Should Kids Books be Banned

Banning books blocks young children’s minds from real world information. By limiting their range of reading, their knowledge is lowered to a steady lull of comforting information. When they are pushed into situations relating to these topics, they are at a disadvantage. The Clan of the Cave Bear is a perfect example of this situation. The Clan of the Cave Bear has very useful information on early human life. The Clan of the Cave Bear is about a young early homosapien named Ayla. Ayla got separated from her home when she was young. The time setting is prehistoric Europe.

She is found by a group of traveling Neanderthals. These Neanderthals talk using hand signals and few sounds. The leader of the group in named Brun, he has two siblings, Creb The Mog-er (or spiritual magician), and Iza the medicine women. Brun also has a son named Broud. Alya quickly learns to speak. Creb decides her totem is the cave lion, which is rare for a woman. As time goes by Alya teaches her self how to hunt, which is forbidden by the Clan women. The clan goes to hunt mammoth and Alya is forced to use her weapon to protect a child of the clan. Because of this Alya is given the death curse for one month.

She returns and is welcomed back into the clan. Broud hates Alya and rapes her. The clan does not have any connection with intercourse and birth. Ayla gives birth but her baby is a mix of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. Her baby’s name is Durc. The clan goes to a gathering of ten clans of Neanderthals. When they return her mother Iza is sick and dies. There is an earthquake that destroys the clan’s cave, killing Creb. Since Broud is now leader he blames the earthquake on Alya and banishes her. Jean M. Auel is an inspiring author who researches thoroughly. Jean M. Auel grew up in Chicago.

She was the second of five children. She later moved to Oregon with her husband Ray Auel. While working she raised she five children. Also at this time she earned an M. B. A. from the University of Portland. In 1980 her first book was published, The Clan of the Cave Bear. In 1982 The Valley of Horses followed. In 1985 her third novel The Mammoth Hunters was the first hardcover novel with a first printing of more than one million copies. Her next book, The Plains of Passage was published in 1990. In 2002, her fifth novel, The Shelters of Stone, debuted at #1 on bestseller lists in 16 countries.

Her last book so far, The Land of Painted Caves was published in March 2011. One of Auel’s greatest prizes is the French government’s Ministry of Culture “Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters” medal. (“About Jean Auel. “) All of her books were banned or challenge. Including The Clan of the Cave Bear. Auel’s response was that she “writes for adults. ” (“‘Clan Of The Cave Bear’ Banned From A Library. “) The first case was in 1993, when Tom Baldwin, a Moorpark school board member, fought to take Auel off the recommended reading list. (Auel). “The Clan of the Cave Bear. 3”) He argued that it had “explicit sexual content. (Maiella Jr. , James. ) His reasoning was looked over by a group of seven board members. His challenge was later denied. (Sova) The processes to challenge and ban a book are very different. 0. To challenge a book is to restrict the reading of that book. One must have a reason for challenging a book. Many challenged or banned books are accused of having: It is considered sexually explicit, used offensive language, and was unsuited to any age group. Challenging a book is stronger than just stating their opinion. For the most part, books that are challenged do not end up being banned.

Books take much longer to be banned. There are usually are several cases of challenging of the book before it is banned. (“About Banned ;amp; Challenged Books. “) Many people when discussing censor ship include the constitution in their arguments. 0. People need to be able to look over the details of books to find what the authors are actually trying to teach you. The Clan of the Cave Bear is a very informative and detailed book. People can learn so much about evolution from reading it. “When Brun saw a huge herd of bison, he was encouraged. They were the embodiment of his own totem” (Auel, Jean M).

This quote shows the knowledge on early human life and their totems. The Clan of the Cave Bear is not just a story about Alya, but about early human life in general. Auel spent half of her time researching early humans. The other half was writing the actual books. If a child went through high school without any knowledge of evolution and early behavior of humans, they would be lacking a huge area of knowledge. Many people believe that banning is supported by the constitution, but others disagree. 0. One quote made by Sir Winston Churchill is “Every one is in favor of free speech.

Hardly a day passes without it being extolled, but some people’s idea of it is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone says anything back it is a outrage. ” (Doyle, Robert P. Banned Books Challenging) In this quote he is saying that people think they are right and they do not want anyone arguing with them. This quote can be related to the banning of books. The people who ban books defend themselves by saying that it is supported by the constitution. However, when others show them quotes from the first amendment they are defensive. When people ban books they block the level of potential of the children who could have read it. . A Supreme Court case involving censorship was the Right to Read Defense Committee v. School Committee of the City of Chelsea case. In this case The Chelsea, Mass. School Committee “decided to bar from the high school library a poetry anthology” (“Notable”) The poem was Male and Female under 18. They claimed that it was an “offensive” and “damaging” poem. The poem was challenged in U. S. District Court. Joseph L. Tauro ruled: 0. “The library is ‘a mighty resource in the marketplace of ideas. ‘ There a student can literally explore the unknown, and discover areas of interest and thought not covered by the prescribed curriculum.

The student who discovers the magic of the library is on the way to a life-long experience of self-education and enrichment. That student learns that a library is a place to test or expand upon ideas presented to him, in or out of the classroom. The most effective antidote to the poison of mindless orthodoxy is ready access to a broad sweep of ideas and philosophies. There is no danger from such exposure. The danger is mind control. The committee’s ban of the anthology Male and Female is enjoined. ” (“Notable First Amendment Court Cases. “) If people ban books their minds can be altered to a false reality.

They can have a different and crippled knowledge of the world. When put with the people who were not censored they have a strong difference in information. A quote expressing exactly this is: “Students in any high school in which there kinds of books are banned will likely graduate with little or no experience with contemporary fiction and unprepared for college-level study” (Bertin, Joan). What Bertin is saying is that the censored children will be unprepared for real world activities. His quote is a perfect for discussing the banning and censorship of the children