Lords of the Eyes
There are many famous books that maybe you have read that were banned in some places, at certain times. In this Forbidden Books action project, we were assigned to read a once banned book and write an essay about it. The essay needs to include a main argument, information on why the book is controversial, people who banned it (and why), places it was banned from, quotes from the book, quotes from its author, our own thoughts on the book, if it should be banned or not, and our thoughts on censorship. The book I chose to read was Lord of the Flies by William Golding. If you have read the book before, you might be familiar with some of its somewhat graphic content. That content is the cornerstone of why Lord of the Flies was banned. Parents and school administrators were worried about children and students being exposed to the controversial content of the book, which is why they challenged to ban it. What you are about to read is my argument against them, and why William Golding's Lord of the Flies should not be banned. I hope you enjoy!
What would a group of kids, who are all strangers, stranded on a deserted island do to survive? In Lord of the Flies, one of the first ideas that comes to those kids’ minds is to create their own working community. On the island, they are in their own world without any adults. For that reason, they create their own set of responsibilities that need to be taken care of, taking on the roles of adults. It becomes a struggle for every single one of them to survive on this island. They wonder, with each passing day, if they will ever be rescued. Until then, they must keep watching over each other. This book is a Survivalist/Thriller Novel. People are, most likely, arguing over banning this book because of its mildly graphic content of young boys violently turning on each other, like in The Hunger Games. Even though there are equal sides fighting about banning this book, the decision to ban it should all come down to the book itself. For instance, this book tells a fictional story and not a real one. This is a made up story that is meant to entertain the reader. The book is violent and gory at times, but many books have those qualities. This book isn’t very different. Lord of the Flies is not for everyone, but should not be banned if it do not fit someone’s taste.
On one side of the battle to ban, many people challenged Lord of the Flies. These people include parents, school administrators, and schools all over the US. The book was challenged at schools in North Carolina, Texas, and Iowa for its elements of bullying and murder. This book was individually challenged by each of these schools from 1981 to 1992.
There are quotes that drive these schools to challenge Lord of the Flies, such as chants the hunters yell whenever they kill a pig, “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” (Golding 174). When Piggy tells Ralph about his auntie saying he should not do anything active because of his asthma, Ralph responds by saying, “Sucks to your auntie” (Golding 8). Quotes like this throughout the book incorporate disrespect and aggressive language between the characters that parents and teachers do not want to their students and children exposed to. Another example of worrisome text is when Jack says, “After all, we’re not savages. We’re English, and the English are best at everything” (Golding 44). Stereotypical quotes like this one throughout the book can create arguments and complaints between people of diversity. Saying the English are best at everything isn’t something someone who is sensitive would take lightly and is kind of rude. These issues are what some people think Lord of the Flies can, potentially, inspire in readers and the major reasons why schools want to ban this book.
So, should Lord of the Flies be banned, or not? Those who want this book banned are trying to protect others who cannot handle its content. William Golding, the author of the book, says, “I think it’s because Lord of the Flies challenges reader’s ideas of order and chaos. People like to think that there are rules set in place that keep them safe. What they don’t realize is how fragile our world actually is.” Ironically, censorship is viewed as a rule that helps keep people safe. Preventing someone from reading a book will not prevent disorder and chaos. People need to be responsible for themselves. Some may like the book...and some might not. However, always remember, everyone has their own taste and limitations regarding books and their content. The first reason why the book should not be banned is because parents and teachers can keep their children and students from reading the book until they seem to be an appropriate age. No need to ban it. The second reason, there is an age range for people who can and cannot read this book. That means people of a certain age are already being warned of its content. It is a bit like an “Enter At Your Own Risk” sign. Third reason, Lord of the Flies is a great fictional novel that increases the art of literature and creativity in the reader’s mind with some great storytelling. Therefore, it can help encourage new, young writers to learn more about things like setting, narration, and dialogue.
Throughout history, people have been trying to keep certain information from the public for ages. Who knows what is being kept secret right now? Anyway, this information would include dark history, major events, and maybe some anomalies to bring the public to one person’s side. Some reasons why someone would do that are things like making them look good, gaining the upper-hand against something or someone, and/or preventing certain events or outbreaks in the public. The certain information that these people would try to censor or ban are carried out through, not only books, but things like movies, TV shows, and video games, too. The content of Lord of the Flies is what those people are trying to keep from the public due to its uncomfortable and violent nature. It may be good for some people to ban it and bad for others. However, it would be better off not banned - having each individual person decide whether to read it, or not, because everyone has the freedom of that choice. The ultimate choice should be up to the reader.
Lords of the Eyes
What would a group of kids, who are all strangers, stranded on a deserted island do to survive? In Lord of the Flies, one of the first ideas that comes to those kids’ minds is to create their own working community. On the island, they are in their own world without any adults. For that reason, they create their own set of responsibilities that need to be taken care of, taking on the roles of adults. It becomes a struggle for every single one of them to survive on this island. They wonder, with each passing day, if they will ever be rescued. Until then, they must keep watching over each other. This book is a Survivalist/Thriller Novel. People are, most likely, arguing over banning this book because of its mildly graphic content of young boys violently turning on each other, like in The Hunger Games. Even though there are equal sides fighting about banning this book, the decision to ban it should all come down to the book itself. For instance, this book tells a fictional story and not a real one. This is a made up story that is meant to entertain the reader. The book is violent and gory at times, but many books have those qualities. This book isn’t very different. Lord of the Flies is not for everyone, but should not be banned if it do not fit someone’s taste.
On one side of the battle to ban, many people challenged Lord of the Flies. These people include parents, school administrators, and schools all over the US. The book was challenged at schools in North Carolina, Texas, and Iowa for its elements of bullying and murder. This book was individually challenged by each of these schools from 1981 to 1992.
There are quotes that drive these schools to challenge Lord of the Flies, such as chants the hunters yell whenever they kill a pig, “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood!” (Golding 174). When Piggy tells Ralph about his auntie saying he should not do anything active because of his asthma, Ralph responds by saying, “Sucks to your auntie” (Golding 8). Quotes like this throughout the book incorporate disrespect and aggressive language between the characters that parents and teachers do not want to their students and children exposed to. Another example of worrisome text is when Jack says, “After all, we’re not savages. We’re English, and the English are best at everything” (Golding 44). Stereotypical quotes like this one throughout the book can create arguments and complaints between people of diversity. Saying the English are best at everything isn’t something someone who is sensitive would take lightly and is kind of rude. These issues are what some people think Lord of the Flies can, potentially, inspire in readers and the major reasons why schools want to ban this book.
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