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…
Mark Twain 's classic novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been criticized since the day it was released. A library in Concord MA banned the book only a month after it was put into print and other libraries and schools have followed suit (Mark Twain 's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn). The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not the only story to be widely banned, but it is one of the most controversial and well known. Many people claim that the novel is racist due to the frequent use of racial slurs and the disrespect and mistreatment of the character Jim who is a runaway slave. Mark Twain 's famous novel is not a racist text because it is a historical account of the south during the 1840s, when racism was commonplace. The book 's purpose was to emphasize real life and mock the faults in human nature.…
Mark Twain’s The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn is an American masterpiece. Contrary to The Algerine Captive Mark Twain‘s satire and irony is emphasized through the style and the use of the American “vernacular” dialect for the first time as well as the use of the African-American dialect. Therefore Huckleberry Finn remains the work that elevates this onetime rustic humorist into the ranks of literary genius. It is considered by Satirist Dick Gregory once said that Twain “was so far ahead of his time that he shouldn’t even be talked about on the same day as other people Huckleberry Finn is considered as the first American Novel and aimed at forging an American identity independent from the European one. The Novel, hence, satirize the paradoxical issues of slavery and the hypocrisy of the society as well as the deep intuitions of America.…
Another problem to consider is that by banning The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, you would be in violation of the first amendment. Technically by banning this piece of literature than you will be invading Mark Twain’s freedom of speech. He wrote the book and by banning the book from schools, the school committee would be taking away Mark Twain’s freedom of speech. He wrote the book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, off of his own opinions about how African Americans were treated back then. By banning this book, you will be taking away Mark Twain’s freedom of speech.…
Huckleberry Finn is a novel written in 1884 by Mark Twain at the end of the American reconstruction era. During this time there blacks were still treated unequally, and a large amount of ignorance between the races was present. As a child Mark Twain often witnessed the harsh cruelty slaves had to endure and as he grew older began to empathize with them, and through those emotions he created this novel. He created a book from the view point of a young boy who was considered white trash at the time and kept true to the accents and phrases the different races used at the time. This included the word nigger which although today is considered extremely inappropriate, in the past it was a common term used by whites to label blacks. Using satire to show how absurd racism and prejudice was. Over a hundred years later this novel is still considered a classic, however, a controversy has arisen over the harsh language often used in the novel.…
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the most well known books in American literature. This book gives the reader insight into what the South was like during the days of slavery. One man claimed this book was one of America's, "first indigenous literary masterpiece." (Walter Dean Howells) However many people wish to censor this book or remove it from schools entirely. Censoring this book doesn't allow the reader to have a full comprehension of how slaves and free black people were treated during that time period.…
The book Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain has been argued over for years about why it should be banned from being taught in schools since it uses the terms “nigger” and “injun”, both of which are looked down on in today's society for regular use. The reality behind the use of these is that they are put in to satirize that culture.…
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain in 1884 is a classic example of American literature. It depicts the bond of a fourteen-year old boy and a runaway slave’s as they venture up the Mississippi River with hopes of finding better lives in the free North during the pre-Civil War era. One of the common criticism of the novel is Huck Finn is too wise beyond his years. Twain purposely depicted Huck to be this mature to attempt to change the American society through his art.…
A trashy and racist book wouldn't be allowed in classrooms. The novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, is receiving negative attention. The dominant problem that students, parents, teachers, and even professors, face , is the usage of the n-word. After reading this adventurous story, it is hard to find the problem that is upsetting many people. Therefore, this incredible novel should continue to be in the high school curriculum because it offers students a realistic historical background, it receives numerous positive reactions, and the meaning of the word nigger, (referred to as the n-word) is changing over time.…
American writer, Stephen Chbosky, once said “Banning books gives us silence when we need speech. It…
The book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is considered a literary `classic. It has been a recommended read on many schools reading list for many years. But the book does have its share of controversy concerning the content within the book. Censorship is a thing many people do not like and some do not want this book censored and believe that the book should be taught in American classrooms. Others do not believe that and seek to have the book banned from being taught in schools. Huckleberry Finn is not a bad book but the negative aspects of the book may make the book unsuitable to teach. Huckleberry Finn should not be taught in school because it contains racism and offensive characterizations but it teaches that a persons identity is not solely based on their race.…
The final reason that Huckleberry Finn should be banned from schools is that Huck teaches bad morals for the students who have to read this novel. Instead of following the rules of the society he has grown up with, he uses made up rules of Tom Sawyer and doesn’t question them. “So Tom got out a sheet of paper that he had wrote the oath…
Though many people rightly believe that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be used in schools today; many people often oppose to the use of this novel in high schools due to various reasons. One reason many naysayers say that the novel should not be used in schools today is due to the use of the N-word. According to their defense, the N-word often is offensive to blacks out there because it reminds them of what is used to be like, when there was slavery. It brings everybody back to times when blacks, or African Americans, were most often associated with violence and hate, because not many whites treated them fairly (Huckleberry). Another reason many critics say the novel should not be used in high schools today is due to how the novel…
Huckleberry Finn should not be banned from schools, this will only allow the preconceived notion that our students lack the intellect to draw their own conclusions. It is important to remember that Mark Twain was not a racist and wrote about the criticism of the racist mindset that many 19th century people had and still have (Fishkins). The irony of history and racism is painfully intertwined in the past and present and with allowing the teaching of Huckleberry Finn it will allow some of these issues to be solved. Huckleberry Finn not only confronts the deepest racial feelings and insecurities, it calls for society to take a stand and learn from the past and present and with open minds to eradicate racism and censorship from great…