ipl-logo

Should Huck Finn Be Allowed To Be Used In High School Literature?

692 Words3 Pages

Should the word “nigger” be used in high school literature? That is the tough decision that many high school teachers face when try to decide whether or not to teach The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Huck Finn uses the n word throughout the book to refer to a friend who is a slave. Even though that word can be very offensive, it is a big part of our history that high school students should be mature enough to learn about. Many students do not continue on to college after high school; therefore, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be allowed to be taught in high school. Without the teaching of Huck Finn in high school, teachers would lose a teachable moment for that word, and in order for students to have a better future, we want to understand the past better, including offensive terms like this. …show more content…

High schools that refuse to teach this book because of the n word are losing a perfect teachable moment. It is an opportunity to teach about how blacks were treated in the past and how that word came along. Back then for whites, it was just what white people called black people. Nowadays it is not okay to call people that, but high school students should be able to read about it and not throw a fit. Most students are already aware of the n word so reading a book that uses it should not be a problem. Teachers should just focus more upon what the book is actually about and relax a little more about the use of the offensive term. Some people just try to change the n word to “slave” to make the word more acceptable, but that is not how the word was used back then, so they do not need to change it

Show More
Related
943 Words | 4 Pages

Some school districts have banned the book due to the use of the “n word”, the negative portrayal of African Americans throughout the book, and Huckleberry’s distasteful character, which offers a poor role model for youth. However, these misguided administrators misunderstand Twain’s literature because Twain uses the “n word” to spotlight its offensive and dehumanizing nature, the portrayal of African Americans is

Read More
1666 Words | 7 Pages

After reading this adventurous story, it is hard to find the problem that is upsetting many people. Therefore, this incredible novel should continue to be in the high school curriculum because it offers students a realistic historical background, it receives numerous positive reactions, and the meaning of the word nigger, (referred to as the n-word) is changing over time. 5 sentences The Adventures of Huckleberry

Read More
1255 Words | 6 Pages

Many books have been censored or banned in libraries and schools across the United States because of their suggestive or inappropriate content. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, a sequel to the popular The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, is one of the books that are being illuminated as “unfit to read”. It is the story a young boy, Huck, and a black man, Jim, in the 1800s, who ran away and their journey across the Mississippi River. It is a controversial piece in a majority of the classrooms across America. In this book, the N word shows up over two hundred times (Here's Why Banning 'Huck Finn' Over The N-Word Sends The Wrong Message).

Read More
285 Words | 2 Pages

To begin with, by removing the N-Word from Huckleberry Finn, the moral and educational purpose of the story would be belittled. The educational value of keeping the word in the book is so tremendous because it is necessary in order to accurately teach history. It is not meant to glorify the gore of the past but to instead help students better understand the situations. When Earl Hutchison from thegrio, a news website aimed towards African Americans, was asked why the word should remain he answered, ‘“ We say these words that were used then, they were vial, they were vicious, they were words that were used to denigrate a people and what we must do is learn from how these words were used in the past, not to use them in the present”’ (Earl Hutchinson

Read More
828 Words | 4 Pages

American literature has always been a form of entertainment and education. When slaves were introduced as characters in books, they were always negative, stereotypical characters, but not until 1883 when Mark Twain wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was a change made. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a book about a southern white boy in the 1800’s that runs away with an escaped slave on the Mississippi River. For years, schools have been debating on if the book should be banned in schools or not, and it is already on a variety of banned lists. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should not be banned in schools because it is an anti-slavery novel that teaches students valuable lessons and informs students of the past culture.

Read More
789 Words | 4 Pages

The way the book is written makes it challenging for readers to interpret the books meaning. Huckleberry Finn should not be taught at the sophomore level because of the use of the n-word, the racist actions toward Jim, and the lack of maturity in some high-school students Admittedly The Adventures of Huckleberry

Read More
1054 Words | 5 Pages

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been one of the most controversial piece of literature since since its publication in 1884. Written by Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain, it tells the story of a boy in his early teens named Huck Finn. In an effort to escape his abusive father, Huck fakes his own death and escapes in a canoe on the Mississippi River. There he meets up with the escaped slave of Ms. Watson’s, Jim who eventually becomes a surrogate father to Huck. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn shows Huck’s moral development, as it ebbs and flows like the Mississippi river he floats down.

