Banning Books, Right or Wrong? - John

Books that give rise to controversy are often banned, sometimes to silence the message of the author but also sometimes to maintain the order of society. SH5 belongs in the latter group, as it caused people within the American society to rise and revolt. The novel portrays the Americans as a weak and pitiful while in reality, not all of their soldiers acted as such. This caused the american people to detest the book because it didn't reflect their point of view on the war. It certainly isn't right to ban a book because it contains the opinions of the author, especially one as influential as this one, but the people who have read it might not feel the same way that Vonnegut felt about the war. American soldiers might not feel happy about how Vonnegut had portrayed them, weak and intolerable, like Billy and Weary, while the English and German were depicted as being far better. This might be a cause as to why the banning took place, because soldiers and supporters of them alike had strong feelings for why they fought and the novel did not reflect this.

Picture this, a mother of 3 boys watches her sons grow up and become wonderful men. They all decide to help their nation and take part in the war. She watches them leave proudly as they march towards the battlefield. 3 months pass and a soldier arrives at the door. The soldier brings with him the sad news of how her sons have perished, fighting bravely for the country they hold so dear. Now if this mother had read this book about the American troops, would she not also feel offended by Vonnegut's words?

Vonnegut's writing certainly isn't for all readers, and this is why it leads to events such as book banning. Although book banning should not be happening, it is the only method for the American population to express how they felt about the book. They country that they had established was being insulted and so they bared their fangs with prejudice against the novel. A novel shouldn't ever be stopped from being read, but when its message is used to harm others, then events such as book banning becomes commonplace.