Banned Books Week 2014 - Favorites

Banned Books Week 2014
September 21 – 27
Favorites

Childhood Favorites
Some favorite authors from when I was a child whose books have been
challenged/banned in the past. Luckily, I have parents who believe in intellectual
freedom so I was never prevented from reading these wonderful
authors. Unfortunately, in some places, children are prevented from reading
them.
Judy Blume
Judy has this to say about censorship:
“Censors don't want children exposed to ideas different from their own. If every
individual with an agenda had his/her way, the shelves in the school library
would be close to empty. I wish the censors could read the letters kids write.
Dear Judy,
I don't know where I stand in the world. I don't know who I am.
That's why I read, to find myself.
Elizabeth, age 13
But it's not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the books that will
never be written. The books that will never be read. And all due to the fear of
censorship. As always, young readers will be the real
losers.” (Source: http://www.judyblume.com/censorship.php)

Here are two of my most favorite books by Judy Blume:
Madeleine L'Engle
November 29, 1918-September 6, 2007

L’Engle won the Newbery Medal for children's literature in 1963 for her novel A
Wrinkle in Time, a story of trans-dimensional derring-do. She wrote several
other novels for children, many of which involved the same cast of characters in
science-based, philosophical adventures.
(Source: http://www.answers.com/topic/madeleine-l-engle)
“Wrinkle” has been one of the most banned books in the United States, accused
by religious conservatives of offering an inaccurate portrayal of God and
nurturing in the young an unholy belief in myth and fantasy.
Ms. L’Engle, who often wrote about her Christian faith, was taken aback by the
attacks. “It seems people are willing to damn the book without reading it,” Ms.
L’Engle said in an interview with The New York Times in 2001. “Nonsense about
witchcraft and fantasy. First I felt horror, then anger, and finally I said, ‘Ah, the
hell with it.’ It’s great publicity, really.”
(Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/08/books/08lengle.html)
One of my favorite fantasy books of all time:
Anne Frank

The Diary of Anne Frank was a book I was very passionate about when I was a
girl. I admired her courage and her passion for books and writing. When I heard
that her book has been challenged in the past, I was shocked. What about this
book could be questionable? Perhaps most shocking is the reason the book has
been challenged/banned...too depressing! Are they kidding me?
Annelies Marie Frank (1929-1945) is the best-known victim of the Jewish genocide
known as the Holocaust, which was ordered by Germany's Adolf Hitler during
World War II. When German troops occupied the Netherlands, Frank and her
family spent two years hiding from the Nazis in a small set of rooms in Amsterdam,
protected by non-Jewish friends. The Franks were finally discovered in August of
1944 and sent to concentration camps; Anne died the next year in a typhus
epidemic at the camp at Bergen-Belsen. Her diary was published in 1947 in the
Netherlands under the title Het Achterhuis (in English The Annex). The diary was
translated into more than 50 languages and sold millions of copies. Now more
commonly known as The Diary of Anne Frank, it has remained in print into the
21st century.

Favorite Fantasy Authors
Two of my favorite fantasy authors...
Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury, American novelist, short story writer, essayist, playwright,
screenwriter and poet, was born August 22, 1920 in Waukegan, Illinois. He
graduated from a Los Angeles high school in 1938.Although his formal education
ended there, he became a "student of life," selling newspapers on L.A. street
corners from 1938 to 1942, spending his nights in the public library and his days
at the typewriter. He became a full-time writer in 1943, and contributed
numerous short stories to periodicals before publishing a collection of them, Dark
Carnival, in 1947.
His reputation as a writer of courage and vision was established with the
publication of The Martian Chronicles in 1950, which describes the first attempts
of Earth people to conquer and colonize Mars, and the unintended consequences.
Next came The Illustrated Man and then, in 1953, Fahrenheit 451, which many
consider to be Bradbury's masterpiece, a scathing indictment of censorship set in
a future world where the written word is forbidden. In an attempt to salvage their
history and culture, a group of rebels memorize entire works of literature and
philosophy as their books are burned by the totalitarian state. Other works
include The October Country, Dandelion Wine, A Medicine for Melancholy,
Something Wicked This Way Comes, I Sing the Body Electric!, Quicker Than the
Eye, and Driving Blind. In all, Bradbury has published more than thirty books,
close to 600 short stories, and numerous poems, essays, and plays. His short

