You can not please everyone, so it's better to just please yourself. Huckleberry Finn has been a big controversy since it was published, People either find it offensive or helpful. The book tells the tale of a man and a teen who are both trying to escape their reality, there's only one problem Huck is a regular teenage boy who befriends a African American. Considering this took place in the 1800’s this was seen as dreadful. The book says the N-word all throughout the book which upsets some of its audience and which is why schools want to ban it. Schools should not have to ban this book because it teaches students about the past, you can't ban something that already happened, and most importantly it stands up to African Americans. Books …show more content…
have a meaning behind it whether it is a lesson or history, therefore this is why the Huckleberry Finn should be allowed in classrooms in its original form.
The reasoning behind this is because we shouldn't be sugar coating what our past generations used to believe in. If we were to switch the “N” word with the word “slave” this would be hiding what our previous generations used to do, by leaving the originally vocabulary used in the book it will teach people many things. For example it will show how the average person used to think back in 1845 and will hopefully prevent history from repeating itself and influencing future generations. Another reason why the novel Huckleberry Finn should be left in its originally format is because people should be reminded and know how disgusting people would treat each other just because of the color of their skin. …show more content…
If publishers were to change the original volcanbury of the book this will hide how people would treat others who weren't white since back in the 1840s it was believed that if you were white you were the superior race.By preventing schools from using the originally form of Huckleberry Finn this will benefit caucasian races because they will be able to hide how their previous generations would treat African Americans and they won't have to live with the burden of knowing that their previous ancestor were in reality horrible people for treating other human beings as pieces of property.
Another reason why keeping the “N” word in the book is because it will show students that racism back in the 1840’s wasn't a joke and was in fact real. The ‘N” word was a very common thing to say back in the 1800’s, because it was a way of describing a slave for example when Huck says the following in the passage "Jim was monstrous proud about it and he got so he couldn't hardly notice the other niggers. Niggers come miles to hear Jim tell about it and he was more looked up to than any nigger in that country." This shows that even as someone as young as Huck didn't have a problem calling someone the “N” word since it was so common back then. When students finish reading this book it will give them a new perspective in life and teach them many things just like this book taught me. Huckleberry Finn should continue to be taught
in schools because it enlightens students about the early life in America and gives you a good perspective in American life. Huckleberry Finn doesn't only teach us about slavery but also about religion. Religion was a huge part of every American’s life back in the 1800s even until present day and mostly everyone who lived in the United States was Christian. For example in the beginning of the book the narrator shows us what Huck thinks of religion in the following quote “ After supper she got out her book and learned me about Moses and the Bulrushers, and I was in a sweat to find out all about him; but by and by she let it out that Moses had been dead a considerable long time; so then I didn't care no more about him, because I don't take no stock in dead people. (1.4)” What basically happens in this scene is that one of the widows is trying to enlighten young Huck about one of the stories from the bible but Huck quickly becomes unamused. Huck says it himself that the reason he gets bored is because he doesn't care about knowing about someone who is already dead. The reason Huck is different from everyone else in the book is because Huck was never exposed to American Culture he never went to school to be educated therefore he was never exposed to American Culture. Due to the reason that he wasn't brought up like a normal child, Huck satires every belief an average american would have in the 1800’s. Another reason why Huckleberry Finn should be taught in schools is because it shows how a typical white child could become friends with a slave. Throughout the entire novel Huck fights with himself whether he should turn in Jim, the reason why is because Jim is a runaway slave but throughout the story Huck view on Jim begins to change. For example in the following quote Huck says “But somehow I couldn't seem to strike no places to harden me against him, but only the other kind. I'd see him standing my watch on top of his'n, 'stead of calling me, so I could go on sleeping; and see him how glad he was when I come back out of the fog; and when I come to him again in the swamp, up there where the feud was; and such-like times; and would always call me honey, and pet me and do everything he could think of for me, and how good he always was; and at last I struck the time I saved him by telling the men we had small-pox aboard, and he was so grateful, and said I was the best friend old Jim ever had in the world, and the ONLY one he's got now; and then I happened to look around and see that paper. (31.23)” In the previous quote Finn is arguing with himself whether he should or shouldn't turn in Jim, I mean he is a runaway slave after all. He tries to think about something that Jim has done to hurt him so he can at least write to Mrs. Watson where Jim is but he has gotten so close to Jim that he can't find it within him to turn him in. At the end of the novel Huck has gotten so close with Jim that he no longer sees him as a slave but as the father figure he never had. Although I strongly agree that Huckleberry Finn should be taught at school I could understand why teachers wouldn't want this book taught to students. For example the following quote Hucks says “And then think of ME! It would get all around that Huck Finn helped a nigger to get his freedom; and if I was ever to see anybody from that town again I'd be ready to get down and lick his boots for shame. That's just the way: a person does a low-down thing, and then he don't want to take no consequences of it. (31.19)” The reason why teachers wouldn't want to teach this book is because it would make some students uncomfortable. For example if their was a student from African American decent and the teacher was reading the book to the class and they said the “N” word aloud the student could take it offensive or feel uncomfortable. Teachers could make a strong argument that they feel like the book isn't age appropriate due to the fact of the language,violence,and deaths that take part in the book. For example in the following quote “"It's a dead man. Yes, indeedy; naked, too. He's ben shot in the back. I reckon he's ben dead two er three days. Come in, Huck, but doan' look at his face—it's too gashly." (9.18)”. What happens here is that Jim discovers a dead body and realizes that it is Huck's dad whose has been shoot. Many teachers wouldn't take pleasure in reading book isn't age appropriate for many high school students. Many teachers wouldn't want to teach this book due to the fact that drugs,alcohol, and physical abuse is heavily influenced within the book for example in the following quote “He took it and bit it to see if it was good, and then he said he was going downtown to get some whisky; said he hadn't had a drink all day. When he had got out on the shed he put his head in again, and cussed me for putting on frills and trying to be better than him; and when I reckoned he was gone he come back and put his head in again, and told me to mind about that school, because he was going to lay for me and lick me if I didn't drop that. (5.28)” Here Hucks explains how his Dad was going to drink and was threatening to hit him if he did not correctly do what he was told. The last and final reason why teachers might not want to teach Huckleberry Finn in class is because of the religion and how sensitive this issue is. For example when Huck says “Now she had got a start, and she went on and told me all about the good place. She said all a body would have to do there was to go around all day long with a harp and sing, forever and ever. So I didn't think much of it. But I never said so. I asked her if she reckoned Tom Sawyer would go there, and she said not by a considerable sight. I was glad about that, because I wanted him and me to be together. (1.7) “. What happened here is that Huck basically mocks the idea of heaven and many students could take this offensive towards their religion therefore I could understand why many teachers would avoid this issue c by just not teaching the class with this book. Huckleberry Finn has to be one of America's greatest novels written in the 1800s, a book which satirized the biggest ideas in American culture at the time. Huckleberry Finn should still be taught in school and kept on shelves with its original form due to the fact that it will enlighten many young people and give many people new perspective in the world. I am very grateful to have been able to read and furthermore examined the book closely because it gave me a different view of the world at the time the story took place.
The book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was first published in December of 1884. It was first banned in Concord, Massachusetts from the Concord Public Library in March of 1885. Since it was first published, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been opposed and banned. The book is powerful and provides an amazing window into what this country was like in the time period it takes place in, banning this book is not an ethical thing to do because readers learn and grow from it and people should know how the United States was in that time period so that we do not regress and move backwards as a society.
"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain was first published in the United States in 1885 as a sequel to the book "Tom Sawyer." The book, which uses Huck's or the first person point of view surrounds the events of two runaways: Huck Finn and a black slave by the name of Jim. Shortly after publication, the book became controversial because of Huck's casual use of the word "nigger." Due to Huck's careless grammar and the book's controversy, libraries began to ban the book from their shelves. The first library to ban the book from their shelves was the Free Public Library in Concord, Massachusetts (Greenhaven Press 12). The book was banned from the Free Public Library shortly after publication (Greenhaven Press 12). However, "More than a century later, some parents, educators, and public officials still say that students should not be required-or perhaps even allowed-to read the book" (Greenhaven Press 12). Adults fear that the uncivilized Huck Finn would be impressionable on young minds, and may cause them to use "faulty grammar, play hookey, steal, lie, and run away" (Greenhaven Press 12). Others fear "that the use of the word nigger in the book is offensive, racist, and harmful to black students" (Greenhaven Press 112) "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is a thoroughly debated book that should not be banned because it has transformed American literature, depicts a realistic look of race relations, and is a classic book that is loved by Americans.
Abby Gross Mr. Bruneel AP Lang- Period 7 10 April 2014 Exploring Censorship of Twain’s Great American Novel: A Literary Critique To delve into a topic as serious as book censorship, one must first determine the purpose of reading, of literature in general. Blahblahblah (what Ms Buckingham said).
Paula Lieder is a high school English teacher, and in her classroom while teaching this novel, she leads the class in discussions about racism and slavery. Lieder says that when reading this book “the discussion of race and prejudice must occur.” Her class also discusses the controversy of the book and the use of the word “nigger” (Lieder). When reading this novel students may ask themselves questions about the use of the word “nigger” and how it affects the book like Holbrook did. It’s obvious that Mark Twain was a good writer, and he knew what he was writing. So why would he use the word “nigger” repeatedly? (“Huckleberry Finn”) Holbrook would say it’s because Twain wants the reader to feel disgusted and upset. In order for Twain to get his readers to understand the hurtful nature of this word, he hit them with it over and over (“Huckleberry Finn”). Huckleberry Finn also stirs students’ imaginations while presenting information about human nature. Leo Marx says in Sharon Rush’s article,
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.
High Schools in the United States should not ban The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This book is one of the most important components of American literature in our libraries today, it throws the reader into a time when slavery was lawful and accepted, and gives the reader a new perspective on slavery in general. Until civil rights groups can come up with a better argument than the word “nigger” creating a “hostile work environment”(Zwick) it should not be taken off the required reading list of any High School in the country.
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
Sanitizing Huckleberry Finn would be ignoring America's past and history. Revising the original version of the book is not staying true to the period in which Twain was writing. The language of the book depicts America's past(Rawls 1). The language used is appropriate for this specific time period. People would not have referred to slaves or African Americans in any other way. Altering Huckleberry Finn and changing the racial slurs would make the novel lean towards a more fictional direction.
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
Throughout the entire novel there are numerous examples of slavery and racism of African Americans in this time period. The use of what some may see as racial slurs in the novel is the vernacular of the average person in the South. While traveling down the river with Jim, Huck conveys, “I see is wasnt no use wasting words you can’t learn a nigger to argue. So I quit” (80). This is a strong example of how Huck uses the word nigger in a non-derogatory way. Huck uses it as many uses the word man. Many students and parents view this type of the word in a demeaning and racist way. Many people are led astray because of the word and do not understand what the word really means. Although today the English language has morphed and changed to suit society’s needs, the word nigger has become a slanderous word used to speak downley on an African American. In the times of Huckleberry Finn slaves like Jim did not take offense to the word because that is what they titled black slaves. Many believe Jim is portrayed...
"Should 'n-Word' be Removed from 'Huckleberry Finn'?" Sentinel & Enterprise: n/a. ProQuest Newsstand. 2011. Web. 6 Apr. 2011 .
The classic American novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain has been a source of controversy since it was published. The controversy is centered around Twain’s use of the N word. It is a very heinous, powerful word that is almost always offensive. Mark Twain is well known as a satirist, in laymen's terms he makes light of social issues through his use of language. The story takes place in pre-civil war America so in order to effectively show the racism of the decade he had to use their vernacular. He did not intend to offend. He actually meant to make you feel uncomfortable with the racism. Huck Finn should not be censored because literary decisions should be left to the authors to make (5 Kathleen Parker), we need examples of ignorance to provide contrast to how far we have come, and because The powerful language Twain uses is necessary for the story and the story would be worse off for it.
As for some, the novel of Mark Twain, known as Huckleberry Finn, is subjecting high school students to a literature they are not mature enough to handle. These individuals who share in this idea encourage the novel to be introduced to students after their college enrolment. This is simply because they are not comfortable exposing the word, “nigger” in such a manner that it can be viewed as harmful to African Americans. My stance on this subject is very in favor of exposing the novel to high school students for many reasons. I find that many people look at the word “nigger” in only one viewing, and need to broaden their views of this word. The maturity of high school students is almost the same as those in college. However, many college students
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...
This book has been banned from school libraries all over the country because of the main character's teenage angst, which many feel is too graphic for teenagers, and its profanity. Profanity, whether it be frequent or a rare occurrence, is a characteristic of many literary classics, as is the use of racial epithets.In the book Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (ranking number 2 on the list), an epithet is use many times over to describe the people of color in the book. Now since the book was published in 1885 and such language was common at the time, I do not belie...