![]() Referencing multiple years of research completed by the American Library Association (ALA), the following statements represent complaints typical of those made against modern works of literature: Modern works, even more than the classics, are criticized with terms such as “filthy,” “un-American,” “overly realistic,” and “anti-war.” Some books have been attacked merely for being “controversial,” suggesting that for some people the purpose of education is not the investigation of ideas but rather the indoctrination of a certain set of beliefs and standards. Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick: “contains homosexuality”.Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment: “a poor model for young people”. ![]() Shakespeare’s Macbeth: “too violent for children today”.Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter: “a filthy book”.Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days: “very unfavorable to Mormons”.Plato’s Republic: “the book is un-Christian”.For example, classics traditionally used in English classrooms have been accused of containing obscene, heretical, or subversive elements such as the following: We can safely make two statements about censorship: first, any text is potentially open to attack by someone, somewhere, sometime, for some reason second, censorship is often arbitrary and irrational. The fight against censorship is a continuing series of skirmishes, not a pitched battle leading to a final victory over censorship. These pressures have mounted in recent years, and English teachers have no reason to believe they will diminish. The Right to Read and the Teacher of Englishįor many years, American schools have been pressured to restrict or deny students access to texts deemed objectionable by some individual or group. ![]() The statement then culminates in processes that can be followed with different stakeholders when students’ reading rights are infringed. The current Students’ Right to Read statement represents an updated second edition that builds on the work of Council members dedicated to ensuring students the freedom to choose to read any text and opposing “efforts of individuals or groups to limit the freedom of choice of others.” Supported through references from text challenges and links to resources, this statement discusses the history and dangers of text censorship which highlight the breadth and significance of the Students’ Right to Read. The genesis of the Students’ Right to Read was an original Council statement, “Request for Reconsideration of a Work,” prepared by the Committee on the Right to Read of the National Council of Teachers of English and revised by Ken Donelson. Overview: The Students’ Right to Read provides resources that can be used to help discuss and ensure students’ free access to all texts. This statement was originally developed in 1981, revised April 2009 to adhere to NCTE’s Policy on Involvement of People of Color, and revised again in September 2018. The NCTE Executive Committee reaffirmed this guideline in November 2012. ![]()
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