stories have appeared in more than 1,000 school curriculum "recommended
reading" anthologies.
Ray Bradbury's work has been included in four Best American Short Story
collections. He has been awarded the O. Henry Memorial Award, the Benjamin
Franklin Award, the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement, the Grand
Master Award from the Science Fiction Writers of America, the PEN Center USA
West Lifetime Achievement Award, among others. In November 2000, the
National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American
Letters was conferred upon Mr. Bradbury at the 2000 National Book Awards
Ceremony in New York City.
On the occasion of his 80th birthday in August 2000, Bradbury said, "The great
fun in my life has been getting up every morning and rushing to the typewriter
because some new idea has hit me. The feeling I have every day is very much the
same as it was when I was twelve. In any event, here I am, eighty years old,
feeling no different, full of a great sense of joy, and glad for the long life that has
been allowed me. I have good plans for the next ten or twenty years, and I hope
you'll come along."
Perhaps the most ironic case of challenging/banning a book is of Fahrenheit
451, a book that is about the censorship of books in the future. In this
frightening future, firemen are not employed to put out fires, but to set fire to any
households that own books.
"Copies of "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury, a science-fiction novel about book-burning
and censorship, had some words blacked-out before being given to
middle-school students, thus proving that irony is not dead."
(Source: http://www.humanities360.com/index.php/classic-books-that-were-banned-
from-schools-and-why-8-68213/)

February 1, 1999
West Marion High School in Foxworth, a rural Mississippi town, is the place
where recent events aimed at censorship occurred. The book, Fahenreit 451, was
on the reading list for several of the English classes. However, after a parent
complained to the superintendent about the use of the word "God damn" in the
book, the book was removed from the required reading list. Interestingly, the
complaint did not surface until the book report was due -- more than a month
after the reading assignment was given.
(Source: http://web.archive.org/web/20030813004557/www.banned-books.
com/bbarticle-miss.html)
J.R.R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on the 3rd January, 1892 at Bloemfontein
in the Orange Free State, but at the age of four he and his brother were taken
back to England by their mother. After his father's death the family moved to
Sarehole, on the south-eastern edge of Birmingham. Tolkien spent a happy
childhood in the countryside and his sensibility to the rural landscape can clearly
be seen in his writing and his pictures.
His mother died when he was only twelve and both he and his brother were made
wards of the local priest and sent to King Edward's School, Birmingham, where
Tolkien shone in his classical work. After completing a First in English Language
and Literature at Oxford, Tolkien married Edith Bratt. He was also commissioned
in the Lancashire Fusiliers and fought in the battle of the Somme. After the war,
he obtained a post on the 'New English Dictionary' and began to write the

mythological and legendary cycle which he originally called 'The Book of Lost
Tales' but which eventually became known as 'The Silmarillion'.
In 1920 Tolkien was appointed Reader in English Language at the University of
Leeds which was the beginning of a distinguished academic career culminating
with his election as Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford.
Meanwhile Tolkien wrote for his children and told them the story of 'The Hobbit'.
It was his publisher, Stanley Unwin, who asked for a sequel to 'The Hobbit' and
gradually Tolkien wrote 'The Lord of the Rings', a huge story that took twelve
years to complete and which was not published until Tolkien was approaching
retirement. After retirement Tolkien and his wife lived near Oxford, but then
moved to Bournemouth. Tolkien returned to Oxford after his wife's death in 1971.
He died on 2 September 1973 leaving 'The Silmarillion' to be edited for
publication by his son, Christopher.
The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, perhaps two of
the most celebrated fantasy works of all time,
challenged/banned (even burned)!
The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are banned from
schools and libraries across the USA with some regularity.
The ALA Banned Books Week website has J. R. R.
Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings listed as “Burned in
Alamagordo, N. Mex. (2001) outside Christ Community
Church along with other Tolkien novels as satanic. Source:
Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Mar. 2002, p. 61.”
(Source: http://www.tolkienguide.com/modules/wordpress/?p=7)
"...they blame him for Dungeons & Dragons and all
other Role Play Games, computer games other than
chess, heavy metal music, Columbine (& all other acts
of teenage violence) and all other activities enjoyed by
the young (mostly males). I am not sure if they have
managed to blame Tolkien for sex yet, but that is only a
matter of time."
(Source: http://www.samizdata.net/2002/01/elvish-lies-
and-tolkien-abuse/)

