Censorship (Noun) – The suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security.
A famous text associated with censorship is 1984 by George Orwell. George Orwell’s novel focuses on themes of totalitarianism, repression, censorship, and surveillance. The novel is famous for introducing the concept of Big Brother, which has become synonymous with themes of surveillance and abuse of power.
More recently, Julian Assange who paid the price for lifting the lid on censorship. Was he a spy or was he merely doing his job? Further still, was he just a human being exposing the ugly side of corrupt governments who would probably kill and not have anyone know?
The Workshop
❖ In a world where you had the power to censor anything, what would it be and why? What would your power structure even look like? Write about both. Take 15 minutes to free write.
❖ Read the poem Censorship by John Ciardi. Now it’s your turn to write a funny poem on ‘censorship’. Take 15 minutes.
Sheena Hussain – July 2024
Huddersfield Authors Circle 
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