Unconstitutional Book Banning Essay Example for Free

Unconstitutional Book Banning Essay Imagine you’re in graduate school and you’re doing your doctorate on a controversial issue. You’ve done most of the research however there’s one book that has specific information that you need, and you can only find it in that particular book. You’ve looked on the online database and find out that the book is in your universities library. You go to the library and ask for some help finding the book you need, however the librarian informs you that the book was recently banned. How is it that in a country that prides itself in freedom of speech and self expression, a book on a controversial issue has been banned? Does it not contradict what the founding fathers fought so hard for in the Revolutionary war? In today’s society the biggest reason for book banning is based on protecting moral values set in place in the home. Well meaning teacher, parents, and other would be censors worry that by exposing the nation’s youth to concepts such as sex, drugs, and alcohol they will start experimenting with these things. Ultimately they fear the breakdown of the moral values emphasized in the home. This is especially true for conservative Christians, in the past ten years books such as J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series and, Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials have caused a great deal of controversy among conservative Christians. The idea of magic, alternate and parallel universes is not a popular one among Conservative Christians. But does this really warrant all out banning books such as these? Most would say no, the ideals of a certain group should not determine what the rest of the population reads. The ideals of a minority should not determine what books are left on the shelves of libraries. It’s one thing if the private institutions chose not to stock certain books in their libraries, but it is a different matter entirely when they want to take books out of the public libraries where they are put for the enjoyment of the public. Banning books violates one of the fundamental rites the US was built on, freedom of speech and freedom of press. The freedom to read and write freely is fundamentally American. It allows citizens to express themselves without fearing repercussions from the government, or fellow citizens. It allows readers to read freely and make their own decisions. Book banning would create a narrow minded population, who don’t know how to reason for themselves. Thinking again of the argument of preserving family values, it must be taken into consideration the kind of television that is currently airing. In many ways TV is more graphic, and explicit. Yet it is tolerated, whereas even just crude language is apparently cause enough to ban a book. Parents are also worried about when their children who are reading above grade level are assigned books intended for students three to four grades above them. This can expose younger readers to seemingly inappropriate material. However there are other options, parents can talk to teachers and ask for more age appropriate books for their younger readers. Banning books violates the rites that our founding fathers fought so hard for in the Revolutionary War. Works Cited  Beatserfield, Suzanne M. â€Å"Parental Concerns About Book Content Should Not Be Dismissed. † English Journal 97. 3 (2008). Opposing Viewpoints. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. Connelly, Deborah S. To Read Or Not To Read: Understanding Book Censorship. Community Junior College Libraries 15. 2 (2009): 83-90. ERIC. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. Gallo, Don. â€Å"Teens Need Bold Books. † English Journal 97. 3 (2008). Opposing Viewpoints. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. Manning, Erin. â€Å"Parents Must Protect Children from Offensive Material in Books. † MercatorNet. (2009). Opposing Viewpoints. Web. 10 Nov. 2011.

Who’s Hungry? :: Argumentative Persuasive College Essays

Who’s Hungry? It’s almost 7:30 and the sun is just beginning to set for the night. I rush out of the shower and throw on whatever I have in my locker to wear. Dashing out of the locker room I try to avoid eye contact as I scurry out the door. If I stop to talk to a friend or check my mail I could miss my meal for the night. For at 7:30, the main dining facility and more than half the other on-campus will lock their doors until the next day. The inadequate dining hours at James Madison University have left students all over campus rushing out of various activities, classes and sports practices to try to get some much needed food and drink. Due to these extremely stringent dining hours, students are not performing as well and the university is missing out on a very profitable resource. Out of the thirteen dining facilities at James Madison University, only one is open past 8:00 PM throughout the entire week. This sole dining location is PC Dukes located on the ground floor of the Phillips Center (JMU Dining Services). Although it does provide quality food, the quantity you can get here for a punch is minuscule compared to Gibbons Dining Hall. A punch, as referred to by the students, is an equivalent of four dollars. At PC Dukes, this usually means a sandwich and a drink, while at Gibbons Dining Hall food is unlimited. Dining facilities, especially the main on-campus food facility, Gibbons Dining Hall, need to remain open later to accommodate everyone. By giving students more time to eat, more students would opt for the more costly meal plans and not have to load up on snacks and other items from off campus stores such as Wal-mart. The less students go off campus, the more likely their revenue is to stay in the university. The addition of dining hours would certainly benefit everyone involved in the university. Some dining locations are open past 8:00 PM several nights of the week on-campus. However, many of these eating facilities are relatively unknown to a large portion of the underclassmen. Most are located under dorms and hidden from the student’s eyes. They are also incapable of holding a large amount of students simply because they don’t have the room.

