...November 2009 Analytical Essay of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, was written by Mark Twain and originally published in 1884 during a time when slavery was prominent in the United States. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the story regarding the interracial friendship between the two main characters, Huck and Jim. Huck is a young white male who is on the run, making his getaway from his abusive father. While escaping the life he lived, his adventures take him down the Mississippi River. Jim is a black escaped slave, making the same journey along the Mississippi River as Huck, making his way to freedom. As they experience different adventures on their travels along the Mississippi River, Huck and Jim form a very unique friendship. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn became a book that both revolutionized American literature and became a book at the center of literary debate (Webb). Many people regard The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as one of the greatest novels in American literature; others think it celebrates racism and should be banned from our schools. “In recent years the racial (and racist) implications of every aspect of the novel have been subject to critical debate, as have questions about the racial beliefs of the author”(Levine 95). The reason for the wide spread debate is mainly due to the books vernacular use of the word “nigger” and, although some argue that the novel is extremely racist, it is a powerful anti-slavery and...
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...“The Adventure of huckleberry Finn” is one of the greatest of American literature book by Mark Twain. As far as we know, this book has been heated debate in America whether it should be taught in school or not. Many people challenged and banned this book. But I think it should be taught in school because it teaches kids about racism and slavery of that time period. People who against this book misunderstand what important information Twain wants to talk about, they criticize Mark Twain and find offensive words from this book .Like “nigger”. “One member of the committee says that, while he does not wish to call it immoral, he thinks it contains but little humor, and that of a very coarse type. He regards it as the trash.”(Boston...
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...My literary critique on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is focused on the confusion of the message being given to the reader do to the conscious struggle between right and wrong, an example of that would be the decision of stealing from Ms. Watson and freeing Jim, or not stealing from Ms. Watson and leaving Jim as a slave. Huck did decided that even though stealing from Ms. Watson would surely send him to “Hell” he still went with his gut and freed Jim, But with that later in the story shortly after Ms. Watsons death Huck and Jim found out that in her will she had freed Jim anyways. The ending of that situation in this story is what I choose to critique because of the cloudy message that is being given to the reader. It does not support...
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...Huck Finn: Comparing and Contrasting the Controversies Surrounding Banning Books The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, deemed one of the great American novels, was published by Mark Twain in 1884. From the start, this novel has sparked a lot of negative criticism. There were heated debates among critics, and in schools debating whether or not to ban this controversial piece of literature. In today's society, this book still offends sensitive readers, because it was written in a time when people were not sensitive to the plight of African Americans. Just a month after it was published, The Concord, library in Massachusetts banned all copies stating that it was “Not suitable for trash.” (Ruta1) It was believed, that racism was at the heart of this book, and the content was, and still viewed as being harsh. Louisa May Alcott was a popular author who served on the very first library committee in Massachusetts, where The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was banned. She voted against this book from being sold, read or viewed. Criticizing Mark Twain saying that "Huck should not sweat. He should perspire." (Ruta1) Other libraries began removing their copies stating that it is inappropriate for children to read. The number of concerned citizens continue to debate on this subject today. Derogatory words are seen throughout this story in reference to showcase the difference between the two classes, white verses black. This book not only celebrates an unlikely friendship between...
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...The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Classic American Bildungsroman Mark Twain’s famous novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is much more than a story about a boy and an escaped slave adventuring along the Mississippi River; it is a bildungsroman, a coming of age tale. Huckleberry has the mindset of a child in the beginning of the story. Over the course of the novel, Huckleberry gains a more mature outlook on things such as racism. He also becomes a more morally aware individual as a result of his adventures. Although Huckleberry regresses near the conclusion of the novel, it easy to see that he is far more mature than he is in the beginning of the novel and therefore a better person, Huckleberry has come of age. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is difinetly bildungsroman. In the beginning of the novel it is clear that Huckleberry is not mature in the least bit. He has a poor understanding of morals which is to be expected due to his lower class upbringing and lack of education, neither academic nor religious. Huckleberry addresses the fact that he has been living with the Widow Douglas: “she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me; but it was rough living in the house all the time, considering how dismal regular and decent the widow was in all her ways; and so when I couldn’t stand it no longer I lit out” (1). Although Huckleberry ends up not running away, it is clear to the reader that he is not happy trying to be civilized. He is a typical teenager...
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...hundred years and the controversy of the word’s use has been lingering in the minds of all those living in America. Through his book, Mark Twain pushes his readers into thinking about why slavery is wrong and how immoral slavery is. By forcing doubt into the reader’s minds, Twain successfully gets his message through. Although some readers do not get the reason behind Twain’s constant use of the “n-word”, Twain’s book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remains as one of Twain’s best sellers. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn sends a subliminal message depicting slavery as an immoral occurrence in history, unfortunately for some, this book has been misinterpreted as racist. Mark Twain did not intend...
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...“Nigger” shows up on 200+ occasions in the novel (Smith). According to Cassander L. Smith, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a racist book. Its constant use of vulgar language has caused many editors to try and remove the bad words. However, even if the words are all replaced, the message of racism and slavery still shines through (Smith). Even if the word nigger is replaced throughout the novel, the readers would still comprehend what is being said. (Smith). For example if one says “gosh darn” everyone knows what the message is even without the cussing. It is not just language and vocabulary used to get a point across, but tone and sentence structure. Towards the end of the novel, Aunt Sally asks if anyone was hurt and Huck replies, “No’m....
