The Reason Behind the Censorship of Salingers Catcher In...

The Reason Behind the Censorship of Salingers Catcher In The Rye Many charges have been made against J.D Salingers The Catcher in the Rye in attempts to censor the book. Most of these charges are used as a smoke-screen for the real reason this book is considered dangerous. There have been several attempts to have Salingers novel removed from High School libraries and reading lists. The most notable instances are: 1978 -- it was removed from an optional reading list at a High School in Issaquah, Wa. 1979 -- it was removed from a required reading list at a High School in Middleville, Mich. 1980 -- it was removed from the libraries in the Jackson-Milton School District in North Jackson, Ohio. 1982 -- it was removed†¦show more content†¦The f-word is upsetting to many people, but it is used perfectly in context in the book. Occultism. It is difficult to see where this charge comes from. The only scene that even leans toward occultism is the scene where Holden speculates on whether Judas went to hell after betraying Jesus (100). This seems to be more of a doctrinal dispute than a venture into occultism. Holden also calls himself an atheist (99) and then goes on to prove that he is a christian in the next breath. This is the hardest charge against the book to believe. Violence. Holden has a rough time in this book. He gets into a fight with his roommate and gets a bloody nose (43), he gets roughed up by Maurice and punched in the stomach (102), and he has several violent fantasies. The violence in this book is barely at the level of a Saturday morning cartoon, though. Again this is a hollow charge. Sexual Content. This charge, along with the vulgarity, is the strongest. There is sexual content in the book. Holden fears that his friend Jane may have been raped, he lusts after women at every opportunity, he meets with a prostitute in his hotel room, he witnesses perversions through his hotel window, and he fears that Mr. Antolini is making a homosexual pass at him -- although the last is more Holdens fear than reality. Through all of these sexual adventures Holden remains innocent. He is a model of virtue. By High School, readers should be able to read these non-graphic passages without harm.Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Salinger s The Catcher Rye 3756 Words   |  16 PagesSummer Reading-TASIS 2014 Rising 9th Grade Mainstream English The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and Fahrenheit 541 by Ray Bradbury Please write a typed or handwritten response (200 words each in the language relevant to your course) to each of the following prompts on each of the works assigned for the course(s) you will be taking in 2014-2015: The Catcher in the Rye Initial Understanding: What are your thoughts and questions about the story? You might reflect upon characters, theirRead MoreEssay on Banning Books4604 Words   |  19 Pagesbe read. And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be the real losers† (Blume 1999). Judy Blume can not explain the problem of book censorship any clearer. The children are the real losers because they are the ones that are not able to read the classic works of literature which are the backbone of classroom discussions all across the United States. The American Association of School Administrators (AASA) defines censorship as: â€Å"The removal, suppression, or restrictedRead More Harry Potter: Good or Evil? Essay1486 Words   |  6 Pagesor a silly old bear while still young and naà ¯ve. The child is read such stories to encourage use of his or her creativity. The ideas of such characters are for pure amusement and are obviously fictional. Unfortunately, today there are issues of censorship that stifle a person’s creativity. The most recent book being criticized by censors is J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Censors claim that the reading of such novels encourages witchcraft, and therefore should be banned. Although critics ofRead MoreEssay on Censorship - To Censor Literature is to Censor Life2196 Words   |  9 Pageslose our respect for knowledge, we lose our respect for ourselves; indeed, as Milton so eloquently wrote, As good almost kill a man as kill a good book      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Despite First Amendment rights, censorship abounds in the United States.   One of the most popular targets for censorship is literature.   Of course, this is nothing new.   As long as writers have been publishing books, censors have been burning them.   Perhaps not always literally, but as author Ray Bradbury points out, there isRead More Censorship - A Clash of Wills and Morals Essay4147 Words   |  17 PagesCensorship - A Clash of Wills and Morals A list of the greatest literature of the English language could be compiled almost solely by using a chart of the works most often censored by schools and libraries. Some people believe that the books most frequently banned consist only of trashy paperbacks and frivolous â€Å"beach-reading.† However, usually in censorship cases, there is a clash of wills and morals between the teacher or librarian who finds a work worthy of students’ and