Alexis Timm
Mrs. Mirosh
1st hour English 11
21 February 2017
To Read or Not To Read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel published by Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pen name as Mark Twain, in 1884. The story is more than just a story however as many adults, parents, and educators believe that this book is unfit for a classroom setting. What they are unable or (unwilling) to see are the benefits of reading and analyzing this story. It allows students to understand history in context as well as understanding the vernacular of the time, it also allows opportunities for discussing conflicting views and controversial issues in a safe and controlled environment. History can be a vague concept to study and understand.
…show more content…
(Leigh, Punchnels) While that is alright for a school to do that, and they have every right to do so, kids will come into contact with words like that again and they cannot be protected forever. For example, Huckleberry Finn has been banned in schools nationwide for using the word ‘nigger’ two-hundred and nineteen times over the course of the novel. (News, CBS) Many people have backed up and valid arguments for banning the book and they are entitled to their opinions. Some parents do not wish for their children to be exposed to the content in the story at the age of the child when the book is introduced. Violence and sexual themes in all forms of media have found their ways to today’s youth. In just the 32 years Banned Books week has been acknowledged, over 11,000 books have been challenged. (Leigh, Punchnels) The presence of witchcraft, encouragement of ‘damaging’ lifestyles, violence, and negativity are all reasons that books have been challenged in the United States. All schools and educational institutions of any sort have a policy regarding the selection of instructional materials. The Denali Borough School District in Alaska is a school system that opened up to talk about their policy. Alaska is one of the few states in the United States that allows schools to more or less govern themselves, giving them soft standards
“Banning books gives us silence when we need speech. It closes our ears when we need to listen. It makes us blind when we need sight,” Stephen Chbosky. Books open up people’s minds to new ideas and allow people to the world in a new light. Banning books only makes one want to read those books more- to learn and poder over the controversial issues. One controversially banned novel is the The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This book while still has lessons to teach people in today’s society, including the ignorance of racism to addressing modern day issues; therefore The Adventures of Huckleberry FInn should not be banned.
The novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is one of the most controversial novels written in American literature. Multiple different people have disagreed about this novel and whether it should be allowed to be taught in school or banned since the late 1980s. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a valuable novel and should be included in high school curriculum because it teaches students about the history of American society, it demonstrates Twain’s style of writing, and it addresses the topic of race.
Mob mentality is the way an individual’s decisions become influenced by the often unprincipled actions of a crowd. Mark Twain penned The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain grew up in America’s southern states during the early 1800’s, a time in which moral confusion erupted within the minds of humans. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 's protagonist is a young boy named Huck who freely travels along the Mississippi River. Throughout his journey, Huck’s morality is tested as he is subjected to corrupt issues that were common in Twain 's life. One of the complications displayed in the novel includes the violent and impulsive aspects of mob mentality. Mark Twain is able to reveal the immoral nature of mob mentality through outraged and haughty tones within the novel.
Throughout Mark Twain 's novel he shows the budding of an unorthodox friendship between a runaway slave and a juvenile delinquent. Mark Twain also shows how people from too different but similar situations come together to try to free one another from their troubles. Huck And Jim Are Two you can say friends who are Trying to escape their own Troublesome lives, encountering many obstacles such as getting Jim captured and disguising as different people and much more.In the story of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Jim and Huck have become very close because they experience some sort of the same situations in life. Jim is a African American slave who wants to run away to make enough money so he can free his family from slavery and be a
Huck Finn grew up in an abusive home in which he has no control over. Huck does not wish to ever go back to such a hell since one knows about such a man to do such harsh things. You’re self-wellness by in which you grew upon throughout the years has turned you into the person you are today. The people you’ve been around, the friends you’ve made, and even the enemies you’ve made have made you who you are today. Huck Finn is like you in such a way. Always trying to figure what’s right and what’s wrong. Always trying to adjust to situations he is in for the better. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Tom Sawyer, a young but brave kid, has made a gang in which he would like Huck to join. But in order for Huck to join he needs to start being more and more respectful to Ms. Watson who adopted Huck from his abusive father. Tom Sawyer, Ms. Watson, and other characters use this sort of morality building to help Huck with him being respectful to the other folk. Sounds similar, yes? Most of our parents and friends use these types of morality’s in religion, goals, warnings, holidays, and even sometimes themselves such as if you do what they did then you’ll be just as rich as them. Every Action, every word, everything you have received, felt, and have done build your sense of right and wrong.
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “identity” is defined as “the distinguishing character or personality of an individual,” which includes the individual’s unique qualities and beliefs. It is crucial for a person to keep his identity intact at all times, especially in times of trouble. However, those in power often seek to make those subservient to them lose their sense of identity. For instance, “white torture” is a type of psychological torture used that includes extreme sensory deprivation and isolation, making the detainee lose their personal identity through long periods of isolation. Similarly, white slave owners in the American South during the 18th and 19th centuries often attempted to make their slaves lose their identity, through a variety of means. When a slave lost his identity, he would no longer feel like a real person and did not have the urge to resist the wrongdoings that were occurring. This can be seen in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Slave Narrative by Frederick Douglass, and 12 Years a Slave by Solomon Northup.
