Author Archives: menashe.peyser

Thursday’s class with Dr. Waltzer was very helpful to me in understanding not only the digital essay assignment, but also narrow down my essay topic. In my essay I will show how censorship on television has become more lenient over time.

I think for my digital essay I will show the many differences between what is allowed to be aired on television today versus in the past. I will show how television censorship has decreased from the start of tv until today. I plan to demonstrate this in my digital essay sort of like a video timeline of the history of television. I plan for my video to depict the thesis of my essay.

Menashe Peyser

ENG 2100

October 31, 2011

Research Proposal

Research Paper Proposal

            Censorship is an often-debated social issue in America. The reason for censorship is clear; it exists in order to protect and prevent children and others from being exposed to “inappropriate” things. Many believe this violates a person’s right to freedom of speech and freedom to be exposed to whatever one desires. Although censorship exists, parents are still allowed to raise and expose their children however they want.

Censorship in the media in America, including television, music, movies, and advertisement, is essential in controlling the growth and advancement of the population. It instills morals and a sense of what is good and appropriate in the world and what is not. Though censorship in the media is not a tangible law (due to the fact that in the end it up to the parents’ discretion and is only recommendation), it is still so widespread that it dictates how people form opinions about what is or is not appropriate for the general public.

In this essay, my thesis will be how censorship is crucial in order to teach and instill a sense of right and wrong in the population without removing the right to freedom of information. I plan to address how the media has the most significant impact on people in society and therefore require censorship as a recommendation in order to control this impact. I will use one of our class sources and at least three other sources in order to prove why censorship is necessary.

Oskar’s grandfather writes to his unborn son that he would have stayed if he could live more than one life. The reason he needed to leave him and his mother behind is because he only gets to live one life and that was not the life he wanted. The fact that each person lives only one life seems obvious, but it almost feels like its not enough. Most people go through life not realizing how much of the world they left unlearned and undiscovered. Although I do not approve of Oskar’s grandfather leaving his pregnant wife, I understand that he could not continue living a unauthentic life. Most people do not seek out the life they were meant to live and instead live one that is filled regret and “what ifs?” We see this with A.R. Black (the old man that lives in Oskar’s building). He traveled to over 100 countries and fought in many wars, however he realized all he ever needed was his wife. A.R. crosses out ‘war’ on his card and writes ‘husband’ only later in his life when he finally realizes what he was missing.