Read More
709 Words | 3 Pages

There’s one thing about The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn people don't agree on and it's the use of the n-word. Should it, or shouldn’t be taught in schools, there are multiple reasons why Huckleberry Finn should be taught! One of the reasons is how it shows the times back then, it gave people a visual on what “normal” looked like in the past. This book could also teach what the n-word actually means. Kids should be taught what it means in a school environment, not in the “real world” where they might not grasp the words' full meaning.

Read More
818 Words | 4 Pages

A single word, used 219 times throughout Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, causes a world of controversy surrounding this classic piece of literature (“Leave”). The use of the N-Word throughout the novel makes some people feel uncomfortable as they read and discuss the book; however, others argue that the book provides a valuable learning opportunity that gives students a refreshing perspective on racism throughout American history. Such controversy between Huck Finn’s great teaching powers, yet uncomfortable diction, proposes an everlasting question: should public schools teach The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn? Many people feel uncomfortable with the teaching of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in public schools due

Read More
198 Words | 1 Pages

Throughout history book censorship has been a widely discussed topic among educators, authors and people the general public. Many believe by censoring or banning a book is the way to go because it will avoid the uncomfortable feeling that goes along with the text. By changing the book itself the message goes away and the true meaning behind the book dissolves into a lesser value. I believe that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, should be continued to be taught in schools and classes, and that the novel itself should remain unedited.     Huckleberry Finn was written in 1883 but the setting of the book took place in the south during the 1830’s a time where slavery was still prevalent during history.

Read More
924 Words | 4 Pages

Some American school districts have banned Mark Twain's novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because of the novel’s use of word “nigger”. The “N-word” is used 219 times throughout the book. (News, C. (2016, October 01).  Different schools approach this topic in a variety of ways. Some schools completely ban the book, others teach the book how it was written but ignore and do not discuss the word, they buy a sanitized version that replaces “nigger” with "slave", or they teach the book saying “nigger”.

Read More
503 Words | 3 Pages

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel that should still be read by all American high school students because of the history, characterization, and Twain’s remarkable growth as a writer. History is important to students everywhere, and Huckleberry Finn is most definitely an example of history. Many people believe that the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ruins the minds of students and that they would “go astray” because of the language, including the “n” word; what many people do not realize is that Twain was using the language that people from that day used.

Read More
917 Words | 4 Pages

Students should learn about the value the novel provides from that time-period in which Mark Twain wrote, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain put the N word in the novel for a reason, to describe the time-period in which these events had occurred. Phillip Rawls writes, “‘It’s such a shame that one word should be a barrier between a marvelous reading experience and a lot of readers,’ Gribben said. Yet Twain was particular about his words.”

Read More
896 Words | 4 Pages

It has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide and is on multiple lists of must read novels. Young adults should be given the opportunity to read the novel, but only when they’re mature enough to really understand and appreciate it, in college. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is undoubtedly a novel that deserves a reader’s full attention. High school students are more prone to dwell on the use of the n-word, instead of enjoying Mark Twain’s writing. To my knowledge, college students won’t giggle at any profanity used in any novel and will be able to really appreciate this novel.

Read More
1010 Words | 5 Pages

Mark Twain tells story of a white boy, whom one would consider to be an outsider, Huck, and his older friend Jim, a runaway slave; that exemplify that racism is something that will always be. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been facing continuous controversy ever since it 's publication date in 1884 and has seemingly continued to make news even today. Mark Twain, the author, faced much scrutiny for his lack of respect for religion, for his ungrammatical American vernacular, and for being racist. The novel was removed from schools because of the novels portrayal of Jim and its use of the "N" word. Twain used the "N" word 219 times throughout the novel, which some people thought it got in the story 's message against slavery; but others, thought Twain perfectly captured the way people talked back then.

Read More

More about Should Huck Finn Be Allowed To Be Used In High School Literature?

Related Topics

Open Document