Why Huckleberry Finn Should Be Taught in Schools

Mark Twain is one of America’s most prominent writers. His book portrays a dark part of America’s History through the eyes of a young white boy. However, you will not find a better book that illustrates this country’s slave era than Mark Twain’s classic. As students read the humorous journey of Huck Finn and his friend Jim, the runaway slave, they will also be learning the culture, language, and customs that were common in that time. Most schools across the country have banned the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, because they are afraid that such knowledge might have an adverse effect on kids. Our slave filled past may be a sensitive subject, but banning his book will not hide it forever. His book does not hold back when describing the culture of the time, so he uses words that may seem offensive now. If schools teach this book it will educate students and give them a chance to form their own opinions. Therefore, by teaching this novel in schools, you are allowing students to look into the past and even see the bad parts, then learn and progress from it. This classic American novel should be encouraged by schools to be taught in classrooms, even with the risks involved.
Mark Twain was raised in a town where slavery existed and slaves were called “niggers”. This racial term is repeatedly used in the book and today that word is very hurtful and offensive to most people. But during Twain’s time it wasn’t like that. This is just what black people were called. Throughout the novel, Huck struggles with racism and learns of Jim’s humanity and intellectuality. He comes to realize that Jim is a person like him, but darker than him. This novel deserves to be taught in most schools because of this. It teaches students that they should understand that all people should be equal in our society. This book shows such an example between Huck and Jim. Twain’s particular word choice was probably not meant to offend anyone, but only demonstrate the reality of racism. Many say that the book should be banned because of such racial comments. The novel, it was claimed, could even offend or scar the youth, but all the book does is enlighten youth on history of American Slavery. The book is also a great piece of history. Besides the fact that it does teach about racial history, it also shows how life was like in general. It shows in great detail what the North and the South were like from the eyes of Huck Finn. We get to see what life was like through his eyes and relate it to ourselves in this day and age. Another reason the book should be taught in schools is that we see the friendship between Huck and Jim. Throughout the book, Huck faces the dilemma of whether or not to turn Jim into the authorities. As time progresses, even though Jim is a slave, he starts to see that Jim is a person much like himself and has similar emotions. He does so when Huck hears Jim crying at night in their canoe. Jim was crying because he missed his wife and kids. Jim feared for their lives and if they’d be able to survive. Through this Huck truly changes his attitude towards Jim and begins to see him more as a human and less as a slave.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a great book that shows the history of the South in the lifetime of Mark Twain. It shows how things were back in those days and how bad racism was. It also shows the friendship between the boy and the young man as they travel down the river experiencing life together bringing about many changes in their own lives. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be taught in schools to help educate kids on the history of that time and help them to understand prejudice and to learn more about the different ways of humanity. In the future, students that have read the book will be better off. They will now about the past and they will not be afraid to talk about it. We cannot prohibit kids from having the privilege of learning about our ancestors from a book that was written by one of America’s greatest authors.