How far do you agree that the ‘Domino Theory’ explains US intervention in South East Asia in the 1950’s? Essay

The Domino theory is a significant motive in explaining US intervention in Vietnam, as not only the government accepted it, but the wider American Public did as well. However, there are other factors that influenced the US at the time, such as the Power vacuum in Vietnam after Dien Bien Phu, the Geneva accords and the loss of China to communism. The Domino theory is the theory that if one country ‘falls’ to communism then that communism would spread until all the countries have ‘fallen’ to it. The US intervened because of this as there was a great fear of communism around at the time. McCarthyism had just become a major issue, with many government officials being accused of being communist and as Truman had lost China, Eisenhower knew that if he ‘lost’ Vietnam, then his popularity would suffer greatly as the US public would think he was soft on communism. As a result, he would not be re-elected. The domino theory was significant because if Indochina fell to communism then there was a risk of the US losing Japan, after the effort the US put into restoring Japan after WW2 and all the trade that came from Japan, the US couldn’t afford for Japan to be threatened. Another significant reason why the US intervened in South East Asia was the power vacuum after Dien Bien Phu. The French were defeated and withdrew from Vietnam, and the US were worried that China, or even perhaps the Soviets would begin to take control. Then Ho Chi Minh emerged as a potential leader; Ho had spent time in Moscow and the US viewed him as a communist rather than a nationalist, which meant they feared him being in power and therefore, they had to get involved in South East Asia. Alternatively, the US may have intervened in South East Asia because of the lack of faith in the Geneva accords. The Geneva accords ended the war between France and the Viet Minh but partitioned Vietnam along the 17 parallel. Eisenhower was concerned that the power of North Vietnam might cause the accords to fail. If free elections were held then Vietnam would become a united communist country. Thus, Eisenhower adopted a policy of supporting Diem economically and militarily, to help contain communism. In addition, Eisenhower felt Ho had triumphed at Geneva and felt he had to ‘restore’ US prestige, this led to SEATO being created and as a consequence, further involved the US in South East Asia. In conclusion, the Domino theory was a very significant reason as to why the US intervened in South East Asia in the 1950s. although, other factors were of equal importance as everything just added together until the US had no choice to act or else they would have lost the ‘respect’ of the other countries. I think that the main factor was communism, around that time, everyone feared it and as a result, Eisenhower had to act.

