It is often said that the freedom of speech is the most precious of all human rights. Yet at the same time, we presently find ourselves in a linguistic quagmire that threatens this very freedom, to say nothing of the coherence of our language. That quagmire is the political correctness trend that has warped English into a sometimes-unrecognizable form. Closely tied to this is the censorship of thoughts and ideas that a small minority may find offensive.
In her charming short story "Ado," Connie Willis launches a tongue-in-cheek assault on the PC group as a schoolteacher faced with the unthankful task of introducing her students to the works of Shakespeare in the age of special interest groups.
With books like Madonna's Sex on the shelves, you might think that Shakespeare would be considered harmless. In fact, a quick scan of the most frequently challenged or banned books will reveal a who's who list of the classics. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Of Mice and Men, The Catcher in the Rye, and To Kill
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