sjsprWriting

Compare banning books to a hero novel: evil may strike, but the good guys won’t go down without a fight. Throughout the ages, attempts to censor literature have all been futile, meaning banning them in the first place is not even worth it. In the Enlightenment, which took place in 18th century Europe, philosophers, musicians and writers who feared their ideas and influences would be silenced would meet up at a salon, a place where they would share their ideas in secret. It was due to the Catholic Church’s crusade to protect the old order, that these Enlightenment thinkers were pushed to this last resort for secluded freedom. The Church, like many book banners today, was too straightforward in their ways of thinking and did not see the value in books that supposedly went against God’s will: such as, “Gulliver’s Travels” by Jonathan Swift. This classic novel was banned due to public urination, the absurdity of the fantasy setting, and politically sensitive references that the Church saw as a threat to the old order which they supported. The Church along with the government burned any books they did not approve of. What they never realized, is that burning books is burning knowledge. And knowledge for human beings is one of the most important things needed to move forward and improve society. In short, burning books is burning the human essence. They were also not aware of the fact that many of the books survived because they were either hidden in a place where historians later found them, or disguised under the cover of another book that was not burned. It goes to show that you really cannot judge a book by its cover. These Enlightenment thinkers were the rebels of society, much like the student rebels who sadly fight for their freedom to read now days in schools all across the United States.