Racism In Huck Finn
analytical Essay
1227 words
Mark Twain wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to expose the hypocrisy of racism and religion in society. In the period he wrote the book, there were two contradictory belief systems regarding race: one stated all men were equal, while the other stated the exact opposite, as it stated all blacks were inferior to whites. This divided society into two groups: the “civilized” (whites) and the “savages” (blacks). Through his writing of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain displayed his opposition of this arrogant and hypocritical belief system, a belief system that unfortunately still exists in today’s world.
One of the prime examples of Twain’s opposition of this belief system was his portrayal of Huck’s father, Pap, versus his portrayal of Widow Douglas’ slave, Jim. Pap is an abusive, racist, drunk, while Jim was a gentle, kind-hearted, person. Pap was never really much of a father to Huck; he walked out and only came back because he heard Huck had some money. Jim was a very caring person; he cared for his family and for Huck. Despite Jim being the superior human being, he was considered, in the eyes of society, to be inferior to Pap just because of the color of his skin.
In 2014, this mentality of whites being superior should not exist; however, it does. Recently, a picture comparing Richard Sherman (black) of the Seattle Seahawks to Justin Bieber (white) made its way around social media. Justin Bieber was arrested for drunk driving and possession of marijuana within the same week that Richard Sherman went on an angry rant that lead to him being labeled as a thug. The phrase at the top of the picture read, “Who is the real thug?” Under the picture of Sherman, it listed his accomplishments: 4.2 high school GPA, high scho...
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...behalf of Islam as a religious duty. This is as obvious of a situation of religious hypocrisy as you will see. Over 270 million people are estimated to have been killed by Jihads since the birth of Islam (Tears of Jihad). Islams are supposed to practice values of peace, yet have no issues waging war and killing other human beings.
Mark Twain wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to expose the hypocrisy of racism and religion in society. He clearly displayed how blacks were stereotyped, devalued, and considered to be inferior to whites. He showed how people associated themselves with certain religious beliefs, but only practiced those beliefs at their own convenience. Unfortunately, the issues Twain wrote about still exist in today’s world. Society has made some progress; however, overall, not much has changed since Twain wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how mark twain wrote the adventures of huckleberry finn to expose the hypocrisy of racism and religion in society.
- Compares twain's portrayal of huck’s father, pap, and widow douglas’ slave, jim, as examples of his opposition to this belief system.
- Compares richard sherman (black) of the seattle seahawks to justin bieber (white) on social media.
- Analyzes how the playbills of one of the duke and king's cons show that black adults were placed below white adults and on the same level as white children.
- Analyzes the "rooney rule" in the nfl, which states that teams must interview at least one black candidate for coaching jobs.
- Analyzes how twain touched on racial profiling in the adventures of huckleberry finn. when huck is spying on the duke and the king in an effort to find the stolen money, the two conmen decide to change the location of the hidden money.
- Explains that racial profiling still takes place in today’s society, especially by ities. in newark, two youths aged 15 and 13 were riding in a car driven by their football coach.
- Analyzes how twain's criticism of society was based on his belief that society practiced and preached religious values that were convenient to them.
- Analyzes how the widow douglas can be seen as one of twain's examples of religious hypocrisy. in the name of her religious beliefs, she urges huck to help other people, yet she sees nothing wrong with owning jim, another human being.
- Analyzes how the grangerfords are another example of religious hypocrisy used by twain. they have bibles and other religious symbols in their house to symbolize they are religious people, but are in a battle with the neighboring family, the shepherdsons.
- Analyzes how john jay college of criminal justice conducted a study to look at sex abuse by priests from 1950 to 2002. since the 1980s, nearly 15,000 victims have come forward and pressed charges.
- Explains that jihads are an example of the hypocrisy of religion in today's world.
- Analyzes how mark twain wrote the adventures of huckleberry finn to expose the hypocrisy of racism and religion in society.
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- Racism In Huck Finnanalytical essayLauren Masterson Mr. Repp Honors American Lit. Per. 1 4 May 2014 Huckleberry Finn; the Deep South Exposed By: Mark Twain Mark Twain used the backdrop of a children’s adventure novel to expose the post-Civil War Deep South for what it really was; highly prejudice and slow to change.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how mark twain used the backdrop of a children's adventure novel to expose the post-civil war deep south for what it really was; highly prejudiced and slow to change.
- Argues that twain was trying to write an interesting story about how a boy, huckleberry finn (huck), who ran away from home had many adventures while rafting down the mississippi.
- Opines that ignoring the depth of issues this "children's tale" was addressing would be a waste of time.
- Opines that the san francisco chronicle agrees with twain's "huckleberry finn" on the ground that it is flippant and irreverent, is absurd.