Historical Fiction Favorites
Two of my favorite historical novels (and their authors) that have been
banned/challenged.
Ken Follett
He was born on 5 June 1949 in Cardiff, Wales, the son of a tax inspector. He was
educated at state schools and graduated from University College, London, with
an Honours degree in philosophy. He was made a Fellow of the college in 1995.
He became a reporter, first with his home-town newspaper the South Wales Echo
and later with the London Evening News. While working on the Evening News he
wrote his first novel, which was published but did not become a bestseller. He
then went to work for a small London publishing house, Everest Books,
eventually becoming Deputy Managing Director. He continued to write novels in
his spare time. Eye of the Needle was his eleventh book, and his first success.
Around 100 million copies of his books have been sold worldwide.
Ken Follett has written under several pen names, including Martin Martinsen,
Simon Myles, Bernard L. Ross, Zachary Stone.
(Source: http://www.librarything.com/author/follettken)

The Pillars of the Earth is on the ALA list of most frequently challenged books
of 1990-2000 (#91).
http://www.ala.org/advocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedbydecade
/1990_2000
Parents say novel pornographic
By Pete Kendall/reporter@trcle.com
Dr. Ted and Maureen Benke say it was never their intention to try to have the
Ken Follett book, “Pillars of the Earth,” banned from the Cleburne High School
library.
But they did want it eliminated from a reading list of a CHS senior English class
of which their son is a member. And they’re gratified that Cleburne
Superintendent Dr. Ronny Beard granted that desire.
“He said an alternate choice [of books] would be made,” Ted Benke told Times-
Review editor Dale Gosser on Thursday. “That was this Tuesday.”
“We’re thrilled with the superintendent’s decision to remove the book,” Maureen
Benke told Gosser. “We feel he made the right decision for all future students of
Cleburne High School and that it was indeed worth the effort to have this kind of
outcome.”
Members of Concerned Parents and Citizens, whose membership includes the
Benkes, are expected to request time to speak in the public forum segment of
Monday’s school board meeting. Likewise, citizens in favor of the book’s

inclusion on the reading list. CPAC was formed in early October, when the
Benkes filed a grievance against use of the book.
“We started out with four members,” Maureen Benke said. “I can provide you
with a list of 900 names now.”
The issue began last summer when English IV dual/AP students were directed to
read the Follett book.
“You will be asked to read your novel during the summer and participate in an
online discussion with a small group of your peers,” a three-page typed directive
from English department chairman Sherri Bell said in part. “There is no
definitive timeline concerning the online discussions since everyone reads at
different rates, and everyone will have different schedules through the summer.
However, I expect everyone to post one entry for each assignment that is at least
7-10 sentences (more if you are so inclined) in length and to respond to two other
members of the group (more if you wish).”
The directive also included a statement reading, “Alternate assignment is Edward
Rutherford’s “London” if you find reading occasional sex, violence and language
unacceptable.”
The Benkes say they didn’t become aware of the sexual content in Follett’s book
until their son began reading it.
“We read the book and found it to be pornographic,” Maureen Benke said. “We
made an appointment to meet with Mrs. Bell, and Mrs. Bell asked [Prinicipal]
Monte Pritchett to be at the meeting, which was fine with nus. At the time of the
meeting, we told Mrs. Bell and Mr. Pritchett that we thought the book was
inappropriate for curriculum use. We asked them to please remove it from the
curriculum. We gave them the reasons we thought the pornographic nature of the
book made it unacceptable.”
“The key points we made were that the American Library Association did not
recommend the book for anyone under the age of 18,” Ted Benke added, “that the
book had no special merit and had not won any awards. It wasn’t on any special
list except for Oprah’s Book Club. We checked with approximately 15 school
districts in this area including Keller, Southlake and Highland Park, and none of
them had the book on their summer reading lists.”
The Benkes said the reading list directive did not include space for parents to
voice their objections to the books.

