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Censorship Of Huckleberry Finn Research Paper

589 Words3 Pages

Although certain people may advocate for censorship, controversial literature should be used in the classroom because it provides an insightful class atmosphere. From reading books with less controversy behind them like The Lord of the Flies to the heavily debated The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, many people believe that students have no prior experience in controversial material. Due to this, they believe certain words and phrases should be censored to create a "safer" and "less offensive" environment for students. A book like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, containing the n-word 219 times, is one many teachers and parents change for their students in hopes to protect them from such profanity. However, this causes difficulties for the teachers …show more content…

Though the word is offensive to many African Americans, ignoring the word would be completely disregarding its history which has no good consequences. The word’s history would wash away and you would be left with the appropriated slang version of it. By covering up the word, one is essentially lying to the students about today. Restriction in literature is an attempt to protect to student from the language and reality of the world which will eventually set them up for failure since they do not have the knowledge and experience they should get. The best way to approach the word is not to "sugarcoat" it, but to acknowledge its history and context while understanding that the usage of the word is still offensive today. Through their class, teachers should address the word and realize the word's significance in the world today. Furthermore, debatable literature asks meaningful questions, which in the end lead to a better experience for both teacher and student alike. Questions about the nature of humanity and individuality that appear in many texts is what makes literature so

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