Why Should Huckleberry Finn Be Taught In Schools
AP English 3
14 January 2013 Every year high school students across the United States have read the well-known classic The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain. Recently it has been questioned for whether it should or should not be required to be read in classrooms. Although The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has racism, many readers enjoy the history within it and because of this, Huckleberry Finn should remain on the required reading list for all high schools. The biggest and possibly the only reason The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is being questioned is because of its racist view point. Many people argue that Twain himself did not like blacks and wrote the book to discriminate, but what they don’t know is what Allen Webb explains “the contibutors point out, Twains personal attitudes …show more content…
toward blacks were contradictory.
His father and uncle owned slaves, yet his wife was the daughter of a prominent abolitionist. He fought briefly with the confederate army, yet later in life paid a black student’s way through Yale Law School”. Webb lets his readers know that Twain was neither for or against blacks, he just wrote what was common in what would be Huck Finns time. This explanation also allows us to understand that Twain was not purposely trying to offend African Americans. Webb also comments about one of his African American students, “in his opinion while a black teacher might be able to read Huckleberry Finn aloud, a white teacher, no matter how ‘sympathetic’, simply could not read the work without offending black students”, because of these types of situations, making any student uncomfortable the book is being questioned. Unlike Webb, whose students feel uncomfortable Nancy Methelis shares that “I generally tell my students at the beginning that (the ‘n’ word) is not going to be used in class because it could hurt people in the class” and by
doing this she recieves a positive response from her class. In fact she tells us, “African American students are very often the most open about discussing the book”. Both Webb and Methelis have shared the book but have gotten different responses, making it harder for the book to stay off the list. Although the racism in the book may offend people, there are multiple ways that make it possible for them to avoid being offended, giving the book a better look on the required reading list. For many students Huck Finn is not only a pleasure to read but it also teach them more about history. Methelis points out that “the history book will give us facts, which we are told true, but we know they are chosen for the particular. It generally doesn’t connect in the same emotional way that a fictional work does”. Many students find it hard to read straight out of their textbooks because they just provide facts unlike a fictional book, that not only tells a story but it shares history with its readers. This then allows the reader to connect and understand the history better. Methalis also points out by saying that the book “ is important on so many levels. It is a book that students relate to because of the youth of the narrator. It is part of American history as well as American literature, so they can see its place within the spectrum of literature and history”. She makes a great point because many students really don’t often connect with their history but they are able to follow along with any character in a good book. By putting these two types of literature together Twain shows America history and an adventure. High school students need to read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, not just because it is required but because it teaches every student their own lesson. When a student connects with their history they are better able to understand why America is the way it is and that is one of the most important items for any American to know. Huckleberry Finn deserves to be read in every high school, it teaches the students about how we got along with each other, it teaches the students about their American history, and most importantly it teaches students about adventures.
14 January 2013 Every year high school students across the United States have read the well-known classic The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain. Recently it has been questioned for whether it should or should not be required to be read in classrooms. Although The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has racism, many readers enjoy the history within it and because of this, Huckleberry Finn should remain on the required reading list for all high schools. The biggest and possibly the only reason The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is being questioned is because of its racist view point. Many people argue that Twain himself did not like blacks and wrote the book to discriminate, but what they don’t know is what Allen Webb explains “the contibutors point out, Twains personal attitudes …show more content…
toward blacks were contradictory.
His father and uncle owned slaves, yet his wife was the daughter of a prominent abolitionist. He fought briefly with the confederate army, yet later in life paid a black student’s way through Yale Law School”. Webb lets his readers know that Twain was neither for or against blacks, he just wrote what was common in what would be Huck Finns time. This explanation also allows us to understand that Twain was not purposely trying to offend African Americans. Webb also comments about one of his African American students, “in his opinion while a black teacher might be able to read Huckleberry Finn aloud, a white teacher, no matter how ‘sympathetic’, simply could not read the work without offending black students”, because of these types of situations, making any student uncomfortable the book is being questioned. Unlike Webb, whose students feel uncomfortable Nancy Methelis shares that “I generally tell my students at the beginning that (the ‘n’ word) is not going to be used in class because it could hurt people in the class” and by
doing this she recieves a positive response from her class. In fact she tells us, “African American students are very often the most open about discussing the book”. Both Webb and Methelis have shared the book but have gotten different responses, making it harder for the book to stay off the list. Although the racism in the book may offend people, there are multiple ways that make it possible for them to avoid being offended, giving the book a better look on the required reading list. For many students Huck Finn is not only a pleasure to read but it also teach them more about history. Methelis points out that “the history book will give us facts, which we are told true, but we know they are chosen for the particular. It generally doesn’t connect in the same emotional way that a fictional work does”. Many students find it hard to read straight out of their textbooks because they just provide facts unlike a fictional book, that not only tells a story but it shares history with its readers. This then allows the reader to connect and understand the history better. Methalis also points out by saying that the book “ is important on so many levels. It is a book that students relate to because of the youth of the narrator. It is part of American history as well as American literature, so they can see its place within the spectrum of literature and history”. She makes a great point because many students really don’t often connect with their history but they are able to follow along with any character in a good book. By putting these two types of literature together Twain shows America history and an adventure. High school students need to read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, not just because it is required but because it teaches every student their own lesson. When a student connects with their history they are better able to understand why America is the way it is and that is one of the most important items for any American to know. Huckleberry Finn deserves to be read in every high school, it teaches the students about how we got along with each other, it teaches the students about their American history, and most importantly it teaches students about adventures.