"Yeah, "nigger." Get over it,” "You know. Now let's talk about the book."~ David Bradley, University of Oregon. So much controversy has come from this outstanding novel. Should The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain be taught in schools? Many and the majority of those who are opposed to it being taught in schools believe it is wrong to teach it because of the so constant use of the word “nigger”. I believe one understand that this was the language that was used back then and see past it to get the true and deep meanings of this novel. It teaches great morals and values, demonstrates what a true friendship is, and teaches many outstanding life lessons.…
To teach or not to teach? This is the question that is presently on many administrators' minds about The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. For those who read the book without grasping the important concepts that Mark Twain gets across "in between the lines", many problems arise. A reader may come away with the impression that the novel is simply a negative view of the African-American race. Many scholars and educators, like Marylee Hengsetbeck who said, "If Huck Finn is used solely as a part of a unit on slavery or racism, we sell the book short." feel that there is much to be learned about Blacks from this book and it should not be banned from the classroom. This is only one of many themes and expressions that Mark Twain is describing in his work. Another central theme is how the depiction of race relations and slavery is used as insight into the nature of blacks and whites as people in general. Overall, the most important thing to understand is that Mark Twain is illustrating his valuable ideas subtly and not pushing them upon the reader directly.…
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a timeless American classic, right? The charming story tells of a young hero who floats down the river with his friend Jim, getting into all kinds of mischief along the way. Sounds innocent enough, doesn’t it? Well, no it’s not. People often forget the fact that this great piece of literature can hurt others. The mature themes in this book can cause people, especially those of African-American descent, to feel targeted or even bullied. Furthermore, places such as a high school, are expected to be a safe space for students to be free from bullying and bigotry. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should not be required of any high school student to read because of its rash stereotypes, poor representation…
I am writing to you as the parent of a student currently in high school and am concerned that you are considering banning The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the current school curriculum. I want to advise you to change your mind and allow The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to be a part of the high school curriculum. I understand how Mark Twain uses the word “nigger” many times throughout the novel and there is some vulgar language; however, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn shows such a major piece of our history, that all of the students should be allowed, or even required to read this novel. In order for people to learn about our history and how we have developed to where we are today, we need to read these amazing pieces of literature.…
In Cherry Hill, NJ at a local high school a large confrontation arose between the teachers and students over the novel Huckleberry Finn. Many students argued that the book was offensive and hurtful. Raquel Panton a student who was against the teaching of Huckleberry Finn stated, “I don’t go to school nine months out of the year to be put down and to be made feel bad.” The student’s main argument Huckleberry Finn was that they believed it was racist and that teachers should have been more aware of the impact such a book would have on the racially diverse students. To the black students especially, the novel was another frustrating instance where there was a lack of multicultural content in the district's curricula; with the support of their parents they decided it was time to act.…
Huckleberry Finn has been and still is a book of much controversy. Many people believe that it should be banned, whilst others believe that it should not be banned. The people that argue that it should be banned state that the book has irrelevant and hurtful reference to the slang word for an African-American. With this argument, the importance of the literature itself is completely ignored. The most important reason that it should not be banned is that the students reading the book are taught by teachers the context and history of the word "nigger". Many people think the word is vulgar and puts much doubt in the book's message. If so, the parents can take action and have their student removed from discussion in the reading.…
In an attempt to rebuke the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s claim that controversial books damage the self-esteem of African-American children, Hentoff recounts an experience where he talked with a group of eighth-grade students who were studying Mark Twain’s Huck Finn alongside a history of cities with a reputation for having a high tolerance for racism. One student in the class was bold enough to comment that his class was taught that the “bigots” Twain referred to in his novel commonly referred to African-Americans as “niggers,” stating that just because of Twain’s over-zealous use of the term did not equate to an assumption that Huck Finn was a racist novel (Hentoff). On the contrary, this particular student claimed that as evidence that Twain was expressly critiquing the word and people who used it in order to write a very anti-racist novel.…
