Should Huckleberry Finn Be Taught In Schools

The revisional author, Alan Gribben, said he worried that the N-word had resulted in the novel falling off reading lists. He believes his sanitized edition will please more readers and teachers. Gribben has plowed over Twain's freedom of speech in the process. After all, Twain isn't around to comment(Dawkins 1). The responsibility of this book belongs to no one. Banning or sanitizing Huckleberry Finn should not be a topic of discussion because Twain had every right to write the book however he desired. Offensive terms and words are being invented right now. We should not pick on historical terms when others are being invented everyday.

So as you can see the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a great piece of american literature and should be taught in all high schools. not only because it shows how racism was back in the late 1800s but also because it shows the true meaning of the word

In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Jim, a runaway slave, faces many obstacles in his journey to freedom. Huck Finn, a teenage boy and friend of JIm, is also facing difficulty with whether or not he should be helping Jim escape slavery. Many characters throughout the novel struggle to deal with conflicts. A conflict that people in today’s world are struggling to deal with, is the controversy over whether Huckleberry Finn is a racist novel or not. All-in-all, Huckleberry Finn is profoundly antislavery. Twain creates Him as a man who is brave and heroic. Twain also demonstrates that the blacks and whites relationship is not the only concern over racism, and reveals the voice of a slave attempting to survive in a white slave culture.

Not only do most people believe the word is needed, some believe replacing the ‘N-word’ with slave is not accurate because within the book Jim ran away from slavery “Twain’s point is that he can’t run away from being a nigger”( Larry Wilmore). As many believe keeping the book in its original print allows to teach every good values and lessons it offers, replacing the word with slave not only takes out teachable moments but now teachers readers “bad history”(Larry Wilmore). Having the ‘N-word’ in the book, having us read it, having us say it, forces us to think more about race and racism in reality. Many argue replacing the ‘N-word’ with slave changes the book as in, the values or the book rather is not Twain 's work anymore. The arguments are approaching this as thinking if this is the children’s first encounter with slavery, and since there is a possibility it means no one should mess around with the book because “there is a reality there that you cannot avoid”(Bradley).

“All modern literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn,” this is what fellow writer had to say about this classic novel. Still, this novel has been the object of controversy since it was published more than 150 years ago. Some people argue that Huckleberry Finn is a racist work, and that the novel has no place in a highschool classroom. This feeling is generated because a main character in the story, Jim, and other slaves are referred to many times as “niggers.” When Mark Twain wrote this book, he was striving to show the general public that society was wrong in the past, that the way white people thought black people were less than human was a wrong viewpoint. The

Not only is this inherently hypocritical, but, according to Randall Kennedy, Harvard Law School professor and author of a book on the history of the N-word, the edited version does not make Twain’s work more accessible; it attempts to erase the volatile word it from American culture (H). The word “slave” downplays the racism that Twain so satirically indicts. Although slavery has long been abolished, racism prevails as a cancer of society that cannot be remedied by eradicating racial slurs. Rather, making examples of past prejudices and

“Huck Finn” story can be a debatable when it comes to history, and what the story is about. Some argue that Mark Twain’s abuse of using the “N” word triggers racism especially that this book was written when slavery became illegal. As one student said, "It is estimated that the word nigger is used 392 times which reinforces a negative stereotype of African Americans represented by the use of this derogatory word" (Jackson). Some can still argue that this book can be a bad influence to the youth as they might be using the “N” word as a racist rant. For some, it is very disturbing, upsetting, and bringing back the past.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a classic novel with the ongoing debate of whether or not the novel should be read within schools. This debate is surrounds to book within the matter of slavery and harder writing for students to understand. However, Huck Finn educates students about the past in a different view also opens students up to local color by showing slaves are humans as well.

