New ACT Essay…I gave it a try…please grade…I would appreciate some feedback as well…Thank You! 
Topic:
Censorship
Almost since human beings began sharing ideas, the issue of censorship (officially suppressing ideas or writing) has been debated. Proponents of censorship argue, for example, that offensive material might morally corrupt children or that governments have the right to protect their national secrets. Opponents argue that censorship infringes on individual freedom and hinders progress. Censorship has long been an issue regarding books and papers; now, it has become a critical issue concerning the great amount of information on the Internet. Given the continued impact of censorship on various aspects of our lives, it is an issue worth examining.
Read and carefully consider these perspectives. Each suggests a particular way of thinking about the impact of censorship.
Perspective One
Selective censorship prevents children from being exposed to offensive material. It allows parents and caretakers to determine what material children are ready for and when they are ready based on their maturity level.
Perspective Two
Censorship intrudes upon freedom of the press and freedom of speech. Individuals have the right to learn about their world, both its positive and negative aspects, and express their ideas on it.
Perspective Three
Censorship should not be condoned because it places too much power in the hands of a few: no government or leadership system should be allowed to decide what information should reach the public.
Essay Task
Write a unified, coherent essay in which you evaluate multiple perspectives on the impact of censorship on society. In your essay, be sure to:
- analyze and evaluate the perspectives given
- state and develop your own perspective on the issue
- explain the relationship between your perspective and those given
- Your perspective may be in full agreement with any of the others, in partial agreement, or wholly different. Whatever the case, support your ideas with logical reasoning and detailed, persuasive examples.
–My Essay–
Censorship is the suppression of speech, or other information which may be offending. I believe censorship is a good thing, but it depends on the length it is taken and how extreme it goes. In some cases censorship is advised and in others it is not advised.
Selective censorship should be condoned when a parent or caretaker determines what material is appropriate for their children based on their maturity level. Today we are in the digital world and children from a young age have access to the internet. Children surfing the internet have a higher risk of being exposed to materials that are inappropriate for their age such as violence and gambling. In this case censorship should be used in the form of a parent setting down a set of rules for their children, or simply using a security system on the device to block offending materials. Not only can censorship be enforced by adults, but also by the government through age restriction on movies. Movies have age restrictions varying from G (General) to NC-17 (no one under seventeen permitted) which lets the public know that the content in the film may or may not contain offending material for children. Restrictions help protect children form not being exposed to harmful, and sometimes traumatizing material at such a young age.
Censorship does intrude upon the freedom of the speech and the freedom of the press. People have the basic right to learn both positive and negative aspects of the world through media such as political debates and other current news. Individuals have the right to express their ideas freely and listen to others as well. Though people should learn about the current events in this world, censorship should be use lightly. Media should censor the news to an appropriate language that will convey the same message but to all age groups without it sounding offending. They should censor it a little bit because some children may be listening to the news and it would be appropriate to keep the language civil and chivalrous.
The government or any other leadership system should not have the power to decide what information should reach the public. The public has the right to know what is going on in the world. If the government had control over what the public knew then there would be total chaos like there is in North Korea. The government, which is run by a dictator, in North Korea has control over the people, has them imprisoned within their own country and has been given information which is censored by the government. They are oblivious to what is happening outside their walls, because the government has too much power. Censorship in the hands of the government does not end well for the public.
Censorship should be condoned when a parent or caretaker determines what material is appropriate for their children based on their maturity level and lightly in the media where individuals exercise their right to the freedom of speech; however censorship should not be condoned when deciding what information should reach public knowledge.