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Book Banning & Burning Throughout History

Authors of banned books have been ostracized, exiled, or even threatened with death. During certain periods, merely possessing a banned book was a crime. Here’s a brief timeline of book bannings, burnings, and other censorship tactics.

By |April 19th, 2023|Categories: On Censorship|Tags: , , , |1 Comment

Slaughterhouse-Five: Jumbled, Jangled… and Burned.

Kurt Vonnegut's darkly funny anti-war novel has been banned at least eighteen times. Protagonist Billy Pilgrim has not only "come unstuck in time," he's abducted by aliens. But why? What real life scenario does this reflect?

The Scarlet Letter: A – for Adultery, Antinomian, or America Itself?

Nathaniel Hawthorne is renowned for deep symbolism and psychological insight. So, what's The Scarlet Letter really about? It's about more than a misbehaving minister.

Maus: Why it Should be Unbanned.

Maus' removal from the curriculum of a school district in Tennessee made national headlines. This essay addresses why that decision should be reversed.

Show Me on the Doll Where This Book Hurt You

A poem that addresses not only the limited thinking behind censorship, but also the dangerous implications of the practice. By Daniel W. Wright.

By |December 9th, 2021|Categories: 12-21, Guest Essayists, On Censorship|Tags: , , |0 Comments

The Lottery: Who’s the Lucky Scapegoat?

The Lottery ends with a famously disturbing plot twist, one that has provoked controversy since the instant it appeared in The New Yorker. What point was Shirley Jackson making?

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: They Even Banned Dorothy?!

It's more than the "girl power" and (ironically) good witches that got it banned. Discover how much more here...

Back to School in Plato’s Republic: Lesson Plan, or Censorship?

We live in a culture spellbound by censorship. And it's increasing at an alarming rate. Like a lot of other topics, Plato has a lot to say on the subject. What is his perspective on the matter, and is it still relevant?

The Giver: A World Without Humanities

The Giver is about Jonas, an eleven-year-old boy who lives in a futuristic society where life appears to be nothing less than idyllic. If everything is so perfect, why has it been one of the most controversial books in American schools since its release in 1993?

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