Apart from being one of the landmarks of American literature, Mark Twain’s classic tale,The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is a mirror of the deeply embedded racist attitudes of the Deep South in the 1880’s. First, not to mention the most controversial and obvious, is the liberal use of the “n” word throughout the book. Taken as a derogatory term by modern-day Americans, Twain’s use of the “n” word is simply a reflection of the times. Huck Finn was written when cruel and unjust treatment of colored people were commonplace and use of such a word didn’t get so much as a second thought.Huck Finn depicts a time when slaves were not treated as people but as things without emotions or personalities, mere property. For instance, Jim is initially known only in relation to whose property he is. He escapes from being continuously treated as property, even sold to a family that will most likely treat him even less humanely.

Year after year The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is placed in the top ten banned books in America. People find the novel to be oppressing and racially insensitive due to its frequent use of the n-word and the portrayal of blacks as a Sambo caricature. However, this goes against Mark Twain’s intent of bringing awareness to the racism in America. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is classified under the genre of satire and is narrated by a fictional character named Huckleberry Finn. The novel takes place in the south during the year 1845. With his abusive father, and no mother, Huck is left feeling lonely, and as if he has place to call his home. So he decides to leave town, and on in his journey where he encounters a slave he’s familiar with, Jim, who is also running away. This story captures their relationship and growth as they face many obstacles on their way to freedom. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn satirizes people’s greed and violent behavior by mocking the stereotype of southern hospitality.

This generally tends to be in older books, and could contain any perception of racism, from the blatant word calling, to the general notion of discrimination. Racism in banned books is generally the act of older writing, as many books written in this time period do not contain any such acts. Since these books have been written in an older time period, the discussion of slavery is frequently enforced, with it often being written about in a casual manner. Many opponents refer back to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain for the frequent use of racialism. Dominica Ruta discusses this saying that it involves the “Casual use of the N-word, unapologetic portrayals of racism and racists, and grotesque stereotyping, essentially, all the ugly reminders of a past we still find too uncomfortable to talk about in mixed company.” It involves many accounts of racism, all of them which recurrently states off-the-cuff uses of discrimination. There is also the topic in the book with one of the main characters being a slave and Dominica Ruta describes it as being a “Dilemma where Huck faces about Jim’s status as a slave. At several points in the book, Huck is baffled by Jim’s levelheadedness, and doubts the adult man’s insights simply because of race. It is a revelation to Huck, a narrative turning point, when he realizes Jim has feelings. However, Huck

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the most banned books in American history. When you read this book is very controversial, but with saying that it is very educational on how life was in the eighteen hundreds. This is the hard truth about what is was like back then, with the blacks being called Niggers and or Negroes. The fact of this matter is this is the cold hard truth about society back then. The course language is how blacks were categorized and how very little they ment to the owners and whites.

The novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, is a controversial book being brought to the attention of readers of being racist. Most people consider the book racist because of the ¨n¨ word and the character Jim. Not until after 100 years of being published people were worried about the books racial descriptions because they started teaching the book in public schools. Black parents didn't like the idea of their kids being taught a book they thought was about slavery and black people being frowned upon. Publishers edited different versions of the book to avoid being referred to as racist, and school districts even banned the book from being in elementary and intermediate schools.

It is wise to note that even though the book contains a very racial epithet numerous times throughout the book, the book has a very important reason and justification for the usage. In my perspective the book's purpose is not to target race and make fun of it, but instead portray it to the audience of today just like how it was back in the 1800s. During the teaching of Huckleberry Finn in my AP English Language class at Godinez Fundamental, no one was truly triggered by the “N-word” yet on the contrary it was a great learning experience. As we watched numerous videos about racial tensions and about the different arguments people had for justifying the book, we were certain that slavery remains as one of the top issues in America. As we continued

Mark twain used strong language to get the reader in the mood. He also used strong language to get the reader to understand how the people talked and how the people were treated. Back then in the time that this novel was written was the time when African Americans were slaves. So Mark Twain had to make this novel as close to the real thing in this time period as he possible get it. So mark used the words that people would use during that time. Mark would also use the words that would a fend someone like calling an Indian an injun. And Mark used then n word instead of calling the African American by their name.