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Literary analysis essay about race
Literary analysis essay about race
Racism and ethnicity novels
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Racism is an extremely serious matter and should not be included in classrooms around the nation. Should the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn be allowed in schools, or is it inappropriate because of the “racism?” It may actually be the opposite of racist. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an anti-racist book written by Mark Twain. Although this book comes across as being racist, it is merely trying to teach people how different life was in the 19th Century in an adventurous way. The “racist” words, such as “nigger,” are used for literary purposes only. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn promotes the cause of freedom, social justice, and human understanding. This book should not be banned from high schools because it is an important learning experience and doesn’t support racism. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not intended to be a racist book, instead it displays the true culture of life back in the 1800’s, but still is not entirely appropriate for younger audiences.
Offensive and racist language—like “nigger”—is used to truly capture the lifestyle in the 19th century. First of all, Huck was taught that racial discrimination towards African Americans was right. In doing this, Mark Twain is trying to correctly and accurately demonstrate life shortly after the civil war. The book was written in this time period when that language was normal and accepted. Twain is in no way trying to show racism toward African Americans when writing this book. This novel is not a blithe, cheerful, or feel good novel but instead a piece of American Literature. It has withstood the test of time and exhibits past culture in a very accurate way that makes you feel as if you are living it. One purpose of this book is to teach audiences the c...
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...nd adventurous story displaying life shortly after the civil war. The plot is no way shows racist views, and actually shows anti-racist views. Those who consider the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn a racist book haven’t read and understood the book and its meaning. Just because it uses “offensive” and confound language doesn’t make it racist. This novel should definitely be allowed in high schools, but not in middle or elementary schools, because that age group is most likely not mature enough to understand the true meaning of the book.
Works Cited
"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Shmoop. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.
· "Controversy Over Huckleberry Finn: Depictions of Slavery & Racism Caused a History of
Banning." Bright Hub Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2014.
· Twain, Mark. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Dover, 1994. Print.
The Adventures of Huck Finn is a very controversial book which brings much debate on whether it should be taught to children in America. The main reason for this debate is because the offensive word ‘nigger’ is used commonly throughout. The book is a classic and is seen to some people as such a great book that we should overlook the offensive word to understand the real lessons Mark Twain wanted to get across. One solution to this ongoing debate is something called the New South Edition, which substitutes ‘nigger’ for a ‘slave’ a word that is less personal and describes the history of America. Dr. Alan Gribben writes about the controversy and how the change effects the new edition. He uses personal anecdote, emotional appeal, historical references.
There is many racial elements in, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a story that has caused much controversy over the years. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, was published two decades after the civil war was over, yet it is set in a time period before the civil war began so there is many examples of racism and slavery. Mark Twain believed that slavery, and owning slaves was acceptable, but he was not a racist.
“Who gets to decide what I get to read in schools?” This question was brought up by Dr. Paul Olsen in a recent lecture. This question inspires many other questions revolving around the controversy of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. It makes one wonder if books like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be included in high school curriculum even with all the controversy about them or are they better left alone. Should The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn be taken off of school reading lists because of a single word when it has so much more to offer students? The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be included in high school English curriculums because it is relevant to current issues, it starts important conversations about race
First off, I would like to ask you if you think Huckleberry Finn should be banned from society? With that question in mind I would like to tell you why it should not. The Novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, according to an offended citizen, that the novel "should be removed from schools curriculum and expunged from public library shelves." This novel is already banned from all black schools and Christian schools for the profusely use of the "N" word and the insults of religion by Mark Twain. The "N" was used over 200 times throughout the course of the novel. Also, the actions of Huck and other negative characters in the novel does not help plead my case on why I disagree with this citizen. I disagree with this citizen and I think it should be allowed in schools curriculum and in libraries because it is a classic American novel and it shows how America has evolved as a nation. Huck Finn lies profusely in the novel, depicts African Americans negatively or using the "N" word, and his attitude is a negative influence on children today.
The people who are trying to ban The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are only trying to block out a part of American history that they would just as soon be forgotten, but every part of American history needs to be dealt with and accepted by everyone at a young age. Trying to shield students from any important part of history is a crime within itself. Hannibal, Missouri is a prime example of this type of crime. Every year they have a citywide celebration of Mark Twain, but they do not celebrate The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn or The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson nor do they teach it in their schools. Best stated by Shelly Fisher Fishkin, the theater company in Hannibal “was upholding a long American tradition of making slavery and its legacy and blacks themselves invisible”(Zwick, Jim.