“There is a general belief system in place that parents are ignorant of many things
that their children read because of trust,” Maureen Benke said. “We trusted [Bell]
to choose reasonable material. Without our knowledge or permission, she was
assigning this book to our son.”
Bell did not return a phone call from the Times-Review seeking comment.
Pritchett referred all questions to school district spokesperson Lisa Magers.
The Benkes said they also objected to the directive for students to chat about the
book in an online format.
“No parental control is too loose for us to be comfortable,” Maureen Benke said.
They said their meeting with Bell and Pritchett culminated “with Mr. Pritchett
saying he would read the book,” Maureen Benke said. “We had sent him a list of
references for pages to read if he didn’t have time to read the whole book. We
understood that. It’s 1,200 pages. I don’t believe we ever got a direct answer
whether he had read all the excerpts.”
“He said he had read some reviews,” Ted Benke said, “that maybe there were
some racy parts. However, he thought it was okay. He said if we wanted to take it
further, we would need to fill out an Exhibit A to go to the curriculum committee
to appeal his decision. We started that process around October. We got the
material to Dr. [Darlene] Callender [assistant superintendent of curriculum and
instruction] and asked her to review our grievance.”
The Benkes said Callender initially told them a curriculum committee had ruled
in 1998 that the book was acceptable as reading list curriculum.
“She said the school district attorney told her the district would never have to
convene on that book again because it had already done so,” Maureen Benke said.
“Then we got another call from Dr. Callender’s office, telling us that it had been
over 10 years, so the district had consented to form a new committee. They were
in the process of forming that committee when the superintendent made his
executive decision to excuse the book from the curriculum.”
Source:
http://www.cleburnetimesreview.com/search/?t=article&q=Dr.+Ted+and+Maur
een+Benke+say+it+was+never+their+intention+to+try+to+have+the+Ken+Foll
ett+book%2C+%E2%80%9CPillars+of+the+Earth%2C%E2%80%9D+banned+fr
om+the+Cleburne+High+School+library

James Clavell
James Clavell, born Charles Edmund Dumaresq Clavell (10 October 1924 – 7
September 1994) was a British (later naturalized American) novelist,
screenwriter, director and World War II veteran and prisoner of war. Clavell is
best known for his epic Asian Saga series of novels and their televised
adaptations, along with such films as The Great Escape and To Sir, with Love.
Born in Australia, Clavell, was the son of Commander Richard Clavell, a British
Royal Navy officer who was stationed in Australia on secondment from the Royal
Navy to the Royal Australian Navy. In 1940, when Clavell finished his secondary
schooling at Portsmouth Grammar School, he joined the Royal Artillery to follow
his family tradition.
Following the outbreak of World War II, at the age of 16 he joined the Royal
Artillery in 1940, and was sent to Malaya to fight the Japanese. Wounded by
machine gun fire, he was eventually captured and sent to a Japanese prisoner of
war camp on Java. Later he was transferred to Changi Prison in Singapore.
Clavell suffered greatly at the hands of his Japanese captors. Changi was
notorious for its poor living conditions and according to the introduction to King
Rat, written by Clavell's daughter Michaela, over 90% of the prisoners who
entered Changi never walked out — although the actual figure was under 1%.[1]
Clavell was reportedly saved, along with an entire battalion, by an American
prisoner of war who later became the model for "The King" in Clavell's King Rat.
By 1946, Clavell had risen to the rank of Captain, but a motorcycle accident ended
his military career. He enrolled at the University of Birmingham, where he met
April Stride, an actress, whom he married in 1951.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Clavell)

Shogun
Challenged in Fairfax (VA) school libraries by a group called Parents Against Bad
Books in Schools for "profanity and descriptions of drug abuse, sexually explicit
conduct and torture". (2003)
(Source: http://www.marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/books/shogun.asp)

Favorite Classics
Margaret Mitchell
Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell (November 8, 1900 – August 16, 1949) was an
American author, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937 for her novel Gone with the
Wind. The novel is one of the most popular books of all time, selling more than
30 million copies (see list of best-selling books). An American film adaptation,
released in 1939, became the highest-grossing film in the history of Hollywood,
and received a record-breaking ten Academy Awards. Its record of eight non-honorary
Academy Awards stood until 1958.
Margaret Mitchell was born in Atlanta, Georgia to Eugene Mitchell, a lawyer, and
Mary Isabelle, much referred to as May Belle, a suffragist of Irish Catholic origin.
Mitchell's brother, Stephens, was four years her senior. Her childhood was spent
in the laps of Civil War veterans and of her maternal relatives, who had lived
through the Civil War.[citation needed]
After graduating from Washington Seminary (now The Westminster Schools),
she attended Smith College, but withdrew during her freshman year in 1918. She
returned to Atlanta to take over the household after her mother's death earlier
that year from the great Spanish flu pandemic of 1918.
Shortly afterward, she defied the conventions of her class and times by taking a
job at the Atlanta Journal. Under the name Peggy Mitchell she wrote a weekly
column for the newspaper's Sunday edition, thereby making her mark as one of
the first female columnists at the South's largest newspaper. Mitchell's first

