Despite having sold more than 40 million copies, To Kill a Mockingbird is still one of the most
banned books in American school curriculum. This is based in its adult theme and charged
language.
Now that you have viewed this version (which is almost identical to the novel), what do you
think about his ban? Please respond to the following prompt, using the film study, and two
other academic/reliable sources. In your essay, use cited text examples from both research
sources as well as the film.
Should Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird be banned in middle and high schools? Why
or why not?
“To Kill a Mockingbird” is a novel by the American author Harper Lee. It was published in 1960 and was instantly successful. Despite that, it is one of the most banned books in American school curriculum. It can be argued that To Kill a Mockingbird should be banned because of the foul language used in the book; for example, damn, hell, whore-lady, goddamn whore and nigger (Lee 90, 94, 221). However, To Kill a Mockingbird is an inspirational book that teaches valuable moral values, and should not be banned. People need to open their eyes to the truth, there is evil around us. It doesn’t harm anyone. It simply opens up our eyes to truths we need to know.
Prisoners at Andersonville were so malnourished they looked like walking bones. They began to lose hope and turned to their lord. In Andersonville, the shelter, or lack thereof, was another issue. Prisoners had to use twigs and blankets due to inflation in lumber prices (“Civil…) Deadliest”). This represents how every material’s price adds up and contributes to the conditions. Within 14 months of 13,000 of the 45,000 prisoners died. The prison was low on Beef, cornmeal, and bacon rations meaning the prisoners lacked vitamin C therefore, most got scurvy (“Civil…) Prison”). With the guards turning a blind eye, prisoners had to fend for themselves. Some took this lack of authority to far and those were the “Andersonville Raiders.” They stole food, attacked their equals, and stole waves from their shelters (Serena). Andersonville especially made people turn violent and caused them to lose faith in humanity. A 15-foot-high stockade guarded the camp though the true threat was a line. 19 feet within the stockade there was a line, to keep prisoners away from the walls. If a prisoner were caught crossing the line they would be shot and killed (Serena). This technique was honestly unnecessary and a waste of resources. First the conditions now, the location of Andersonville. A swamp ran through the camp, with little access to running water or toilets prisoners used the swamps. This polluted the water, making it even more non-consumable (Serena). In the process of building Andersonville Prison, slave labor was implemented to build the stockade and trenches (Davis). The camps abused their Bailey power to not only harm prisoners but to use slaves. From swelling numbers of prisoners, they started having trouble finding space to sleep (Davis). With the capacity increasing and disgusting conditions it was a funhouse for disease. Andersonville was assumed to be the optimal position for a POW camp because of the food, the only problem was farmers did not wish to sell crops to the Confederacy (“Myths”). This is just another example of how Andersonville would have been better if given more assistance.