禁书:内容问题

 

露西·约翰斯顿27岁

上图来源: pixabay.com

“Banned” is typically defined as something prohibited or illegal. When you think of something that is 禁止, the first things that comes to mind is relate to acts of violence such as larceny, 攻击, 或者谋杀, 或者禁用物质. 但是书呢??

There are thous和s of books that have been 禁止 throughout history, 和 although those  who ban books think they have good intentions, 但是有必要吗??

最近在我的英语课上. Clements started preparing us to read the book 着陆时鼓掌. He provided us with a slide presentation that gave some background on the true event that the story is based on: the crash of American Airlines flight AA587 which flew from New York City the Dominican Republic in 2001, 就在911事件发生两个月后. 

As the plane headed to the Dominican Republic it crashed tragically, killing all 260 people on the plane 和 5 people on the ground.
    
This tragedy is portrayed through two teenage girls who live worlds apart but discover an unexpected connection  through the crash of flight 587. 伊丽莎白·阿塞韦多(Elizabeth Acevedo)著, this novel sheds light on this event that, 不幸的是, didn’t get the attention that it deserved. 

After introducing the background of the story 和 pointing out literary elements to look for, Mr. Clements gave us what is called a "TW," or a trigger warning. He told us that some of the content of the book included an LGBTQ relationship, 有毒的男子气概, 以及露骨的色情内容.

在提出这个警告之后. Clements went silent 和 said something that caused me to wonder what the purpose of a trigger warning is 和 why some books are considered so offensive that they are 禁止. He pointed out how interesting it 是 that he felt it necessary to warn us about this book but not the violence we encounter in other books like 事情分崩离析 by Chinua Achebe, which contained offensive language, oppression, abuse, 和 violence. 

通过这篇文章, I’m most certainly not trying to diminish the reputation of these novels or denounce the books in any way. 而, we should be more aware of why some people find books so objectionable that they are 禁止, 和 着陆时鼓掌 已经有了它的份额 在线讨论 在宾夕法尼亚州已经被禁止.

So what exactly is deemed as too inappropriate for young adults to read 和 why must do some people feel these books should be 禁止? 事情分崩离析 是 禁止 by several school districts in Texas as well as Malaysia, but it 是 禁止 for having a critical portrayal of colonialism, not for its violence. Does the fact that it 是 禁止 for political beliefs 和 not violence suggest that political viewpoints are more offensive to some than the inclusion of violence? Should a book really be 禁止 for this its political position?
    
前面提到的网上辩论 着陆时鼓掌 informed me that Acevedo had other books that were 禁止 as well for containing similar sexually explicit content. 

In 着陆时鼓掌, there is a sexual 攻击 scene, which parents may not want their kids reading about. 此外, in our modern society it is common that many young girls 和 boys experience sexual 攻击 和 reading this book could potentially trigger their own past traumatic experience. 

Although the sexual 攻击 scene is not overly graphic, it should still have a trigger warning to prepare people reading it who may have experienced sexual 攻击. Reviews of the book online provide trigger warnings, so since the book warns the reader of the content, it shouldn’t be a 禁止 book for including it. 

Trigger warnings should be provided for both of these books. Just as many people face sexual 攻击 in our modern society, as those who face violence 和 discrimination, 这两者都在 事情分崩离析. 

然而, there is a difference between content warnings 和 trigger warnings; trigger warnings, help readers be aware of scenes that could possibly trigger trauma for them, 比如性侵场景. 内容的警告, 另一方面, warn the reader that controversial content is included, 比如LGTBQ关系. 

说到LGTBQ内容, 这是阿塞韦多作品的共同主题, books are created to express anyone 和 everyone’s’ ideas, 利益, 和意见. Although the inclusion of LGTBQ content 是 not the listed reason for the banning of 着陆时鼓掌, it’s still important to recognize that LGTBQ content, 和 should be allowed 和 written about by anyone. Anyone 和 everyone has the freedom to express their ideas 和意见 in our country. 

It is true that there are many books out there that could be considered graphic or violent or inappropriate, but this is a problem that can be easily solved: don’t read the book. There is no need to ban someone’s book which they have spent possibly years of their life creating. 

书是不可思议的东西, 它们微妙而复杂, just like every single person reading them. 一本书的思想真的可以被禁止吗? 谁能限制一下想象力呢?