Slavery has been a controversial topic since the early nineteenth century and continues to be a touchy subject today. This problem is only exacerbated once children and their education become involved. There has been debate whether novels and similar material depicting slavery is acceptable in the high school curriculum. People are often most opinionated and stubborn with their views in regards to race and discrimination. As a result little progress has been made on the topic. People’s views range from either extreme on the spectrum. Some support an all-out ban on books depicting slavery and discrimination in an effort to shut out the past. Others fully support the use of the book as a learning tool for the future. Most people would agree that the latter group have a more rational approach. I am one of those people that believe literary works such as Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Twelve Years a Slave are necessary material for the high school English curriculum because they bring attention to an important part of American history which is commonly shunned by society and they are some of the most important books in American literature and students deserve to decide for themselves whether they accept them or not.
The slave era was one of the darkest parts of American history. Because slavery was so damaging to an entire race and contributed to further racism which persists to the modern day, many people try their best to shun that entire time period and by doing so they think that they are protecting their children from the hate and damaging effects of discrimination. However, in reality it is impossible to ignore history. The article “Forgetting Slavery” says:
It’s vitally important that Ame...
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...466-70. Print.
“Finding Jim Behind the Mask: The Revelation of African American Humanity in Mark Twain’s
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Fgcu.edu. n.p. 13 Jan. 1998. Web. 4 Jan. 2014.
“Forgetting Slavery.” The American Prospect. n.p. 13 Apr. 2011. Web. 4 Jan. 2014.
Peaches, Henry. “The Struggle for Tolerance: Race and Censorship in Huckleberry Finn.”
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. eds. Gerald Graff, James Phelan. Boston: Bedford/St.
Martin’s, 2004. 382- 404. Print.
Smiley, Jane. “Say It Ain’t So, Huck: Second Thoughts on ‘Mark Twain’s Masterpiece.”
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. eds. Gerald Graff, James Phelan. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004. 456-66. Print.
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When reading about the institution of slavery in the United States, it is easy to focus on life for the slaves on the plantations—the places where the millions of people purchased to serve as slaves in the United States lived, made families, and eventually died. Most of the information we seek is about what daily life was like for these people, and what went “wrong” in our country’s collective psyche that allowed us to normalize the practice of keeping human beings as property, no more or less valuable than the machines in the factories which bolstered industrialized economies at the time. Many of us want to find information that assuages our own personal feelings of discomfort or even guilt over the practice which kept Southern life moving
The Adventures of Huck Finn is a very controversial book which brings much debate on whether it should be taught to children in America. The main reason for this debate is because the offensive word ‘nigger’ is used commonly throughout. The book is a classic and is seen to some people as such a great book that we should overlook the offensive word to understand the real lessons Mark Twain wanted to get across. One solution to this ongoing debate is something called the New South Edition, which substitutes ‘nigger’ for a ‘slave’ a word that is less personal and describes the history of America. Dr. Alan Gribben writes about the controversy and how the change effects the new edition. He uses personal anecdote, emotional appeal, historical references.
...ke." Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. An Authoritative Text Backgrounds and Sources Criticism. Ed. Sculley Bradley, et al. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 1977. 421-22.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel written by Mark Twain during the late 1800’s (Mintz). The book brought major controversy over the plot, as well as the fact that it was a spin-off to his previous story, Adventures of Tom Sawyer. This book has remained a success due to Twain’s interesting techniques of keeping the audience’s attention. Chapters eleven and twelve of “Huckleberry Finn,” uses a first person limited point of view to take advantage of the use of dialogue while using many hyperboles to add drama to entertain the reader by creating description within the story without needing to pause and explain.
“Who gets to decide what I get to read in schools?” This question was brought up by Dr. Paul Olsen in a recent lecture. This question inspires many other questions revolving around the controversy of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. It makes one wonder if books like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be included in high school curriculum even with all the controversy about them or are they better left alone. Should The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn be taken off of school reading lists because of a single word when it has so much more to offer students? The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be included in high school English curriculums because it is relevant to current issues, it starts important conversations about race
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Dover Pubns, 1994.
