Intellectual Freedom In Huck Finn

In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain, there are events, words, and ideas that are very controversial today. Many people believe that the book should be banned from schools because of the ideas from the novel. The book actually has been banned from many different schools and libraries today. There are many different topics why there is controversy in today’s society with the novel. Three controversial topics in the novel is racism, Huck’s personality, and the crudeness of the novel.

Alfred Jacoby stated, “A masterwork… a volume worth having.” All schools will have their own individual opinions about this book in its entirety. The people, who speak negatively about The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, strongly need to reconsider their opinions and motives. People today and children today need to learn the reality of racism, they cannot just think it is okay, Huck' s example and willingness could totally prove them wrong! If the book offends a child, or makes them feel uncomfortable, maybe they could just sit this one out. No school should ever totally ban this book. It should remain in all libraries until it is forgotten, which might take

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been a topic of debate for a long time. The most heated topic of debate is if the novel is racist and if it should then be included in school curriculum whether. Many believe this book should be taken out of school curriculum for being racist. Huckleberry FInn should be taught in schools because of its satire, views on slavery

Since The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was first published in January 1885, it has always been in trouble. It is considered the one book from which all modern American literature came, but was condemned in Mark Twain's time as coarse and vulgar, so it was banned from the shelves. Still controversial today, many school districts across the country have banned it from their curriculum for being racist. Unsurprisingly, this is nearly always at the insistence of those who have never even read the book. It is also no surprise that so many students have read it just to see what those guardians of their morals have found so offensive (Edwards p.2).

Columnist James J. Kilpatrick wrote that Huck Finn is "a fun book for white boys to read. For black children, I have come to realize, it is a brutal slap in the face."  He condemns the book because of its use of the word "nigger."  Many school districts have banned this book for the same reason. 

Every day well meaning parents, concerned members of society, and Christian activist groups across the country fight to censor the literature that is being taught in high school classrooms. The word censorship carries all types of implications and angles; it involve s a denial of an author's right to guaranteed freedoms of expression. However, as it relates to education, this issue goes a great deal deeper than the standard First Amendment argument. In attempting to ban certain types of literature from the classroom, censors are taking away the rights of teachers to prepare students for a reality that their parents do not seem to think will ever affect them. They likewise deny students the

Many great novels have been banned throughout the schools for various reasons, one of those banned book has been The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn for false claims of it being racist. The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn should not be banned from the curriculum because of the lessons and insights it has within it.

In 1982, First Amendment Rights activist Judith King began Banned Books Week in order to bring banned books “to the attention of the American public” (Revolvy, 2017, ¶2). A banned book is a piece of literature that was “banned” from schools or libraries due to its controversial content. Some of these “controversial” topics include racism (seen in Huckleberry Finn), “damaging lifestyles” (such as drug use, co-habitation without marriage, etc), or presence of witchcraft (seen in Harry Potter). The books with this content have been banned in order to prevent controversies in the classroom and stop students from forming their own opinions that could be different from that of their peers. However, controversy is a very important potential learning

The author and publisher of the book meant for their book to be read and not banned because of the themes and contents that it contains. ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ educates us of the way the world was, with the post-slavery, pre-civil rights movement, and its explicit use of language and racism. In addition to this, we learned from this book the injustices and vile use of language toward and of black people in the South. Nevertheless, the books that are published aren’t ours to ban, the author should be the one that is in control of what happens to the book; where is it published; where it is distributed; etc., In addition, because people have a right to read and freedom of speech so banning books will go against the First Amendment. We should encourage people to read these mature themed and taboo books then decide for themselves whether or not they will continue reading it. And in the same way, not prohibit others from enjoying the book even if they don’t condone or support

Carey- Webb’s article focuses on the controversy surrounding using Huckleberry Finn in high school classrooms. She argues that many of the issues surrounding the novel is due to a failure to communicate. Carey Webb does acknowledge the novel does offer an overt message of anti- racism, but still believes that school officials and administrators fail to understand the objections made regarding the novel; many African Americans object to its use because of the effect it has on children. Mishandled, the issues left parents angry with teachers, teachers felt threatened and misunderstood, administrators went in various directions but failed to follow policies already in place and students felt alienated from the school and one another. Carey- Webb

"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain is one of the most controversial books in American literature. Many students, parents, and teachers have been offended by this novel being a mandatory reading in high school. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be a mandatory reading for all juniors at Lake Oswego High School because of its historical context and important insight into racism at the time period. The use of pejorative language throughout the novel is polarizing due to the fact that many are offended by the words used, but others accept because of the historical context.

The adventure of Huckleberry Finn it is told in first person dialect and it is really difficult for people to understand the book. The people are trying to ban this book from school and library because the book novel includes use of the “N” word and the parents and people take this “N” word offensively. However, this people are only focusing about using offensive, but they are not seeing positives perspective of the book. According to the letters form “The Harvard Crimson” it says, “Huckleberry Finn is not a Ku Klux Klan pamphlet. To drop this book from the textbook list is a shortsighted educational policy”. This shows that Huckleberry Finn is not about extremely offensive or bad for kids. This implies that Huckleberry Finn have positive aspects

John H. Wallace has a very passionate objection to Huckleberry Finn being in schools before the college level. He raises the question would the best teacher be able to successfully prepare students for the irony and meanings meant in the book. He says it would be dangerous to give that power to a teacher of middle school or high school level students. He feels the book would ruin any chance of a student/ teacher bond between a black student and his/her teacher. The book is racist and promotes a belief that black people are dishonest, dumb, and viewed less than human. The black student carries a burden no white student could ever understand. It is harmful to their self-esteem and violates their constitutional rights. The book uses the word “nigger” over one hundred times in the book. It is a terrible offensive word. He believes white authors have used it in books to depict an

In the long controversy that has been Huck Finn 's history, people have criticized, condemned, censored, and barred the book from students for many reasons,

A regular journey would have the common goal of reaching their destination safely, but for runaway slaves and those who were going on a mental journey, it was so much more mental toughness and reliability that was needed. Many walked this journey to freedom because they wanted to change their lives. These journeyers could not walk alone, as they needed people to be with them, so they could depend on them to get through the mental toughness. People cannot achieve freedom alone because hope is not lost when the people surrounding the journeyer and so the freedom-seeker can be brought to safety; although some may say that it is in fact perseverance that brings one through to freedom, in reality, the connection the journeyer has with others during times of distress allows him to attain liberty.