Why Is Huckleberry Finn Be Taught In Schools

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a Mark Twain classic, wonderfully demonstrates pre-Civil War attitudes about blacks held by whites. Twain demonstrates these attitudes through the actions and the speech of Huckleberry Finn, the narrator, and Jim, Miss Watson's slave. These two main characters share a relationship that progresses from an acquaintance to a friendship throughout the novel. It is through this relationship that Mark Twain gives his readers the realization of just how different people's attitudes were before the Civil War. Twain also reveals the negative attitudes of whites toward blacks by the cruel manner in which Jim is treated with such inferiority.

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.

     The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the greatest, most daring novels in the world. Mark Twain’s style helps to realistically portray early America. Mark Twain tells the story through the voice of Huck, the very kindhearted main character. Everything that Huck says reflects the racism and black stereotypes typical of the era. This has lead to many conflicts from readers since the novel was first printed. However, the story has inspired some. James W. Tuttleton says in an article he wrote that “Huck Finn is regularly denounced as racist trash” (The San Francisco Chronicle [1885] 6) . Yet, again to oppose that is a quote by a reader, “Anyone who is

But according to Michael Meyers, “It is in the classroom, exactly, where the word ‘nigger’ belongs. It does not belong in the street, in casual conversation among whites or between blacks.” (67). John Wallace feels that because the word “nigger” appears over 200 times throughout the story, it “has caused him to be traumatized as a high-school student when it was required reading.” (“View of Slavery Still a Hot Topic”). Wallace went so far as to change the book, replacing any words that he felt were offensive to black people with other non-offensive words like slave or black man. When Wallace changed this book to what he felt was less offensive, the novel lost its irony, and its values (“View of Slavery Still a Hot Topic”). Other people argue that the text is harmful for young African-American students to read, but they must realize that Twain was writing for the time of the story. He wrote these words as a reminder that the way people acted in the past was unacceptable, and should not be tolerated, nor repeated. He knew that the way he had the characters treat Jim and the other slaves was wrong, but he was writing a period piece. These actions fit the way people acted in American society in the 1830's and 1840's (Cryer 60). Twain goes on to show that even though Huck has been brought up to think of blacks as only slaves, and that he knows that freeing a slave, is not only

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.

Huck Finn should be taught in high schools. The current state of the book draws controversy because of the use of the N-Word. The current debate is about whether or not we should remove the book from high school curriculums and required reading. We have a few options for what to do with the book. One, we get rid of the book from reading lists and from high school libraries. Two, we wait until college and require young adults to read it. Three, we continue to teach it to high school students, remembering to always be conscious of the connotation and effects of the racial slurs used in the book.

     There is a major argument among literary critics whether the adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, is or is not a racist novel. The question focus on the depiction of Jim, the black slave, and the way he is treat by Huck and other characters. The use of the word “nigger” is also a point raised by some critic, who feel that Twain uses the word too often and too loosely. Mark Twain never presents Jim in a negative light. He does not show Jim as a drunkard, as a mean person or as a cheat.

In America, a country equipped with racism, there is a debate on whether Huck Finn should be taught in classrooms. NAACP’s and Reinhardt’s believe that the teaching of Huck Finn should not be censored or removed. However, many teachers and parents believe that Huck Finn should either be removed from the schools due to its racist context. Agreeing with NAACP and Reinhardt, the book should be taught in classrooms. If schools remove Huck Finn they are also removing the important teachings behind the novel. By teaching the novel Huck Finn, teachers emotional invest their students in the ugly topic of racism, expose them to a novel that educates them on the harsh reality behind violent words and proves that there is still

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

In the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, one controversial issue continues to be talked about: whether or not this book should continue to be taught in schools across America. When it comes to the topic of the “n” word, many agree that this degrading word should not appear in any type of school environment; while some are convinced that the choice of words should not be the only reason this book gets banned. By focusing only on that word the people, who want to dispose of this book, overlook the deeper meaning and lessons that are presented throughout the book. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a book that provides a realistic portrayal of life in the South post slavery, moral lessons about following your heart, and numerous

There is a debate on whether The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should or should not be used in schools today. Although it is a classic novel that was taught in a different context 30 years ago. Statistics show that today's children view things very different, than when this novel was first used in schools to teach the true history of racism and morality. Children today seem to have a negative view on our history and what they should learn from it. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should not be used in middle schools or high schools today.

To teach, or not to teach, that seemingly straightforward question comes to a deadlock in school when it comes to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. If readers take a superficial glance at the book, they will be aghast when they find out that n*gger, a derogatory term, is used over 200 times in the book (Rawls). However, readers cannot thumb through the pages and assume that the derogatory term is used for belittlement; rather, it is used in the context of that time period to help readers grasp a better comprehension. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be taught in School because the book considers the treatment of African Americans in pre-Civil War era, presents some of the diverse dialects found throughout the US, and

Pinsker states that twain can never fit into society, added to our growing realization that he will never be free- even should he make it to the Territory and manage to survive-that makes Twain 's novel so problematic, “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a deeply subversive book, not because it is peppered with the N-word or even because some see racism in what is the most anti-racist book ever written in America, but because it tells the Truth-not ‘mainly,’ but right down to the core.” (Huckleberry 642). No matter how often the critics "place in context" Huck 's use of the word “nigger,” they can never fully excuse or fully hide the deeper racism of the novel-the way Twain and Huck use Jim because they really don 't care enough about his “desire for freedom to let that desire change their plans. From Mark Twain’s reality writing introduced what is the “freedom”(Huckleberry 642), explained why people need “freedom”, and impacted American that should protect their “freedom”.

Mark Twain was one of the major authors and his “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” is an excellent example of his style, which became regarded as a leading piece for the “American style” (Baym et al., 2008, p. 6). Twain used colloquial speech and his writing style puts the reader in the position of participant, almost as if in a dialogue with Huck. It is a very intimate and informal way of writing. Huckleberry Finn is uneducated and sees the world through the lens of his own experience as well as the social circumstances and mores of the time. In chapter 23 of “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” Huck ponders about Jim, his African American companion on his adventure: “He was thinking about his wife and his children, away up yonder, and he was low and homesick; because he hadn’t ever been away from home before in his life; and I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks do for their’n. It don’t seem natural, but I reckon it is so” (Baym et al., 2008, p. 204). This passage realistically illustrates the view of a young boy at the time who only knows the world through the social context of his time and place, which included slavery and a very derogatory view of African Americans. Twain was very critical and pessimistic about humankind and his writing often reflected this. However with Huck Finn he appears to be attempting to show