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Neat. Ghavrel Send a noteboard - 06/02/2010 06:41:37 AM
1. Are there any books that should ever be censored? If so, why? If so, which ones? Who should decide what books are censored and for whom?

I have yet to see a situation where censorship is acceptable in a non-military context. It's the bane of progress.

2. Should any books be withheld from libraries in high schools? If so, why? If so, which ones? Who should decide what books are withheld?

No. High school is the time for people to begin being exposed from the world.

3. Name five books (aside from religious works) that you think have had a massive impact on the world, and at least one that is frequently overlooked on lists of that sort.

Hm. Most of the books I am thinking of are either representative of large philosophical trends of the time or reveal my heavy classical bias, but I'll list them anyway.

Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.
Vergil's Aeneid.
Martin Luther's Disputatio pro declaratione virtutis indulgentiarum (It's a pamphlet. I don't care).
Thomas Paine's Common Sense (It's a pamphlet. I don't care either).
Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England have proven highly influential in the legal world.

4. Do you think any of the books you listed in point 3 should be read in schools as mandatory reading? Why or why not?

Well, Common Sense typically is required reading... I suppose it's a good foundation for the American Revolution. Same with the Odyssey. I think more attention should be paid to the creation of the Protestant church, but that might be a hint of Anglican bias there.

5. Name five books (aside from religious works) that you think SHOULD be mandatory reading in schools (or at least "on the curriculum" if you don't like the word "mandatory"), and why.

Brave New World, because Huxley was right and it's happening now.
Dante's Inferno, because its influence is difficult to overstate.
In the United States, at least, To Kill a Mockingbird, because it's an excellent portrayal of both history and modern events.
The next two will be poetry. Tennyson and Keats. Those two should be read more.

6. Do you think schools are too careful in choosing books due to pressure from those who would censor the curriculum? If so, which sorts of books do you feel are unjustly censored?

Yes. We've seen Mark Twain censored because of the use of the word "nigger." The list is practically endless.

7. Do you think schools place too much emphasis on particular themes or ideas when choosing their curriculum? If so, which ones?

Racism is overdone and largely represented by authors whose ability to write compares favorably only with Stephanie Meyer.

8. Are there any authors you would remove from school curricula who are presently well-represented? Why?

The ones I've written above. Toni Morrison springs to mind; writing about racism does not make one an accomplished author.

9. Are there any authors not represented that you would like to see added generally? Why?

Russian authors. Any. Crime and Punishment was removed from the syllabus my senior year, and so my class graduated without reading a single Russian author. Or for that matter, either Dickens or Austen. I don't think that's typical, though; Dostoevsky has a pretty prominent place in high school syllabi.

10. Is there ONE book (aside from religious works) that you think EVERYONE should read? If so, what book and why?

Huxley's Brave New World. The infantilization of society is well under way.
"We feel safe when we read what we recognise, what does not challenge our way of thinking.... a steady acceptance of pre-arranged patterns leads to the inability to question what we are told."
~Camilla

