Why Huckleberry Finn Should Be Banned

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, is an American classic taught within the nation present all throughout the educational system. The book was published in 1884, still around the time where American society had segregated against African Americans and treated them less than human. In the era when The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published, it had been unpopular in the south for revealing African Americans as human and how slavery was inhumane. The n-word is highly frowned upon by today’s society because of its racial term toward African Americans. Now variety schools have decided to get rid of the novel due to the n-word offending African Americans and replace Mark Twain’s novel with another. While both arguments

who represent getting rid of the novel and changing the n-word in the book create valid arguments, ultimately The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should stay in school as a part of literature as well as the novel should remain unchanged.
American schools across the country would like to get rid of the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because of the n-word discriminating against African Americans.

The main objective why all schools that ban the novel is because of t containing racial slurs and strong content. The novel of Huckleberry Finn does have “repetition of the word “nigger.” (PBS). The quote given demonstrated how many schools do not like to see or have to read out loud to their students. The n-word is a word that society does not like feel comfortable saying or having been said out loud. The word itself has a crucial history to it as well as it plays out as a huge part of American history. The only reason why the book “should be” banned from schools is that of the use of the n-word. The book utilizes the n-word so loosely that the book itself sounds racist. The novel itself promotes racism that should not be allowed to be read aloud in classes or at school. The book itself also goes against “community value” (PBS). If a book goes against a communities belief then they should have the right to ban the novel. However, keeping the book in schools is the best options for

students.
The novel of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should still be taught in school.

The book itself is a great piece of American history. Now the book takes place in pre-civil war America. The book itself reflects how Americans treated and acted towards African Americans in this time era. Since it shows a mirror to a racist society many views the book as racist itself. However in an appeal to keep the Huckleberry Finn still on the reading list, the author talks about how modern groups believe that the novel was racist but the author continues to talk about how the Mark Twain “oppose to racial segregation” (Appeal). Why would an author who is opposed to racism create a racist novel? That just does not make any sense at all. Therefore, the view that Huckleberry Finn is a racist novel is false and the argument to keep the book out of schools because it is racist is no longer valid. Instead, Mark Twain tries to teach us about or show us the people of that time era of how they treated African Americans like subhuman without a

reason.
The reason we should still keep The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is that of the message Mark Twain was trying to show us. The book is based on Huck's life and his adventure with Tom Sawyer and Jim an African American. Now the message that Mark Twain gives that African Americans are humans too and they way “white people” look at them and treat them is wrong because they are humans just like them and that it is a society that is allowing this treatment to continue. Now a primary example of how Mark Twain shows us this is with the relationship with Huck and Jim. At first in the beginning of the book huck does not see Jim as Jim but as a slave. Huck starts to see that Jim is just as human as he is when Jim talks about uniting his family together and huck says "I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their'n. It doesn't seem natural, but I reckon it's so." (Twain). This quote from Huck shows that he is still not seeing Jim as a human but is starting to see it. The more and more time Huck and Jim spend together to get to see their relationship grow. A reader gets to see how Huck slowly goes from referring to Jim as the n-word to just Jim. The only reason Huck is able to see this is through spending time away from society. Getting away from what everyone else thinks. This is what Mark Twain is trying to show all with the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Now taking this away from schools and not making young adults learn about this story and the powerful messages behind would only bring society closer to times describe in the novel itself.
Americans today frown upon the use of the n-word in any form and for Huckleberry Finn, it is no different. Schools say that the n-word makes students feel uncomfortable. That some schools have already banned it. In T.V show 60 Minutes, they did an episode on Huckleberry Finn. The episode focuses on “Randall Williams” and who he has changed the n-word within The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (60 Min.). Now the reason that Williams says he wants to change the n-word is because he wants schools to teach the book in school. All Williams is doing by changing the word, he is allowing the schools that have already banned the book, a chance to once again be able to teach that. This why way students, teachers, and anyone who reads the book does not have to feel uncomfortable with reading the n-word in the book. Another reason why schools want to get rid of the n-word from Huckleberry Finn is because the word promotes racism. Which also is a reason why schools just want to get rid of the book completely. The schools want to “protect young people” from Huck's racism (Ruta). Which gives more of a reason why getting rid of the n-word is a smart thing to do.
However, keeping the n-word in the book is the smarter choice. The main argument that or reason for getting rid of the n-word is because it is an uncomfortable word to say, yet that is how it should be. Which is what Larry Wilmore from the Daily Show says. Wilmore expresses his idea on whether the n-word should be taken out of the novel. While this skit is meant to be a comedic one Wilmore does bring up a valued point. In the interview Wilmore brings up that the word that they use to replace the n-word (slave) does not fit properly. Wilmore starts to talk about why Twain uses the n-word in the book and not slave and Wilmore says it best it is because Jim can “run away from being a slave, but he cannot run away from being a nigger” (Daily Show). Wilmore even points out that Jim is not a slave throughout the whole book so even using the word slave would not even fit in. So replacing the word with the word slave is not a smart move and even ruins the moral and theme of the what the novel tries to show the person reading it.
In an articles by Hamilton Spectator from the Los Angeles Times, Hamilton talks about how the n-word is meant to uncomfortable. That was the whole point of the book. Hamilton also brings up a good point within his article. Hamilton says that Twain uses the n-word so many times within his book, “rendering it inoffensive” (Hamilton). Which is just another reason why keeping the n-word within the novel is the best and better plan. It all basically the same point for all articles. That Mark Twain’s lesson in the book is the strongest point in the book. The use of the n-word within the book makes his lesson even stronger. The fact that he raises a mirror to a racist society, showing them the errors of their ways.
The novel The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn is a great America classic book. Even though some schools would like to get rid of the book because it is “racist”. And some people want to change the n-word within the book to slave. However, it is better to keep the books within schools because of the message within the book. The books show us that everyone is created equal and that everyone is a human that people should treat everyone is created equal. Also that the n-word should be kept in the book. That n-word gives more of a message throughout the book. How huck only calls Jim a “nigger” at the beginning of the book but after Huck escapes society and see Jim as a Human. That is why the book should be kept in schools and the n-word should stay within the book.