Journey to a Successful Research Paper. mysterious about why books get banned and the books that are banned. I decided to

Transcription

1 Journey to a Successful Research Paper Banned books have always been an interesting topic to me. There is something mysterious about why books get banned and the books that are banned. I decided to research why and how books get banned in the United States. As an avid reader I have read some banned books without knowing they were banned until I was finished and could not tell why they were. I am motivated to research this topic because of these reasons. Also because I would want to know more information about banned books even if it was on my free time. When I started my research, all that I knew about banned books was that books like The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain are banned. I also knew that there is a banned books week, and that in certain countries banning books is taken more seriously than in the United States. My goal after researching is to more than just this information. What sparked the idea of me researching why and how books get banned in the United States came from brainstorming in class. We discussed multiple aspects of reading, and banned books were one of the topics that came up. When that topic came up I instantly knew I wanted to research it and began to think about sub questions for my topic. My sub questions are: what has to be in a book in order for it to be banned, the process of banning a book, what the difference is of book banning in the United States to other countries, and what is in place to make sure all books do not get banned. I knew these sub questions walking into our library session at the Under Graduate Library and was able to use my time in the session effectively towards my topic.

2 2 In the library session, the librarian taught us good databases to use when researching, and how to productively research our topics through the databases. I found the three databases, ProQuest, JSTOR, and Gale, the best databases for my topic. On ProQuest and JSTOR I was able to differentiate my search terms more by using tricks to get rid of results that were not relevant. These tricks were using quotations around the terms such as, banned books, so that the results would only consist of those words clumped together. Another trick I learned and used was using asterisks at the end of shorted forms of the words so that more variation would show up. I used bann* books so that banned and banning would be in the results. Unfortunately, these tricks did not work on Gale so I could not use them on that database. Gale s Opposing Viewpoints in Context database was coincidentally the database that I found the most relevant information on. I found this source by accessing the Gale s Opposing Viewpoints in Context Database through Wayne State s library website. Wayne State s library website has a list of databases that Gale s Opposing Viewpoints in Context Database is on. I searched banned books and the first source that gave me a lot of good information was under the Academic Journals heading. This source was called Books Behind Bars. The source, Books Behind Bars, is an article written by Suzanne Merkelson. She originally wrote this article for Foreign Policy. It was the 182 nd issue and was written in Merkelson s article gave me some surface information on banned books. I learned that books that are politically inconvenient, religiously awkward, and plain embarrassing could be banned (Merkelson 101). I also learned that such books like Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown and The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank are banned in

3 3 some parts of the world. One part from the article that stuck with me the most is where Merkelson said, One country s ultimate summer-reading-list classic is another country s seditious text about The Diary of a Young Girl (Merkelson 101). Suzanne Merkelson s article helped me learn more about banned books, getting me closer to answers to my research questions. I also found out a few books that are banned and their specific reasons for their banning. Merkelson s article gave me the start to the answer to my question about the seriousness of book banning in the United States versus other countries. In her article, Merkelson proves that in other countries book banning is taken more seriously and books are more likely to get banned. Merkelson also scratched the surface on answering my question on what criteria a book needs to have in order to get banned. With further research, I hope to get less of an opinionated answer on why books get banned. My next source was an article called, Introduction to Book Banning: At Issue. This article was still on Gale s Database of Opposing Viewpoints in Context underneath the search term Banned books. Unlike Merkelson s article, Books Behind Bars, Introduction to Book Banning: At Issue was under the reference heading. This source was towards the bottom of the page after many other results. I chose this result because it was a reference material and when clicking on it I found that it was full of valuable information. Thomas Riggs was the editor of Introduction to Book Banning: At Issue which was in Book Banning and written in Introduction to Book Banning: At Issue starts by giving basic information about book banning and censorship saying Most Americans agree the First Amendment right to freedom of expression is one of the most

