To read or not to read

In high school, many of my English teachers had the list of banned books in history on the wall of our classrooms. The posters held names of great novels that our class was reading at the time like How to Kill a Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies, and Brave New World. Though books can be banned from countries and states for religious and moral reasons, these books usually stepped on political toes by questioning the government at the time and/or using characters that have striking similarities to political figures.

To Kill a Mockingbird spoke out about the unfair treatment of blacks and whites in the southern societies, such as Alabama. Harper Lee used her childhood memories and setting to discuss a issue that hadn't really been addressed well. The main character, Scout, is narrating the book  from her own perspective and shows her growth and increasing knowledge of the calamity of racism. This book was banned in many states for various reasons ranging from the use of the word "nigger" to "conflicting with the values of the community."

Lord of the Flies discussed the issues of human nature and good vs. evil indirectly through children on an island trying to survive. This novel provoked fear that human beings are nothing more than animals. William Golding used his experiences to fuel this novel. He indirectly wrote about the evil that lies deep in man that is waiting to get out. Though this book has many interpretations for the readers, it overall talks about the human experience on a smaller scale. Lord of the Flies was banned due to profanity and excessive violence.

Now, once-banned books seem to be idolized. They get their own week in the year and READ posters are all over our public libraries. The writers from the past are well deserve this recognition after having to struggle to get their opinions published. These timeless topics can reminds us not to go backwards in history, but forward.

Parental Advisory: Explicit Content

As a kid, I always had to hear my friends struggling with their parents so they could get the new Britney Spears or Lil Wayne album. Though it was something I never had to argue with my parents about, I always wondered about that little black and white label on the corner of the cover.

If anything, the capitalized letters, bold font, and simple black and white design made people want the albums more and for most of my middle school comrades, this was true. They probably felt it was some kind of rebellious act against their parents to listen to profane language and mediocre beats. "EXPLICIT CONTENT" could mean a vast amount of things, such as violent and sexual content or even just a few curse words. Seeing this label puts a burning desire for the unknown that young adults and kids crave.

At one point, I've seen variations of the label on t-shirts and even posters at Hot Topic and Spencer's Gifts, mocking the status it once had among adults and recording industry. So, is this label just some kind of marketing act? I believe at one point it was concerned parents fighting to keep their children from hearing vulgar content, but the sticker has slowly grown into something someone one would look for to judge whether or not to buy it. Seeing males and sometimes even females wear a black shirt with the familiar, cautioned lettering was my final clue that the label became a joke, but I suppose it can be beneficial in some situations. Some people are actually concerned about whether the music that they are listening to is "clean" or "dirty," so they refer to this sticker, which now resides on the back of the plastic CD case.

Give the Devil's music a chance

"Turn off that Devil's music!!" I remember my grandma yelling at my dad and me every Sunday as we drove into her driveway listening to the Ramones or maybe New York Dolls. Growing up in a household of punk rock, "turn off that Devil's music," was often yelled at our Thanksgivings and Christmas', but this never stopped my father from educating me on what he knew best and loved most. From the softness of proto-punk to bands who just wrote songs about anarchy in their home countries, punk had a place for everyone. Though when most people heard the term "punk," they automatically assumed the worse, such as the Sex Pistols, who lived the infamous lives of sex, drugs, and diseases. None of the elders in my family ever gave my dad and my sister's taste a chance because of their predetermined opinions.

As a think of arguments I could have bravely challenged then, I remember jazz and how many cities banned the music and dance to be played due to sinful and unorthodox behavior and lifestyle it came with. This was the era that my grandparent thrived in and maybe they should have realized that this too, was just another era for the young and the restless.

Even though my grandparents never accepted what I liked best, I'm sure there will be something just shocking to me that the young adults are listening to when I get 70 or 80 that I can yell about.

Nude art or lewd art?

While browsing through pictures in my parents coffee table book, I came across William Bouguereau’s famous masterpiece, “The Birth of Venus.” After observing the piece of art, I began to think about other people's reactions whenever they saw this painting. Were they in awe of it's beauty or were they blinded by their crude tendencies?


The artist, William Bougeureau, was a well-known 19th century French painter who was obsessed with painting the female body. He embraced classic romanticism even though impressionism was the popular theme at the time, but this did not stop people from enjoying his work. I began to understand why someone, at that time or now, would think this painting was controversial. Bouguereau's spin on the birth of the Roman goddess, Venus, is full of sexuality. The observer can infer that spending a few seconds looking at the work. After researching, I found that Venus is associated with love, fertility, and beauty. The clam shells at her feet in the painting are suggested to be a visual metaphor for a vulva and the angels and other humans lay nude and almost star-struck by Venus and her feminine charm.


Though most people wouldn't exactly want this hanging on their mantel instead of a family photo, I believe that almost anyone can enjoy "The Birth of Venus," even if they do giggle at the nakedness.

Topic of Interest

My topic of interest for the 2011 fall term is censorship of the arts.