How would you feel if an author published a book that contained a word that was once used frequently but has now developed into one of the most derogatory and unfriendly things a person can say? Since 1884, when the book was first published, there has been much controversy regarding the use of the word “nigger” in the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain. Many people all over the world, predominantly the African-American population, feel that the word demoralizes the Blacks, and feel that the novel should be strongly censored from society. Some say that the constant use of the “n-word” forces the reader to conceive one of the main characters, Jim (Huck’s slave friend), as a buffoon, and it therefore embarrasses the African-American community through the use of stereotype. Although it may be hard for many people to read it without having a negative reaction, the censorship of this American classic would be preposterous. As one reads this novel, one can begin to notice that the main character, Huckleberry Finn, reached a turning point with his troublesome behavior and slowly but surely began to mature and settle down into adulthood. Mark Twain actually used the relationship of Jim and Huck to portray the moral values these characters come to learn and, therefore, his book should not in any way be censored or be kept away from the classrooms. This message is more powerful than the usage of the n-word in the novel. During the earlier stages of the novel, Huckleberry Finn was a very mischievous, troubled young boy and held a grudge against “sivilized society.” This was distinguishable in the very first page of the novel: “The Widow Douglas she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me; but it was roug... ... middle of paper ... ...ain, should definitely be taught in every high school classroom. By using the powerful relationship of Huck and Jim, Twain illustrates the morals that these characters had attained during the course of the novel. Tom started off as a troublemaker and turned into a young man that truly cares for his friends, no matter what color skin they had. And Jim turned out to be a caring and compassionate friend that most people back then would have never even thought of. The fact that Mark Twain accomplished all of these feats even with the use of the “n-word” makes the novel even more noteworthy. It should never be prevented from being taught to any student; every student should have the opportunity to read and take in the important messages this book has to offer. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a lifelong American classic that will never fade away in American history.
The Adventure’s of Huckleberry Finn’s unique ability to incorporate moral lessons through satire and simmilar literary techniques prove it to be vital for High school students, especially at Rye, to read. The vast nature of things it teaches is something very rare for one book to do. It not only provides the reader with important life themes like other great novels do but it also shocks the reader to show the power of racism which makes it one of the greatest pieces of literature of all time. Just think of how different things would be if no one had read such an important book.
This fictional, satirical follow-up to to Mark Twain’s 1876 novel is just as popular, although for most it’s for different reasons. The amount of times that the “n-word” is used is between 160 and 213 [2]. Since the 1950s, black parents and some white sympathizers have called this book out as being racist. As for my opinion on this, I never got why this was bad. Sure, it may seem racist to us, but in the context of it’s time, there’s really nothing wrong. That was the controversy of it, as for the story itself, it’s a classic in it’s own right.
Lauded by literary critics, writers and the general reading public, Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn commands one of the highest positions in the canon of American literature. On an international level, it is “a fixture among the classics of world literature” (Kaplan 352). It “is a staple from junior high . . . to graduate school” and “is second only to Shakespeare in the frequency with which it appears in the classroom . . . ” (Carey-Webb 22). During the push for school desegregation in the 1950s, however, many parents raised serious objections to the teaching of this text. These objections centered around Twain's negative characterization of Jim and his extensive use of the term “nigger” throughout the text. Many people felt this characterization, along with the most powerful racial epithet in the English language, were insensitive to African Americn heritage and personally offensive in racially mixed classrooms.
There is a major argument among literary critics whether Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is or is not a racist novel. The question boils down to the depiction of Jim, the black slave, and to the way he is treated by Huck and others. In the 1950s the effort to banish The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from required classroom reading lists came publicly to the floor again, not chiefly on the grounds that its depiction of black characters and the use of the word “nigger” were demeaning to African-American students. Many feel that Twain uses the word too loosely. However, many believe that Huck Finn should be taught in schools on the grounds that the novel’s racist theme accurately depicted what life was like for a slave in pre- Civil War times.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been banned from many high school classrooms over the years. This novel by author Mark Twain is one of the most controversial books in the United States. Huck Finn should not be removed from high school curriculums for mature students. Twain’s writing not only exposes the vices of 19th century Southern society and teaches about topics that spark debates, it also opens students’ eyes to social issues that are still problems in today’s society. Mature students should be exposed to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in the classroom setting.
The classic American novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain has been a source of controversy since it was published. The controversy is centered around Twain’s use of the N word. It is a very heinous, powerful word that is almost always offensive. Mark Twain is well known as a satirist, in laymen's terms he makes light of social issues through his use of language. The story takes place in pre-civil war America so in order to effectively show the racism of the decade he had to use their vernacular. He did not intend to offend. He actually meant to make you feel uncomfortable with the racism. Huck Finn should not be censored because literary decisions should be left to the authors to make (5 Kathleen Parker), we need examples of ignorance to provide contrast to how far we have come, and because The powerful language Twain uses is necessary for the story and the story would be worse off for it.
