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Should Huckleberry Finn Be Taught In Schools

Decent Essays

To teach, or not to teach, that seemingly straightforward question comes to a deadlock in school when it comes to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. If readers take a superficial glance at the book, they will be aghast when they find out that n*gger, a derogatory term, is used over 200 times in the book (Rawls). However, readers cannot thumb through the pages and assume that the derogatory term is used for belittlement; rather, it is used in the context of that time period to help readers grasp a better comprehension. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be taught in School because the book considers the treatment of African Americans in pre-Civil War era, presents some of the diverse dialects found throughout the US, and …show more content…

She put me in them new clothes again, and I couldn’t do nothing” (Twain 4). A few pages later, the audience is introduced to Jim’s dialect when he speaks in the book for the first time and says: “‘Say, who is you? Whar is you? Dog my cats ef I didn’ hear sumf’n. Well, I know what I’s gwyne to do: I’s gwyne to set down here and listen tell I hears it agin’” (Twain 10). The usage of these certain dialects in the book aids the audience becomes more accustomed to the historical context portrayed in the book and also supplies the audience with knowledge pertaining to American accents and …show more content…

The usage of such racial epithets was to give the audience a better context of the epoch, to express the dialect used in the book, and to better shine the light on the predicaments of the slaves in the era. These opponents cannot avoid racism forever; however, as a recent study completed by the University of Arkansas found that over 80% of African Americans, 60% of Latinos, and around 40% of Caucasians still experience day to day racism, regardless of if they live in the North or South (Dowe). Moreover, major news channels, including, but not limited to, ABC News and U.S. News & World Report, even have specific, running pages devoted to the prickly issue. Sooner or later, the adversaries’ bliss is going be curtailed as they will face an imminent meeting with the reality that they did not want to

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