Why was “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” Banned?

Mark Twain may be one of American’s superlative writers, but his book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been contested for many reasons. One would be for the racist language and it’s very inappropriate for children Depending on the reader the racism could possibly be overlooked as a reason for the book to be banned. Second, Huckleberry questioning the rules of society. This is a big issue for many students who are already questioning the society rules. Third, it is teaching bad morals to students.

The knowledge of this book isn’t impropriated and needs to be ban. Though the word nigger was a common way to rereferring to a slave doesn’t make it acceptable to use it in a classroom. This book can make many students feel uncomfortable while having to read those words out loud and it can also cause allot of trouble with ignorant students who just want to use the N-word to make the African-American students upset. The school and teacher should take consideration to the African-American students who may get offend while reading book. Huck Finn will remain on the banned books list because it will remain a burr under the saddle of so many people because it goes to the heart of what still bothers us to this day. (Chadwick, 2017) what she is trying to say here is that many of us have conversations about race and racism but don’t really listen and engage in a real substantive conversation to the topic.

In the book chapter 15 “It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger; but I done it, and I weren’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, 1884) Huck wasn’t happy about having to apologize to a black man, but he does it anyways. This is one example of racism in the book this could make younger readers thinks it’s okay to half gibe apologizes and its not if you do something wrong you should always apologize and that’s what they will need to know but reading this would make think it’s okay. As we get more into the book in chapter 16 Mark Twain says “It most froze me to hear such talk. He wouldn’t ever dared to talk such talk in his life before. Just see what a difference it made in him the minute he judged he was about free. It was according to the old saying, “Give a nigger an inch and he’ll take an ell.” Thinks I, this is what comes of my not thinking. Here was this nigger, which I had as good as helped to run away, coming right out flat-footed and saying he would steal his children that belonged to a man I didn’t even know; a man that hadn’t ever done me no harm. Huck says “”his children”” when he’s talking about Jim, but then, after that he later, says that those children “belonged” to a different man. (Twain, 1884)

While all this is being said he has used many contradictions in this quote. Some things Mark Twain could have kept some type of Rated E level. There are many times in the story when Twain shows social injustices, but there is no point more obvious than when Huck and Jim must make landfall. Jim is a slave that is consider as someone’s property not a human being, wonder around with Huck an uneducated constantly under pressure to conform to the tame dysfunctional white boy. Twain expose the racism and injustice of society develops along with the adventures that Jim and Huck partake. The journey down the river provides us with that chance to see how Huck is question society. Throughout the book we see the display of society. When Miss Watson. constantly has too keep correcting Huck for his unacceptable behavior, but Huck doesn’t understand why, this isn’t such a big deal on page “The idea of you lynching anybody! It’s amusing. The idea of you thinking you had plucked enough to lynch a man! The pitifulness’ thing out is a mob; that’s what an army is- a mob; they don’t fight with courage that’s born in them, but with courage that’s borrowed from their mass, and from their officers. But a mob without any man at the head of it is beneath pitifulness” (Twain, 1884).

There are many more examples, but these behaviors shouldn’t be ignored and should be explain to students that the behavior that is portray in the book was not okay back then, but it was in white people eye and shouldn’t be reacted. Because there is consequence when you act such away. What is the injustice? Injustice is a concept related to undeserved and unjust results. This term can be applied in reference to a particular event or situation, or to an established order in which there is an absence of justice. Social injustices wasn’t just going on back in the day but is still an issue today. Not only with race, but with sex, and class. today we are still having a problem with people getting treated based on their apparent socio-economic status, woman is still being treated as if they are weaker then males and gays are not equal, and people are treated unequally because of the color of their skin is a social injustice not just with Blacks but Mexicans. They have been taking these children way from their family and think hat is okay everyone has the lawful rights to stay with their family through deployment back to their rightful country. Then you have poor families in slaving their children just to live up to part with other many people say if they got themselves in it they can get out. But that’s not always the case many people were born int poorness and have no other way of living so I don’t think we should just put people in a category just because of their socio-economic style but who they are as a person.

As, with woman and gays not having equal rights as man is unacceptable In the United States, women in the workforce earn 82% less than their male counterparts. It has been shown that black students are punished more frequently and harder than their white counterparts in preschoolers. Teaching children, the wrong way of thing will never get us to the place that everyone wants to be. People should treat every child and human being equal, never down nor treats someone different because of their sex or the color of their skin and their belief. In conclusion Mark Twain may be a good writer but he should, or maybe someone can rewrite his book for elementary students. Yes this book should be banned I was offended while reading this book on an audio while being the only African American student in the class it was weird and I know many other students felt the same way I did while reading this book.

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