Huckleberry Finn Needs To Stay In Schools Did you know that Mark Twain’s The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn is one of the most challenged books in history. In fact, it was banned within the first year of its release. Recently, schools have been banning the book and removing it from the curriculum due to the racial slurs within it and its offensive nature towards students. However, these schools are wrong and do not understand the importance of this masterpiece. Huckleberry Finn should stay in classrooms because it attacks the attitudes and beliefs of the south, the racial slurs are not an issue, and it teaches valuable lessons. One of the most significant reasons why Huckleberry Finn should stay in classrooms is because it attacks the attitudes and beliefs of the south. …show more content…
It was enough to make a body ashamed of the human race.” (Twain 162). The King and Duke are white and they are committing such such appalling acts. In this case, how are white men in any way superior to black men. In fact, compared to the King and Duck, Jim is superior in every way. He is honorable and has a good heart. He proves this early on in the book when he protects Huck from seeing his dad dead. “It's a dead man. Yes, indeedy; naked, too. He's ben shot in de back. I reck'n he's ben dead two er three days. Come in, Huck, but doan' look at his face—it's too gashly” (Twain 50). Jim protects Huck from seeing such a horrifying thing. Even though Pap (Huck’s biological father) was not much of a father figure, he was still Huck’s dad, and seeing him dead would have hurt Huck and he would have been scarred for the rest of his life. In this very moment, Jim (a “nigger”) becomes a better father figure for Huck than his real father, who was a white man. Jim is better than almost any other person within the story, and he is a black man. However, Twain did use racial stereotypes in the story quite a bit (Chadwick). For example when he and Huck are
Should the word “nigger” be used in high school literature? That is the tough decision that many high school teachers face when try to decide whether or not to teach The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Huck Finn uses the n word throughout the book to refer to a friend who is a slave. Even though that word can be very offensive, it is a big part of our history that high school students should be mature enough to learn about. Many students do not continue on to college after high school; therefore, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be allowed to be taught in high school.
"I believe that Huckleberry Finn is one of the great masterpieces of the world..." a quote from H. L. Mencken. Many people believe Huckleberry Finn should be taught in schools, but then on the other hand many believe it shouldn’t for its vulgar language. A handful of people are offended by this book, they complain and say it’s not appropriate for high school students (Powell, Fight over Huck Finn). When the students have heard more explicit language than what is used in the book. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a wonderful tool for education because it shows many life lessons through the characters of Jim the slave, the Duke and the Dauphin, and Miss Watson and Widow Douglas.
In conclusion, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should remain in schools, the book is useful because it serves as a way to introduce race into a class discussion, the book can bring up “teachable moments” as described by David Bradley in the short clip of 60 Minutes. (Schneider). Censoring books by banning them restrains readers from learning and talking about topics that may be labeled as “controversial” or “explicit”. The “n-word” has a negative connotation due to the usage of the word in the past, it is often correlated with a disrespectful attitude, however this is controversial since David Bradley describes the complexity by comparing and saying “Rednecks can make jokes about rednecks”, this in other words says that one is not “allowed
Many believe this meaningful piece of literature should be banned from the high school curriculum. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should stay in the high school curriculum because it is unprejudiced, historical, and important to literature. This story should stay in the high school curriculum because it is unprejudiced. Author and abolitionist Mark Twain uses satire to mock
With many adversaries in school districts across the country, publishers have begun selling “clean” versions of the critically acclaimed novel that replaces the N-word with slave. Although many would say that replacing some of the language in the book allows more students to read the novel comfortably, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a literary classic that has been censored and rewritten throughout the ages. Shrouded in controversy, Huck Finn has been banned since the day it was published. The reasons for this vary by the time period, and lately it has been banned because of its repeated use of the racial slur “nigger”.
As the book progresses in displaying the runaway slave’s and the white boy’s relationship, it also gives of the impression of Jim as a father kind of figure for Huck. Because of his hard and abusive childhood created by his father, Pap, Huck never really grasped the idea or the feeling of having a caring and protective father. So Jim took on the role of father for Huck. I think Huck really appreciates Jim and what he has done for
According to her criticism, Twain provides a unique and dynamic representation of an African American. He portrays Jim as not the stereotypical “boy” or “uncle” but as a fatherly figure to Huck. Twain also destroys racial connotations by characterizing the white characters in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as of a lower moral standing than Jim. Jim is wise, humble, and kind, while white characters such as the Duke and the Dauphin are arrogant, greedy, and corrupt. It is my belief that Twain’s anti-racist allusions in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are exhibited more by his negative portrayal of whites such as the Grangerfords and Sherpardsons, the Duke and the Dauphin, and Colonel Sherburn than by his positive representation of Jim because Jim is portrayed as a submissive and misfit character in many
Twain's Huckleberry Finn should be taken advantage in schools. Schools should take the opportunity to teach kids of racial problems, problems we should not be having anymore. Banning the books from public teachings will just be storing the embarrassing predicaments of our nation. The faster we learn from our mistakes the sooner it becomes to fixing the complications. The original novel contains powerful messages for students to grow not just their reading and writing skills but to strengthen their morals.
He starts to see that even altough that Jim is a black slave, he is a person and he has emotions just like Huck does. Huck tricks Jim and regrets it dearly he promises not to do it again. Huck knew what was right whether he wanted to do it or not Huck turned away from society’s wants and apologizes. Twain uses this to show Huck as boy uncivilized but still somewhat racist, but h continues to put more distance between him and society. “It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger; but I done it, and I warn't ever sorry for it afterwards, neither.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a classic novel that every individual should read in his or her lifetime. Many argue that this novel should be banned from the school curriculum, but that would be absurd considering all the lessons and facts it allows students to deeply understand. Racial identity is one major factor behind banning the novel; however, others may argue that a book should not be banned for teaching young adults the truths about the life of slavery in the South. Slavery is a concept many struggle to understand and many will never truly comprehend, but this book allows readers to get a closer look into what the treatment towards African-Americans was realistically like during this era. Taking The Adventures of
Because the controversy surrounding the adventures of huckleberry finn, the novel should continue to be taught at UCHS, because it just shows that white titled us as “N’s” back then. It unmarks the violence, and it references the values our democratic faith. Huck wants more
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn portrays racisms throughout the entire novel. Mark Twain wrote it this method in order to depict a reflection of society from that time period. The use of racial slurs that are not accepted in present days, is used in the book to show that at one point that type of language was allowed. The novel clearly established the fact that African Americans were considered “property” rather than equal members of society.
Many scholars believe that Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be taken out of high school curriculum. From accusations about Huck Finn being racist to allegations that it is historically inaccurate, to claims that it is demeaning, there are many arguments to why this novel should be taken out of the curriculum. Although many of these arguments are sound, they all overlook how Huck Finn is a positive contribution to high school curriculum, and how it teaches morals, shows history, addresses real issues, and exposes the readers to many different literary elements, all of which make it critical for this novel to stay in the curriculum. One of the many positive contributions this novel provides is morality by showing
As an educated reader, one must always be prepared to read anything. Oftentimes, in formal education, students are exposed to banned books because it is considered offensive. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, might be one of the first controversial books students face. Many readers think that this book is truly offensive, however, it should be read. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a valuable novel and should be included in high school curriculum because the overall story is a good read, Twain’s use of characterization is genuinely showed, and the language is simply representative of pre and post Civil War America, is a vital part of the book.