- Analyzes how twain used a variety of characters in the story to expose issues that slowed the deep south from seeing "blacks" as equals.
- Analyzes how twain used miss watson to show how traditional, educated and religious folk were still falling prey to supporting the thinking of "blacks" being less than human.
- Analyzes how twain used huck to "investigate" christianity and found it to be insufficient to stop people from supporting slavery.
- Analyzes how twain uses pap's drunken rants in front of huck to illustrate how many "whites" in the deep south continued to perceive "blacks."
- Analyzes how twain uses the characters of two con men referred to as "duke" and "king" to show how corruption continued to take place among the towns' people in the deep south.
- Analyzes how twain used the character of jim, a black runaway, to show how "black" people can be every bit as compassionate and caring and have better moral values.
- Analyzes how jim showed almost parent-like compassion for huck when he did not allow him to view the face of the dead man they found in house.
- Analyzes how huck pulled a prank on jim in chapter 15, which hurt jim's feelings tremendously.
- Analyzes how jim, a common sub-human black man, showed the ultimate human act of self-sacrifice for people that normally wouldn't sacrifice anything for him.
- Analyzes how twain highlighted how much the majority of "whites" in the deep south ignored the reality that "black" people are people too.
- Analyzes how twain uses huck's character to show how even a logical person from the south would have to battle through upbringing and tradition to see "blacks" as people too.
- Analyzes how huck's logic and experiences prevailed over the "traditional" thinking of the deep south; he came to see "blacks" as people too.
- Analyzes how mark twain's harsh language and use of characters showed how much the thinking of the majority of people in the deep south fought progression.
1498 wordsRead More - Racism In Huck Finn Essayanalytical essayFor nearly two and a half centuries people were worked to death and treated like animals just because of the color of their skin. Slavery was a racist social invention to degrade and use a group of people for their differences. In Mark Twain’s time he witnessed the prejudices against black people that lasted long after the abolishment of slavery. The social stigma around colored people did not change after slavery ended. Black people were still segregated in society and made to feel inferior. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by repetitively portraying white people as backwards and corrupt, Twain strives to overcome the racist belief of white superiority.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how pap is a verbally and physically abusive father to huck, whereas jim is patient and nurturing.
- Analyzes how jim's nurturing and kind actions towards huck make him a father-like person for him, revealing the backwards thinking of society when pap, the least moral person in the book, has more rights than jim.
- Analyzes how twain uses the deplorable fate of the duke and king juxtaposed with jim's eventual freedom to show that race does not equal wealth or happiness.
- Analyzes how twain shows that white people don't always end up better off, even in a time of slavery and prejudice.
- Analyzes how the civilized people huck meets believe themselves to be good christians, but jim's actions are more true to the morals of christianity than anyone else.
- Analyzes how each generation passed down the grangerfords hatred of the shepherdsons, and instead of acting like true christians, the most well-respected families in town massacre each other.
- Analyzes how twain's portrayal of jim as the most compassionate character in the novel shows the human qualities of african americans that people had refused to see during and after slavery.
- Analyzes how mark twain's 'the adventures of huckleberry finn' tries to overcome the racist belief of white superiority.
1882 wordsRead More - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, is an academically acclaimed American novel that is well known within the country. Even though, most readers are unaware that it is one of the top novels that is banned in most academic curriculum across the country due its explicit racial controversy. The context within the novel has had to be re-written to suit the delicate views of some readers. Even though it is an extraordinary story, the time in which the novel was written is that of a time were the language was just acceptable. Though the novel has been revised The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is still banned from most school curriculum due to it 's racial explicitness.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that mark twain's the adventures of huckleberry finn is banned from most school curriculum due to its explicit racial controversy. the context within the novel has been re-written to suit the delicate views of some readers.
- Explains that newsouth books published a more reader-friendly edition of mark twain's the adventures of huckleberry finn, which was banned in concord, ma in 1885.
- Analyzes how huck finn's "nigger" is alleged to be "racially insensitive," "oppressive," and "perpetuates racism."
- Opines that the controversy in itself seems to take precedence over what mark twain was trying to express within the adventures of huckleberry finn.
- Explains that the adventure's of huckleberry finn is actually a sequel to mark twain s, tom sawyer.
- Explains that mark twain wrote huckleberry finn in two short bursts, the first in 1876, and the second, the prince and the pauper.
- Analyzes how huckleberry finn changed twain's views on racism and slavery.
- Analyzes how huckleberry finn depicts the very nature of humanity. the friendship between huck and jim proves that no matter the time or skin tone, a kind warmhearted person will do the right thing.