In the 20th Century, no other book was discussed or fought over more then The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain. The book has been banned and reinstated in many school systems and libraries throughout this century. Controversy over the use of the word "nigger" has been one of the biggest arguments. The fact that people are still feeling the sting and abuse from the creation of this slang word is understandable. The other problem that many people have is that Jim, the black main character, was played off as a comical, half-wit character. This didn't help much when this character was used as the icon for the early minstrel shows of the 20th Century. Both of these arguments have been used since the 50's as reasons to ban the book and never have it in any public facility. The controversy that surrounds this book has followed it wherever it goes and it's a wonder that it still is used in classrooms around the country today.
As history has progressed in America, man has shed its preconceived notions towards slavery and treatment of those of African descent. Although racism is still a constant threat in the world today, there are always attempts to quell the rage and expand equality for all minorities. An example of this would be the censoring and banning of “racist” literature, and no book has seen it worse than The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In the span of the last century, Huck Finn, as it is often abbreviated, has been argued to support prejudice towards those of African descent, promotes broken English and incorrect grammar, and portrays the African character Jim along with use of the “N-word”
In the novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain; it causes controversy by using the word nigger. Twain’s use of the N-word has made many schools to stop reading his book. Some publishers have changed the word nigger to slave, so it get rid of the controversy and so schools can un-banned the book. Removing the word and replacing it with slave diminishes Twain’s attempt to realistically portray race relations during the early times of our country growth.
Throughout Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn the word “nigger” is mentioned more than 200 times. Because of this offensive term, the book has been subject to bans all across America. In result of the many bans, a new edition of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was released, one in which the word “nigger” has been replaced with “slave.” To some this seems the right call but in reality, the use of the word “nigger” is imperative to the novel. The censorship of the word “nigger” takes away from the novel in many ways. Replacing it would take away from the development of the characters and the messages within the text. The use of the word “nigger” correctly illustrates the 1800s Southern culture that the book takes place in. Replacing
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, is an American classic taught within the nation present all throughout the educational system. The book was published in 1884, still around the time where American society had segregated against African Americans and treated them less than human. In the era when The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published, it had been unpopular in the south for revealing African Americans as human and how slavery was inhumane. The n-word is highly frowned upon by today’s society because of its racial term toward African Americans. Now variety schools have decided to get rid of the novel due to the n-word offending African Americans and replace Mark Twain’s novel with another. While both arguments
Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, caused controversy throughout the nation due to its constant use of the n word. Many thought it was too inappropriate for high school students, and degrading to African Americans. However, Mark Twain was a satirical writer and most likely his purpose of the derogatory term was not degrade African Americans but to recreate the same dialect used in that time period set which was after the Civil war and the South. The use of the word was to demonstrate how racist America was before and to show the evolution of American now. Although some people want to ban the book from high school because the n word was used numerous amount of times, we should not ban the book because it's used as a historical
Growing up kids always hear about The Adventures Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, and all they really knew about was that their grandparents or parents loved the book and that for some reason it was controversial. When they got older they learned about how the racial standpoints in book made it so controversial but also what made it such a great book and that the theme of racism is still as relevant in our current time as it was when Twain wrote the book. Then after reading How To Read Literature Like A Professor By Thomas C. Foster many more things jump out at them while reading the novel. The use of setting and symbolism in the novel also helps make it such a fantastic piece of literature. Huck Finn is an iconic book that deserves to be as
...e end of the novel, Huck and the reader have come to understand that Jim is not someone’s property or an inferior man, but an equal. To say that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a racist novel is absurd, but there are always some hot-heads claiming that the novel is racist. These claims are not simply attempts to damage the image of a great novel, they come from people who are hurt by racism and don’t like seeing it in any context. However, they must realize that this novel and its author are not racist, and the purpose of the story is to prove black equality. It is vital for the reader to recognize these ideas as society’s and to recognize that Twain throughout the novel does encourage racist ideas, he disputes them. For this reason, and its profound moral implication, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should not be removed from the literary canon. [1056]
Since its first publication in 1884, Mark Twain’s masterpiece The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has proven to be one of history’s most controversial novels; especially recently, the novel has often been banned by schools and censored by libraries. Characters in the book are constantly using disparaging language toward slaves, and the repeated use of the word “nigger” makes many sensitive and offended. Critics denounce the novel and Mark Twain as racist for this word being insulting and politically incorrect and for its depiction of black people and how they are treated. However, Twain was not attempting to perpetuate racism; on the contrary, he used satire to expose the ignorance and paradoxical views held by many in America at that time. Despite objections to the novel for offensive and insensitive portrayal of African Americans due to Twain’s negative and stereotypical “minstrel-like” characterization of Jim and the extensive use of the term “nigger,” throughout the novel, Twain exposes Jim’s unfeigned humanity behind a “minstrel-like” pretense by illustrating his capacity to possess profound human emotions and his triggering Huck’s moral transformation from a conscienceless, uncivilized juvenile into a an adolescent able to make the ethical choice.