Why Is Huck Finn A Racist Novel
Many people consider “The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn” a racist book. It was banned from many schools all over the country, and has been known for it’s bad language, actions, and racism. Most likely it was banned by someone with pious beliefs. However, a closer look at the novel would change one's opinion. Is this book racist? Or is it just realistic for the time period? A novel written like that today would be unacceptable, but it was written many many years ago when racism wasn’t a big deal to the public. Back then, it was normal to speak and act as the characters in the book did.
Throughout the book, many racist comments and language was used. One of the main reasons the book was banned was because the use of the word “nigger”. …show more content…
The people banning the books had cynicism, they just thought that Mark Twain was just using explicit content just because he wanted to. He didn’t write like that based on want, he wrote it based on reality. By reading this book, it actually teaches kids what racism is, and gives them an idea how bad it was. (Duke) "Because Mary Jane 'll be in mourning from this out; and first you know the nigger that does up the rooms will get an order to box these duds up and put 'em away; and do you reckon a nigger can run across money and not borrow some of it?" (26.97) This quote is basically saying that every slave or African American is a thief. However Duke (the speaker in this particular quote) is a thief himself. This is a perfect example of hypocrisy, and it is basically showing how all men are equal, and it doesn’t matter the skin color. Anyone can do anything, not every black person is a thief, not every white person is a thief. It depends on the person you are, not skin color. Racism still exists today, reading this book actually teaches something about racism, and how life was like back then. It is good to have a real education about racism. It played a serious role in history, and everyone should know their history, and how much this country has changed. History is a part of everyones education for a reason, so why would we try to ban accurate pieces of literature? Because they don’t want to poison the …show more content…
Having that skill is key for future jobs which can change your life. This book isn’t racist. It is simply real life. It’s important to know what kind of stuff actually happened. Banning this book is the perfect example of being closed minded. Now hundreds of students will never get to see writing like The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn, which is a very realistic and very accurate book when it comes to social standards and slaves. They will never get to know new ways or things. Learning new things gives ingenuity, which is important to have, especially for situations that require good decisions and thinking. Reading this book shows what a poorly educated person talks like, children can learn from this, and learn proper grammar etc. It would be a calamity if students weren’t able to learn from this book. “"Well, it's a blame ridicklous way, en I doan' want to hear no mo' 'bout it. Dey ain' no sense in it."
"Looky here, Jim; does a cat talk like we do?" (14.39, 14.40)
In this quote, it shows how badly grammar was back then and that it was just a colloquial vernacular. The point of learning is to understand more, comprehend what is happening and to take something from it. “The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn” is perfectly appropriate for it’s targeted readers. It’s not found in elementary schools, it’s found in middle school and above, which is the age of kids who are maturing, and at their peak of learning.
Throughout the book, many racist comments and language was used. One of the main reasons the book was banned was because the use of the word “nigger”. …show more content…
The people banning the books had cynicism, they just thought that Mark Twain was just using explicit content just because he wanted to. He didn’t write like that based on want, he wrote it based on reality. By reading this book, it actually teaches kids what racism is, and gives them an idea how bad it was. (Duke) "Because Mary Jane 'll be in mourning from this out; and first you know the nigger that does up the rooms will get an order to box these duds up and put 'em away; and do you reckon a nigger can run across money and not borrow some of it?" (26.97) This quote is basically saying that every slave or African American is a thief. However Duke (the speaker in this particular quote) is a thief himself. This is a perfect example of hypocrisy, and it is basically showing how all men are equal, and it doesn’t matter the skin color. Anyone can do anything, not every black person is a thief, not every white person is a thief. It depends on the person you are, not skin color. Racism still exists today, reading this book actually teaches something about racism, and how life was like back then. It is good to have a real education about racism. It played a serious role in history, and everyone should know their history, and how much this country has changed. History is a part of everyones education for a reason, so why would we try to ban accurate pieces of literature? Because they don’t want to poison the …show more content…
Having that skill is key for future jobs which can change your life. This book isn’t racist. It is simply real life. It’s important to know what kind of stuff actually happened. Banning this book is the perfect example of being closed minded. Now hundreds of students will never get to see writing like The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn, which is a very realistic and very accurate book when it comes to social standards and slaves. They will never get to know new ways or things. Learning new things gives ingenuity, which is important to have, especially for situations that require good decisions and thinking. Reading this book shows what a poorly educated person talks like, children can learn from this, and learn proper grammar etc. It would be a calamity if students weren’t able to learn from this book. “"Well, it's a blame ridicklous way, en I doan' want to hear no mo' 'bout it. Dey ain' no sense in it."
"Looky here, Jim; does a cat talk like we do?" (14.39, 14.40)
In this quote, it shows how badly grammar was back then and that it was just a colloquial vernacular. The point of learning is to understand more, comprehend what is happening and to take something from it. “The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn” is perfectly appropriate for it’s targeted readers. It’s not found in elementary schools, it’s found in middle school and above, which is the age of kids who are maturing, and at their peak of learning.