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  • Burning A Book

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    Brenton Owesley
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    The poem describes book burning as a method of censorship. It notes that while some books that spread lies or misinformation should be burned, the absence of knowledge is also dangerous. Burning books destroys truth but also ignorance can spread without information being written at all. The poet admits to burning a book themselves that they found shallow and misleading. Overall, the poem suggests that censorship can have unintended consequences and that a lack of information is also problematic.

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    Burning a book

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    The poem describes book burning as a method of censorship. It notes that while some books that spread lies or misinformation should be burned, the absence of knowledge is also dangerous. Burning books destroys truth but also ignorance can spread without information being written at all. The poet admits to burning a book themselves that they found shallow and misleading. Overall, the poem suggests that censorship can have unintended consequences and that a lack of information is also problematic.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    205 views2 pages

    Burning A Book

    Uploaded by

    Brenton Owesley
    The poem describes book burning as a method of censorship. It notes that while some books that spread lies or misinformation should be burned, the absence of knowledge is also dangerous. Burning books destroys truth but also ignorance can spread without information being written at all. The poet admits to burning a book themselves that they found shallow and misleading. Overall, the poem suggests that censorship can have unintended consequences and that a lack of information is also problematic.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 2

    Text Connection – Burning a Book

    1. Should some books or other texts (movies, songs, poem, etc.) be banned or censored? What are
    either the benefits or harms of destroying, making inaccessible, or censoring information? Is
    there a limit on what information should be available to the public majority?

    _____________________________________________________________________________________
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    2. Read the following poem.


    William Stafford (1914-1993) was an American poet. The speaker describes book burning, a
    common method of censorship in which people set fire to books they object to on political,
    cultural, or religious grounds. In a 1991 interview, Stafford once said that he wrote this poem
    after purposefully burning a book that he found "attractive, shallow, [and] misleading…" "Why
    should I keep it around?" he thought.

    Protecting each other, right in the center


    a few pages glow a long time.
    The cover goes first, then outer leaves
    curling away, then spine and a scattering.
    Truth, brittle and faint, burns easily,
    its fire as hot as the fire lies make—
    flame doesn’t care. You can usually find
    a few charred words in the ashes.

    And some books ought to burn, trying for character


    but just faking it. More disturbing
    than book ashes are whole libraries that no one
    got around to writing—desolate
    towns, miles of unthought in cities,
    and the terrorized countryside where wild dogs
    own anything that moves. If a book
    isn’t written, no one needs to burn it—
    ignorance can dance in the absence of fire.

    So I’ve burned books. And there are many


    I haven’t even written, and nobody has.
    Explain the following lines:

    A. “Truth, brittle and faint, burns easily, its fire as hot as the fire lies make”
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    B. “And some books ought to burn, trying for character but just faking it”
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    _____________________________________________________________________________________
    _____________________________________________________________________________________
    C. “If a book isn’t written, no one needs to burn it – ignorance can dance in the absence of fire”
    _____________________________________________________________________________________
    _____________________________________________________________________________________
    _____________________________________________________________________________________

    3. Opinion question. What is more dangerous? A book or text that some find offensive or as the
    poet describes, one that is found "attractive, shallow, [and] misleading…"? Explain.
    _____________________________________________________________________________________
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    Context:
    In 2005, the results of the International Adult Literacy Skills Survey (IALSS) said more than 50% of New
    Brunswickers aged 16 and older are at Levels 1 and 2 [literacy]. That represents approximately 300,000
    people in our province. Based on the skill level definition below, there are approximately 85,000 adults
    in New Brunswick at Level 1, 54% of whom are employed; and 173,000 adults at Level 2, 64% of whom
    are employed.

    • Level 1: have few basic skills and great difficulty with text
    • Level 2: have limited skills and cannot read well. At this level, the individual
    can only deal with material that is simply and clearly laid out.
    • Level 3: have a basic skill level but may have problems with more complex
    tasks. This is considered the minimum skill level for successful participation
    in society.
    • Levels 4 and 5: have high levels of literacy, with a wide range of reading skills
    and many strategies for dealing with complex materials. Individuals at this
    level can meet most reading demands and can handle new reading challenges.

    In other words, any adult below Level 3 literacy and numeracy skills has a tough time getting through the
    day. Recent data also demonstrates that in 2021-2022, 40% of grade 2 and 4 children did not meet the
    minimum standards of reading.

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