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Izaya Ogden
Wilson
HELA 10
11 February 2015
The Issue of Censorship

(Censorship And Banned Books Through The Centuries)

Censorship is a seemingly invisible and nonexistent issue in America due to the fact that
most people are unaware that it is even happening. Censorship is essentially a policy of
restricting the public expression of ideas, opinions, conceptions and impulses which have or are
believed to have the capacity to undermine the governing authority or the social and moral order
which that authority considers itself bound to protect (Lasswell). The government can stop a
thought from ever reaching the public, and some believe that it is the most serious, least
tolerable infringement of free speech (Darity). But others see censorship as a way to protect our
youth from violent and inappropriate things they might see on their media. Even though

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censorship is a debatable topic, there should be a line that no government could cross and keep
us from learning what we want and expressing our thoughts.
It is surprising that so many people happily accept the practice of censorship and actively
engage in it (Why Does Censorship Exist). People do not realize that by participating in the act
that they encourage the government to do the same. Some blame our censorship on the laziness
of our government and the unreliable messages they broadcast to us. But others believe that
censorship occurs in America because the government wants it to. They purposely want to block
out specific opinions and messages (Li). Some people are impartial to the subject, but that
doesnt mean it isnt happening. The government claims that everything they do is for the greater
good, and that censorship doesnt take our free speech away, it simply protects us from obscene
messages and images (Bertin) Many people agree that censorship does more help than harm.
The argument for censorship is based upon the fact that our youth should be protected,
and certain things shouldnt have to be seen by everyone. These things include violent and
graphic images. Some individuals are triggered by certain images and sounds, like war vets or
victims of a crime. Censorship can make people feel safer and much more in control of what they
see or read. This is very important to some individuals and without certain types of censorship
they wouldnt feel safe surrounded by all the uncensored media.
Censorship occurs on many forms of media. On TV, any message we see has to be
screened by someone before it can be showed. That is not always a bad thing, but it can limit the
knowledge we have on certain topics. News stations are notorious for twisting the truth.
Censorship also occurs on the internet. The government can take down sites and take down
comments. Many peoples thoughts and expressions are censored on the internet. Even books are

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censored; in the past few decades, hundreds of books have been banned from entire countries for
the causes they support or the things they establish. Our everyday life is censored, and ultimately,
censorship is about power and control of information (Clay). Our government claims that it is all
for our benefit, but are they telling the truth?
Whether or not our government should control our information is a hot topic, and it
affects our life whether we know it or not. Our information is screened and restricted by
authorities. Some people might have an opinion that never reaches the public due to censorship.
It is wrong to restrict what people can express and learn. America as a society is very close
minded, hostile, and nationalistic, and the media can feed them almost anything and theyll buy
it. Censorship restricts those who want to speak out against these issues by shutting them down
so their words never can reach the public or make any change.
Censorship threatens freedom. A truly free society wouldnt have their words erased.
People should have the right to voice their opinions, no matter how unpopular they are
(Censorship in America). Expecting to suddenly create a perfect society with no censorship and
complete freedom of speech is whimsical thinking, but changes can be made to take small steps
towards a better society.
What the government should or should not get involved with is forever going to be
bittersweet. Censorship is put in place to protect us, yet restrict us all the same. Is the
government just doing its job, or are we being blindsided? We have a right to express everything
without punishment. The government knows that some information may put them in a bad light
or show us that they arent perfect, but the people should know all the facts and be able to make a

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decision for themselves instead of being fed biased information. Censorship has been around for
centuries, but the decision to change it lies with us.

Works Cited
Bertin, Joan E. "Censorship." Governments of the World: A Global Guide to Citizens' Rights
and Responsibilities. Ed. C. Neal Tate. Vol. 1. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA,
2006. 164-169. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.
"Censorship in America." Censorship in America. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
"Censorship." Renaissance: An Encyclopedia for Students. Ed. Paul F. Grendler. Vol. 1.
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2004. 141-143. Gale Virtual Reference Library.
Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
Darity, William A., ed. "Censorship." GVRL. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
Li, Joyce H-S. "Censorship: National, International." Computer Sciences. Ed. Roger R.
Flynn. Vol. 4: Electronic Universe. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. 3134. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.
"We Need Censorship: Argumentative Persuasive Topics." We Need Censorship:
Argumentative Persuasive Topics. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2015.
"Censorship And Banned Books Through The Centuries Tags: 1500s, 1600s, 16th Century
Literature, 17th Century Literature, 18th Century Literature, 19th Century Literature,
20th Century Literature, Banned Books, Censorship, Obscenity, Philosophy,
Prohibited Books, Religion ." Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2015.