Kaplan, Justin. "Born to Trouble: One Hundred Years of Huckleberry Finn." Mark Twain Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Case Study in Critical Controversy. Eds. Gerald Graff and James Phelan. Boston: St. Martin's, 1995. 348-359.
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.
These problems, that have been faced and are being faced in America must be talked about. Just not with The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as the platform. Jane Smiley said that “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has little to offer in the way of greatness” and honestly she couldn't be more right. (Say it ain’t so Huck 356) There are an overwhelming number of novels that could explain American slavery and racism. Jane Smiley said that “Uncle Tom’s Cabin’s portrayal of an array of thoughtful, autonomous, and passionate characters leaves Huck Finn far behind.” (Say it Ain’t so, Huck 358) The discussion of slavery and the harsh racism from whites to blacks need to happen in classrooms. Not with Huckfinn because it is outdated. Mark Twain once said that, “a ‘classic’ is a book which people praise but don't read.” Contradicting to his own novel, Twain’s HuckFinn was praised without being truly read. Meaning that its title as a classic is wrong. Its way easier for HuckFinn to be taught wrong then right. Looking at one of the first encounters of the book, in the scenes where all the boys are in a “gang” “some thought it would be good to kill the families.” (Twain 21) The book set in pre-civil war time. From the prospective a white kid’s opinion on slavery. One of the pure goals of the book it is to talk about how people were racist and didn't even realize it. Huck’s whole mentality towards Jim shows this. Jane Smiley noted that twain really saw Jim as no more than Huck’s sidekick.” (Say it Ain’t so Huck 335) While slavery is very present in today’s day and age it is very different then it was during the antebellum time period. In fact, racism today is completely different then it was just 25 years ago. Jane Smiley says “Jim is never autonomous, never has a vote, always finds his purpose subordinate to Huck’s, and like every good sidekick, he never minds.” Every high school student knows that America has a history
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...
Despite all the criticism, of racism and other questionable material for young readers, Mark Twain’s The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn is a superbly written novel, which in the opinion of this reviewer should not be remove the literary cannon. Twain’s novel is a coming of age story that teaches young people many valuable lessons and to some extend makes students reexamine their own lives and morals. The most common argument for its removal from the literary canon is that the novel is too racist; it offends black readers, perpetuates cheap slave-era stereotypes, and deserves no place on today’s bookshelves. However one must ask if Twain is encouraging traditional southern racism or is Twain disputing these idea.
Nowadays, students describe slavery based on what they read or learned. Students cannot be able to understand the true meaning behind the word “slavery.” The only people that can understand are the ones who went through it. For them, it is hard to look back from the most brutality and sorrowful years of their lives and yet they chose to write their experience. That is why in school, teachers are requiring narrative books for students to understand the main character’s point of view and apply the moral story to the real world. One of the famous books that English teachers are recommending is the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: an American Slave. It also includes two different introductions of Houston Baker and Peter Gomes and an
A source of inspiration for this paper is Douglass’ retelling of learning his ABCs. Douglass recalls the moment when Mr. Auld scolds his wife, Mrs. Auld, for teaching Douglass. The reason why Douglass should not be educated is harrowing, “If you give a nigger an inch, he will take an ell. A nigger should know nothing but to obey his master--to do as he is told to do. Learning would spoil the best nigger in the world” (Douglass 45). Consequently, this assertion of spoiling is caused by reading and literacy. Education gives Douglass the tools to question his existence resulting in a realization of oppression. Thus with the ability to read and write, he could escape by both literally and figuratively writing his own pass to freedom. From here Douglass realizes that the “...pathway from slavery to freedom...” was via education and that “...the argument which [Mr. Auld] so warmly waged, against my learning to read, only seemed to inspire me with a desire and determination to learn..” (Douglass 46). Passion and perseverance force Douglass to exchange ...
"The Debate over Slavery in the United States." The African-American Years: Chronologies of American History and Experience. Ed. Gabriel Burns Stepto. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2003. 108-149. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 3 May 2014.
Twain , Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 2003.