Dbq Essay On Huck Finn

Writing in many ways is artwork — writers are able to use words and sentences in order to make big ideas as a painter is able to use his paint to illustrate big pictures and ideas; but like a picture, writing can be read and seem differently to each of the readers eyes. Works of literature such as these can be subjected to controversy from disputes of true meaning in the text. The novel Huck Finn has been challenged and criticized by adults and children for being full of racist language and bigotry. Since its publishing in 1885, the book Huck Finn has created an enormous public debate on whether or not Huck Finn should be taught in the classroom. Mark Twain, the author of Huck Finn, wrote the book to be full of racist ideas, in order for

It can be easy to be offended when reading Huck Finn if you are ignorant to the fact that it was written as a satire. According to the American Library Association, the majority of all challenges of literature are initiated by parents, at 48% — with Huck Finn being 7 on the Top ten most frequently challenged books of 2002 (Document A). “Parents challenged these books with the best intentions — to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information.” The reason parents tend to challenge Huck Finn is because of its offensive language. While the novel does contain offensive language, the language is not suppose to be the focus of the novel. The novel Huck Finn was meant to criticize, not endorse, such ideas and languages of racism — it takes a correct dissection of the text to understand this, only through reading the book correctly can one see Twain’s criticism of the American

The constant usage of the n word can be demeaning and harmful to African American students — in 1995, a group of African American students in Cherry Hill, NJ suddenly began failing tests and quizzes in their English class. This happened as a result of an incompetent teacher, who forgot to mention the 200 plus instances of the n word and the fact that the book was controversial. And to make matters worse, the white students would snicker and stare at the African American students when the n word was read aloud. (Document E) This should not be the case — I was lucky enough to have a teacher who would make sure to make reading Huck Finn as comfortable as it would aloud. My class read Huck Finn replacing the n word with the word “slave” — so no black students would be offended or hurt in any way. But more important then that is warning students of the books racist ideas and words, in order for students to understand the intention of Mark Twain’s satires of racism in America. Parents and students argue that the books frequent use of the n word is embarrassing and divisive at any grade level, and children should be protected from what the word represents. Alienating black students shouldn’t be done in a classroom, so replacing the n word with the word “slave” is a healthy