ipl-logo

What Does Slavery Symbolize In Huckleberry Finn

1161 Words5 Pages

Even though only 13% of surveyed Americans believe that the word “slave” should replace “nigger” in the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, it still seems to be an extensive debate. Some think that Twain’s language and use of the word “nigger” is unnecessary and inappropriate. It is apparent that the masterpiece should stay in the teaching curriculum because it is apart of our history, it is not offending the “right” people, and the d used leads to a great learning experience. Although the book is fiction, it accurately represents slavery and discrimination. During the period that it portrays, unfortunately, African Americans were referred to as “niggers”. It is not fair to all of the people who lived during these times to hide it just because a student is uncomfortable in a classroom. Those are the historical facts and that is not something that should be ignored. Slavery occurred for almost three centuries in America and there were around 7 million slaves in that time period (History Channel). It is entirely understandable why people do not want …show more content…

As an article in Bartleby states, “Twain’s choice of language allows the reader to travel back in time to the 1800’s and discover how inhumane the racist society was towards the African American community”. In modern times, we are so used to slang that we forgot that it did not always use to be like this. Without the improper grammar, readers would not be able to interpret the book like Twain intended. Although some scholars believe that removing the language and “nigger” will make the book easier to teach, “This change may confuse some students, though, since Jim has freed himself by running away from Miss Watson, and so is not actually a slave during most the book. And by making the substitution, many good teaching opportunities are lost,” (Rawson). Removing the dialect used would lose the main focus of the

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
815 Words | 4 Pages

If he used slave instead of Nigger he would no longer be staying true to what he says about dialects. This is how they spoke and changing these words doesn’t make them any less racist than they already were, but acknowledging the words that he used shows people how much has changed since those horrible times. If the word Nigger is erased from the book it gives off the idea that there should not be talk about racial injustice or divides. Twain said “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning” (Mark Twain Quotes).

Read More
1999 Words | 8 Pages

The word ‘nigger’ is used 219 times throughout Mark Twain’s novel ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’. This fact, along with Twain’s depiction of Jim and subtle attack on religion, has offended not only multitudes of African-Americans, but also the Catholic Church. Twain’s novel has simultaneously revolutionized American literature and become one of the most frequently banned books in history. ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ was extremely provocative from its very publication, as its themes of rebellion, disobedience, and interracial friendship were thought to corrupt young children. In recent years, debates have no longer centered around Huck’s disobedience but implications of racism and anti-religious allusions.

Read More
1658 Words | 7 Pages

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

Read More
386 Words | 2 Pages

Modern times challenge Twain’s satirical writing, as it becomes progressively offensive towards racial groups. Many critics and journalists alike debate whether The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be banned in classrooms as it perpetuates racial stereotypes and its unnecessary use of the N-word. “The Case Against Huck Finn”, written by John H. Wallace, is an article that states every point of why the book should be banned in school. One of the authors' thesis is that the usage of the N-word in the classroom severs the relationships between the teacher and black students. John H Wallace writes, “the black child is offended by the use of the word ‘n*****’ anywhere, no matter what rationale the teacher may use to justify it.”

Read More
1482 Words | 6 Pages

Although the characters in the book are racist, this does not mean that Mark Twain himself is. Some people also suggest that the depiction of the character Jim is racist. “Jim is very ignorant and superstitious and speaks in a dialogue heavy with misspellings and mispronunciations. However, many argue that was the natural outcome of him being a slave with no formal education,” which is another way Twain was accurate to the era he was writing about (Gardner,

Read More
1402 Words | 6 Pages

Race today is a touchy subject and if kids are allowed to use words such as nigger in school, you would think they could use them anywhere, right? The only way to get past this problem is to understand the intentions of Mark Twain as the author and also to prepare the students before they read the book. Twain did not write this book with the intention of offending anybody, he was only writing with the words people used every day back then. “But back in the day it wasn’t like that, that is just what black people were called. Twain wrote it that way because that is the way he knew, there is no way he could have known that in the future the word would be a derogatory term” (But http://www.teenink.com).

Read More
1585 Words | 7 Pages

Twain’s books are his art, and he wanted nigger in his books. Like the presence of Jesus, the presence of the offensive word plays a major role in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Taking the word out is disrespectful to Twain as an author. It shows we do not care about his intentions. We are removing something from one of his masterpieces.

Read More
841 Words | 4 Pages

For this reason, I do not mind the word nigger. Although I do not favor this word, I know it is used for a certain purpose. It is not used so it can offend others. Unlike Riley Cooper, a Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver who called his black security guard ‘nigger,’ Twain used nigger as a way not to be violent or offensive. Instead, it was to bring awareness regarding the way the African Americans were being called.

Read More
748 Words | 3 Pages

Many schools have taken The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn off of their required reading lists and have thus tucked this issue under the rug and forgotten about it. They forget how this historical literary classic has paved the way for other American literature and refuse to teach it because it is simply “too offensive”. Although Huckleberry Finn is a controversial novel that uses “nigger” excessively, you cannot

Read More
570 Words | 3 Pages

Modern-Day Slavery Modern-day slavery is alive and well in two thousand seventeen. In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, he speaks of man by the name of Jim who repeatedly tries to escape to free states. Many times, Jim climbed aboard a raft and would float down the Mississippi River towards freedom. So many times, he returned home to his owner as a slave. Even when Jim had the chance to leave, he stayed.

Read More
338 Words | 2 Pages

Childhood barriers growing up and being Native American was growing up poor. Being raised by signal parent and eating foods that are far unhealthy. Food that was prepared or bought were so unhealthy which caused some family members to be overweight. Being poor made it hard for mother to provide proper nutritious foods. Food we eat where either fried, had to much salt, and high in fats.

Read More
142 Words | 1 Pages

In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn the racist attitudes of the Deep South in the late 1800's are shown. Mark Twain portrays a runaway slave, Jim, as a racist caricature who does whatever is asked of him and exhibits little intelligence. The reader can initially see this through the use of the word "nigger" that is all throughout the book. In the modern 21st century this term is taken offensively, but in the 19th century this term was commonly used and Twain took advantage of it.

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
332 Words | 2 Pages

Professor and Class this chapter presented bring up some of the same questions I ask myself when thinking about group counseling and leading group. Currently working in the mental health and substance abuse field I come across clients who are resistance and often times are mandated to participate in group. Therefore as a beginning group leader how to deal with members who are involuntary will be a challenge as a new group counselors and my fear of not having the specific skills needed to deal with this type of population. An article on the challenges leaders face with involuntary clients participating in group therapy suggested some characteristic group leaders should posses like being dynamic, energetic patient, flexible and having thick

Read More

More about What Does Slavery Symbolize In Huckleberry Finn

Related Topics

Open Document