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Should Huck Finn Be Taught In Schools

1272 Words6 Pages

Imagine being thirteen years old, and traveling down the Mississippi River with only a friend who is discriminated against because of his skin color. Most readers could not imagine this if it was taken out of a school’s curriculum. The book is controversial due to its use of the word “nigger” 219 times, and some educational systems want the book out. Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an important novel of literature that should be included in high school curriculum because it is Twain’s specific diction, educates people on racism, and it reflects on the history of this time. Mark Twain’s writing style should not be changed. Twain wrote the way he did for a reason. In Martha Moore’s article, Jones tells their opinion of Twain’s …show more content…

Paula Leider recalls her thoughts of the treatment “His treatment of Jim as an allegory of the way the nation dealt with freed slaves, not taking their role in society seriously and engaging in destructive and deadly racism.” People of this time in the south agreed with slavery. Most of the people owned slaves themselves, and did not treat them like they meant something in society. Twain hits this topic forcefully in the book, clearing showing how people felt about Jim. Twain references the word when describing how a person would talk about an African American in this time,”No’m. Killed a nigger. Well, it’s lucky; because sometimes people do get hurt.” This is how people felt about African Americans in this time, and is was common to talk this way about them. Huck was the wild card growing up in a racist community. Huck has the slang of this time to his advantage to describe African Americans, but as he grows closer with Jim, he stops using offensive terms. Sally Hansen explains in the article of the history in the novel saying how the author would inform the reader of the time period that takes place and the language that is used. Hansen continues to direct the point that Twain uses Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as a novel that depicts this history clearly. Twain’s has points of using this novel in the classroom, there are also reason the novel is uncomfortable, and should not be in the

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163 Words | 1 Pages

For the reason that the n-word appears 219 times in the novel, many schools have decided to ban the book in their classrooms. Cautiously questioning students whether or not the novel arouses an “uncomfortable” (Coeyman) feeling, teachers debate on teaching The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Multiple teachers feel that their inter-racial classes may include students who feel offended by the n-word. Various schools have considered the novel to be “...too racially offensive…”(Coeyman). For instance, school districts in Virginia have banned the book after a mother complained about how her son was disturbed by the “‘...racial slurs in there and offensive wording that you can’t get past…’”(Balingit).

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Idealism Vs. Reality In The Glass Castle By Jeannette Walls

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Should Huck Finn Be Allowed In Schools

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

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Why Huckleberry Finn Should Not Be Banned Essay

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).

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Should Huckleberry Finn Be Banned In High Schools

901 Words | 4 Pages

The uses of satire, the time period, and friendship reveal Twain’s unprejudiced views achieving its place in the curriculum. The glimpse of history Twain provides with slavery and society is very important to understanding of the novel and its overall messages important to the curriculum. This remarkable narrative has many examples of realism and literature elements important to the learning the history of literature. One of America’s most prominent and informational works of literature ever written Adventures of Huckleberry Finn must stay in the high school curriculum

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Huckleberry Finn Should Be Banned

1456 Words | 6 Pages

In 1998, McClintock High School in Tempe, Arizona assigned students to read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. The book has long been regarded as a controversial novel, and each generation that comes upon it has found something that rubs against the current societal norms. The mother of a student at McClintock took serious offense to the use of the word, “nigger” throughout the book and protested that it be banned due to the racial discrimination (Source I). Huck Finn is just one of the many pieces of literature that have been labelled “challenging,” and many feel that they do not deserve a place in schools’ curriculum. However, the study of challenging literature introduces students to new ideas and lessons that they can apply

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Why Huckleberry Finn Should Be Banned Essay

620 Words | 3 Pages

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, why this book written by Mark Twain should be on the banned books list in schools and why it is too mature for it’s students. This book is full of situations that honesty students are not able to handle, leaving inappropriate impressions about racism and how to treat people and is going to cause teenagers and young adults to repeat the language and personalities seen in this, to other groups of this century that are fitting now The problem with Adventures of Huckleberry Finn isn’t that it is a bad book, not that maybe it is poorly written or isn’t a learning experience. The fact of the matter is that students do not hold the attention span or mental capacity to be forced to deal with this. While some may use to excuse that high school students may have enough knowledge over these situations, or if explained, people would enjoy the moral of the story more, that is not always the case.

