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Racism In Huck Finn

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The novel Huck Finn by Mark Twain is an extremely important piece of literature that should be taught to high school students. Racism was rampant in the during the time this novel took place and still exists now. It is extremely important that high school students are able to realize the extent of the racism accordingly addressing the situation. One of the best ways to teach about racism is through this novel. It correctly displays race relations at the time. Teaching this novel is the best way to open racial conversations, look back at racism in the 1800’s, and understand a great piece of literature. Although the derogatory terms may be offensive to some, history should not be ignored. Race is one of the most complex issues in America; especially …show more content…

History is the best teaching tool a teacher can have in their bag. This makes this novel so imperative to read. The book correctly displays race relations of the 1800’s. “[Huckleberry Finn] is an important work by one of America’s most prominent writers. It not only deals with a difficult time in American history, it marks an important transformation for Twain himself” (Chadwick). Slavery was rampant during the setting of the novel. All that the book does is show the situation from the eyes of a white child raised at the time. Twain depicts situations at the time just as they were. Blacks were beaten. Blacks were taken from their families. Blacks were slaves. No matter how appalling, there is no changing the moral wrongdoings of the United States. Teaching the book is teaching …show more content…

The book is a great tool used to open up hard racial conversations. Its historical accuracy makes it even more of a necessary read. Twain wrote Huck Finn to inform about racial issues through the eyes of an innocent child. Although the novel may use derogatory terms over and over again that is more of a reason as to why it should be read. Racism in America was pervasive during the time of the novel. Something so horrible cannot and should not be forgotten. Students need to learn about this time for what it really

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Should Huck Finn be read and taught in schools? This question has been constantly debated since the book was published 132 years ago. According to the American Library Association, it was number 14 on the Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books list for over a decade. Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, contains language that may be considered offensive to some, but this should be overlooked because the lessons the reader learns are more important than the language it contains. By Jim’s kindness and love towards Huck, and the different characters that have impacted Huck’s life, readers can gain a deeper understanding of how racism can lead people to judge character too soon.

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828 Words | 4 Pages

With the novel being told in the first person point of view of Huck, we get a first hand experience of the prejudices then. We are able to see just how stereotypical and racist white people were in the past. A majority of the people in the south viewed blacks as inferior, or below them in social ranking. They ordered around their slaves and treated them with little respect at times. Although The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn can make students feel “uncomfortable," it is beneficial for students to read it.

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1011 Words | 5 Pages

Starting from a young age, everyone loves to go on adventures and have fun, just like Huck Finn. Growing up in St. Petersburg, Missouri, he is a white 12 year old boy and the son of a drunken father. In the beginning of the book, Huck is seen as a little innocent boy. Until he enters the world with his friend, Tom Sawyer, as they go on adventures, which creates problems and controversy through the history of the North and South, civilization, and racism and slavery. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huck has many controversial experiences that are still a problem in today’s society, which is why we should keep teaching the book in school.

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818 Words | 4 Pages

A major theme throughout American history, as well as throughout Huck Finn, is racism. Racism, a topic still raw today, should not be ignored. Jocelyn Chadwick, a Mark Twain scholar, writes, “Twain brings into schools what most of us in this country desperately need, yet fear, most: discussions-frank discussions-about race”. With the use of the N-word and dialogue such as “‘We blowed out a cylinder head.’ ‘Good gracious!

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1724 Words | 7 Pages

Essay The novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a story about a young boy who is trying to find who he is during the civil war. In this novel by Mark Twain it speaks about this young boy, named Huck, and how his original morals are beginning to change while he helps free his friend Jim, who is a slave. Though People have argued that this book uses many racial slurs that demoralize the African American race. Though there is solid reasoning why those are not Mark Twain's true intentions.

