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Some think of book censorship as a relic of the past, something from ancient, uptight, Red Scare 1950s, or something that occurs in distant, repressive regimes, but each year hundreds of books are challenged in the United States. The majority of censorship is focused on fictional writings. Many of these books include historical references and reflections of a society, such as Mark Twain's novels, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (ACLU website). These books offer a glimpse into another time period when a different set of values reigned. They embrace the distinctive characteristics of signature elements to the time period, such as racism and youthful curiosity. People should try to reclaim and depict the innocence of that era, not censoring a defining aspect. Children should learn to take in the meaningful parts of literature, such as slang common to a past culture. By censoring fiction and nonfiction books, history is being distorted. Disguising a culture proves a sense of shame. .
Many people underestimate youthful intelligence. By assuming young readers can not understand and appreciate an author's wording, censors misjudge student intelligence. Banning a book cheats a person of enjoying a valuable part of literature. Author Kurt Vonnegut's works are often challenged because of his dull reaction and sarcastic approach to war and massacre. Misunderstanding provokes this ridicule. Vonnegut uses the phrase "So it goes- to describe numerous senseless deaths in his book, Slaughterhouse Five. He does not mean to devalue the importance of life, but rather, the phrase is used to emphasize the horrible reality of lives lost (Cain). Graphic descriptions of murder or other heinous crimes are thought to pollute a person's mind. However, these descriptions make the reader aware of the extreme severity of the dangers in his surroundings. .
Beyond murder, another sensitive subject is rape.