Banned at some Point

Slaughterhouse Five was primarily banned because it contains obscene language and sexual content. I think that banning a book as good as Slaughterhouse Five just for that of that reason is simply ridiculous. People are going to get exposed to that sort of stuff somewhere along the road (movies or other books), and besides no one would be reading such a book if they were not mature enough.

On the other hand, in the USA, Slaughterhouse Five was also banned because some sections of the book include anti-American sentiment, and that is a different story. I still think it shouldn’t be banned. It’s not like Vonnegut’s main focus of the book was not offend Americans, he was just stating his opinion.

His book provokes strong feelings and makes people realize that war is not something to be glorified. He would know, he was a soldier and fought in an actual war. He saw how the lives of innocent people were taken away and how the lives of a soldier’s family would be ruined once a soldier dies. Even though Vonnegut states in his book that war cannot be stopped, he wanted the readers to realize how appalling and horrendous war can be. But the fact that he expressing his opinion about Americans during the war, made the book very controversial.

The reason I think it shouldn’t be banned is that it should be left as an open option for anyone to read.  If you find any part of it offensive, don’t read it, it’s just Vonnegut’s opinion, not necessarily the whole worlds’ opinion. Focus on what Vonnegut wanted the reader to focus on: the main significance of the book.

The novel 1984 was also banned at some point because it contains sexual content and warns us of totalitarianism, lack of freedom and government suppression in the future. This does provoke some thought about our future and about how the government works. Much like the reason why Slaughterhouse Five was banned. Both books make the reader think about and realize the reality of this world.