The novel Huckleberry Finn is a controversial book that uses racist words, talks about racism, and how Jim was treated extremely poorly. Ever since the book has been published, there have been many instances of students, teachers, and parents feeling uncomfortable about the terminology being used, or the way one of the main characters, Jim, is portrayed. It can be a painful book to read, there are still debates about reading a novel that is written by a white author with constant use of the “N word” and constant degrading of the black race. How can we read such a racist based book and learn from it? Students have reported themselves feeling uncomfortable, feeling like they shouldn’t have to read a book as discriminatory as this.…
In this passage, Huck accidentally contradicts his original lie that his name is Sarah, telling Mrs. Loftus that his name is Mary. Huck is able to recover, however, and makes it sound like he can be called either Sarah or Mary. This is an example of Huck’s cunning. He is able to quickly fabricate a story that sounds like it is the truth.…
From complaints such as; this book is racist, and it is discrimination against “Black” people, the novel is removed from the Concord, Massachusetts, Public Library. In another case, the novel is marked as number five on the American Library Association’s “100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-1999” (“Fight”). It isn’t shocking that the novel ended up on the list, with all the misunderstandings that is going on. All the complaints against the book are for being racist, and it is not a racist novel if you have the right understanding of the time period. People argue among one another about whether the novel should be kept in classrooms or not, and people just do not understand. Some people are not as extreme with their ideas about the novel but some do believe it has no right to be taught it in classroom. For example, “University of Pittsburgh English Professor Jonathan Arac, author of “Huckleberry Finn as Idol and Target: The Function of Criticism in out Time,” agrees that the book should be removed from required reading lists. Unlike the NAACP, Arac doesn’t think it should be removed from the curriculum entirely” (“Fight”). Now in this case, it isn’t as bad as wanting the book to be out of the school, out of the town, out of the state, or wanting the book to be banned overall. It shows that he sees something wrong with the novel and doesn’t want students being required to read it. However the issue that people are finding with the novel is exclusively from not understanding the fantastic…
The racially charged novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain causes much controversy, yet it still impacts American culture in a way that very few novels do. School districts debate whether the novel should even be a part of high school curriculum because of the controversy surrounding it. Twain’s novel does, in fact, have immense educational value and can contribute very much in shaping the minds and cultural literacy of soon to be young adults in America, through high school curriculum. In such racially charged times it is more important now than ever to reflect on the root of the racial discourse seen today.…
Many critics believe that Huckleberry Finn should not be taught in school because of the racism, language, and the influence the book has on the younger audience. According to John H. Wallace: The Case against Huck Finn, “is the most grotesque example of racist trash written and is not good for our children” (Wallace 309). While others believe Huckleberry Finn should be taught in school and that it portrays a time in history of racism and speaks volumes of a friendship forged when the country was at odds. Huckleberry Finn is just that a part of American History and American Literature. Huckleberry Finn is one of the very first works of American Literature. Huckleberry Finn represents the effects…
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remains to be one of the most controversial books that are taught in schools today. Many argue that it is racist and perpetuates inaccurate stereotypes. Although Mark Twain uses racism throughout the book, the novel should still be taught in schools. Even though there is a lot of controversy, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn deserves to be taught in schools because it uncovers problems of intolerance and teaches readers valuable lessons about human nature and society.…
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel based on the journey Huck, a young boy with an abusive father, and Jim, a runaway slave, have down the Mississippi River to Free states for an end goal of freedom. Freedom means different things to both of them, to Huck freedom means to be able to do what he wants and not be “sivilized”, while Jim’s definition of freedom is being able to live in peace with his wife and children. While on their journey to freedom they develop a caring unusual friendship. There is a great deal of controversy over whether or not The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be taught in schools. Critics claim that the novel is an important piece of American literature and that it throws the reader into a time when slavery was lawful and accepted, and gives the reader a new perspective on slavery even if it has racial hints and discrimination. Many people including myself believe, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, should not be taught in High Schools but instead taught in college because of immaturity among students, racism, and the dark use of slavery.…
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is, still today, considered one of the "great American novels" of all time. Twain achieves this merit through his criticism of slavery, society, and his overall sarcastic writing style. His mastery over dialect has continued to entrance readers through the rough, yet calculated character dialogues. Furthermore, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn successfully tells the story through the eyes of an innocent, worldly thirteen year-old boy, thereby showing the trappings of society through as unbiased a view as possible. Yet despite its apparent distinction, many critics have attacked the books for a variety of reasons. Included in these critics is Jane Smiley, who views the book as being unworthy…