"Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press (Constitution of the United States)." Over the centuries, censorship has manifested itself in various forms, from printed works to television and the Internet. It can have the positive effect of protecting children from things they are too immature to see, but it can also have negative effects. Censorship can even suppress new and different ideas, preventing them from being made public. It can also place limitations that stifle authors' creativity and prevent them from fully expressing their ideas. However, he states that the government should not censor the people of this country. In the novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury the inhabitants of the city of Phoenix were censored. A censor is an official or government body that removes or restricts books, plays, media, etc. to withhold information or ideas that go against moral, political, religious, military or other reasons considered objectionable. According to the censors they are only trying to protect three fundamental institutions: "the family, the church and the state (Sherrow 13)". One type of censorship is called "closet censorship." This censorship is done quietly, people write formal complaints to school officials or quietly ask a librarian to remove a book. These complaints are normally investigated because officials are afraid of legal action (Sherrow15). However, when parents complain, officials restrict a book and this book is banned. There are many books that have been on a list for many years that have been banned or are banned from people or more likely children under the age of 17. These books were banned because one of the many officials, it seems...... middle of paper ......has no one who questions their work. Where firefighters used to put out fires and save people, they are instead setting fires and harming people (Bradbury 8). The author of the book addresses the problem we face, censorship, and shows how it could affect a city, government, and a nation. Guy Montag is a fireman tasked with burning books. In the city where he lives, people are forbidden to read books. Whenever a person was caught with books that made them doubt something, the books were burned and sometimes the people too. A young girl named Clarisse McClellan opened his eyes to the emptiness of his life with her innocently penetrating questions. It makes him start thinking about things he used to do, like his job (Bradbury 12). When he continues to talk to her, she begins to change. Works Cited Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. New York: Ballantine, 1991. Print.