Banned From School Curriculum By Robert Hirst

Many books around the world have been banned because they are offensive. One example is Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a novel about the journey of a thirteen-year-old boy named Huck, who fabricates his own death to run away with an escaped slave named Jim. The two voyage in a raft along the Mississippi River to gain their individual freedom. In addition, Huck gains a new understanding about humanity. Huck Finn has been creating great controversy on both sides of the argument: to ban or to keep in the school curriculum. Currently “much debate has surrounded Mark Twain’s Huck Finn since its publication in 1885, but none has been more pervasive, explosive, and divisive than that surrounding the issue on race”

There are some that do believe the book is good but the use of the racial slurs are not to be taught in the school system. From the moment the book was published , Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" caused major controversy. The book challenged parental and adult authority, made fun of religion and was said to have influenced the attendance of children at school. From the time the book was written to now this is still makes headlines on the controversy the book causes. There have been districts in America that ban this classic book for the reason of the word “nigger”, a word so offensive it is usually called the N-word. Is a good thing to change the word from one thing to another? “that might be a trick question, any answer I give

Huckleberry Finn is a classic novel that is taught in a majority of high school classrooms today. It is considered one of Twain’s finest works but is also one of the most controversial as well. The excessive use of the “n” word throughout his novel is very upsetting to some, stirring up the question as to whether or not Huckleberry Finn really is racist. With this question being asked many believe the novel should not be taught in schools, as it is inappropriate and offensive. Although Huck Finn can be mistaken as racist, it should not be banned from schools.

Ernest Hemingway once said, “all modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain, called Huckleberry Finn:” However, Huck Finn has had its share of controversy. There has been an ongoing debate to whether or not schools should continue to teach Huck Finn because of the obvious racial components and the constant use of the word “nigger”. This word has evolved to be very hurtful and very sensitive to African-Americans and the constant repetition of this word in the novel causes teachers and students alike to be uncomfortable. A southern publishing company has

There has always been controversy about Mark Twain’s book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and whether or not it should be taught and discussed in school. Many think the book should be banned. The argument against using the book is based on the “N-Word” and other racial slurs which are used throughout the book. They are offensive.

Mark Twain was an astounding author of his time who often wrote humorous stories tied in with satire and irony. Due to his innovative and unique style of writing, Twain’s books have been labeled classics. One of his most known works is the much loved Huckleberry Finn. The book is often read and taught in many schools as part of the curriculum. However, there has been much controversy over the book due to the usage of the N-word throughout the story. Due to the language used, many schools are quite apprehensive about the book. Many want to take it out of the curriculum completely or use an explicated version as they find it not appropriate or suitable for the reading level of the class. However, Twain’s usage of the word was simply in terms of literature where the story was staged in a period of racism and slavery.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been challenged by schools time and time again for its use of racial slurs and ambiguity of moral values. But it hasn’t been called a masterpiece of American literature by writers such as Ernest Hemingway and T. S. Eliot because of its use of the n-word. No, Huck Finn is considered an American classic because of its realistic portrayal of pre-Civil War America and its message to follow what you believe is morally right instead of societal norms which may not always honorable. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should not be banned from American high schools.

However, if you look at the arguments that people who oppose the reading of the book, some of them are fair. The “N” word is a very sensitive word for many people. It brings them back to a time when their people were viewed as less than human, and only very few people treated them with respect. Even now in 2017, they still face racism and discrimination from people in the country. For them, this book just serves as a painful reminder of how much progress society has to make. Many people know that Huck Finn is not a racist novel, but still disagree with the use of the “N” word. One professor, Alan Gribben, has been teaching Huck Finn, without its use of the “N” word. In defense of his decision, Jane Sullivan writes, “For 40 years he has been

Several school districts have stripped the novel’s worth by banning it in their schools. While many argue that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn might be inappropriate to teach in the classroom, the novel teaches meaningful lessons and morals and should be taught in higher levels of education. To begin with, although the book insults Blacks several times throughout the novel, it reveals a way to teach students how to treat Black people respectably. The usage

Nigger, for years now people have discussed the censorship of the word in the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. It has been brought to discussion many times whether nigger should remain in the book or not. In fact to make the book more kid friendly the publishing organization, NewSouth Books, has created a censored edition which has abolished all 219 uses of the word. However, this is completely outrageous, and has completely expunged what made the book. By removing the word nigger, you’re taking away what makes the novel so great. NewSouth Books shouldn’t remove the word nigger from the book for many reasons such as; the removal of the author’s choices that Huck makes, and it removes so much of the reality of the times back then.

Based on the offensive language, perceived racism, portrayal of Jim, negative racial stereotypes, and the word “nigger” used about 200 times, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been criticized and debated by several groups whether it should be banned. The novel sheds light on the issues of racism and slavery, importance of intellectual and moral education, value of freedom and Huck’s maturity. The language in Huck Finn is the natural dialect of the South. Even though there is racism and “niggers” are portrayed in a negative light, Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn depicts the reality of Southern life in American past. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should not be banned as it teaches important lessons and also portrays the reality

With teaching the book as it was written by Twain, there could be some students who find it uncomfortable hearing the word a great deal of times; the author was well aware of this. School districts that choose to teach the book with the NewSouth alternation- or not teach it at all- argue that the book will teach students that using the word is acceptable and the blatant racism shown will be justified. They also argue that the word is not necessarily crucial to the plot and, therefore, can be removed without changing the classic American novel. David Bradley argues completely opposite of that, saying that even changing the N-word to “slave” completely changes Huckleberry Finn and diminishes Twain’s message. Bradley explains that replacing the

After watching both the Born to Trouble documentary and reading “New Huckleberry Finn edition sensors ‘n-word’” by The Guardian, I feel as though the benefits presented by reading Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn are very much worth the controversy the language it contains causes. The main argument in favor of banning the book in schools is that the use of derogatory and racially sensitive language can offend individuals who are reading the book. The documentary makes the argument that overexposure to racially charged language can influence students to use the word or words out of the context of the novel or perhaps in a discriminatory way. However, I feel as though the potential misuse of the word or words (blatant or otherwise) by students calls into question more their maturity and ethics than the book

Just because there is one nasty word in a novel shouldn't take away the amazing experience away from students because their schools does not allow them to read it. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel with a lot of controversy surrounding it, many people believe it should be read in schools, many others believe that it should not be read in school. The novel should be read in school because the use of things that make the novel's theme and impact relevant. In the novel the use of the n word, the relationship between Huck and his father, and Jim's attitude and personality, all play a huge part of why Huckleberry Finn is such a novel that has lots of impact on readers.

To this day, Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is still read throughout different schools in which it is still being taught in its original version and although some students may find the type of language of the novel as “disrespectful” and “immoral,” the book itself strengthens the curriculum that many teachers are tended to follow, but over speculation still remains on whether or not Huckleberry Finn should be allowed to be read in schools due to its improper diction towards African-Americans. The suggestion of removing Huckleberry Finn from school curriculum and replacing it with a different work of literature has taken the world by storm knowing that the amount of complaints that people have had over this book in particular have now been heard throughout