The Catcher Rye Should Be Apart Of Schools Curriculums...

Many schools throughout the United States have banned The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger from their curriculums. There has been much debate on whether or not teachers should be able to include it as a part of their lesson, and if copies should be allowed in libraries. However, without a doubt, The Catcher in the Rye should be apart of schools’ curriculums for anyone above elementary school. There are very few inappropriate themes, banning the novel would be neglecting the First Amendment, and would also ignore a good chance for teens to relate to a character their age. One example as to why I believe The Catcher in the Rye shouldn’t be censored for anyone in middle school and above is because the students would be able to handle the†¦show more content†¦They’re rare and evenly spread throughout the book and they almost never come off as a shock because they’re so nonchalantly mentioned. Thus, although the novel does, in fact, contain inappropriate moments, they aren’t the main focus and students would be able to handle it with maturity and are therefore suitable for any student in middle school or above. Another reason as to why I believe The Catcher in the Rye should be available to all students above elementary school is because censoring it would be ignoring the first amendment rights of free speech. â€Å"If librarians caved into every demand to remove materials from their collections, they would not have much left to put on the shelves. Only materials that offended no one would be spared. Such a situation might appeal to some people, but it would not serve the needs of our democracy or satisfy the constitutional requirements for free speech.† (Steffens). Including a diverse selection of books in a library or school setting would be the promotion of free speech and a diverse selection of opinions and views. However, if books keep getting censored and removed, that would be ignoring the first amendment and almost all opinion-based materials would be gone. Secondly, â€Å"As agents of the government, libraries are bound by the Constitution to promote free speech and diversi ty of opinion.† (Steffens).