About The Ending Of The Catcher In The Rye - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1127 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2019/05/28 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: Catcher in The Rye Essay Did you like this example? The ending of J.D. Salingers The Catcher in the Rye is convincing, following logically from the nature of the characters and from the preceding action. Holden Caulfield felt happy as he watched his sister Phoebe Caulfield ride on the Central Park carousel. Holden confessed, I was damn near bawling, I felt so damn happy (Salinger 275). But Holden also admitted he didnt know why he felt so happy, or why he was about to cry at the time. Even so, Caulfields sense of relief after his long depression felt perceivable. One way of reading The Catcher In The Rye takes Holden at his word, believing his happiness is authentic/genuine and predicts an eventually full recovery, seeing Holden shedding his distrust about the world and developing warmer feelings about others. Holden indicated as much as noted above when he claimed, I sort of miss everybody I told about. (Salinger 277). If its true Holden growed less bitter by the end of The Catcher In The Rye and hers learned the value of other people, then he may grow past his depression and move on to a more successful career at his new school and in his life beyond, emphasizing a sense of optimism, if not absolute happiness. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "About The Ending Of The Catcher In The Rye" essay for you Create order A doubtful reading places suspicion on Holdenrs optimism. Over the course of The Catcher In The Rye, Holdens evaluations of others consistently prove to be both inaccurate and oversimplified, making his own self-evaluation suffering from a similar shortsightedness very likely. For example, the scene with Phoebe on the Central Park carousel, where Holdenrs happiness bordered on insanity and madness suggests after his laboring and long depressive spell, the suddenness of his emotional breakthrough seems suspicious. Also suspicious is the simplicity of Holdens happiness. Holden damn near bawling (Salinger 275) suggests his emotions are far more complex than he can comprehend. As Holden frequently revealed in the final pages of The Catcher In The Rye, he didnt really know what he felt or why. In Holdens emotional immaturity, he may have reduced this complexity to an overly simple label: happiness. Indeed, Holden may be just as confused and troubled as ever. Reaching the end of The Catcher In The Rye, the climax of Holdenrs 3 dramatic days turned out to be rather anticlimactic. Holden returns home and hesitates talking about what happened over the 3 dramatic days as he anticipates his transfer to another new school and another new beginning. In the end of The Catcher In The Rye, its supposedly random events turning things around for Holden. He has a moment of absolute relief while he watches Phoebe go on a merry-go-round in the rain, realizing for the first time his actions may seriously hurt someone he loves more than life itself (Phoebe). Theres someone who would feel a terrible loss at Holdens absence (The little girl with her blue coat on the Central Park carousel in the pouring rain). Holdens life is fruitful, absolutely necessary to the wellbeing of others. Therefore, while Holden still has a fair amount of growing up and maturing to do, the worst is mainly over, producing a surprisingly optimistic and appropriate ending. Holdens attitude shifts near the end of The Catcher In The Rye when he realizes Phoebe and other children must be allowed to grab for the gold ring, to choose their own risks and take them, even though their attempts may be dangerous. Holdens indication of his acceptance of life changes at the end of The Catcher In The Rye, leaving some hope for himself. Towards the end of The Catcher In The Rye, when Phoebe asks Holden what hed like to do with his life, he explains his desire to be a catcher in the rye (Salinger 225). In this metaphor, he visualizes a field of rye standing by a dangerous cliff. Children play in the field with joy. If they are too close to the edge of the cliff, Holden catches them. Holdens ambition to save children from falling off a cliff significantly represents his desire to save innocence. He wants to rescue Phoebe, as well as other children, so he can rescue the purity he believes can only be found within innocent children. Holden dreams about saving the children in the rye field because saving them means preserving the purity left in the world. Yet Holden has given up on saving his own purity, as he believes it has been lost. By the end of The Catcher In The Rye, it seems Holden will continue to rescue others and fail to recognize its him who needs rescuing. Holdenrs last words in The Catcher In The Rye are: Dont tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody (Salinger 277). The words missing everybody seems out of character for Holden. Possibly towards the end in The Catcher In The Rye, when Holden is in therapy and recovering, his childish pessimism broke, pointing out Holden uncomfortableness in opening up to anybody because hes afraid of establishing a connection and then losing them. This goes a long way towards comprehending why Holden sabotages any relationship he begins to establish, because hes afraid of losing others close to him. This fear has such a rigid grip on Holden that he continues to be depressed and lonely, even to the extent that by the end of The Catcher In The Rye hes afraid to even speak to anyone. Salinger wanted Holden to feel once he tells about something, even if its how false things can be/seem, he misses it/them in some way. Here, Holden reveals his softer side, the side missing his older brother D.B., the side worrying about children scared by mummies in a museum, the side wondering about Central Park ducks in the winter and watching Phoebe ride the Central Park carousel. Holden says its not always wise to go back and talk about things a person may never see again. Hes saying no matter what he narrated, what his feelings and thoughts were, there was a lot he appreciated about it, and letting the public know may not be good. The Catcher In The Rye ends with Holden stopping the story after taking Phoebe to the Central Park Zoo. Holden simply says hes going back to school and misses his classmates (Even those he didnt like much), and that discussion about his story made him miss them. Holden informs and reminds that telling a story digs the feelings of lost for the early days. The significance is Holden unable to grow from his experience and move forward, instead just recalling past memories and drowning in melancholy. Salinger doesnt spoon-feed a happy ending, making The Catcher In The Rye more authentic, more genuine, more convincing, more lifelike, and more realistic than some bildungsroman novels.

