In 1865 Mark Twain wrote what would become one of the most controversial books in American history, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” He wrote this novel with brazen confidence. This novel became a very difficult, controversial topic with many different views and opinions. The most common side taken for this topic is the side that: Yes, it is a racist book, but that was the norm for the time. Addressing people by the “N” word was socially acceptable, and usually was not even done in a hateful manner, because it was the vernacular of this time. Many people’s aversion to this book makes this topic and discussion so much more interesting and in today’s standards, it is definitely racist. No doubt. But how are we going to learn from our mistakes in the past if we aren’t being taught them in the first place. It allows the readers, or in this case students, to see what intolerance is and how things have changed from then to today. Many of the novels in this time period are now considered racist, but were once were completely normal. There are many arguments as to why this novel should be banned from public high schools, but for every argument there is a reason as to why it is false and should still be taught.Due to these facts, the novel Huckleberry Finn should be taught in public school systems without question. In chapter 6, Pap (a character in the novel) said this: “There was a free nigger there from Ohio—a mulatter, most as white as a white man. He had the whitest shirt on you ever see, too, and the shiniest hat; and there ain't a man in that town that's got as fine clothes as what he had; and he had a gold watch and chain, and a silver-headed cane” (27) This quote from the novel very strongly demonstrates the fact that black ... ... middle of paper ... ...ad because they have never actually read a book that they can relate to language and attitude wise. Society is being very histrionic about this topic. Huckleberry Finn is a piece of literature that will never be forgotten, even if somehow, someday, it gets banned from public high schools, but in the mean time people are very resolute in keeping this book around. There is no way America can forget such a great novel representing the American Dream the way that it does. This book will not go down without a fight. In conclusion, through all of the controversy, through all the ideas of it being too racist and not appropriate for high school classrooms, after many examples as to why this novel should not be taught in schools and a reason as to why every argument against is bogus and impractical, Huckleberry Finn should be taught in public high schools without question.
High Schools in the United States should not ban The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This book is one of the most important components of American literature in our libraries today, it throws the reader into a time when slavery was lawful and accepted, and gives the reader a new perspective on slavery in general. Until civil rights groups can come up with a better argument than the word “nigger” creating a “hostile work environment”(Zwick) it should not be taken off the required reading list of any High School in the country.
The decision to ban the novel Huckleberry Finn from classrooms and libraries has been an ongoing controversy. The presence of the 'n word' and the treatment towards Jim, and other blacks in general, has made many readers uncomfortable. Despite this fact, Huckleberry Finn has been and remains a classic read. I do not believe the novel should be banned or sanitized because it is a part of American history whether it is good or bad, also we have no right to change someone's writing simply because we do not like how it is written, Mark Twain's writing should not be penalized because of the ideals of today.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was written by Mark Twain, published in 1884, and according to Alison Flood in the article US school stops teaching Huckleberry Finn because of 'use of the N-word', “one of the most-challenged [novels] of all time.” The story depicts the relationship between a young white boy who is running away from home and a grown slave who is running away to escape slavery. The novel focuses on Huck Finn growing up pre-civil war in deep and very racist south. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should stop being taught to high schoolers because it is too open to interpretation, and doesn't
Mark Twain’s book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, educates high school students on how the Southern society operated at that time. When analyzing the novel, one can see that Twain’s writing clearly does not endorse slavery or the use of derogatory language toward African-Americans. In a petition to remove this book from a high school required reading list, a school board in New Jersey concluded, "the literary value of the book outweighed the negative aspect of the language employed.” (2) Huckleberry Finn is a satirical novel that was written to show the flaws of 19th century American society. It shows how people thought and acted back then, and points out what was wrong with the white supremacy mindset of many Southerners during these years. “The book itself is a great testament that...
When a book uses the "N-word" 213 times (Carey-Webb 24) and portrays the African American characters as inferior to their white counterparts, it becomes easy to assume that the book’s author Mark Twain is using this novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as a form of racist propaganda to display upon America in the late 19th century post-Civil War Era. By the late 19th century slavery had finally ended across the United States, but racial tension, discord and discrimination were still very much at large. For those opposed to slavery in its original iteration, and, therefore, opposed to its continuation in this form, the only thing left to do was to continue fighting the battle for equality and rights in any way they knew how.
To conclude, I genuinely respect your judgement and perspective of the word’s meaning when discussing The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, but I cannot admit that I, in every respect, agree with many of the falsifications made in your article. You neglect to mention the many effective outcomes of reading the novel in classrooms and its previous contributions to the abolitionist movement. By writing the novel, Twain enables his readers to visualize the harshness of slavery and the unpleasant ramifications that ensued. Twain’s use of the word had not been intended to cause such despondency, rather, it had intended to educate readers on the daily uncertainties slaves regularly dealt with in the South. There is a definitive necessity for teachers
In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain the main character, Huck Finn, grows and learns many lessons. Throughout my life I have learned many similar lessons. In addition, I have discovered that there is a relationship between Huck's life lessons and my life lessons. Also I have learned many different lessons that Huck was dispossessed from learning. Twain's character, Huckleberry Finn, and I can be compared and contrasted through lessons we both have learned and lessons that only I have learned. During my life I have learned that lessons are hard, complex, and above all else are universal. One lesson that Huck and I have shared in learning is that a person can choose to escape an unfair situation. Huck escaped his abusive father and was taken in by the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson. I too escaped an abusive father. When I was six years old my mother divorced my father and I decided to live with her. Another lesson that Huck learns is to be his own person. He learns this when he left Tom Sawyer and his gang for his own adventures. I learned this same lesson when some friends wanted to go to a concert on a night that I had school and a project due the next day. I did not go with them and even though my friends had fun, I was proud to be an individual. Additionally, Huck learns that friends are very important because they are always there for you. He and Jim become very close over their long trip down the river. They do things for each other that shows that they are friends. Tom helps Huck rescue their friend Jim from slavery. Huck and Tom free Jim because he is a good friend to them. I have also learned that friends are a tremendous part of my life. On various occasions, friends have helped me study for important tests. Consequently, Huck and I have learned similar important life lessons though the experiences were different. On the contrary, there are also a few lessons that I have learned that Huck has not learned. I have learned that you must deal with your problems instead of running away 12/19/98 from them.
