Huckleberry Finn Pros And Cons

The announcement of a new, censored, version of Mark Twain’s classic, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn sparked controversy across the United States regarding which version provides the better educational experience. Even though the revised publication may be more politically correct in the present day, it dampens the milieu of the story. Additionally, the argument for censorship in the novel is weak considering the social discomfort created from word ‘nigger’ can be used to form an educational lesson or discussion. The original edition of the novel provides would be a better a inclusion to an educational curriculum because it includes improved syntax when compared to Alan Gribben’s publication. Dr. Sarah Churchwell of the University of East

Alan Gribben, the editor of the new edition, asserts, “Seems to me I'm doing something constructive by simply eliminating a word that's a clear barrier for many people”. However, the word ‘nigger’ itself does not cause any problems; it’s the intolerance of people exposed to it that makes the word secluded from society. The setting where this issue is most prominent is in high school classrooms. While the use of ‘nigger’ may cause inappropriate behavior by mischievous students, the censorship does more harm than good. It would prevent readers from understanding the word’s prior applications. When presented in Huck Finn, the presence of it allows students to be educated about the its negative connotation, both historically and in the present. One typical complaint by students and teachers is that the use of the word ‘nigger’ causes discomfort. Francine Prose of the New York Times claims this discomfort by learners can be transformed into a constructive lesson about tolerance through conversation. She writes, “The understandable discomfort the word ‘nigger’ causes students and teachers is part of a conversation; part of the point of reading that book in school is to have that conversation.” The original version of Huck Finn forces readers to encounter attitudes and behavior that would not be acceptable today, which could lead to a more constructive learning environment

The social concern for the racial slur should be non-existent since any dedicated student can develop an understanding for the historical use of ‘nigger’. Readers of the new publication of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are hindering themselves of an enriching literary understanding of the