Welcome to Slaughterhouse-Five. Travel with us to the home of the Tralmafadores and explore the surface of the dystopia.

Put your thinking caps on and pry your eyes open to this mind-twisting, creative perspective. The time warp will suck you in. So it goes.

This fictional book will manipulate you with false concepts of American history and government. Then it will also convince you of principles contrary to a religion we shall not discuss.

Slaughterhouse – Five by Kurt Vonnegut was another beautifully written novel banned in July 2011 by the Republic School District of Republic, Missouri.

In the last five years, the U.S. government has put two books to rest.

Huckleberry Finn has teeter-tottered on Missouri bookshelves three times in the past year.

The North Kansas City School District has blocked websites giving information to help teens better understand of homosexuality. We are silenced.

Although we are told to never stress the beliefs of any religion, we are taught to restrict any estranged outlook we come across.

The fictional religion created by Vonnegut has similar traits in a religion. A religion as to which we are supposedly given the right to choose if we please. So it goes.

Fear. We are stuck in a never-ending cycle of fear. Banning is the second step we have taken: segregation.

Intertwine this with the ignorance we are taught and you will wind up back at square one: fear.

Since we are still permitted to view opinions, Communication Arts teacher Steven Hatfield speaks the truth: “People are afraid of other’s thoughts contradicting their point of view on reality.”

Don’t be foolish to look down on your teacher for this book being put to rest. The ones who grant us our education are silenced as well. Communication Arts teacher Steve Epley reached out to the school board and spoke for the right of opinion.

“I believe we should foster intellectually curious students and not fearful students,” Epley said.

Elliot Gau, a recent graduate from Fort Osage High School, is a example of a well educated student who actually agrees on book banning.

He blurted out, “Well, like, if it forced religion on kids it should be banned!” as he goes in depth about how difficult the memorization of pronouns and nouns are in high school.

This raises concern; the cycle of fear is growing. Perhaps this is why journalists are often forced to manipulate media or why we can’t develop an opinion of our own. You can try to stop censorship but it just won’t work. The door to imagination will be closed for our generation. So it goes.