Brief Assignment 1
Minor Paper 1 Banned Books
Banned Books
Books have been banned all across the world for many of the same reasons, due to the themes they display throughout. Some of these themes include sex, violence or overall unsettling or controversial ideas. Some banned books include To Kill A Mockingbird, The Lord Of The Flies, and 1984, which is the novel being discussed in this essay. Similar to the themes seen in 1984, countries and their media feel the need to control and filter at least some of what their people see. If these books were truly meant to never be read, then why would schools across America be teaching banned books in their districts? It’s because these books were written with true passion and purpose, with themes much deeper than what can be seen on the surface, and stripping one of reading these books does more harm than good.
The novel 1984, written by George Orwell, is a novel about a dystopian way of life, one that seems very possible in today’s world. The story follows the life of Winston Smith, a low ranking member of the ruling party in London, in the nation of Oceania. Winston works for Big Brother as an “article reviser”, editing articles and facts to the liking of Big Brother, to then distribute to the public. Winston dislikes the control of the party and how they prohibit free thinking, sex and overall individuality. Everyone is brainwashed. Winston meets Julia, and they begin having an affair, even though the party forbids it. Through their journey, they discover more and more about Big Brother and the ultimate control they have over their people. 1984 is an amazingly intelligent novel that emerges its audience in the unsettling, cruel world that is Oceania. Since the book’s release, 1984 has been challenged and banned in many places across the world, including America. 1984 has been challenged for its social and political themes, including being “pro-communist” and for its sexual themes. On the contrary, it was also banned in the Soviet Union for being “anti-communist”.
While writing this novel, George Orwell was suffering with Tuberculosis, explaining the novels dark and deep undertones. Orwell’s main reason for writing 1984, however, was about his passion for his right to freedom of speech. Orwell’s approach isn’t to be pro or anti communist, but simply to tell the tale of Winston, who lives in an oppressive, obscure society. It is a novel that describes Oceania so well that people may have missed the true meaning of the novel: the role of truths and facts within politics and the ways in which they’re manipulated. The main character, Winston, works for Big Brother, altering articles to the liking of them. Nothing anyone knows in Oceania is true, being spewed lies for their whole lives, altering their opinion on who they are and what life should be like. In the article “Banned Book Highlight: Literature lifts the veil in Orwell’s “1984”, author Katelin Woods discusses a recent case of trying to get 1984 banned from being taught in schools. In 2017 in Idaho, “Parents of high school seniors feared the book shared in their children’s government class had “violent, sexually charged language.” The passage they used to support this claim was “He would flog her to death with a rubber truncheon. He would tie her naked to a stake and shoot her full of arrows like Saint Sebastian. He would ravish her and cut her throat at the moment of climax” (1984). This one quote from the novel does not accurately depict what the true intentions of the story are. 1984 is an important novel for people to read, as it informs the reader about what a broken government could look like, and what it’s capable of.
Ultimately, many of the books seen on the banned books list have immense substance to them. Although some of the topics may be difficult for young students to comprehend and emotionally process the events that take place within these books, that isn’t to say these topics shouldn’t be taught. Oftentimes, the most difficult subjects to teach are the most important ones to convey to the new generation.