“Censorship is telling a man he can't eat a steak just because a baby can't chew it,” were the famous words by Mark Twain. Since ancient times, censorship has played a crucial role in history. Many people don't understand the true meaning of censorship, either because they were raised to see it as something different or because they misinterpret it from a historical perspective. History has misinterpreted this practice as negative, when in reality it is meant to be positive. What is the real meaning of censorship? “Censorship is the suppression of speech or other public communication that may be considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, politically incorrect, or embarrassing, as determined by a government, media outlet, or other oversight body” (wikipedia.org ). Essentially, it is about controlling the amount of unrefined information released into society, in order to protect it from the negative effects of the information contained in the raw version. Censorship has been used throughout history, primarily to prevent the spread of a way of life. different from what is accepted. “One of the first acts of state-sponsored censorship carried out for the “supposed” common good of the people took place in 399 BC with the execution of Socrates” (randomhistory.com). The reason for his execution was the corruption of the youth, but in reality he was only inspiring a new way of thinking. His teaching distanced Athenian youth from traditional Greek culture. This angered the Athenian government and made them fear a revolt. To prevent (censor) the spread of his teachings, they sentenced him to death. Another example in history where the government used censorship to prevent the spread of new ideas occurred about a hundred years later. ...... Middle of document ...... The problem with censorship is that it limits a person's freedom of speech and thought. By not providing them with all the different ideas or stories available, what they can think about themselves is limited. While the parents who protested Lord of the Flies may have had their children's best interests in mind, ultimately it would only harm them. Only by allowing them to learn all that is possible can they achieve all that they can and can society truly progress. Works Cited Sova, Dawn B. “History of Lord of the Flies Censorship.” Bloom's literature. Facts On File, Inc. N pg November 2013 “A Global History of Censorship.” Ensuring Public Morality: A Global History of Censorship. N pg, March 20, 2010. Web. November 3, 2013. Wikipedia Contributors. "Censorship." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, October 30, 2013. Web. November 4. 2013.