Prompt: University of Vermont Optional Supplement
Established in Burlington, VT, Ben & Jerry’s is synonymous with both ice cream and social change. The “Save Our Swirled” flavor raises awareness of climate change, and “I Dough, I Dough” celebrates marriage equality. If you worked alongside Ben & Jerry, what charitable flavor would you develop and why? –
Essay
Question: What do bananas and books have in common (besides the letter B)?
Answer: Both were banned during World War II.
Bananas were banned in the United Kingdom for their difficulty to import overseas due to the war’s naval demands. Books were banned in Germany for presenting views considered subversive or opposed to Nazism.
Although benign bananas faced no further discrimination following the cease of conflict and the return of refrigerated transport vessels, sadly, the same could not be said for books. Despite the defeat of the Axis powers, the pursuit of ideological control over others by instilling limitations persists. This idea that knowledge or human expression should be restrained, hidden, or even destroyed, has unfortunately carried into the modern era with a recent resurgence driven by the excuse of politics, gender, race, religion, and beliefs.
Perhaps one of the biggest issues our world faces today is the rise of censorship through book banning. As an avid reader, successful bookstagram founder, and lifelong learner, I abhor a practice rooted in prejudice that discriminates and limits freedom of expression and engagement. Ultimately, as Isaac Asimov said, “any book worth banning is a book worth reading.” So, what Ben and Jerry‘s flavor could be more on point than “Stop Ban-ana Books Foster” to promote freedom of speech and raise awareness to the recent surge in book banning…hopefully “stemming” the tide and “peeling” back misguided prejudice?
Through the creation and curation of my community forum @thebookkeepersabode, which is focused on celebrating the written word and inspiring fellow readers, I have had the self-assigned purpose and privilege of reading numerous banned books and introducing them to others. In each banned book I have read, I have yet to discover a valid reason for their banning other than a tendency to shine a spotlight on societal constructs and/or historical narratives that some would prefer remained in the dark…largely due to it not aligning with their personal beliefs.
Books serve as a critical capture of human knowledge, history, and creativity; they are a constitutionally supported freedom of expression. In all books, especially the banned, there is a lesson about human frailty and fault lines. Reading carefully and thoughtfully can help us construct a manual on avoiding the fallacy of repetition. It is from books that we learn, connect, and hopefully, dream of a better tomorrow.
The ice cream flavor of “Stop Ban-ana Books Foster” is a stand against censorship and a reflection of a time when bananas and books were irrevocably aligned due to war. Beyond their mutual ability to deliver ‘nutrition’ for our minds and bodies, the process of Bananas Foster is done through brûlée, not unlike the book burnings commonplace in Nazi Germany. By reclaiming the narrative and drawing attention to the origins of this modern vendetta against the written word, “Stop Ban-ana Books Foster” is both a clever and delicious reminder of our responsibility to maintain our values as a country and human race, in the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness.
Tips for Writing
I would say the biggest thing to remember when writing college essays is to write about things you enjoy and care about because it’s so easy to tell when the writer is passionate about something versus just trying to crank an essay out. It doesn’t have to be a groundbreaking revelation or really obscure topic as long as it means something to you and it’s genuine. Just let your creativity flow and the essay will follow.