In the essay "Disliking Books" the author Gerald Graff explains his disinterest in literature and what helped him overcome it. The author informs us that as a child no books interested him, regardless of genre, time period it was written or author. He states his main issue was an inability to connect with the books presented to him. Even in college the author was unable to find interest in literature, confessing he couldn't even finish reading books he was assigned. This issue persisted until he was told to read Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn. At first he was unable to read it in any capacity; until he learned of the controversy over the ending. Graff suddenly took interest upon receiving a topic to think about while reading other than the book
itself. This change helped him realize what it was that made him dislike books, a lack of a goal; in this case a controversy to investigate. The author started to think about this, and how some critics consider the purity of reading to be ruined by reading critically. Graff however found this peculiar as he didn't enjoy literature prior to being asked to think about it critically, or as he put it "I had to be corrupted to enjoy innocence"(Graff 26). The author then goes on to state this realization made him decide to become a teacher. He goes on to explain that he's unsure of how typical his case is, but that many of the students he has taught had the same issue.
Christian Laettner played basketball for Duke in the 1990’s. He made perhaps the most dramatic shot in the history of the NCAA basketball tournament. He's the only player to start in four consecutive Final Fours, and was instrumental in Duke winning two national championships. He had looks, smarts and game. So why has Christian Laettner been disliked so intensely by so many for so long? Maybe it was the time he stomped on the chest of a downed player, or the battles he had with his teammates, or a perceived sense of entitlement. But sometimes, perception isn't reality. "I Hate Christian Laettner" will go beyond the polarizing persona to reveal the complete story behind this lightning rod of college basketball. Featuring extensive access to
Andrew Sullivan suggests the origins of hate to be evolutionary in his article, “What’s So Bad about Hate?” If hate really is “hard wired,” then that would mean all of the hubbub about obliterating hate is just about as useless as trying to obliterate opposable thumbs. Sullivan’s statement carries so much meaning because it illustrates such a nasty concept with an air of tolerance that is rarely ever considered. He proposes that instead of fighting hate, we accept hate for what it is: an integral part of the human experience. Instead of fighting, we should focus our energy on tolerating hate, and through toleration we can achieve much more than we ever did by trying to combat our very nature.
Mark Twain throughout the book showed Huckleberry Finns personal growth on how he started from the bottom as a lonely, racist, immature kid who knew nothing to where he is now, by finally breaking away from society’s values he was taught in the beginning. He has alienated himself from the from that society and revealed how in fact these values were hypocritical. He realized that he can choose his own morals and that the one he chooses is the correct one.
The Adventures of Huckelberry Finn has been called one of the greatest pieces of American literature, deemed a classic. The book has been used by teachers across the country for years. Now, Huck Finn, along with other remarkable novels such as Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird, are being pulled off the shelves of libraries and banned from classrooms. All the glory this majestic piece by Mark Twain has acquired is slowly being deteriorated. This is
The authors of the amazing books The Scarlett Letter (Nathaniel Hawthorne) and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain) both take the reader through a journey of how society plays such a huge role in the everyday life of the people living within these time periods. Both authors give you clips of the emotional challenges which the characters encounter throughout the entire story in order to give you a feel of being placed in their shoes and overcoming the obstacles which they are confronted with. Nathaniel Hawthorne bases his novel on community, religion, relationships, and laws which are expected to be followed during puritan time. Different from Hawthorne, Mark Twain wrote his novel to reveal the harsh feelings towards racism, slavery, and unfair treatment within a country. Twain and Hawthorne reached out to their readers with great emphasis on how they believed the setting on which the novels were written needed great change.
Evil. It’s a concept that has baffled philosophers, religious figures, and the common man alike for thousands of years. In this millennium, people may exemplify evil as terrorism, genocide, or, perhaps, placing an empty milk carton back in the refrigerator. However, many remain conflicted about the exact definition of evil, as the dispute over the character Grendel, from the John Gardner novel, makes evident. To conclude that Grendel is not evil, readers must first operate under the assumption that the beast is unequivocally and thoroughly evil. Having done so, readers will notice the fallacies within this thought process. By asserting that Grendel is evil, readers blatantly disregard the ambiguity with which humanity defines its actions, as
In his novel, The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain applies his thoughts upon societal hypocrisy by using the characters to convey their religious entitlement as a societal norm rather than focusing on the true moral teachings that Christianity implies. Throughout the book, Twain adopts a sentimental yet humorous tone to portray the characters’ ironic behavior towards biblical teachings and their reason for going completely against them.
