Why Huckleberry Finn Should Not Be Banned

Supporters of banning say profanity can negatively influence the actions and thoughts of readers, especially younger readers that may not have heard or read many corrupt words. Huckleberry Finn, a book commonly inveighed for its use of contentious racial language, is commonly challenged for that reason. For USA Today, Martha Moore wrote, “When the younger reader is staring at that word five times on a given page and the instructor is saying, 'Mark Twain didn't mean this and you have to read it with an appreciation of irony,' you're asking a lot of a younger reader”. Granted, foul vocabulary is a challenge that academies need to address, but not through barring novels. Besides, if the reader is sufficiently mature for the book, they can still learn from it. For instance, some racial characterizations do not intentionally persecute people, but show the contrasting tensions between them, conforming to the time period. Again, the article “Huck Finn Navigating Choppy Waters Again” revealed, “The word is there for a reason… The word is terrible, it's hurtful, but it's there for a reason” (Moore). The racial epithets used in that book convey the attitude of Missouri in the 1840s when friction between African Americans and white people was rising. Additionally, banning a book due to concerns about the language is not beneficial to pupils because it prevents them from learning from other components of the book. “Often the organizations or schools that ban these books fail to see the book as a whole; they often center on the one page, the one scene or even the one word containing the offensive language or meaning and judge the whole book based on that one aspect,” according to an article by Adriana Lopez. She makes a sound point. A book contains a whole plot with themes that

Since the early ages of literature, there have been works of literature that have been considered controversial because of the content, as some believe they are offensive or inappropriate. Works such as Martin Luther 's 95 Theses and The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger are just two works of literature that have sparked major controversy. One of the most controversial works of American literature is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain and eventually published in 1885. The novel expresses major points of that controversial time period that many people take offense to. One problem that people have had for years about Huck Finn is whether or not to allow this novel to be taught in the English Language Arts curriculum. People included in a grade nine through twelve grade are taught by the use of the ELA curriculum. The groundbreaking themes of Huck Finn, outweigh the reasons why people believe it should be banned, making it an essential read in American literature. There are parts of the novel that should not be read by young children, such the use of the word "nigger," how Huck saves a black man, Huck’s lack of maturity, and Huck’s fraudulent schemes require a certain amount of maturity that is not possessed by middle school students. Therefore, the teaching of this novel should be restricted to ninth grade as the minimum age to read this novel in an English classroom.

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. 

It has been a major question over the years, should teachers teach their students Huckleberry Finn? Below are some reasons as to why they should or should not allow young students to read this book in class.

Thesis: Students, teachers, parents, professors, and others have debated for decades whether The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a racist novel and if it should be banned from the classroom.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published in February 1885 in America as the American Civil War was coming to a close. In the time period, slaves were a common use on farms and in houses. In the time of the American Civil War, the N-word was a term used to describe and call African slaves. For the time period, it would have been commonly used; however, today the N-word is considered an offensive term. The term is considered so offensive the New York City Council went as far as to ban the word in 2007.

1. Do you think Huckleberry Finn should be removed from schools as required reading? Why or why not?

Slang offended many people in the communities and was a leading factor to the book being challenged and banned. They have stated that the use of common vernacular as “demeaning and damaging” (Banned 1). It is sought to harm

Many parents feel that teaching books with crude language, violence, and sexual references should be banned from schools. A book, for example, is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. A vast majority feel that the book creates a racist setting for all students reading the book.

Books are an essential to both school and after school life. They are the messages that have shaped our country. Unfortunately, many books have been banned from school libraries all across the United States for their messages or the themes they possess. While these books could be read out of school hours, they have been banned from school libraries or reading centers. While there are some aspects I do not agree with, I do, however, believe this is a good policy because it preserves the innocent minds of readers from inappropriate or unsuitable content.

Many popular books have been banned throughout time, and the reasons vary. Most reasons include the explicitness of the topics or language within the books. Controversy is all around us, and books are not excluded from this. Many states, schools, and communities rise up to get books banned. The intentions in doing so may come from a good place, but it is questionable whether it is truly necessary. Lastly, due to embedded subjects like friendship, inspiring reluctant readers and unnecessary concerns, books should not be banned.

In a blog on Huffington Post, the writer Galanty Miller, wrote about the Philadelphia High School banning Huckleberry Finn. Saying that it was a decision that made no sense, and adding an example that showed how it made no sense to ban it. That even if it made students uncomfortable it is an important piece of literature that went over racism and intolerance. He also wrote about how nowadays everyone is uncomfortable any content that is considered challenging. That being “challenged” isn’t necessarily a harmful notion, and includes an example from the movie ”Dead Poets Society”.

In 1883, the literary genius Mark Twain wrote the American classic Huckleberry Finn. The story revolved around a young boy around the age of thirteen in his adventure up the Mississippi River to free his slave friend Jim, during a time of slavery in the 1830’s. During his journey he encounters various other side character that allow himself to develop as a character. However, it seems that soon this novel may no longer be available to read. Over the years, this book has been renowned as one of the most frequently challenged books in history, specifically by parents. The main issue with the novel appears to be its explicit usage of the N-word. An alternate solution is to censor the novel by replacing every instance of the N-word with slave. This idea is largely opposed because literary advocates argue that substitution will disrupt the text, lead to the endangerment of future of novels, and undermines the hidden lessons.

Mark Twain once said “A classic is a book people praise and don’t read.” That quote has so much depth to it. He knew that there were people out there who would not read his book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, but at the same time he knew that people would still say it was a great book because they have heard other people say it was a great book. This did not just happen with Mark Twain, it happened way before Mark Twain and is still happening in today’s society. Most people will say “Oh My Gosh, you have to read the Hunger Games! It was a great!” However, most of those people have not read the book. Think about this. How many books on average do people recommend and not even read them? Many people have

One of the most controversial topics in history is banning books. All over the world, books are banned for a multitude of reasons. Three of the most popular are graphic violence, sexual content, and explicit language. There are also books that have been banned on the grounds of religious and racial discrimination. This includes American classics such as, “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee, and “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. These appear in high school English curriculum all over the United States. Even though there may be “offensive” or “inappropriate” statements in many of these books, authors have the right to showcase their work under the First Amendment. Books should not be banned on any grounds, as it is not the parents, schools, or states responsibility to decide what is displayed for the public, no matter the audience.