professional writing assignment was an interview with an Atlanta socialite, whose
couture-buying trip to Italy was interrupted by the Fascist takeover.
Mitchell is reported to have begun writing Gone With the Wind while bedridden
with a broken ankle. Her husband, John Marsh, brought home historical books
from the public library to amuse her while she recuperated. After she supposedly
read all the historical books in the library, he told her, "Peggy, if you want
another book, why don't you write your own?" She drew upon her encyclopedic
knowledge of the Civil War and dramatic moments from her own life, and typed
her epic novel on an old Remington typewriter. She originally called the heroine
"Pansy O'Hara", and Tara was "Fontenoy Hall". She also considered naming the
novel Tote The Weary Load or Tomorrow Is Another Day.
Mitchell wrote for her own amusement, and with solid support from her
husband, kept her novel secret from her friends. She hid the voluminous pages
under towels, disguising them as a Divan (furniture), hid them in her closets, and
under her bed. She wrote the last chapter first, and skipped around from chapter
to chapter. Her husband regularly proofread the growing manuscript to help in
continuity. By 1929, her ankle had healed, most of the book was written, and she
lost interest in pursuing her literary efforts. The bulk of the work was written
between 1925 and 1930 in an apartment Mitchell called "The Dump": the
Crescent Apartments are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places
and are operated as a museum to Mitchell's memory.
While Mitchell used to say that her Gone With the Wind characters were not
based on real people, modern researchers have found similarities to some of the
people in her life, and people she knew or heard of. For example, the character
Rhett Butler may have been modeled after her first husband. The last thing he
said to her (supposedly) was, "My dear, I don't give a damn", which Rhett says to
Scarlett before he leaves her in the book. "Frankly" was added for the movie.
Mitchell was struck by a speeding automobile as she crossed Peachtree Street at
13th Street with her husband, John Marsh, on her way to see the British film A
Canterbury Tale at The Peachtree Art Theatre in August 1949. She died at Grady
Hospital five days later without regaining consciousness. She was buried in
Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Mitchell)

Gone With The Wind
Banned from Anaheim, Calif. Union High School District
English classrooms (9178) according to the Anaheim
Secondary Teachers Association. Challenged in
Waukegan, Ill. School District (1984) because the novel
uses the word "nigger." (Source:
http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=2931)
Another version of the story: Banned in Anaheim,
California for its depiction of the behavior of Scarlett
O'Hara and the freed slaves in the novel; uses the word
"nigger"
(Source: http://www.catherineshafer.com/bannedbooks.html)
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare (baptised 26 April 1564 - 23 April 1616) was an English poet
and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language
and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet
and the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "The Bard"). His surviving works consist of 38
plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays

have been translated into every major living language, and are performed more
often than those of any other playwright.
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
The works of Shakespeare have been challenged/banned many times in the
past. The following are notable cases of the attempts to ban The Merchant of
Venice and the censorship in the past of certain works by Thomas Bowdler.
The Merchant of Venice (frequently challenged/banned)
Why was the Merchant of Venice so controversial?
William Shakespeare’s portrayal of Shylock in the Merchant of Venice makes the
character one of the most controversial in Shakespeare’s entire body of work.
Representative of the anti-Semitic stereotypes of the era, Shylock was depicted as
a misery, Jewish moneylender who preyed on the poor.
Shylock overshadows everyone else in the play, though he has such a small role.
When performed, the character was often played as a comic villain with a red wig
associated with the devil, sidelocks, and a false, big nose, lending more support to
the claims of anti-Semitism in the play. Examples of this stereotypical portrayal
are evident in printings of the Merchant of Venice during the 18th and 19th
Century as seen in Charles Lamb’s Tales from Shakespeare.