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417 Words | 2 Pages

The novel Huckleberry Finn has been a classic but controversial piece of history. Huck is a young racist boy. The society as a whole was racist. The lack of consequence for treating Jim badly because of his color is all about the time period. The limited knowledge can lead an individual into being a racist, but a strong minded young adult like Huck should be able to know the humanity of black people.

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1402 Words | 6 Pages

Huckleberry Finn is taking place where slavery and racism is hugely used and courage. Even though, Huckleberry was not racist himself, he believes in the same rules as the society around encourage. When he has to be put to the test whether what the right thing is at what mind state Huckleberry Finn must decide. Growing up Huckleberry Finn is raised with a wrong heart and only has a mindset for two different types of people: slaves and whites. Huckleberry was now in a different position as he was a younger and now will make a different person with a different Heart a “Sound Heart”

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800 Words | 4 Pages

The reading requirement of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is not worth the discomfort of students and teachers due to racism and sensitive topics. Twain’s novel, while possibly bringing light to the hostile nature of racism through his satire, does not leave stereotypes out at all. He consistently exaggerates black characters. Even though that is typical in satire, it is wholly uncomfortable for everyone involved in reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a classic novel that takes the reader on a series of thrilling adventures full of life threatening situations, racism, and slavery. The author Mark Twain, uses the novel to highlight the flaws in society by creating a character like Huck, whose personal sense of morals and justice are more noble than those of the very people trying to civilize him. Throughout this captivating novel Huck endures his fair share of trouble and morally challenging decision but he always comes out on top by following his heart and doing what he feels to be right.

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870 Words | 4 Pages

In the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, there are many themes that demonstrate satire. One of the themes is racism. There are many examples of racism in this book that portray the use of satire. One example of racism is when Mark Twain makes fun of the feud between the Grangerfords and the Shepardsons. “When I got down out of the tree I crept along down the river bank a piece, and found the two bodies laying in the edge of the water, and tugged at them till I got them ashore; then I covered up their faces, and got away as quick as I could.

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1403 Words | 6 Pages

The black man on the back porch is afraid of the rattle snake because it is bad luck, or the innocent little slave is quick to believe everything one tells them at the drop of the hat. These are just some of the many racist stereotypes of the 1840s. A character named Jim is the star African American whom Twain bestoys the mission of being the stereotypical black man to prove a point. He along with his much more pallor companion Huck go on exciting adventures that unfold the events which expose the racist conduct of the time. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain saturates his novel with potent images of acute racism severe enough as to create a satirical mien that exposes the absurdity of prejudice.

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230 Words | 1 Pages

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an interesting tale of how people acted in the time period this book was released. The book was in fact released only about 20 years after the American Civil War had ended. Along with this, Slavery in the United States had only just been abolished 20 years before. While the book is a story about Huckleberry Finn and his “adventures”, I think the book’s intention was to show the status of racism from the people of the time. This is something the book does very well.

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1110 Words | 5 Pages

Twain was a trendsetter in focusing on middle and lower class characters. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the most frequently banned books in the public school system. It’s no doubt that certain language in the book is indeed offensive; however Twain was only representing honest speech from that time period. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was in all reality an astounding leap forward in racial awareness. For the first time ever you have a freed slave, Jim, who is as fully realized a character as Tom or Huck.

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868 Words | 4 Pages

Huckleberry and Jim were faced with racial, religious, and social hypocrisy, many of which still happen today. Twain’s, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, parallels many racial conflicts that still happen in the world. Although Twain’s book was meant to describe past conflicts, many of these conflicts have carried on to this

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1587 Words | 7 Pages

The setting plays a vital role within the criticism of racial injustice at the time. The novel is set before the Civil War, between 1835-1845. Twain 's novel is a realistic representation of the cruelty of slavery and racism at the time. Twain wrote Huckleberry Finn in the late 1870s and early 1880s to reflect upon a time before the Civil War when slavery was conspicuous to someone looking from the outside in. However, those whom were involved in this society were unable to decipher the injustices at the time.

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