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Stereotypes In Mark Twain's The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn

1071 Words5 Pages

There are a handful of books read in school that could be considered controversial, but The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn seems to take the cake. This fictional novel by Mark Twain has many lessons and great ideas on maturation, friendship, violence & cruelty in society, African-American history, and morals. Some people, though, don’t see the positives of reading this story. They see the inappropriate language, the stereotypes used against Jim, and the light treatment of the horrors of slavery towards the end of the novel. Although The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is regarded as one of the most classic American novels, some may say it is too inappropriate to be taught amongst high schoolers. Argument’s have been made that students have taken offense to the overuse of the racial slur against African-Americans. In the article “Parent Objects to ‘Finn’ Slur” by Meghan E. Moravcik, Dolores Fisher makes the case that the slur makes her son, who is the only African-American student in his class, uncomfortable. I’m sure that many parents agree with her position considering the slur brings negative thoughts and feelings towards African-American culture. If the language isn’t what sets people off, it is the harsh stereotypes used against Jim and slavery not being portrayed in a negative enough light. Although they are on this long …show more content…

In chapter 2, Tom Sawyer wants to pull practical jokes on Jim while he’s asleep.

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Examples Of Stereotypes In Huck Finn

224 Words | 1 Pages

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The adventures of Huckleberry Finn by writer Mark Twain is a very divisive book and the reason for that is because of it controversy with racism. It is banned from lots of school because they believe that it could make a lot of students uncomfortable. Maybe making them uncomfortable is a good thing. High school students can see how it was like back then for the black people and how they were treated. They weren 't treated as humans at all.

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Ever since Mark Twain published Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1885, it has been one of the most banned books in America. Not only one, but many different people/groups have banned Mark Twain’s classic due to the consistent theme of race. The book is considered inappropriate because of how Mark Twain regards African Americans and Indigenous people. Historically, it is off of many school bookshelves because many may argue that the book even promotes racism. One month after the book’s debut in 1885, a library in Concord, MA stated that Twain’s novel was "trash and suitable only for the slums".

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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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1456 Words | 6 Pages

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828 Words | 4 Pages

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1266 Words | 6 Pages

After Huck finds out that Jim is captive, Huck “set down and cried. [He] couldn’t help it” (210). After returning to the raft and not finding Jim there, Huck is overcome with emotion. The fear of Jim not being around causes Huck to realize how important Jim is to him. The friendship they developed on the river and through their adventure causes Huck to be more concerned for Jim’s safety than society’s need to keep Jim captive.

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917 Words | 4 Pages

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