Oliver Button Is a Sissy by Tomie dePaola

Oliver Button Is a Sissy, a childrens picture book written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola, is the story of a boy who stands up to bullies not by fighting, but by staying true to himself. The book is particularly recommended  for ages 4-8, but it has also been used successfully with upper elementary and middle school kids in conjunction with discussions about bullying. The Story of  Oliver Button Is a Sissy The story, based on the childhood experiences of Tomie dePaola, is a simple one. Oliver Button doesn’t like sports like the other boys do. He likes to read, draw pictures, dress up in costumes, and sing and dance. Even his father calls him a sissy and tells him to play ball. But Oliver isn’t good at sports and he isn’t interested. His mother tells him he needs to get some exercise, and when Oliver mentions he likes to dance, his parents enroll him in Ms. Leah’s Dancing School. His father says it is, Especially for the exercise. Oliver loves to dance and loves his shiny new tap shoes. However, it hurts his feelings when the other boys make fun of him. One day when he arrives at school, he sees that someone has written on the school wall, Oliver Button Is a sissy. Despite the teasing and bullying, Oliver continues dance lessons. In fact, he increases his practice time in hopes of winning the big talent show. When his teacher encourages the other students to attend and root for Oliver, the boys in his class whisper, Sissy! Although Oliver hopes to win and does not, both of his parents are very proud of his dancing ability. After losing the talent show, Oliver is reluctant to go back to school and be teased and bullied again. Imagine his surprise and delight when he walks into the schoolyard and discovers that someone has crossed out the word sissy on the school wall and added a new word. Now the sign reads, Oliver Button is a star! Author and Illustrator Tomie dePaola Tomie dePaola is known for his childrens picture books and his chapter books. Hes the author and/or illustrator of more than 200 childrens books. These include Patrick, Patron Saint of Ireland  and a number of books, including board books of Mother Goose rhymes, among many others. Book Recommendation Oliver Button Is a Sissy is a wonderful book. Since it was first published in 1979, parents and teachers have shared this picture book with children from four to fourteen. It helps children to get the message that its important for them to do what’s right for them despite teasing and  bullying. Children also begin to understand how important it is not to bully others for being different. Reading the book to your child is an excellent way to start a conversation about bullying. However, whats best about Oliver Button Is a Sissy is that it is a good story that engages childrens interest. It is well written, with wonderful complementary illustrations. It is highly recommended, particularly for kids ages 4-8, but also for elementary and middle school teachers to include in any discussion of bullies and bullying. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1979. ISBN: 9780156681407)

Inclusion, The Educational Practice Of Children With...

Inclusion, the educational practice of instructing children with disabilities as well as children without disabilities in one classroom, is a very controversial topic regarding the education of students in today’s society. â€Å"Inclusion seeks to establish collaborative, supportive, and nurturing communities of learners that are based on giving all students the services and accommodations they need to learn, as well as respecting and learning from each other’s individual differences† (Salend 5). The purpose of this arrangement is to ensure that every child obtains the best education possible by placing them in the best learning atmosphere possible. When implemented properly, an inclusive classroom can be beneficial to not only the students with disabilities, but also the regular education students. It is important for inclusive classrooms to be practiced because they promote more stimulating environments where the students with disabilities are able to better th ere social skills while the regular education students are able to accept differences between themselves and their peers. To begin to understand what the goal of inclusion is, it is important to know how the movement of this practice began. The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case ruling that â€Å"separate is not equal† opened to floor for parents and educators to argue for equal access for students with disabilities in public schools. Among various education and civil rights laws that followed this case, the most importantShow MoreRelatedInclusion Is The Educational Practice Of Educating Children With Disabilities819 Words   |  4 PagesInclusion is the educational practice of educating children with disabilities in the classroom with children without disabilities. 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It is important that you examine your own attitudes and values critically; to consider how these may impact on the way you work with children Rigid and divisive views from adults can be reflectedRead MoreLeadership, Organization And Administration1529 Words   |  7 Pageswill learn using IDEA and the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), ensure that the needs of children with disabilities are met while improving educational outcomes. As with economics as John F. Kennedy coined, â€Å"A rising tide lifts all†, therefore improving the instructional policies and practices in the special education classroom ensures the benefit of all students. Today, schools must provide students with disabilities appropriate access to the general curriculum and effective instructional support. StudentRead MoreHow Can An Early Years Setting Support The Needs Of Children With Speech Language And Communication Needs1116 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Needs of Children with Speech Language and Communication Needs Introduction This assignment aims to explore Special Educational Needs (SEN) in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) with a focus on Speech, Language and communication needs (SLCN). This will be researched by having a brief look at the History of SEN including Legislation and the Warnock Report 1978 and the 1981 Education Act as according to the House of Commons Education and Skills Committee Special Educational Needs review â€Å"TheRead MoreInclusion is Not a One Size Fits All Solution1697 Words   |  7 Pagesas mainstreaming or integration. Inclusion is â€Å"the act or practice of including students with disabilities in regular school classes† as defined in Websters dictionary (Webster, 2003). Ro Vargo was fortunate enough to have parents who closely monitored the learning environment and advocated for their daughter. They followed her education each step of the way. She continued to build on positive responses and outcomes during her educational experiences of inclusion to build her resiliency and reduceRead MoreA Brief Note On Education And Individual Education870 Words   |  4 Pagesspecial needs students. When it comes to a student with disabilities educational placement and the consideration of inclusion, I believe that the educational placement decision should be determined on an individual student basis. There are many advantages, as well as, some disadvantages of inclusion for s tudents with and without disabilities. Before discussing the advantages and disadvantages of the inclusion, the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) must be explored. IDEA states that all special

