Censorship
1.
the practice of officially
examining books, movies, etc., and suppressing unacceptable
parts.
The Difference between a Challenged and Banned Book
A Challenged book is an attempt to remove or restrict certain materials based upon the complaints of a person or group. Challenges are not just based upon a person's opinion of the book, but rather based upon the removal of inappropriate or offensive material in a school's curriculum or library. A Banned book is the removal of all those materials because the challenge for it have been accepted, therefore causing it to actually become banned.
The Reason Why Books are Challenged
The only reason why most people choose to challenge certain books are because they either feel offended by the material said in the book, or they just think it is down right unsuitable for children to be reading in school. Books are normally challenged with the best intentions for people's feelings and the mindset of children.
Amendment Cases.
Censorship can be subtle, almost imperceptible, as well as blatant and overt,
but, nonetheless, harmful. As John Stuart Mill wrote in On Liberty:
If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of
the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one
person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.
Were an opinion a personal possession of no value except to the owner; if to be
obstructed in the enjoyment of it were simply a private injury, it would make
some difference whether the injury was inflicted only on a few persons or on
many. But the peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that
it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation;
those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it. If the
opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for
truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer
perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with
error.
— On "Censorship can be subtle, almost imperceptible, as well as blatant and overt, but, nonetheless, harmful."
As John Stuart Mill wrote in On Liberty:
"If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of
the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one
person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.
Were an opinion a personal possession of no value except to the owner; if to be
obstructed in the enjoyment of it were simply a private injury, it would make
some difference whether the injury was inflicted only on a few persons or on
many. But the peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is, that
it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation;
those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it. If the
opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for
truth: if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer
perception and livelier impression of truth, produced by its collision with
error." (Stuart John).
— On Liberty, John Stuart Mill
~Different Book Covers for Beloved:
(You can see the background picture fully here)