"A story only lives if someone want's to listen." J.K. Rowling, Author of Harry Potter Series
Well you know what? I want to listen. For many years, for as long as anyone can remember, and for as long as we can trace back, Books have been banned. Book Banning is the banning of books for certain reasons-sometimes very idiotic reasons-and banning them from certain places or people as a matter of fact. Writers all over the world-including us-spend hours and hours working hard on that one book that's been nestled in the back of their mind forever now, and then when they finish they are immensely happy. They send it off and its published. They do a few interviews, people start to read it, and then Little John decides he wants to read the book to see what all the hypes about, and so does Miss Little John. When Little John finally gets around to reading the book, she screams her little head off because of the word damn. Mind you the book is a innocent children's book that's suggested for children Little John's age, but Miss Little John doesn't give two craps what its suggested for, she doesn't want other kids seeing this word, she doesn't want them saying that, she doesn't want to see this book. So she goes right ahead and gets a great flock of people like her, and bans the book. Now, Jason-who's been dying to read this book at last-can't read it because its not in the library, its out of print, its done. All barbecue Miss Little John read the word damn.
This is what happens when a book is banned. Books are banned for reasons, yes I understand that, but sometimes book banning isn't necessary. As most of you know I am a very descriptive, graphic, and raw author, and I like it that way. Some people believe my writing is a bit to harsh for some readers-The Maze Games for example, which needs to be toned down a bit-and that some people shouldn't be reading it, moreover I shouldn't be writing it in fact. Some people, on the other hand, believe my book is wonderful and they have no problem with my raw and real style. Now, mind you that most of the time I write books for teenagers or 12 and up because of the raw material in my books. No, I don't think a seven year old should be reading The Maze Games, No I don't think that a parent would very much recommend The Maze Games to a seven year old. But that's just because the book wasn't made for a seven year old. This is why some books get banned, because parent hounds it down and decides that no one should be reading this kind of stuff. This is where I bring in another novel that was Banned for obvious reasons, compare the two as I do. Rage is a novel by Stephen King under the pen name Richard Bachman. King/Bachman wrote Rage as the first Bachman book. Rage is a physiological Thriller about a teenager who kills his teacher and holds his class hostage. About a year after Rage was released a string of events based on the novel Rage appeared, with teenagers across the country doing just as the book did, reading it like an instruction manual on how to get revenge on your enemies. King and Libraries banned the book because what happened in the book happened in reality and had the book been still in print today, then there would have been a lot more killings. King says he regrets ever writing the book as well, but to my point. The Maze Game is a book that, quite frankly, you can't replicate at all or try and get people to do stuff, The Maze Games is when they get powers and have to escape a Maze while the Main Character battles with a dark creature as well as his own mind(you'll see what I mean when The Maze Games is published- nothing there for people to actually do something bad with. But Rage was a book that had to be banned, because people were copying the actions in the book. This is why I do not agree with book Banning because there is a certain degree until you just have to ban it.
Harry Potter-believe it or not-is actually a banned book in some states and some countries. Parents whose children read Harry Potter were afraid that their children would start doing witchcraft, or that JKR was influencing witchcraft through her books, as well as why her books were so popular. Harry Potter is the story of an orphaned boy who finds out that he is a wizard, goes to a school called Hogwarts, School for witchcraft and Wizardry. He also must battle Voldemort who wants to not only destroy Harry Potter but also anyone who comes in his way of getting what he wants, Harry being the only one who can stop him. The first thing that Harry Potter was banned about was the promotion of Witchcraft in children. This reason is not understandable by any means to me. Harry Potter is much like Lord of the Rings, Dracula, Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, Frankenstein, etc., etc.. It is, moreover, an innocent Fantasy story made for the entertainment of people around the world. Harry Potter in fact is a Once upon a time story, that you can read a child to bed at night. There have been no such reports that children began to actually do magic, that they went on a secret satanic train to a school called Hogwarts, or did something similar. It is just a Fantasy and nothing else. The next thing is that Parents believed that the tales of Harry Potter were much darker with years 4-7. Yes, I do agree with that. But, this is nothing to fret over. I've seen some of the last Lord of the Rings movie, and that was pretty dark itself, but has anyone complained over that? No, still hundreds of fans continue on and on with LOR. Years 4-7 of Harry Potter follow Harry beginning the battle with Voldemort, meaning that bad things will happen, also Harry was getting older in those years. Subjects would of course become darker. Matters would get worse. And there would be more deaths. This may well be the only thing that I have to say Harry Potter wouldn't be recommended for kids on. The Dementors would possibly give kids Nightmares, Voldemort and Snakes would probably cause parents to think of Satan, and the deaths of good people would make children very...puzzled? But, Harry Potter should not be banned because overall they are a children's story, and they have brought much joy to kids around the world for years now, the Potter books deserve a seat on the shelves of libraries everywhere. Potter is a children's tale, children's tales should not be banned.
Parents who buy their children books have the right to dictate what books they do and do not read, and I respect this. But these parents should not go on a book ban because they saw it not fit for their child. Just because a book is not suited for you does not mean it will not be suited for everyone. Not many people like Stephen King's rawness, but maybe the next person does. There is no reason you should ban a book because you don't like it. Yes you have the decision to not read the book, but not the decision to not let everyone else read the book. Most books that are banned shouldn't have been banned, and that's why only a few have been taken off the banned reading list such as-Of Mice and Men and To Kill a Mockingbird. Every writer who writes a book like our writer Henry, who wrote the book with damn in it has the right to write that book and keep that book on the shelf. No writer should have to be guilty of writing a book that's been banned over stupid or immature reasons. I'm not saying that writers should protest to have their books to be put back on shelves, but I'm saying that they should have never come off the shelf at all. A book is a book. No one's ever made a huge deal over a bad movie, no ones ever made a big deal over the 'Internet Video's' that show stuff that should not be seen, no one has ever made a say in certain comic books, but they have the audacity to ban a perfectly good book that deserves it's seat on the shelves of libraries of the world?
Again.
"A story only lives if someone want's to listen."
And Little John want's to listen.
No comments:
Post a Comment