Smith1

Vukovich1
Poppe1
Victoria Smith
Caroline Vukovich
Leah Poppe
Ms. Meyer
English 1
5 May 2016

Censorship
Censorship acts as a boundary by protecting us from certain information. According to
Google , censorship is defined as the practice of officially examining books, movies, ect. and
suppressing unacceptable parts. This is important because it tries not to expose us to certain
explicit media. Censorship acts as a cloud blocking us from the sun. They protect us from the
harmful radiation of information. I'm Victoria, and I will be talking to you about educational
and political censorship. Im Caroline, and I will be informing you today about parental and
verbal censorship. Hey guys, Im Leah and I researched about cultural and media censorship.

The first type of censorship is cultural. Cultural censorship is when a society or group
censors things that may go against their culture. A metaphor for this would be Platos Allegory
of the Cave. The men inside the cave were stuck and could not get to the world outside, the
cave acts as the censorship and the outside acts as information. The men could not obtain this
information even though it may have been beneficial. According to a recent study, the three main
reasons content is censored is because it contains sexually explicit content, offensive or vulgar
language or it is not appropriate for the audience. For example many cultures ban certain music
because it can offend listeners. In the book Fahrenheit 451 Montag goes against his society and
starts to read the books he doesnt burn in fires. He wants to gain the information although he
knows it is against the law. His culture has censored or banned books from anyone reading them,
because in the past people started to become angry with the content. In the book Beatty explains

Smith1
Vukovich1
Poppe1
Victoria Smith
Caroline Vukovich
Leah Poppe
Ms. Meyer
English 1
5 May 2016

to Montag why the books were banned. Well, Montag, take my word for it, I've had to read a
few in my time, to know what I was about, and the books say nothing! Nothing you can teach or
believe.

Another type of censorship is Media Censorship. Media Censorship is when tv shows,

radio stations, movies or songs become banned due to their content. A metaphor for this would
be a dam. The dam is blocking the water, or knowledge from getting to the public. Brandon
Gaille wrote an article titled Internet Censorship he states that 80% of the world does not have
access to internet that is 100% uncensored. This goes to show how much of the media becomes
censored to viewers. When watching certain videos on Youtube you can get a pop up screen
stating you cant watch the video unless you are 18 years or older. This is to protect you from
content that can be inappropriate for underage viewers. In Fahrenheit 451 the tv shows and
radio stations are filled with useless information. This is to control the spread of controversy.
They dont want people to revolt against their society. A quote from the book states "The bigger
your market, Montag, the less you handle controversy, remember that! All the minor minor
minorities with their navels to be kept clean. Authors, full of evil thoughts. lock up your
typewriters. They did. Magazines became a nice blend of vanilla tapioca. Books, so the damned
snobbish critics said, were dishwater. No wonder books stopped selling, the critics said."

Smith1
Vukovich1
Poppe1
Victoria Smith
Caroline Vukovich
Leah Poppe
Ms. Meyer
English 1
5 May 2016

The first type of censorship I researched was educational. Educational censorship is when
the school board limits the knowledge students can intake based on the content. This causes
students to act as blind puppies on a busy street. There are illegal activities that happen everyday
and by keeping them out of books and teaching curriculums, it makes it hard for students to be
prepared for the real world. In Fahrenheit 451, Faber explains to Montag why books are hated.
So now do you see why books are hated and feared? They show the pores in the face of life. he
says on page 83. In the book, society fears truth and reality. They feel that books contain too
much information and that everyone is better off without knowing. According to
The New York Times, censorship in schools has increased by 35%. Censors today don't just
ban books, they want to ban ideas that differ from their own.'', says Anthony T. Podesta. So not
only does the school board want the books banned, they also want to ban ideas that go against
what they believe. This contradicts the whole principle of individuality.

The second type of censorship was Political censorship. This is when a government tries
to give out fake/false information to its citizens about the country politics. It's basically like a kid
eating a can of fruit.Fruit in a can is artificial, but their blindsided by their parents thinking its
real fruit. The parents are keeping secrets from their children. The government keeps stuff from
us that we might have an opposing opinion on. Index: The voice of free expression, did an article
on governmental censorship. In the article it explains that politics limit the freedom of speech
about governmental decisions and that National security is used to backup free speech and

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Vukovich1
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Victoria Smith
Caroline Vukovich
Leah Poppe
Ms. Meyer
English 1
5 May 2016

privacy restrictions. In Fahrenheit 451, The government bans all books. They make firemen go
and burn down books inside houses of the citizens. Some citizens don't want to live without
knowledge, so they stand in the house and burn with the books. Captain Beatty says, We must
all be alike. Not everyone born free and equal, as the constitution says, but everyone made
equal(p.58) . This shows that the government wants everyone to be the same and frowns upon
people becoming their own person and forming their own opinions.

Verbal censorship is when you are shielding certain harmful or unnecessary foul
language that some people might take offense to.Verbal censorship also deals with the freedom
of speech and how you should be entitled to this but to a certain extent that is appropriate.
Freedom of speech is like any machine built by humans, if you don't take care of it, it can soon
become rusty and obsolete. This example basically is talking about how if you don't take care or
limit and give some freedom of speech the whole idea of freedom of speech will become history
and will only be something from the past that no longer exists. Bradbury ties personal freedom
and the right of an individual person having the freedom of expression when he examines the
issue of censorship in Fahrenheit 451. The first amendment helps with freedom of
speech, publications, or expression of any kind. According to ACLU whether through protest,
media, online speech, or the arts in the face of new threats to free speech. Defense of freedom of
speech is most necessary when the message is one most people find repulsive. Most people don't
like to be exposed to certain words or things that they don't want to hear or think about,

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Victoria Smith
Caroline Vukovich
Leah Poppe
Ms. Meyer
English 1
5 May 2016

censorship helped protect that. Like for example when you are watching a reality show and they
are going off on each other or saying different cuss words they might bleep out some that people
might.
The last type of censorship we will be covering is parental. Parental censorship is basically when
parents block their kids from watching or preventing them from being exposed to certain things
that they might not think is appropriate for their age group. Parents are like the ends of tunnels,
opening up a world of wonders. What this metaphor is basically saying is that Parents don't want
to expose their kids to these issues or certain information in this world all at once they want them
to gradually and curiously explore them. When I was younger my mom wouldn't let me watch
certain shows, one of them was spongebob square pants she said it wasn't appropriate for me
and wasnt educational. According to Huffington post, when children use inappropriate language
it might catch you off guard but the goal is not to overreact this might cause rebellion having a
long lasting impact. This is basically saying there is such a thing as over parental censorship to
the point where it is too much and can lead to problems in the future. This connects to Fahrenheit
451 because the adults in the book were protecting their kids from certain information that is
stored in books by burning them and not letting them explore them.

In conclusion, censorship can be both positive and negative. It has many affects on the
music we listen to, the information we learn, and the actions we perform. Without censorship,
people could have access to information that may be inappropriate or offensive.

Smith1
Vukovich1
Poppe1
Victoria Smith
Caroline Vukovich
Leah Poppe
Ms. Meyer
English 1
5 May 2016

Citations:
N.p., n.d. Web.
Literature." Notes. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May 2016. 2016.
"Media - Types, Trends, Ethics, Tips, and Tools." About.com Money. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May
2016.

Smith1
Vukovich1
Poppe1
Victoria Smith
Caroline Vukovich
Leah Poppe
Ms. Meyer
English 1
5 May 2016

Smith1
Vukovich1
Poppe1
Victoria Smith
Caroline Vukovich
Leah Poppe
Ms. Meyer
English 1
5 May 2016