4 4 sacred provisions of the US Constitution ( Introduction to Book Banning: At Issue ). I found this interesting because if so many Americans agree with this, why is book banning an issue, and why are books still being questioned if they should be banned or not? The first known book banning in the United States was in the colonial era in William Pynchon who was the founder of the Springfield Colony and published a religious tract that went against the Puritan doctrine of the day. This caused uproar in the colony and the book was confiscated, condemned and burned ( Introduction to Book Banning: At Issue ). The source then goes on to talk about how books are banned for obscenity. Legal grounds for censorship in America were first established in 1873 with the passage of the Federal Anti-Obscenity Act This law made it illegal to send obscene, lewd, indecent, or filthy materials through the mail. The article says that books can be banned for being Un-American ( Introduction to Book Banning: At Issue ). By the end of the article, it discusses the Pico decision which was a Supreme Court ruling in 1982 that said the first amendment protects not only the freedom to express ideas but also to receive them. Which means it s unconstitutional to remove books from library circulation ( Introduction to Book Banning: At Issue ). This article states that book banning has become less of an issue for instances such as the colonial era incident and more of an issue of parents not wanting their children to read certain things. This source helps me tremendously because it answered many of my sub questions with unbiased information. Not only did it give unbiased information but it informed me of laws that were put into place over the years that altered what books could be banned and why. At the end of the article there is a list of further readings that also helped me find out more information on why and how books are banned in the United

5 5 States. Merkelson s article Books Behind Bars gave me topical answers to some of my questions and Introduction to Book Banning: At Issue gave me deeper answers to these same questions and more. Introduction to Book Banning: At Issue was not opinionated and gave me more history of the issue. The librarian brought this next source to my attention in our library session. She told me to look into the American Library Association s website because they are the association that puts on banned books week. I Googled the American Library Association and got their website, from there, I searched banned books on their website, and ended up on their Issues page titled Banned and Challenged Books. I then clicked on the link Banned Books Week and then clicked on About Banned & Challenged Books. This is where I found my information. From the webpage, About Banned & Challenged Books, I found out what the American Library Association s main goal is, the difference between a banned and challenged book, about challenged and the top three reasons why books get challenged. The American Library Association s main goal is to promote freedom to choose or freedom to express ones opinions even if it is considered unorthodox or unpopular. The American Library Association believes it is very important to ensure the availability of books to all who wish to read them. I learned that when a book is challenged it means there was an attempt to remove or restrict the material. The only difference between challenged and banned is that banning is successful where challenging is just an attempt. Lastly I learned from this source that the top three reasons books get challenged is because they are sexually explicit, have offensive language, or are unsuited for any age group (

6 6 About Banned & Challenged Books helps me answer my research questions because it informs me of the organizations in place to make sure books do not get banned. This source also helps me because it tells me the difference between and challenged and banned books. It seems that many books get challenged for silly reasons and they are never actually banned because they are mostly just parents that do not want their kids reading certain materials. After reading this source, I better understand the importance of organizations like American Library Associations and Banned Books Week because without it we would probably not have all of the books we have today. When writing my actual research paper I will be able to answer the question of what is out there to make sure not all books get banned. After researching multiple sources about banned books, I have successfully learned the answers to most of my sub questions. I have learned that books get banned if they are considered obscene, inappropriate, or not suitable for age groups. I also learned that books would get challenged before they are banned and that things like Pico, the American Library Association, and the first amendment make it difficult for books to actually get banned. There have also been opposing laws like the Comstock Law. Even though I answered most of my sub questions I have still been unsuccessful in learning the exact process a book goes through when getting banned. Even though I know that the United States is not as strict when it comes to banning books, I have still not found particular examples. In order to answer these sub questions, I will need to continue to research. I have learned through the research methodology that researching is not as easy as it seems. In order to get the information you need, you sometimes need to dig and read multiple articles because not all will give you what you need. I found it very important to

7 7 search intelligently in order to get the results you want in an effective matter. In conclusion, I now understand after this project that documenting your research path and staying organized is a key part to creating a successful research paper.

8 8 Works Cited About Banned & Challenged Books. About Banned & Challenged Books. N.p., Web. 17 Oct Merkelson, Suzanne. Books Behind Bars. Foreign Policy. 182 (2010): 101. Gale. Web. Accessed 14 Oct Riggs, Thomas, Ed. Introduction to Book Banning: At Issue. Book Banning. (2012): N.p. Gale. Web. Accessed 14 Oct