Areopagetica

Paper Summary:

This paper takes a 17th century speech, written by John Milton, called "Areopagetica" and applies it to the modern day issue of censorship.

From the Paper:

"Who kills a man kills a reasonable creature but he who destroys a good book kills reason itself." John Milton, Areopagitica (Hughes 170) John Milton's Areopagetica is one of the finest arguments ever written against censorship. Originally written to protest Parliament's June 14, 1693 ordinance to license the press in Great Britain, the ideals in this speech serve as a cornerstone in the defense of First Amendment rights here in the modern U. S. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." (http:www.law/cornell.edu/constitiution/constitution.billofrights.html.)

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: