It has been brought to my attention by your organization, that you wish to have the classic novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, banned from our school systems. Now, I can understand your views and claims against this book, but in order to stay with a clean conscience, I must not let you and your organization bring forth this motion. As the head of both the city council and the local school board, I hold some sway with the other councillors and board members as well. I shall do everything in my power to convince them to vote against this outrageous demand. That is if, I cannot convince you, or the majority of your organization to not move forward with this motion.
Any self-respecting school system will have a class that focuses on
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Mr. Clemens uses some language that is highly frowned upon today, but was used quite commonly and wasn’t thought of as evil, when the story itself took place, in the middle 1840s. During this time slavery in the United States had nearly reached its peak, a time when Huck Finn was taught that slavery was the right thing, that turning in escaped slaves was the right thing; ideas that we now see as revolting. I can understand your reservations against this book, but the reasons you give to attack this book are revolting in themselves. The story as it follows Huck, follows how much the idea of slavery bothers him, how deep down in his heart he knows that slavery is wrong, and that the discrimination that Jim faces is wrong. Huck fights with himself against everything that he has been taught, even going so far as to agree to eternal damnation in order to save Jim. If that to you is the wrong kind of message to be sending to our children, then by all means continue with your motion to the school board. I surely hope that you and your organization do not actually think that way, that a book that fights against slavery and evil norms of a corrupt society, is something that we should not teach our
Starting from a young age, everyone loves to go on adventures and have fun, just like Huck Finn. Growing up in St. Petersburg, Missouri, he is a white 12 year old boy and the son of a drunken father. In the beginning of the book, Huck is seen as a little innocent boy. Until he enters the world with his friend, Tom Sawyer, as they go on adventures, which creates problems and controversy through the history of the North and South, civilization, and racism and slavery. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huck has many controversial experiences that are still a problem in today’s society, which is why we should keep teaching the book in school.
It’s appalling that the issue of schools banning books from students is still an ever present issue to this present day. Fact of the matter is, comfort is being prioritized over education. The school boards and their staff are rejecting truth because it contains inappropriate topics such as nudity, violence, and derogatory vocabulary. Katz and Vishny write how the Tennessee education board states these exact topics to their reason for why they chose to ban Maus. The school board's reasoning is how it is determined that they choose to prioritize comfort for the students.
It should be taught in the right way and the right environment for future generations to come make the world a better
By banning this book in schools, rebellious teens would want to know what the book contains and will try to find a way to read it. Also, by banning this book, students may never know what life was like for slaves or what life was like for whites during slavery. The lessons learned in this book are helpful and can guide children to achieve goals. Do not ban books that will give children the sight, speech, and
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the most controversial and banned books in American public education. Why do you suppose that is? Is it okay for any school board to remove it from its school libraries or prohibit students from studying the novel in class? Why or why not? The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is often considered controversial and banned in American public education because of its use of racial slurs and its depiction of racism and slavery in the pre-Civil War South.
“Books usually are challenged with the best intentions-- to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information” (Scales 163). A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, restricting the access of others. Due to the commitment of librarians, teachers, parents, students and other concerned citizens, most challenges are unsuccessful and most materials are retained in the school curriculum or library collection.
American literature has always been a form of entertainment and education. When slaves were introduced as characters in books, they were always negative, stereotypical characters, but not until 1883 when Mark Twain wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was a change made. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a book about a southern white boy in the 1800’s that runs away with an escaped slave on the Mississippi River. For years, schools have been debating on if the book should be banned in schools or not, and it is already on a variety of banned lists. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should not be banned in schools because it is an anti-slavery novel that teaches students valuable lessons and informs students of the past culture.
Books can create portals to different life experiences and encourage reading. A few schools and libraries have challenged the educational value of some books, however, therefore leading them to eventually be prohibited in a particular place. Each reason may be different depending on the book and the location of the exclusions. Books are icons of literature and their value should outshine the occasionally offensive topic. Be that as it may, there are multiple reasons why books should be taught and included in a curriculum.
Books are an essential way to gain knowledge whether they are controversial or not. Thousands of books have been banned from public libraries and schools due to being deemed ‘inappropriate’ by parents, administrators, or religious leaders. Whether Americans should ban books in public libraries and schools is an often debated topic. This censorship of books is dangerous, as it restricts the American people's’ ability to access information, leaving Americans ignorant. Historically, banning books is not a new practice.
“Using profanity was against school policy and having the book in the library made newly elected school board member, Larry McDonald, feel uncomfortable.”
At one point in time, over 7,220 books have been challenged to be banned. Though these books have been removed for the safety of children, not all books should be banned for many reasons. These include the fact that banning books is infringing on the First Amendment, keeping children from understanding the real world, and, even though there are many reasons for book banning, not banning books could help a student’s education and can even work against itself. Banning a book from a school or public library could go against a person’s First Amendment of the freedom of press.
Toni Morrison effectively analyzed The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, covering different perspectives and ways to interpret the novel that displays a higher level understanding of a “challenging” text. Good writing and analysis skills are crucial for a variety of different tasks students will have to perform beyond school. Additionally, challenging literature offers a great opportunity for students to learn about censorship. As many books read in schools today are being censored, any opportunity for students to directly learn more about the issue is beneficial. In the article “Schools Can’t Ban Books Because of Complaints, Court Says,” Mark Walsh addresses a woman who wishes to discard of controversial works, such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, that provoke racial harassment in the school system (Source B).
“American citizens who care about the improvement of education are urged to join students, teachers, librarians, administrators, boards of education, and professional and scholarly organizations in support of the students’ right to read” (The Students Right to Read). Citizens should be allowed to stand up if they believe books should not be banned. It is important that writers should be able to have their books out to the public without getting banned. “Challengers often employ a definition that maintains that banning materials is the only true form of censorship,”(Knox 740). Censorship of books is common and a real problem.
Banned Books?? This passage is why books shouldn’t be banned and why it's important for parents and/or the school board to not ban books. Prohibited books are unlawful and not helpful schools. Books are an entryway to various beneficial encounters and perusing supports sympathy and social-passionate advancement.
“American citizens who care about the improvement of education are urged to join students, teachers, librarians, administrators, boards of education, and professional and scholarly organizations in support of the students’ right to read” (The Students Right to Read). Citizens should be allowed to stand up if they believe books should not be banned. It is important that writers should be able to have their books out to the public without getting banned. “Challengers often employ a definition that maintains that banning materials is the only true form of censorship,”(Knox 740). Censorship of books is common and a real problem.