Obviously, the controversy over Huck Finn is a big deal. The use of the word in question is completely excessive and not okay. The point of reading Huck Finn shouldn’t be to embarrass those of color. I think the book does need to be taught, however, with some restrictions and requirements. First of all, a precedent about the word in debate needs to be set. The students in class need to understand that using that word was a part of history. Was it a moment to be proud of? No. But, it is something that all students, regardless of race, need to understand and experience. I think that the students should have some historical background about the time period of Huck Finn to help prevent those of color from taking offense. Second, I think that all
The book Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, has many themes that appear throughout the text. One such theme is that people must live outside of society to be truly free. If one lives outside of society, then they do not have to follow all of its laws and try to please everyone. They would not be held back by the fact that if they do something wrong, they would be punished for doing it.
When classes learn about Huckleberry Finn it is not read for the enjoyment of reading. It is used to teach students about racism and explain how Mark Twain could possibly be called a racist. But if you were to treat the whole book as a racist book you would miss the entire point of his story. Back when I read this book in class last year, much of the discussions I had with others was based on whether or not the book is considered to be racist.
Huck Finn does not fully understand religion. The widow tells him he can ask God for whatever he wants so he thinks of religion as asking God for specific items. Religion is actually a more spiritual concept, and Huck is not mature enough to realize this. This is apparent when he mentions “Miss Watson she took me in the closet and prayed, but nothing come of it. She told me to pray every day, and whatever I asked for I would get it. But it warn't so. I tried it. Once I got a fish-line, but no hooks. It warn't any good to me without hooks. I tried for the hooks three or four times, but somehow I couldn't make it work. By and by, one day, I asked Miss Watson to try for me, but she said I was a fool. She never told me why, and I couldn't make it out no way.” This tells us that Huck is very confused about religion and takes things very literally. Huck was not brought up in church, so he knows little about God and religion. Another time when Huck took something too literally was when he went to Tom Sawyer's group to "rob and murder" people. Huck fully expected there to be real elephants and “A-rabs” at their destination. Tom Sawyer just wanted to pretend this was the case, when Huck actually was preparing himself to see elephants.
One word has held The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn out of many high schools and libraries, kept kids from reading this amazing novel, and sparked controversy all across America. This is considered one of the greatest stories of all time, but kids are kept from reading it because of the “n word” used over 200 times. While it’s offensive to some people, that does not mean all children should be kept from it, because maybe some children are not offended. We need to teach this novel in high school because it shows history kids need to know, kids need to read this great novel, and it is actually an anti-slavery story.
“The situation of the orphan is truly the worst, you’re a child, powerless, with no protectors or guides. It’s the most vulnerable position you can be in, to see someone overcome those odds tells us something about the human spirit. They are often depicted as the kindest or most clever of characters.” Michelle Boisseau describes how important these types of characters are. In a Sunday Times article, she states that a lot of the stories and novels are considered to be apologues about orphans becoming the hero of the book. Huck’s story is quite like this subject. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel written by Mark Twain, it’s about a boy named Huckleberry Finn, who sets out on a journey to discover his own truth about living free in nature, rather than becoming civilized in a racist and ignorant society. Mark Twain implies that Huck Finn resembles more of what he believes is right rather than what society surmises from him. Twain reveals this through the themes of satire, racism, and hero’s journey, which he uses constantly through out the book.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Ignorance & nbsp; While there are many themes expressed in the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn one makes a stronger presence by its continued, if not redundant display of itself. Far too often in society, people's lack of knowledge on a given subject causes their opinions and actions to rely strictly on stereotypes created by the masses. This affliction is commonly known as ignorance. This is curable, but people have to become open-minded and leave their reliance on society's viewpoints behind them. In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, the ignorance of society becomes extremely evident in many parts of the book.
Huckleberry Finn’s character traits in chapter 31 defines the character that Huck truly is. Huck in this chapter finds out that when he is going to escape that his friends Jim isn’t back at the raft. Instead he finds out that his friend Jim was sold to a slaveowner two miles away from where he is at. Huck wants to write a letter to Jim’s former slave owner Mrs. Watson, but as he writing it he knows that it is a bad idea too. He feels bad about taking Jim from her, and he also feels bad for Jim; So he rips the letter up and throws it away. Huck shows three main character traits that are important in this chapter. In the book, “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain, Huckleberry does whatever he can to save Jim, he can tell when people are lying, and he knows how to talk to people.