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Why Huck Finn Should Not Be Banned Essay

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.

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How Should Huckleberry Finn Be Censored

743 Words | 3 Pages

Hanna Baker Mrs. Swiergosz English 1 4 December 2014 Censoring The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn "Mark Twain's (Samuel Clemens') Huckleberry Finn is so often cited as being racist, when it was written against slavery and racism." Jamey Fletcher said this quote on the extremely disputed matter of one of Mark Twain's greatest masterpieces in history. The subject of censoring The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been a controversial topic since the idea was first introduced to the public.

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Should Huck Finn Be Banned

1195 Words | 5 Pages

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, is a book in which captures the adventures of a young boy named Huck Finn who runs away from home and makes his way down the Mississippi River in which he meets a runaway slave named Jim, together they undertake serious of adventures. This piece of literature has left many of its readers shocked and angry due to the extensive use of the n-word. In Huckleberry Finn, the n-word is used over 200 times which has led many schools to ban the teaching of this book or simply replace it with another classic American literature. There is always two sides of a story, in this one there is three. The argument continues with the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn whether it should be kept

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Should Huck Finn Be Taught In Schools

768 Words | 4 Pages

Although there has been an overwhelming amount of debates regarding the teaching of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in high school settings, students should still have the opportunity to experience this novel, even if additions or compromises need to be made, because of the story’s historical significance, underlying portrayal of African American dignity, and overall benefits engendered by Twain’s writing. Many argue that African Americans are undermined throughout the story, but the abundance of dignity underlying Jim’s character and the compromises that can be made in the classroom are often overlooked. The most controversial part of the book for many parents seems to be the fact that “it uses the ‘n’ word more than 200 times -- which they say is damaging to their children” (Beckett, Huck Finn’s Fate to Be Decided).

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Should Huckleberry Finn Be Taught In Schools

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.

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Why Should Huck Finn Not Be Banned In Schools

1046 Words | 5 Pages

I says to the people, why ain’t this “n” put up at auction and sold?” (Twain 27). These two quotes are great examples of how “n” was used constantly back then and how slaves or colored people were looked down upon by others. Huck didn’t expect Jim to care so much about his family like white folks do, so it surprises him. Many people back then didn’t think that colored people had feelings and that’s why they were so cruel to them and always said harsh things to them.

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Should Huckleberry Finn Be Taught In Schools Essay

960 Words | 4 Pages

“The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain is one of the greatest American literature books. This book tells the story of Huckleberry Finn (a boy) and Jim (a slave) in the 1861 when slavery still exists in America. Since its publication in the U.K. in 1884 and in the U.S. in 1885, “The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn” has been heated debate about whether it should be taught in school or not, for the sensitivity of the topic and the frequent usage of offensive or inappropriate words like “nigger” in the book. The book has been challenged and banned by many people. For example, the Concord (Mass.) Public Library committee refused to publish Mark Twain’s book from the library and the committee regard it as trash in the 1880s.

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Should Huckleberry Finn Be Taught In Schools

640 Words | 3 Pages

The novel by Mark Twain, “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, has caused chaos among the education world since it was published. To date the novel is still being banned, not being taught and is receiving harsh reviews from critics and parents alike. An important question that many parents are faced with is if the novel should be taught in school. Although this book has been published for over a hundred years, Twain's novel is a very hot topic. Just because some people today are not mature enough to understand what Twain was trying to achieve through Huckleberry Finn, that is no reason to withhold the content from today’s youth.

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