Hoffman 1

Evan Hoffman

Ms. Woelke

Pre-AP English 9A

24 May 2019

To Kill A Mockingbird ​Book Ban Essay

To Kill a Mockingbird​ is a book written to teach people about everyday lessons that make

our world a better place. This book has a few main characters that every person can relate to in

some form of way. This novel of morals and lessons has also been controversial recently over the

language and violence being read to eighth graders. I believe this book should be an optional

read in schools because it teaches valuable lessons, it should not be completely removed, and the

same themes do not make the same people uncomfortable.

To Kill a Mockingbird ​tutors readers with beneficial teachings they will use in their lives.

In Source B, I noticed that “when it comes to ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ I think we need to

embrace that discomfort in order to really appreciate the lessons of prejudice and inequality that

it wants our students to learn” (Stroud 3). The author provides this because they want to show

how although the story may be uncomfortable for some, but you need that uncomfortability to

truly understand the lessons. This is important because without these lessons, no one would

know how to mentally prepare for certain implications as represented in the books. In Source A,

a website about banned books did an article about ​To Kill a Mockingbird​ saying “in 2017, ​To

Kill a Mockingbird ​was removed mid-lesson from 8th grade classrooms in Biloxi, Mississippi,

over complaints about language in the book, in particular the use of the N-word” (Gomez 3).

This is odd to me because the book uses the N-word to portray the lessons and the time period of

the novel. Biloxi school district is focusing on this one detail of the novel and not the bigger
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picture of educating the youth about important lessons. Overall, I believe the book should be

optional because it teaches valuable lessons.

Lee’s text should not be removed because the lessons are too important for younger

generations to disremember. In Source A, its talks about how “the book explores themes of racial

injustice, gender roles, and the loss of innocence. It has been a perennial bestseller since its

release and won the Pulitzer Prize. It was also into an Academy Award-winning film in 1962”

(Gomez 2).