- Narrates how tom helps huck free jim from the hut where he is being held captive. they are free from their own personal slavery.
- Opines that mark twain wants readers to understand that family can consist of people who are not even blood related.
1645 wordsRead More - Racism In Huck Finnanalytical essayThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a book that has racial attitudes towards a society. It is written in a language which is more artistic than usual. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer may be a book for young adults and children, but the Adventures of huckleberry Finn is not so much for kids. Mark twain shows the evil in his society by satirizing the institution of racism by using irony.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how mark twain's the adventures of huckleberry finn has racial attitudes towards a society.
- Analyzes how mark twain's the adventures of huckleberry finn is about the adventures huck finn takes to get away from his drunkard father. they end up in a feud with the grangerfords and sheperdsons.
- Analyzes how the book addresses the issue of race throughout the story, which is probably the most discussed aspect of it. the book uses racist language.
- Analyzes how huck finn's racial prejudice is a great development for him considering how he was raised.
- Analyzes how highlights racism in the book, stating that it can be used in high school classrooms. the teacher should explain the setting of the story, the social background, and the prejudice.
- Analyzes how adventures of huckleberry finn suggests that white people are more intelligent than black people.
- Analyzes how highlights racism in the book as a negative effect on students. reading this story aloud in class can cause discrimination on blacks, and arguments can form from this.
1168 wordsRead More - Racism In Huck Finn Analysisanalytical essayAmerica has a rich past. From humble beginnings of Plymouth, this country has reached the status of worldwide superpower. Glorious victories over war and the economy are proud moments in the hearts of its citizens. As with every nation, evils of a time gone cannot be forgotten. Land of the free; built on the backs of the enslaved. The dark cloud of slavery was the source of strife for decades. Challenged a myriad of times, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn deals with the issue of slavery and racism in pre-Civil War America. The ideas in Huck Finn teach readers about the time in which it was set and the ideals the characters held. To teach Huck Finn is not to teach the racism or practice of slavery, but to teach the timeframe and its evils.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how adventures of huckleberry finn deals with the issue of slavery and racism in pre-civil war america.
- Analyzes how twain's intention was not to condone this idea but to enlighten the audience of the problem.
- Analyzes how twain's novel has been banned multiple times because of his use of the "n-word", racist comments, and discussion of slavery.
- Analyzes how huck finn helps students understand the "acceptable" actions of the civil war and how americans took steps to fix the problem.
- Explains that the naacp has been a longtime proponent of rights for african-americans. their stand on huck finn is such that one can present no counter argument to their obvious support of the novel.
- Opines that refusing to educate the masses is to denounce its impact on america. by teaching huck finn, readers are educated about the truth of a dim time in american history.
729 wordsRead More - Racism In Mark Twain's The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finnanalytical essayIntroduction 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.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how mark twain uses the "n-word" 213 times to portray the african-american characters as inferior to their white counterparts in the adventures of huckleberry finn.
- Analyzes the controversy in critical sources surrounding the racism of huck finn.
- Analyzes how shelley fisher fishkin debunks the argument that huckleberry finn is racist, arguing that twain's portrayal of jim portrays blacks in a negative light.
- Explains that the book is a textbook illustration of antiracist uses of racism. the "n-word" is used to depict blacks as racist propaganda, while huckleberry finn is social commentary.
- Analyzes the background of mark twain and huckleberry finn. jim, the slave of miss watson, has a wife and children that he is afraid of never seeing again if she makes good on her plan to sell him.
- Analyzes the use of racial epithets in huckleberry finn, which drew both censure and commendation from the audience of the novel.
- Analyzes how mark twain's use of the "n-word" was intended to make a statement about its use, in general, language and society.
1177 wordsRead More - Huck Finn Racism Analysisanalytical essayBy the end of Reconstruction, Jim Crow laws, sharecropping, segregation, and the KKK still plagued the South and enacted white oppression despite the end of slavery. Reconstruction left so much work undone for legal and social equality, which ultimately lead to the Civil Rights Movement. Considering the broader historical context, the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain argues that the South was not ready for Reconstruction to end, because it did not achieve its goal of equality that everyone deserves.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how jim crow laws, sharecropping, segregation, and the kkk plagued the south and enacted white oppression despite the end of slavery.
- Analyzes how huck finn is a racist novel, but the novel is egalitarian in many subtle ways.
- Analyzes how huckleberry finn argues that the south was not ready to end reconstruction.
- Analyzes how the novel argues that the south should have worked harder to achieve justice for blacks before the civil rights movement.