Ghavrel is Ghavrel is Ghavrel

*MySmiley*

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Censorship, promotion of books and dissemination of ideas. - 05/02/2010 05:15:17 PM 1512 Views
Interesting post - 05/02/2010 06:19:06 PM 1017 Views
I agree. One Shakespeare is sufficient. *NM* - 06/02/2010 06:42:51 AM 383 Views
Oh, fun! You mentioned the 语录 by Chairman Mao... - 06/02/2010 06:35:21 PM 911 Views
Tough Subject, censorship - 05/02/2010 07:24:39 PM 1022 Views
tough questions - 05/02/2010 08:26:30 PM 989 Views
I never saw the humour in Dilbert... - 06/02/2010 06:28:57 PM 998 Views
I actually ran into this in high school. - 05/02/2010 08:33:10 PM 1164 Views
I found that we covered a lot about American Indian issues in US History. - 06/02/2010 06:23:16 PM 942 Views
we coverd most of those things as well - 06/02/2010 08:08:22 PM 1136 Views
Anyone interested in German history in particular and European history in general should read it. - 05/02/2010 08:47:14 PM 1117 Views
I think jane austen and the brontes would be good to leave in - 06/02/2010 03:44:10 AM 848 Views
They could read Pride & Prejudice & Zombies instead. *NM* - 06/02/2010 04:03:34 PM 370 Views
They could. It'd be very educational. - 06/02/2010 04:37:23 PM 777 Views
What about... - 18/02/2010 06:57:56 PM 1199 Views
Hmm. - 05/02/2010 09:11:13 PM 988 Views
Love the survey. - 05/02/2010 09:42:29 PM 1131 Views
Interesting. Do you really think that Nineteen Eighty-Four is plausible? - 06/02/2010 10:13:56 AM 941 Views
It doesn't have to be plausible as a whole to be relevant. - 06/02/2010 08:28:20 PM 939 Views
I agree entirely - 06/02/2010 10:32:07 PM 1032 Views
You raise an interesting point. - 06/02/2010 06:06:20 PM 939 Views
Re: Censorship, promotion of books and dissemination of ideas. - 05/02/2010 11:09:41 PM 1087 Views
Nietzsche as mandatory reading - that's a fun idea. - 06/02/2010 06:00:29 PM 994 Views
Re: Nietzsche as mandatory reading - that's a fun idea. - 06/02/2010 06:03:59 PM 994 Views
Re: Censorship, promotion of books and dissemination of ideas. - 05/02/2010 11:47:08 PM 1076 Views
Re: Censorship, promotion of books and dissemination of ideas. - 06/02/2010 12:11:06 AM 946 Views
I agree with most of that. But to quote our eminent Camilla... - 06/02/2010 10:30:15 AM 1056 Views
I agree on the Shakespeare (and mentioned that below). - 06/02/2010 05:54:50 PM 946 Views
Re: I agree on the Shakespeare (and mentioned that below). - 06/02/2010 06:05:48 PM 1056 Views
I don't think high school students need to discuss possibilities for staging. - 07/02/2010 01:36:03 AM 885 Views
I think there is value to discussing staging - 07/02/2010 01:52:47 AM 890 Views
nice post - 06/02/2010 01:27:23 AM 930 Views
Re: nice post - 06/02/2010 01:29:34 AM 923 Views
A lot of people think von Clausewitz is important. - 06/02/2010 05:51:44 PM 855 Views
More than Sun Tzu? *NM* - 06/02/2010 08:31:44 PM 353 Views
Sun Zi was relatively unknown in the West until recently. - 07/02/2010 01:30:06 AM 903 Views
Sure, but he could still have influenced world history by influencing Asia... *NM* - 07/02/2010 01:35:17 AM 382 Views
Doubtful. - 07/02/2010 01:41:01 AM 920 Views
Tom, you did not just write that - 07/02/2010 10:12:40 AM 967 Views
The Mongols are not East Asian. They are Central Asian. - 07/02/2010 03:06:19 PM 953 Views
Neat. - 06/02/2010 06:41:37 AM 1183 Views
Brave New World is an excellent choice. - 06/02/2010 05:15:15 PM 875 Views
Re: Censorship, promotion of books and dissemination of ideas. - 06/02/2010 01:44:07 PM 1046 Views
I agree that Shakespeare is over-emphasised. - 06/02/2010 04:29:16 PM 804 Views
Before responding to others, I'll post my own responses - 06/02/2010 04:26:53 PM 1070 Views
Re: Before responding to others, I'll post my own responses - 06/02/2010 10:34:10 PM 898 Views
Hmm. - 06/02/2010 11:33:02 PM 963 Views
New Zealand has culture? - 07/02/2010 03:25:28 PM 1097 Views
Which book of his would you recommend ? - 09/02/2010 04:20:15 PM 894 Views
The Whale Rider is lovely. - 10/02/2010 02:36:01 PM 819 Views
Re: Censorship, promotion of books and dissemination of ideas. - 07/02/2010 11:52:02 PM 992 Views
Re: Censorship, promotion of books and dissemination of ideas. - 08/02/2010 03:14:24 AM 1170 Views
Re: Censorship, promotion of books and dissemination of ideas. - 11/02/2010 10:58:23 PM 1033 Views

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