Racism, a major issue in society for hundreds of years, even after the abolition of slavery, still affects millions of people. African Americans today still sensitivities towards racism, and the reading of Huckleberry Finn demonstrates the pertinence of racism today similarly to two hundred years ago. When reading novels containing nineteenth century racism, African American readers are exposed to the torments their ancestors were put through, and the novel can have a positive or negative effect in that the reader may enjoy the learning of their history but may also feel humiliated in relation to their classmates of other races. In the literary novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, the apparent racism in the book affects
Literature has many different point of views, from which a reader can develop certain conclusions, theories, or ideas. At times those same pieces of work that inspire many can also bring a negative light onto others, resulting in the work being offensive. Many factors are taken into consideration when analyzing a work that causes a stir amongst readers, such factors as the author 's background, life experiences, encounters with different people, and also the time period it was written in. In the case of Mark Twain 's, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, its literary content causes much conflict amongst readers and has sparked an ongoing debate. Many argue that the work promotes racism through the casual use of the word "nigger" which is derogation
Push yourself. Go out of your comfort zone – it is how people grow. If everyone were to remain at the same level of comfortability and simply accept what comes plainly to the surface, the world would be a much less tolerable place. Oppression, though still found about the world would be much more prevalent, especially in places like America, where people have driven movement so that things change, to prevent the infamous saying of “those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. It is important to find a clear understanding of what one came from – the wonderful and painful – to determine what one wishes to become (Chadwick xiii). Twain’s American theme of the negro, criticizes a subject that has been engraved in American culture from the start, while employing an excess of additional American ideals. Though a close contender, The Great Gatsby falls just short of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as it has become apart of the very culture it seeks to criticize. The discomfort that Twain’s narrative produces is indicative of the novel’s “greatness”. As David Smith concludes at the end of his analysis of the racism theme in his article, “Huck, Jim, and American Racial Discourse,” if as a society, “we, a century later, continue to be confused about Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, perhaps it is because we remain more deeply committed to both racial discourse and a self-deluding optimism
The book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn introduces readers to a variety of ideologies plaguing the minds of Americans during the mid-1800 's. Written during a time where slavery remained an issue in the south, the novel provides insight into a young man 's mind as he comes to understand and question the ideologies of his southern society. Through his interactions with a vast variety of characters, Huck resolves on his own definitions of right and wrong after giving up on the definition society expects him to accept. Mark Twain 's attention to the society of which Huck Finn is based as well as how he wrote the characters of the novel suggest he believed there were serious flaws in how that society saw people; therefore, the novel Huck Finn
...ing done so, he can resume where he left off without having missed any part of the story." I think that reading Huckleberry Finn really opened up my eyes to all the adventures you can have with book and I think that I forgot that. Although it was very difficult to read at the times I enjoyed it and the language he used was a little too much for me to handle at time because it was offensive. "Indeed, Twain had introduced a new literary genre--breaking ground by writing in a regional dialect, using an offensive word for black people more than 200 times, taking the risk of alienating readers." (Chicago Tribune) I use to enjoy reading and now it is like I would rather watch a movie because it is a lot easier and it is shorter; but reading is something that cannot be replaced. While reading Huckleberry Finn I think I found my love for reading again and I hope I keep it.
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.
Famed novelist Ernest Hemingway believed that “[a]ll modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn…the best book we’ve had.” The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a classic American tale with all the essentials of a story that feeds our imagination. On the surface, the novel appears to be a very unpretentious tale of adventure, and self-discovery that has earned a place on every high school required reading list. However, if the story is closely examined, it takes on darker undertones of a racist culture replete with derogatory language and glimpses into the ugliness and turmoil that followed in the years immediately after the Civil War, and that still exist today. Controversial and racist are two words commonly used to describe Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. It is considered to be the quintessential American novel, yet it remains in the middle of a debate over whether or not it should be taught in schools.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain revolves around the main characters Huck and Jim. It is the story of their journey together, escaping the strict regimes and their horrible lives in St. Petersburg. There are many criticisms about how accurate the book is in displaying race, history and morality. Many critics focus on the ending of the book and how it is comparatively flawed in relation to the rest of the book. Leo Marx, an emeritus professor of American cultural history, criticized the consistency of the novel’s plot and the change in Huck regarding heroism and confidence. Marx’s critique on both subjects can be supported, and furthermore Marx’s discussion on Huck’s minimal change in confidence by the end of the novel can be