Not mentioned in the play, though well known to the people of the era, is that
during Shakespeare's day, money lending was one of the few careers open to Jews
during the 16th Century, and Christians made deals with them daily. It is this
hypocrisy in Shylock’s portrayal as a villain that has often caused critics to raise
accusations of anti-Semitism.
Where has the Merchant of Venice been banned?
Though the Merchant of Venice has raised controversy and had been censored
almost since its inception, it was not until the 20th Century that the play was
banned. Since World War II, the Merchant of Venice has been banned in more
classrooms than any other Shakespearean play.
 In 1931, the Merchant of Venice was eliminated from high school curricula
of Buffalo and Manchester, New York. Jewish organizations believed that it
fostered intolerance.
 Then in 1953, minority groups still felt that Shylock was depicted as an
unfortunate characterization of a Jew and sought the suppression of the
play.
 And in 1980, the Merchant of Venice was also banned in Midland,
Michigan schools due to the anti-Semitic depiction of Shylock. (my
hometown...yikes!)
 The Merchant of Venice is not banned in Israel. In fact, according to Sam
Schoenbaum, a leading 20th Century Shakespearean biographer and
scholar, it is one of the country’s most popular plays.
Attempts to bowdlerize the works of Shakespeare:
What does bowdlerize mean?
bowd·ler·ize
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): -ized; -iz·ing
Etymology: Thomas Bowdler died 1825 English editor
1 : to expurgate (as a book) by omitting or modifying parts considered vulgar
2 : to modify by abridging, simplifying, or distorting in style or content
(Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bowdlerize)

What are some notable examples of bowdlerization?
Romeo and Juliet
Shakespeare's original:
"the bawdy hand of the dial is now upon the prick of
noon” – Mercutio, Act II, Scene 4, line 61
Bowdler's Family Shakespeare:
"the hand of the dial is now upon the point of noon"
"Tis true, and therefore women being the weaker vessel
are ever thrust to the wall . . ." – Sampson, Act I, Scene I, line 13.
AND
"not ope her legs to saint-seducing gold” – Romeo, Act I, Scene I, Line 206
Omitted from Bowdler's Family Shakespeare.
"Hie you to church; I must another way,
To fetch a ladder, by the which your love
Must climb a bird’s nest soon when it is dark;
I am the drudge and toil in your delight," - Nurse, Act II, Scene V, Ln 66-69.
"…I must another way,
I must go fetch a ladder for your love.

I am the drudge, and toil in your delight."
"Spread thy close curtain, love performing night" – Juliet, Act III, Scene II, line 5
". . . and come civil night".
Othello
"Even now, now, very now, an old black ram
Is tupping your white ewe. Arise, arise!"- Iago, Othello,
Act I, Scene I, Ln 94-95
Omitted from Bowdler's Family Shakespeare.
“I am one, sir, that comes to tell you, your daughter and
the Moor are now making the beast with two backs.”
- Iago, Othello, Act I, Scene I, Ln 121
“Your daughter and the Moor are now together,”
Macbeth
"Out, damned spot! out, I say!" - Lady MacBeth, Act V, Scene
I, Ln 38.

"Out, crimson spot!"
(all the above obtained from http://bannedbooks.world.edu/2011/12/12/banned-books-
awareness-william-shakespeare/)
Dr. Ellen Caldwell explains the reasons some are afraid of the Works
of Shakespeare:
“The real question is what are we afraid of? It’s not that words are dangerous; it’s
that they are powerful,” said Dr. Ellen Caldwell, professor of Shakespearean
literature.
While discussing the power of books, Caldwell used the example of Shakespeare’s
play, “Richard the II,” a work she teaches in one of her courses.
“Act 4, scene 1: Richard II is usurped. When it was performed in 1596 and in
Shakespeare’s lifetime, that scene was never printed or performed. The scene was
not printed ’til 1608,” Caldwell said.
Seeing a monarch being overthrown is powerful imagery and is capable of
creating ideas among the people. Caldwell said, “We must consider why it might
offend and discuss it. I trust my students to have the ability to analyze
controversial texts for themselves.”
(Source: http://www.dailytitan.com/2009/09/banned-books-week-celebrates-removed-
texts/)

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