Opinion: the importance of controversial books
Students in English One are reading “To Kill a Mockingbird”, a book that is considered by many literature experts to be an American classic. However, the book has either been banned or challenged as appropriate many times over the years.
January 11, 2017
Freedom of speech is one of the most important rights in America as it allows people of different opinions to express themselves. Equally important is the the freedom of press. These two First Amendment rights are often exhibited in books.
However, over the years, there have been books that have dared to be outspoken which have impacted society and generation after generation in countless ways.
Here on campus, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is read every year in English 1. It can be uncomfortable to read the n-word pop every three pages, but it still reminds a person that this is one of the best pieces of literature and closely describes life through a six-year-old living in a society that is plagued by an anti-black mindset in the deep south.
Scout, along with many other of the characters in the book, freely throw around derogatory terms that are used for black people. Scout and her family had opinions that would be considered to be northern-influenced during that time period.
The book, furthers the idea that racism is taught; it isn’t something you are when you first come into the world. In the case of Tom Robinson, a black man wrongly accused of raping Mayella Ewell, a white woman, everyone knew he was innocent. But due to his skin color, he was persecuted and put into jail. In the book, nothing could be done black people were considered to being lower beings compared to white people.
To Kill A Mockingbird puts things in perspective, a perspective that is still quite relevant today. No one chooses to be ignorant. It’s just how some people are raised. Often people do not, change the mindset given to them by their parents.
Controversial books such as To Kill A Mockingbird make statements. They make you think. They put you into the shoes of a character, and it’s not always the protagonist. If books didn’t go beyond society’s idea of appropriate, many students wouldn’t know the meaning of expressing opinions and protesting; two rights just as important today as they were in 1960 and 1787 when the constitution was ratified.
