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Synthesis Essay On Huckleberry Finn

1658 Words7 Pages

When discussing about American history many tend to ignore the unpleasant events from the past. One word, that was commonly used in the past yet rarely used in the present, still causes a sense of discomfort and displeasure when being used. The word has caused many controversial disputes concerning the proper usage of this word. This word is often referred to as the “N-word” and reminds us American of the terrible actions taken place in the past. In remarkable novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, has caused an uproar of the repeatedly usage of the “N-word”. Many believe that either the “N-word” should be removed from the book and be changed to slave or the book should be removed from and be switched with another piece of …show more content…

In chapter 16, Huckleberry Finn begins to contemplate whether or not he is doing the right thing by helping Jim escape to Cairo. Huckleberry Finn then comes to a realization that he has to help Jim because it is the right thing to do. Jim then expresses his thanks to Huckleberry Finn for helping him escape and tell him that “Jim won’t ever forgit you Huck; you’s de bes’ fren’ Jim’s ever had; en you’s de only fren’ ole Jim’s got now.”(Twain 89). While Huckleberry Finn and Jim are on the raft, Huckleberry Finn disconnected from society's views on African Americans and eventually built a strong friendship with Jim. While on the raft, Huckleberry Finn rarely used the “N-word” when speaking with Jim which shows how Huckleberry Finn is beginning to view Jim as a regular person. By showing this transitions, Twain shows the readers how one judgements of other could be wrong. By keeping the book in its original form, the audience will be able to witness the significance of the “n-word” and how life in the South impacted usage of this word. Huckleberry Finn eventually overcomes the prejudice of racism and eventually respect Jim as a

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943 Words | 4 Pages

(Twain 223). Here the “n word” is used to show that African Americans weren’t considered people at all, but property, and the loss of an African American life was viewed as insignificant. The book appropriately uses the “n word” to spotlight the inequitable treatment of African

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935 Words | 4 Pages

Huck has always seen Jim as a slave until they crossed paths while going down the river. The two develop a friendship and Huck starts to care about Jim and his well being. Although Huck views Jim as someone he cares about, he still sees him as a slave as well. “ I would do the right thing and the clean thing, and go and write that nigger’s owner and tell where he was,” ( Document E). Huck is in a continuous battle with his inner self when it comes to his views on Jim.

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1666 Words | 7 Pages

Unlike the NAACP, Arac doesn’t think it should be removed from the curriculum entirely.” Now in this case, it isn’t as bad as wanting the book to be out of the school, out of the town, out of the state, or wanting the book to be banned overall. It shows that he sees something wrong with the novel and doesn’t want students being required to read it. However the issue that people are finding with the novel is exclusively from not understanding the fantastic novel. 12

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650 Words | 3 Pages

Judging someone for their race, ethnicity, or skin color is never portrayed as the right thing to do. However, these are some of the main themes in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This was taken place before the Civil War, when slavery was still legal. When Huck Finn and Jim meet, even though Jim is a slave, they connect immediately. Their friendship grows stronger and stronger as the novel continues, it got to the point where Jim was not only a friend, but a father figure to Huck.

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944 Words | 4 Pages

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.

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536 Words | 3 Pages

The novels that use the N-word show the history of the derogatory term towards the blacks. The novels create an image in the reader's mind and they learn from the characters action to not act out as a racist. As Terry McMillan says, “The characters in those books make whatever the issue is all the more tangible for the reader. They do what a PBS documentary can't—whether it's talking about Abraham Lincoln or slavery.'' Students that are reading the novels do not know what it was like to live in that time period and may of not realized how blacks were treated until they read the books.

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1030 Words | 5 Pages

The constant usage of the n word can be demeaning and harmful to African American students — in 1995, a group of African American students in Cherry Hill, NJ suddenly began failing tests and quizzes in their English class. This happened as a result of an incompetent teacher, who forgot to mention the 200 plus instances of the n word and the fact that the book was controversial. And to make matters worse, the white students would snicker and stare at the African American students when the n word was read aloud. (Document E) This should not be the case — I was lucky enough to have a teacher who would make sure to make reading Huck Finn as comfortable as it would aloud.

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1482 Words | 6 Pages

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is controversial and has been debated on being banned, due to its racist character; in reality, these allegations were untrue. Huckleberry Finn is known for the excessive use of the n-word, and many people have reservations about the word being used in the novel. While the n-word is profoundly offensive, “Most of the characters who use the word, including Huckleberry Finn, are racists and it would not be accurate for them to not use the word”(Gardner, 21). This evidence explains the way the n-word has evolved in its use over time. Twain kept his novel realistic to the time period, where that word was said often, and there was not a well-known alternative.

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1577 Words | 7 Pages

Is there even an actual problem with using the word nigger, most teenagers hear it when they are listening to a rap song so it should not be a surprise if it is used in a novel that actually explains our history. Yes, the n-word may affect many people but if it actually affected many people then there should not be any discrimination happening in today's society since it truly affects people, right? But this isn't true since we can see discrimination towards African American. We can see it in the Pretrial Release, “The National Academy of Sciences found that blacks are more likely than whites to be incarcerated while awaiting trial” (HuffPost). This shows us that our society only changed in some ways like not having slaves any more but there are different ocasiones that still show us that racism still exists.

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1654 Words | 7 Pages

Also to a white child, or a Hispanic child, those words could be damaging.” Charles Stokes made his point, and stated his thoughts but in all reality, the word is coming back and being used all the time. Kids use it with their friends meaning the word friend. Many “black” people admit to saying the word freely with their friends not meaning as slave. In a “Teaching Tolerance” magazine, printed in 2011, there is an article called Straight Talk About the N-Word.

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1000 Words | 4 Pages

When people read a work of literature many expect it to be a literary masterpiece. What makes a work of literature great is not through the approval of society, but by the author pushing his point out to the audience without regarding the disapproval from society he might receive. Although it is a controversial topic of whether Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn needs republishing due to the use of the word “nigger”, the novel teaches many lessons and reveals many truths that the world should know. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should not have been republished because, simply put, it is not a racist novel.

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1528 Words | 7 Pages

Moving on, taking note that racism and discrimination is a part of everyday life for many, the anger of the 52 year-old man is felt when he comments to his daughters that he has “grown upset that the word has slipped into casual usage”(Baltimore Legislator..). The fact that the n-word has grown into society as a social norm and a violent term can be an accessory towards the decision of the school board. If the word

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917 Words | 4 Pages

The use of the N word has brought many situations upon readers when coming across it, Rawls describes the idea that there was reasoning behind Twain’s writing. Peter Salwen says, “The great black novelist Ralph Ellison noted how Twain

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1152 Words | 5 Pages

Undoubtedly, each individual, as a living organism, is a small part of nature. A perfect world would be consisted of a perfect society, which would be in a full harmony with nature that is complete starting from the day that the world was created. However, it can be seen that the harmony does not seem to be real. The problem does not relate only to the modern world. This has been an issue since human civilization developed it’s roots and stable societies started to exist.

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1818 Words | 8 Pages

In a society clinging to the cushion of political correctness, to be faced with a novel so offensive, so brash, so seemingly racist in the classroom was initially jarring. At first, I was opposed to the concept of having to read the word “nigger” and discuss it as if it was just any antiquated term; it seemed impossible. However, through my reading of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, I began to understand the value of my discomfort. A tenant of Jesuit education, personal growth is necessary for one to grow into an intellectual, whole human being. For one to grow, they must step outside their comfort zone and become uncomfortable.

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