Shreya Panathula Week 9: The Goldmine of Literature
The censorship of such books and the prevention of their societal consumption is often justified as a means to "protect" the order of society and the minds of impressionable children. Yet, the weak reasoning is nothing more than a façade, masking a deeper fear. After all, what makes these books so unique, what differentiates them from "normal" books, what every book labeled unfit for society shares is but one defining trait: it is its innate ability to not only challenge authority but disrupt the power structures that dominate societies. After all, it is not the so-called “danger” of the content that terrifies those in power. Rather, it is its ability to empower its readers, to urge them to question what has always been socially accepted, and to help them realize the own power they hold in bettering their society.
For those who wield authority, ignorance is a tool of control, and censorship becomes a way to silence dissent before it begins. Banned books expose hard truths and what such authority has fought so hard to keep concealed: the fragility of the systems those in power rely on. With such books encouraging readers to truly see the injustices in what they have "normalized" and to think critically, marginalized voices rise that cannot and will not be quelled, threatening to disrupt the status quo those in power struggle to cling to.
Ultimately, literature’s true power lies in its ability to mold the minds of its readers and open their hearts to new beliefs. And while one might succeed in silencing a story, the ideas within its pages can never be erased.
Books, after all, do not inherently pose any danger. What makes ink blots on a page, words that, unless strung together, hold no meaning, so threatening is what they represent: the knowledge that equips readers to challenge ignorance, apathy, and oppression. That is the power of literature.
Polk, David. “Here Are the 100 Most Banned and Challenged Books of the Decade.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 7 June 2022, www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/blog/here-are-the-100-most-banned-and-challenged-books-of-the-decade/. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.
“Banned Books.” Library.Ucsd.Edu, library.ucsd.edu/news-events/events/banned-books-exhibit/. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.
Hi Shreya! I truly loved your introduction and how you built tension as you explained both the context of your title and the main subject of your narrative: banned literature. Your use of popular examples of widely influential literature that was once banned makes your argument about the misuse of power widely apparent. I also enjoyed the way you introduced the methods that power structures control society and why censorship of revolutionary literature may be in the interest of leaders. Your argument about ignorance being a tool resonates strongly with me, as we live in an age of mass media that often presents biased representations of events. The need for governments to hide ideas, events, and even questions about society is a clear sign that some aspects of our government today are unsteady and inherently disguised to retain power. While you expand on the value of literature, I believe that this phenomenon is true in such a wide variety of media, including film, social media, internet articles, and many more. However, your concluding idea about the power of literature speaks about more than just societal ignorance, even covering aspects of how we share ideas as a society. I found your blog deeply moving and I hope to read such complex thoughts even more in the future!
ReplyDeleteHello Shreya! I found your blog interesting, especially how you explained the power of literature in a way that I have not wondered about. I agree with you that literature holds enough power to change opinions and "mold" minds of the readers. People write books to change minds, on a certain issue also to portray their own perspectives on it, giving people more knowledge and advise on the matter. I totally agree on the fact that banned books portray truth and not just any kind of truth but hard truths which they don't want people to know about. Even throughout history many books were banned, burned and thrown away just because of the truth they hold. I remember reading about why are books banned? and in summary it is to censor anything that is included in the book from the public or they don't just accept it. Like you mentioned "Harry Potter" getting banned across the nation, maybe because at that time people did not want to introduce this to their children the belief and magic and that sort. I really enjoyed reading your blog, it was informative and it also gave me your perspective on banned books which I agree on. I am looking forward to read more of your blogs this semester!
ReplyDeleteHi Shreya! I loved the way that you introduced the topic of banned books through showing the intriguing results of the banning of these books, which are the opposite of what those who banned the books must have intended. The ability of literature to empower individuals to think beyond the norms of society can truly be terrifying to those who need to control what the public knows in order to remain in power. I appreciated the examples of banned books that you included, as this made me realize that some of the books which have been banned are books which were studied in high schools until recently. I found your final paragraph to truly exemplify how ridiculous the action of banning books seems, as they are simply “ink blots on a page,” as you so beautifully stated. If these book bans become more severe, they will be such a loss for education and future historians looking back at this time will find so much of the literature that impacted our lives to be wiped out, similar to the disasters which destroyed ancient libraries, eradicating centuries of knowledge.
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