Huckleberry Finn Argumentative Analysis

“It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger; but I done it, and I warn't ever sorry for it afterwards, neither. I didn't do him no more mean tricks, and I wouldn't done that one if I'd a knowed it would make him feel that way.” (Twain 86). This quote bothers some individuals because of its use of the word nigger or the fact that it discriminates against the African American race. People all over America are bothered by the language and violence used in the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a piece of literature from the American Realistic literary time period that takes place in the mid 1800s. Some individuals think that the novel is not fit to remain

Despite what some may say, Mark Twain uses the language he does to set the tone for what people of the 1800s would have spoken like. Mark Twain is an author from the Realistic era of American Literature, and he is just expressing how life really is and not what everyone wants it to be like. An article entitled “Teaching Huck Finn Without Regret” states, “Huck is rebellious, as all children, especially untutored ones, tend to be; Pap is revolting, as unfettered racist drunkards tend to be; Jim is illiterate, as antebellum slaves tended to be. To depict Jim as professorial or Huck as a little sweetie-pie -- as some modern adaptations try to do -- is absurd.”. This quote is simply saying that trying to make these characters anything other than what they are would simply not be realism. That is not how people of their certain social status and personality would be like. High school students deserve to see and hear this about America’s past. Unfortunately, opponents to this worthy novel think that Huck Finn’s father’s speech, “Oh, yes, this is a wonderful govment, wonderful. Why, looky here…” (Twain 27), will adversely affect their children. This, however, is not the intended purpose of Pap’s rant. This again, is just another example of realism. Pap is a middle to lower

The naysayers argue that The use of the ‘n’ word can influence small children to start using the highly offensive word. However, the word is used accurately and to show the period in time which the characters are living in. Furthermore, they shamefully state that the violence may influence kids to do violent acts as well. However, as stated in an article entitled The Fight Over Huck Finn Continues, “"Twain did not write a novel that's meant to make you feel good." Additionally, one of the best in-your-face moments in the entire novel is used by the opposing view incorrectly. They contend that Pap’s speech about the government will cause children to think that way and riot against the government. Need to return to your view---end this paragraph powerfully using Twain’s own words/text from the novel or a quote from one of the in-class articles. 6