633 wordsRead More - Banishment Censorship of Twains Huckleberry Finnanalytical essayThe novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, has received much criticism through the years. Yet Ernest Hemingway, among other great American writers, considers this work a great American classic. This novel addresses many social issues in the South before the Civil War, causing some critics to find it racist or degrading to the African American culture. For this reason, these critics often attempt to ban Huckleberry Finn, or at least censor it, taking it out of the teaching curriculum for junior high and high school students. Analyzing Twain’s major themes—his satire of racism, the cruelty of the dehumanization of Jim—and the ignorance and inhumanity of the South reveals that although some subjects and terms used are somewhat mature, this book has valuable lessons to teach.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how twain's the adventures of huckleberry finn has received much criticism, but ernest hemingway considers it a great american classic.
- Analyzes how twain uses satire to address issues about which he feels strongly, such as racism and the cruelty of human beings.
- Analyzes how miss watson, huck finn's caretaker, owns jim and discovers that selling jim could put $800 in her pocket, making her think of jim as property.
- Opines that mark twain has, perhaps unconsciously, exhibited his sympathy and interest in the masses of the negro people.
- Analyzes how twain wanted sympathy and compassion with the "negro people", so he created events and words of vulgarity and cruelty to emphasize this.
- Opines that the use of satire and vulgarity in the adventures of huckleberry finn, pertaining to human cruelty and jim’s dehumanization, has caused critics to desire the censorship or banishment of the novel in high schools and allowed reading lists.
778 wordsRead More - Huck Finn In Huckleberry Finnanalytical essayIn conclusion, Mark Twain's Huck Finn is a story about society, social relationships, and racism seen in the eyes of a young boy, Huck, and a slave, Jim. Huck Finn lives in a society with a lot of racial dishonesty and racial intolerance, with this said slavery was largely accepted and even became a social norm. Society held a different measure to what it meant to be human and to what social relationships were all about. 1840’s ante-bellum south struggled very deeply with racism, society and social relationships. Blacks were miss treated, many people were disrespected and everyone was covered in self-deception to what was truly going on. It was quoted best by Jim “Humans can be awful cruel to one another” (Twain 116).
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how huck finn's morals are constantly re-defined as the storyteller of huckleberry finn. exploring the river with jim is in many ways an imminent coming of age.
- Analyzes how society's idea of civilization was being well-behaved, lord fearing, common people who don't contest authority. huckleberry finn held different and many times opposite beliefs of what society did.
- Analyzes how huck's social relationships in the 1840s were based mainly off stereotypes and self-interest. he is able to apologize to a black man for his own wrong doing.
- Concludes that mark twain's huck finn is a story about society, social relationships, and racism.
795 wordsRead More - Censorship Of Huck Finnanalytical essayIn Joan Smith’s article “Lessons of Huck Finn” from a San Francisco Gate series, Joan Smith, an examiner book editor, clarifies that people don’t want their kids to read a book that requires them to reconsider the past, while others acknowledge that the past can’t be changed and that people can’t hide from what has happened. In his article, he writes, “This is how you are, like it or not.” And that’s why this book is painful and significant. Because it’s what he is still telling us today” (Smith). Smith is acknowledging what Mark Twain had explained to those who criticize his book, and explain to them that history can’t be forgotten; society must accept what happened in society and also teach others decision making. In addition to why the book should be taught, in his article, he mentions how the book has multiple topics in the book other than just racism. In his article, he writes “...a book the evils, not only of racism, but of ‘the terrible gap between the Christian ideal and the vicious version of Christianity that dominated the world Twain grew up in’” (Smith). Smith is acknowledging that the book has a variety of topics other than just racism; that it portrays how Huck handles a society where religion has been implemented in society. Joan Smith portrays the book as a novel that gives the reader a sense of what life like during the time of slavery, yet demonstrating different aspects besides racism. He is portraying that the book should be taught and that since it is a “satirical novel” that it shouldn’t be taken seriously, but still understand the fact that the book explains our society. Similarly, to what Smith mentioned in his article how
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how mark twain's satirical novel, the adventures of huckleberry finn, portrays huck, the main character, who must deal with the problems of slavery in society and isolate themselves from a repressed society.
- Analyzes how jamie beckett's article huck finn’s fate to be decided' depicts the different opinions on whether or not schools should allow students to read the book.
- Analyzes how joan smith's article "lessons of huck finn" argues that the book should be censored for students to receive a "safe" and "realistic" depiction of american history.
- Analyzes how marylee hengstebeck's "huck finn, slavery, and me" explains that censoring the book is not an effective idea and that it would leave out the entire meaning.
- Opines that the adventures of huckleberry finn should be taught to students, but in a way that they understand that it is satirical reading and depiction of our society.
1251 wordsRead More