Views
Love the survey. Legolas - 05/02/2010 09:42:29 PM 1029 Views
Interesting. Do you really think that Nineteen Eighty-Four is plausible? Ghavrel - 06/02/2010 10:13:56 AM 874 Views
It doesn't have to be plausible as a whole to be relevant. Legolas - 06/02/2010 08:28:20 PM 870 Views
I agree entirely Camilla - 06/02/2010 10:32:07 PM 961 Views
You raise an interesting point. Tom - 06/02/2010 06:06:20 PM 872 Views
Re: Censorship, promotion of books and dissemination of ideas. Camilla - 05/02/2010 11:09:41 PM 1000 Views
Nietzsche as mandatory reading - that's a fun idea. Tom - 06/02/2010 06:00:29 PM 919 Views
Re: Nietzsche as mandatory reading - that's a fun idea. Camilla - 06/02/2010 06:03:59 PM 924 Views
Re: Censorship, promotion of books and dissemination of ideas. aria - 05/02/2010 11:47:08 PM 993 Views
Re: Censorship, promotion of books and dissemination of ideas. Camilla - 06/02/2010 12:11:06 AM 872 Views
I agree with most of that. But to quote our eminent Camilla... Ghavrel - 06/02/2010 10:30:15 AM 975 Views
Re: I agree with most of that. But to quote our eminent Camilla... aria - 06/02/2010 12:25:37 PM 895 Views
I agree on the Shakespeare (and mentioned that below). Tom - 06/02/2010 05:54:50 PM 873 Views
Re: I agree on the Shakespeare (and mentioned that below). Camilla - 06/02/2010 06:05:48 PM 980 Views
I don't think high school students need to discuss possibilities for staging. Tom - 07/02/2010 01:36:03 AM 818 Views
I think there is value to discussing staging LadyLorraine - 07/02/2010 01:52:47 AM 826 Views
nice post AgentOrange - 06/02/2010 01:27:23 AM 843 Views
Re: nice post AgentOrange - 06/02/2010 01:29:34 AM 855 Views
A lot of people think von Clausewitz is important. Tom - 06/02/2010 05:51:44 PM 779 Views
More than Sun Tzu? *NM* Legolas - 06/02/2010 08:31:44 PM 320 Views
Sun Zi was relatively unknown in the West until recently. Tom - 07/02/2010 01:30:06 AM 832 Views
Sure, but he could still have influenced world history by influencing Asia... *NM* Legolas - 07/02/2010 01:35:17 AM 354 Views
Doubtful. Tom - 07/02/2010 01:41:01 AM 847 Views
Tom, you did not just write that AgentOrange - 07/02/2010 10:12:40 AM 895 Views
The Mongols are not East Asian. They are Central Asian. Tom - 07/02/2010 03:06:19 PM 865 Views
Neat. Ghavrel - 06/02/2010 06:41:37 AM 1110 Views
Brave New World is an excellent choice. Tom - 06/02/2010 05:15:15 PM 801 Views
In many ways, books are like automobiles or power tools... Larry - 06/02/2010 11:08:01 AM 1012 Views
The interesting thing, to my mind, is that the BBC article talks about "Lebensraum". Tom - 06/02/2010 04:46:34 PM 847 Views
And nary a thing about Alois Hitler, no? Larry - 06/02/2010 05:52:50 PM 1048 Views
I have yet to see a literature teacher in schools teach history through literature. Tom - 07/02/2010 01:33:57 AM 865 Views
But yet I know several history teachers who have done this Larry - 07/02/2010 10:38:49 AM 959 Views
Viewing history through a literary prism is usually an injustice to the study of history. Tom - 07/02/2010 03:16:30 PM 930 Views
No, the opposite: viewing literature through historical lens is what I'm interested in Larry - 07/02/2010 03:31:04 PM 907 Views
Re: Censorship, promotion of books and dissemination of ideas. Novo - 06/02/2010 01:44:07 PM 963 Views
I agree that Shakespeare is over-emphasised. Tom - 06/02/2010 04:29:16 PM 732 Views
Before responding to others, I'll post my own responses Tom - 06/02/2010 04:26:53 PM 991 Views
Re: Before responding to others, I'll post my own responses Camilla - 06/02/2010 10:34:10 PM 808 Views
Hmm. Rebekah - 06/02/2010 11:33:02 PM 877 Views
New Zealand has culture? Tom - 07/02/2010 03:25:28 PM 1035 Views
Which book of his would you recommend ? AgentOrange - 09/02/2010 04:20:15 PM 822 Views
The Whale Rider is lovely. Rebekah - 10/02/2010 02:36:01 PM 747 Views
I will answer yiour survey but may I ask a question first? What did you think of Steinbeck? Tashmere - 07/02/2010 06:20:52 AM 814 Views
I hated Steinbeck, with the exception of Travels with Charley. Tom - 07/02/2010 03:22:11 PM 836 Views
The Grapes of Wrath was required in Sophomore English in HS. And I loved it. The Shrike - 07/02/2010 03:25:55 PM 910 Views
Re: Censorship, promotion of books and dissemination of ideas. Tashmere - 07/02/2010 11:52:02 PM 917 Views
Re: Censorship, promotion of books and dissemination of ideas. Mossman - 08/02/2010 03:14:24 AM 1097 Views
Re: Censorship, promotion of books and dissemination of ideas. rebelaessedai - 11/02/2010 10:58:23 PM 967 Views
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