Why would a man who fought against slavery, injustice, and discrimination write a racist book ? For some time, many students, educators, and scholars debated whether The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain deserves its place in our literary canon. Certain readers find the relationship between Huck and Jim especially problematic due to abundant use of the N word and Twain’s stereotypical depiction of Jim. On one hand, Jim is viewed as an uneducated slave who is always in peril due to Huck’s playfulness and immaturity. Yet, on the other hand, Jim is a complex secondary character crucial for Huck’s development from naiveté into maturity. Despite, the glaring overuse of racial epithets, Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn should remain in the literary canon and continue to be taught as it allows readers to address racial misconceptions, such as racial
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was written by Mark Twain, published in 1884, and according to Alison Flood in the article US school stops teaching Huckleberry Finn because of 'use of the N-word', “one of the most-challenged [novels] of all time.” The story depicts the relationship between a young white boy who is running away from home and a grown slave who is running away to escape slavery. The novel focuses on Huck Finn growing up pre-civil war in deep and very racist south. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should stop being taught to high schoolers because it is too open to interpretation, and doesn't
Is the Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn Racist or Not? The book Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not a racist book. The main arguments against it are the characters’ personalities and the dialect they used. This book is criticized by Twain critics and on the top ten ban list for school reading material. If people just concentrated on the main plot of the story, instead of the fine details that makes the novel realistic, they would agree that the accusation of this novel being racist is ridiculous. Huck Finn was abused by his father all throughout his childhood.
As controversial as he is, Mark Twain has been accused by some, of being a racist writer, whose writing is offensive to black readers. His novels have also been labeled as promoting slave-era stereotypes. Therefore, many people believe The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn deserves no place on today's bookshelves. To those of us who have delved wholeheartedly into Twain's wisdom and humanity, such accusations come across as ludicrous. To Twain's critics, the novel is superficially racist for the most obvious reason: many characters continually use the word "nigger". Yet, since the book takes place in the south, twenty years before the Civil War, such semantics were common occurrences. Therefore, should Twain be criticized for being historically correct? One should hope not. A closer reading of the novel also reveals Twain's serious satirical intent. In one scene, for instance, Aunt Sally hears of a steamboat explosion:
Since the Civil War, racism has been a very delicate issue with the American public. Whereas some people have tried to transgress this issue, pretending that race no longer plays a significant role in our country, other people still believe that there are serious racial dilemmas in the United States. I am one these people. However, unlike some, I do not believe this problem can be solved by avoiding or sugarcoating the issue of race, as James L. Kilpatrick and several schools appear to be doing. In the novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain presents an adventure story filled with deeper meanings and controversial topics, two in particular being slavery and racism. Despite the usage of the word "nigger" and the stereotypical portrayal of African Americans, I do not think schools have any justification in banning this book from reading lists.
Huckleberry Finn accurately presents the mistreatment, abuse, and hatred that African Americans faced in pre-civil war times. Huck Finn portrays racism as a part of life and as a social normality accepted by most people. The African Americans are treated as lower class people that are not worthy of sentient thought. Twain (2003) pens,
Twain, Mark.The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. 3rd ed. Ed. Thomas Cooley. New York: Norton, 1999.
Mark Twain wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to expose the hypocrisy of racism and religion in society. In the period he wrote the book, there were two contradictory belief systems regarding race: one stated all men were equal, while the other stated the exact opposite, as it stated all blacks were inferior to whites. This divided society into two groups: the “civilized” (whites) and the “savages” (blacks). Through his writing of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain displayed his opposition of this arrogant and hypocritical belief system, a belief system that unfortunately still exists in today’s world.
The lessons Mark Twain teaches throughout his book are vital for every High School student to experience. One of the major points for arguing that The Adventure’s of Huckleberry Finn should be banned is the repetitive and overuse of the N word. On a surface level, the way the N word is used could seem very disrespectful however as one dives deeper into analysis, Twain seemingly uses the N word loosely to portray a message. Throughout the book, Jim is always looked upon with a negative attitude and being just a typical black person because of these traits. However, as Huck and Jim venture along the Mississippi river, Huck begins to act more and more like Jim is an actual person. A prime example of this is when Huck says “they’re comin for us” (Twain 63) rather than saying they’re coming for you. Huck sees him and Jim as a relationship rather than just him and a slave. Another example is when Huck says, “It was 15 minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a n----” (89). Huck’s apology shows how Huck’s mindet towards not only Jim but all black people has changed, and that he actually has feelings for them now. The overall lesson tha...
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.