Banning Books

Usually political in nature, book-banning seems to be the final resort always of the limited mind. There are some books - many, in fact - that have seen publication, that add no value whatever to the human condition, by their lack of literary merit, their miserable content, ill-written and conceived, but their very mediocrity often blesses them into eventual obscurity. There are notable exceptions, however, such as those arcanely named "The Celestine Prophesy", or "The Da Vinci Code", or The Handmaid's Tale", one mystically inspirational, the second mystically adventurous, the third abysmally dystopian, that no one would miss if they faded out of literary consciousness.

But there are quite as many outstanding literary works in the annals of fairly recent publishing history of the past several centuries as there are duds. And oddly enough, it seems to be those publications which pose as deeply mystical, prophetical, and inspired that appear to capture the attention of the reading public. Whose purchase of these intellectually insipid books aspiring to take their place on library shelves as literature, takes them into the realm of 'best sellers', which everyone wants to read, to be able to boast they've shared the cachet of that experience, too.

Meanwhile, in Toronto there's a movement initiated by a parent at a high school in Toronto, to ban the timeless, and lyrically-written book detailing the period of racist-inspired apartheid in America, "To Kill a Mockingbird", by Harper Lee. Like "How Green Was My Valley", "The Grapes of Wrath", "The Red Badge of Courage", "Johnny Got His Gun", "Uncle Tom's Cabin", "All Quiet on the Western Front", "Brave New World", "War and Peace" and countless other world classics, the authors have encapsulated in elegant language and description, the reality of history.

Just as William Shakespeare taught the world to scrutinize human conduct and find in that scrutiny answers to what propels us to behave as we do, these novels teach us to think deeply and ponder the human condition. "The Merchant of Venice" was a play reflective of its times, and its unfortunate depiction of Jewish life in an Italian city in the 15th Century teaches us a great deal about the temper of the times, although it also infuses us with anger at the blatant anti-Semitism and mistreatment of Jews through the prejudice that dominated that era.

To now decry the value of this book because of its use of the thoroughly degrading and repudiated insult to blacks of the use of the demeaning word "nigger", is to bypass the greater meaning and message of this piece of excellent literature placing us in another space, another time in history. It is the rigorous struggle for justice for an entire people, both white and black, that this book reflects, that should represent its value. Certainly not the use of objectionable nomenclature, which was common parlance for that time in a conflicted era and society.

Great strides have been made on the world stage combating racial prejudice. All thinking individuals should have an idea of the background of that struggle to fully understand the still-emerging triumphs and still-occurring disappointments. We all require a well-rounded perspective to enable us to make knowledgeable, well-informed decisions. Clearly, those agitating for the banning of a book of high literary and social value standards, have not themselves been fully educated.