Sophomore Eli Sawyers had a similar response. I think it shows the importance of a good education. It does say the n word a lot, but that was just the slang back then.
That is the history of our country, and I believe that it should be taught. Being that many schools are still exploring this novel, it should remain being taught in schools. Students learn important life skills by reading this novel. Just imagine how hard life used to look for many citizens out there and be thankful for the opportunities you get living as a free citizen in America.
It was written in from the perspective of a thirteen year old boy named Huck. Huck grows up with an abusive dad, and he refuses to live with a civilized widow. The young boy fakes his death and runs away with a runaway slave, Jim. In the story, we hear of the adventures they go on. There are many raw stories with examples of friendship. In these stories, we are taught about the time period, and what society was like. It is important that Huckleberry Finn is taught in school, but many people disagree because of the many racial comments and conflict revolving around the character of color, Jim.
The first reason Huck Finn should be taught in school is that it teaches history. History is often really boring for students to learn. When students are able to learn history from a story based on true events, it is more engaging.
Huck Finn shows what was really happening in the time period of the book. It is important that students learn topics from different angles so that they understand the material. Another reason Huckleberry Finn should be taught in schools is because it tells of adventure. Huck Finn was a book that started the literary period of realism. Prior to realism was romanticism, so this book was an important turning point. It was unheard of to share such real true stories.
Mark Twain was blazing a new trail, and students need to learn about this because his writings continue to influence our world today. Huck Finn teaches important lessons of interratial friendship. In the time the book was written there was a lot of segregation. Even in that time, a person of color and a white person were able to be friends. This teaches us a lesson today of how we should treat one another. On the other hand, Jim also shows great kindness to Huck.
This shows that no matter what color of skin you have, each person is important, and a friendship is worth fighting for. I asked Ava Mayginnes if she thought that Huck Finn should be taught in school. The book teaches friendship between two people that are unlikely to be friends because of their race in that time period. The underlying life lessons are important enough to be taught even though there are controversial topics in the book.
To conclude, Huckleberry Finn should be taught in schools. This book helps to give students a new perspective on what life was like in the early s. Students are able to learn history and other life lessons from the book. Students need to experience diversity in the books they read, and Huck Finn is a great start. Reading more diverse books offers students new themes and lessons.
The book does contain controversial topics, but students need to be informed. Throughout that novel of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain there are many themes or lessons that come out. Huck is learning about himself and discovering who he is while forming his own opinions about society. There are many different themes throughout the novel such as racism and slavery, intellectual and moral education, and empathy. If you have read the novel then you know that racism and slavery are two very large parts of the book.
Even though Mark Twain wrote this book two decades after the Emancipation Proclamation and the end of the civil war, America was still struggling with racism. Twain set this novel several decades earlier than the time in which he wrote it.
This allowed for him to show how slavery affected the world and its lasting impact. By showing how slavery and racism affected the world he exposed the hypocrisy of slavery. Watson and Sally Phelps showed no concern for the unjust ways of slavery, or the fact of how cruel it was to seperate Jim from his family.
Add to favorites. Submit your own. Similar Articles. Previous Next. My Plea. View profile. Mexico: A Very Dysfunctional Counrty. The Study Drug. You Drive Me Crazy. It's Not Worth It. To Spank or Not to Spank. This article has 2 comments. Post comment. I agree that Huck Finn is a great book, but Mark Twain knew that the n-word was not a polite term to use in everyday language. That was not the proper term to address African-Americans.
It was just as offensive back then as it is today. Again, not that it isn't an excellent book, but Mark Twain knew that the novel would cause controversy. E3T3D3 said I really Like this article and how it argues about whether it should be taught in school or not. Share this on. Your name. Your email address. Friend's name. Friend's email address. Send by email. Tell my friends.
Choose what to email Which of your works would you like to tell your friends about? Fan art. This factor and the emotional harm that the racist point of view might cause students are the most important considerations in weighing the pros and cons of teaching Huckleberry Finn. Twain had personal approval of the illustrations for the first edition, yet the edition includes terribly racist portrayals.
Nevertheless, the illustrations for the early chapters were approved. When a student says that presence of the n-word or racist portrayals is creating negative feelings, we must take this concern very seriously. Many students would not admit to this sensitivity, but the harm may be occurring nonetheless.
There is no easy answer here. How can we balance the well-being of the students with our obligation to explore the troubling issues of America and its past? I offer no solution. Whether you decide to teach the original novel, keep the n-word silent, teach a version that removes the n-word, or drop the novel entirely, be prepared to defend you choice.
I do teach the novel, but I tell students that I do not want to hear the n-word aloud. I also explore this debate with the students so that they can voice their own views and objections. Sending a letter home explaining your views on the novel, your approach, and requesting feedback might be the best way to prevent problems. How does a teacher justify the inclusion of the novel? Whatever your views on the pros and cons of teaching Huckleberry Finn , there are elements that make the novel a masterpiece for many.
Twain structures Huckleberry Finn as an American odyssey. Our protagonist is not the nobility of antiquity, but, like America itself, an ignorant upstart. Huck, like Odysseus, must use his wits to overcome all of the adventures and adversaries in his path. The internal flaw with which he contends is not hubris but closed-mindedness. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn gives secondary students the opportunity to develop a more nuanced view of narrative structure.
The novel demonstrates a traditional plot structure, but it has been enhanced with episodes, sub-plots, and parallel plots. Even the sub-plots have sub-plots. Despite these complexities, Twain artfully weaves a cohesive whole. A key pro of teaching Huckleberry Finn is the opportunity for students to develop a more analytical approach regarding point of view.
The fact that Huck is a racist boy telling his story of aiding a freedom-seeker is essential to the resonance of the novel. We pull for him in spite of his prejudice. Huck like America in must overcome internal racial bias to do what is right.
Because of this prejudice, Huck is an unreliable narrator. He is not trying to deceive us; he is telling us the facts as he knows them. Herein lies the problem, he sees the facts through his racist lens. Jim must wear a mask of idiocy and subservience, even with his friend Huck. Evidence that Jim is performing:. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn demonstrates symbols and allegories exquisitely. The symbols of the river and the raft are organic, beautiful, nuanced, and multi-faceted.
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