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...race all because of simple trait; the color of one’s skin. In Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, racism brutally appears in Mark Twain’s book and continuously seems to beat the reader with outrageous racial and cruel quotes that makes a person hate human society and their disgusting, despicable ways. The dehumanizing of people through the travesty of racism and slavery makes one shudder at how brutal the people of the 1800s acted. When Aunt Sally asks Huck, while he is pretending to be Tom Sawyer, if anybody has been hurt in a shooting he answers by saying, “No’m. Killed a nigger” (Twain 276). As if a slave dying does not count as a person, Aunt Sally goes on to say how great that...
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...There has been serious argument over Huckleberry Finn and whether or not it was a racist book which lead to some bannings from school systems and remakes of the book itself. Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not a racist book because of Huck’s developing morals, accurate depiction of the time period, and the overall theme throughout the book. Throughout the book, huck develops his own morals separate from societies. The biggest moment that this shows is when he finally decides to go against society and break Jim out of slavery. He debates in his mind whether he should send this letter to Jim’s original slave owner or to help Jim and eventually says “Alright, then, I’ll go to hell” indicating that he has decided to go against...
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...waking up his readers. Many school districts and libraries banned his classic novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, due to its nerve-striking content. Many people only see what is on the surface of Huck Finn and ignore the true message within the text. Some teachers whilst reading aloud to the class even refuse to openly say “nigger,” which is found two hundred and nineteen times in the novel. From all of this Twain and Huck Finn have gathered a bad reputation despite all the thought provoking and positive aspects of the novel. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be kept in high school curriculum because it showcases a truthful side American history, teaches morals and values,...
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...Woods CP English III December 13, 2012 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain has been considered one of the greatest American novels in history. Unfortunately, no one receives this sort of praise without criticism. This book has been deemed indecent for many younger readers due to its lack of morals and failure to conform to today’s politically correct language. Most of the disapproval comes from the racist comments, words, and general feeling towards one of the main characters, Jim. The big controversy here is whether or not this book should be available for young readers in libraries, and if it should be used as a learning material in classrooms. The book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be taught in classrooms under certain conditions. One of the strongest reasons people believe that younger readers should not be subjected to this book is because of its racial undertones. Twain was writing to portray what happened at this time in history and what the social norms were. In fact if he didn’t include words such as the “N” word in his novel it would not have accurately portrayed the people during that time period. Using these racial terms is a sensitive Maze 2 thing to deal with. Although this book is accurate, younger readers aren’t educated enough to know the consequences of some of the terms used. Michiko Kakutani believed that “to censor or redact books on school reading lists is a form of denial:...
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...Huck Finn Collaborative Essay Slavery, discrimination, and tears. These are some of the main concepts in the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Written in 1885, this book, written by Mark Twain, is set pre-civil war where slavery is a common occurrence. Mark Twain uses several techniques to show the time and setting of this classic. The book illustrates an important angle to society's influence on its people. Throughout the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, several literary devices support the important theme, societal influence on characters actions and decisions. Symbolism is a very important literary device used throughout the book to show the theme, societal influence on a character’s decision. Mark Twain uses symbols such...
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...Would you not go to school just because you hear one or two kids curse? No, since attending school allows you to achieve an education and if you did not become educated then you will not become successful or become the best of yourself you can be. Similarly, in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, students should read it whether there be offensive words in it, since there is such a prevalent theme that everyone should know and be able to learn from. Every year the English language is changed whether it be “twerking” or having “swag”; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn features the n-word over two-hundred times. If every book that had derogatory terms was banned, there would be no books for students to learn from. Furthermore, almost every group of people have been stigmatized against and in order to prevent future...
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...Since Mark Twain's best selling novel, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", there has been controversy over whether the book should be banned in public schools. Some people say that the book has strong political and religious views, along with pervasive language. "It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a n****; but I done it, and I warn't ever sorry for it afterwards, neither. I didn't do him no more mean tricks, and I wouldn't done that one if I'd a knowed it would make him feel that way" (Twain 156). Huck is not too happy about having to apologize to a black man, but he does it anyways. It shows a paradox by having Huck be not as racist as everyone else, which makes him a good person. This could have a negative effect on students due to racial slurs and foul language that could offend others....
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...Huckleberry Finn: School Worthy Nigger. Does the word offend you? Normally the answer to that may be yes and perhaps rightfully so with the general disrespect it carries today. Now say you watched a civil war film. Would it offend you if a southern character in that movie said it? The likely answer is no: it’s in character, in context, and readily expected before it happens. Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn uses this word hundreds of times, and that single word has raised more opponents and uproars than most, if not all, other books on our country’s High-School level reading list. The book was published in 1884, but takes place before the civil war, which started in 1861. Since it was placed on the reading list the book has made an uproar, mostly over claims that it is a racist book to the core. The critics of the book, that is the ones causing such uproar over the novel, seem to have either only read to the third chapter or only understood up to the third chapter. The book is as racist and pro-slavery as Abraham Lincoln was, should be found about as offensive if given the proper understanding, and has earned itself a well-deserved place in our schools. The time in which this book takes place is of paramount importance to the arguments for and against it, but seems mostly ignored in that perspective. The book, as previously said, takes place shortly prior to the Civil War and in the southern states of our country at the time. This, if nothing...
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