The Performance Evaluation and Bonus Free Essays

Perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of managing a company is to provide a performance evaluation technique that does not frighten employees. The fear in my organization, among those marginal performers, is that the evaluation may cause their being fired. â€Å"One of the most controversial tools for boosting performance is ranking employees and dismissing the laggards. We will write a custom essay sample on The Performance Evaluation and Bonus or any similar topic only for you Order Now Proponents argue that the practice stretches star employees†¦(Marchetti 2005 16). Those at the bottom of the performance scale tend not to be as motivated as they might be, simply because the fear of being poorly evaluated stifles their determination to improve. While there are many companies which automatically provide a cost of living raise to their employees (sometimes due to labor contracts), the idea of providing bonuses or merit awards also can cause some serious problems, and such â€Å"merit raises† often cause more conflict within a business than they solve in the way of increased productivity and/or efficiency. Here is one author’s proof: â€Å"It’s clear that employers’ compensation systems aren’t making the grade. Only 10 percent of organizations describe their merit pay programs as â€Å"very effective,† according to an employee attitude survey conducted in 2002 of 335 companies by Hay Insight (the research and survey arm of Philadelphia-based HR consulting firm The Hay Group), WorldatWork and Loyola University of Chicago† (Wells 2005 76). One problem with many businesses today is that management is too lenient, too worried about hurting someone’s feelings. In today’s competitive world, where every worker must pull his weight or make way for someone who can, such leniency may be costly. Wells (2005) suggests something called â€Å"tough love.†: â€Å"By contrast, adopting–and enforcing–the get-tough approach to merit pay has clear advantages: It doesn’t waste increasingly precious salary-budget dollars, it sends the right message that improvement is imperative, and it doesn’t fund under-performers at the expense of high-performing employees† (Wells 2005 78). In my particular organization, the idea of performance evaluation and some sort of bonus or merit award is now no longer strictly limited to the top performers. It is the middle level, what some tend to call â€Å"B performers† that have some stake in the company’s bottom line. Again, here is some proof of that: â€Å"Midlevel performers thrive when they know they’ve got something to work toward–and you’ve got to give that to them. In fact, 52 percent of respondents who qualify for incentive programs at their companies–which typically reward the top 10 percent of workers–feel they have only somewhat or no chance of winning an award. This is far from motivating. ‘Your B-players have a significant effect on your bottom line,’ says Rodger Stotz, vice president and managing consultant for Maritz Inc. ‘You’ll always have a top five percent, but those rewards don’t move the middle'† (Galea 2005 9). What is needed to ease the pain and strain of performance evaluation and resultant merit increases or bonuses is the fact that top management must now set specific targets and goals, by the month, by the quarter, by six months, annually, and even provides some projections for one, two and five years into the future. With such goals specifically outlined, employees- whether on a production line or white collar, now know exactly what is required of them. To make performance evaluation less painful; and more effective requires supervisors to keep track of performance of their section or departments, as well as individual employees. In this way, if someone falls short, there is an opportunity for a one-on-one discussion that may provide both a reason for such a shortfall and a means of improving performance. This personal oversight by supervisors can go a long way to eliminate the fear of being discharged as a marginal or low performer, and at the same time reward what Galea (2005) calls â€Å"B Performers.† Therefore, what will make performance evaluation and compensation tied to it far more effective in my company is to focus on these mid-=level performers as well as providing a means â€Å"up the ladder† for the marginal ones, knowing the top performers will always continue to shine. By also stressing teamwork, it becomes the responsibility of everyone within a section or department to make sure everyone contributes to reaching the goal. How to cite The Performance Evaluation and Bonus, Essay examples