Why “To Kill a Mockingbird” Should be Censored in Schools

Why “To Kill a Mockingbird” Should be Censored in Schools?
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Why “To Kill a Mockingbird” Should be Censored in Schools?
Since its first publication in 1960, Harper Lee’s best-loved novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” has been facing censorship issues. The book shows a small town in Alabama in 1930 with extreme racism. Thus, as an inhabitant of the south, the author has inserted a few offensive themes in her writing. It is undeniable that Harper Lee’s award-winning book, “To Kill A Mockingbird” should not be included in middle and high school syllabuses because it has the themes of racism using n-words and open discussion around unpleasant topics in a way that may negatively influence the mind of the reader, particularly young students.
The first and the most important reason to ban this book is the racist ideologies it raises in young minds. As middle and high school students possess an acute, maturing sense, they develop ideas influenced by any literature rich in pleasant or shocking imaginations. Therefore, many critics agree that Lee’s philosophy of racism infused in the story of Tom, the protagonist, can negatively affect the reader’s mind. Research warns educators to be cautious and responsible while teaching, analyzing, and debating the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” or the movie based on this piece of literature because it may impact students’ minds. They fear that the text or movie may begin a series of subtle racist doctrines in the mind of the learners from one generation to another if they indefinitely continue their learning, discussion, and criticism in their institutes. Also, the scholar guides the educators to help the students approach their racism by a parallel understanding of the new racism because the novel presents the ideology in its past form (Macaluso, 2017). The warning of Macaluso in this article shows the risks included in allowing this book in middle and high schools. Although it is possible to educate the children about the difference in racism before and after the civil war in the U.S, the included risk firmly persists in its place because it challenges several generations in a school with this book. Hence, the idea of censorship for this novel is verifiable by the factor of racist ideologies in its themes with a profound impact on young minds.
The second important factor that makes the continuation of this book in learning institutes a hazard is the open discussion around unpleasant and forbidden topics like rape and sexual assault. There are various records of parents’ complaint letters, who requested school authorities to discontinue this book from their children’s syllabus due to the absurdness of its content. Also, there are many thank-you wishes from parents in the record when the administrators banished the book from schools. These parents were highly concerned about their children’s spiritual growth and character building in the institutes where the book was a part of the syllabus. They attempted to save their immature minds from offensive...