Final reserved for Hifsa

Ojeda1

Maureen Ojeda

Professor Gold

Critical Writing

Date: 3/25/2020

Topic: Tropic of Cancer, Howl, and literary censorship in the United States. Comment by Richard Gold: Do not boldface titles or subheads (MLA).

Introduction

The chosen topic for this research project is “Tropic of Cancer, Howl, and literary censorship in the United States” with an aim to investigate that when and why they work of famous authors was censored. The paper also tries to investigate that how these pieces of literature got cleared and how the censorship was removed.

Thesis Statement

From the late 19th century to the 20th century, the United States has imposed bans on several books including the Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller and Howl by Allen Ginsberg which later proved to non-obscene, however, such bans have raised several questions in the learning minds about the subject of censorship in libraries and academic institutes (Miller).

Body paragraph 1

Henry Miller's work and Howl by Allen Ginsberg are just two examples of exceptionally well-written literature which confronted banning issues, however, today, the world is witness that writers who experienced a ban on their work proved themselves as best and unique critiques of the society who always tried to identify some kind of social issues through their writings (Monaghan).

Body paragraph 2

The First Amendments gives protection to individuals from the government to surpass ideas and new information and this helped many famous writers to get an opportunity to publish their unique work e.g., Howl's censorship case became a landmark decision under the First Amendment which encouraged many other authors whose work was banned and called obscene similar to Howl or The Trophic of Cancer (Miller, Tropic of Cancer (Penguin Modern Classics)).

Body paragraph 3

The reason behind the censorship of the work of famous names such as Henry Miller and Allen Ginsberg was identified as a purpose to save youngsters and teenagers from getting exposed to obscene literature because these youngsters have to serve the country in the future therefore, the literature choice of children is a sensitive issue and must deal with care, however, the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library used the same approach for publishing controversial literature for youngsters with a belief that this would help them in understanding several sensitive issues of the country (Pacini).

Body paragraph 4

The history is evident that many great authors of the 18th to 20th century experienced bans from the government, however, they did not fully succeed in limiting the access of the public to such literature because many independent booksellers published such literature at their own risk, therefore, the key role of independent booksellers in the name and fame of authors like Henry Miller and Allen Ginsberg is undeniable (Pagnattaro).

Body Paragraph 5

Although, the Tropic of Cancer and Howl were later proved among one of the best literary works, however, the purpose of censorship was also to eliminate individualism. If these writers had the potential to write a good piece of literature, then why they did not use the standards and the choice of words to express their inner self on a specific issue (Monaghan).

Conclusion

Word’s choice and thought make a person unique to a social issue therefore, people should mainly focus on the theme, meaning, purpose, and the tone of a book or poem instead of the words. Censorship, since the 18th century is not a matter of right and wrong rather it is a matter of individualism.

COMMENTS	GRADE
This nicely presented proposal suggests that this has good potential. Additionally, you don’t actually have to read James Joyce’s Ulysses (1922) or D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover (1929), but you will need to research and also include the censorship battles over those two major novels. You don’t necessarily need to give them equal weight, but they were relevant to the battles over Tropic and Howl. Topic/Question: The power of the written word. What were the authorities so afraid of? Do not boldface titles or subheads (MLA). Proceed.	OK

Work Cited

Miller, Henry. Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch. First edition, Fourth printing, New Directions, 1957.

---. Tropic of Cancer (Penguin Modern Classics). Penguin UK, 2021.

Monaghan, Henry P. “Obscenity, 1966: The Marriage of Obscenity Per Se and Obscenity Per Quod.” The Yale Law Journal, vol. 76, no. 1, 1966, p. 127. Crossref, doi:10.2307/794854.

Pacini, Peggy. “City Lights and the Emergence of Beat Poetry: How Howl and Other Poems Redefined Poetic and Cultural Boundaries in the Mid-1950s.” IdeAs, no. 9, 2017. Crossref, doi:10.4000/ideas.1992.

Pagnattaro, Marisa Anne. “Carving a Literary Exception: The Obscenity Standard and ‘Ulysses.’” Twentieth Century Literature, vol. 47, no. 2, 2001, p. 217. Crossref, doi:10.2307/827850.