Identity is something that sets us apart from each other. Personal identity is something that many, if not everyone searches for in life. Identity answers the questions, who are you and what do you stand for. When discovering a personal identity, one is able to find out why they are the way they are. The developing and changing personal identity of Huckleberry Finn in this iconic story is something that is very well worth focusing on. Though the most obvious theme in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is race and the issues it causes in society, the discovery and search for one’s true identity is also a very prevalent and central theme in this often controversial piece of literature.
What makes a novel racist? The novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, is a story of race relations between slaves and whites and is often percieved as racist book. To understand what racism is, we have to define it. Racism is: a belief that inherent differences among various races determines cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one’s own race is superior and has the right to rule others. Going off the definition of racism, this novel represents a clear racist sentiment as white characters excercise their superiority over blacks and society considers it okay. African Americans and slaves are treated as property, considered unintelligent and gullible, and are put through unneccessary hardship
The idea of freedom, in Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, is displayed as an issue that Huck and Jim must overcome to achieve a greater life. Or so they both think. As the story progresses however, it isn 't as easy as they first planned. They leave to gain their freedom, but as they go on their journey, they begin to realize that it isn 't as easy as they had originally thought. Through the progression that both Jim and Huck have, it becomes apparent that although their original goal was to gain freedom, the true achievement of equality is still to come.
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the mind of man usually differs depending how he was raised. In this case, Huckleberry Finn a young thirteen-year-old boy who doesn’t really have anything to cling on to when it comes to parental advice, affection, or presence from anyone before his odyssey defies that theory. Hence, without a guide Huck only knows what society wants when it comes to push and shove Huck, himself, chooses not to interfere but allows himself to see the world for what it really is. Thus, making him more alone than ever yet open-minded. Being the main protagonist, Huck, has to deal with many moral choices that make him question the principles of society. This, helps him become mentally inclined and supports his ‘atrocious’ decisions. Similarly, the author of the novel, Mark Twain known for his wisdom, bold, and crafty writing expresses himself through Huck. Mr.Twain provides one with the sense of how close minded society was during his time. Mr.Twain illustrates Southern society and displays the cruelty including the segregation that they configured to be appropriate. As a result, comes in Huck’s moral judgement. Many, believe morals to be decisions based on what one was taught whether it be religion or beliefs in general but Huck lacking many of what i just described makes decisions based on his instincts when it comes to making up his mind on what 's right from wrong. In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck’s moral consciousness
“To succeed in life, you need two things; ignorance and confidence.” Mark Twain’s idea here is if no ignorance exists in the world, then there is nothing to learn from, nothing to make better, and nothing to balance society. His most well-known book includes both ignorance and confidence. Although the confidence mentioned contains little effort to succeed. The world continues to learn from its mistakes and thrives from the solution only to improve even further. In Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, three meaningful subjects are explored in, education, appearance and reality, and friendship that are still relevant today while also throughout one’s existence.
In the next few chapters of Huckleberry Finn, Twain introduces a new side of the King and the Duke that you hadn’t seen before. When they arrive in a small town on the river, they go aboard a ferryboat that is heading to Orleans. They hear a young boy talking about two men that were supposed to come aboard to head to their brother’s funeral, and that they would be getting a large inheritance from the brother. So like all greedy men, the king and the duke decide to pretend to be the two uncles and head to the house of their “brother” with Huck. I think twain uses the King and the Duke to show how another part of society is influencing Huck’s moral struggles. Since Huck met the king and duke, they’ve pretended to be people that they weren’t, and Huck allowed them to do so. Then, when they decide to pretend to be the uncles of a dead stranger, Huck allows them to go through with that action as well, and it almost costs all of them. I think that Twain is trying to show how there are several different kinds of people in society, and I think he has created different characters for practically all those types of people. I think the King and the Duke represent parts of the world that think that they can do whatever they want and be whoever they want and that it won’t come with consequences. They think they are really smart and creative for pretending to be brothers of a wealthy man, but they didn’t think of the dangers of playing those roles. For one thing, both of the real uncles
Although there are many intriguing pieces of literary in American History, two of the most influential novels are Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Almost ironically, the main characters of both of these novels are shockingly similar. Since these pieces have been published there has been a lot of discussion about how the two novels are related even though they were written in two completely different time periods. Very famous writers crafted these two novels. J.D. Salinger and Mark Twain are icons in American Literature. With the similarities and differences in narrative style, the novels Catcher in the Rye and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn have spoken to the readers about the author’s views on society, their state of mind, and how the narrative style offers social criticism.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Written by Mark Twain filled his stories with many examples of satire as to convey a message while also writing an interesting story. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn revolves around the adventures of a young boy called Huckleberry Finn, who is about thirteen years old. Tom Sawyer is Huck’s best friend and around the same age as Huck. He is only there in the first few chapters and the last few chapters of the story. There are similarities between the two characters but there are also many differences between the two characters. Mark Twain, to convey his message about society, used the contrast between Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer to show contrast between society and the outside of society. Tom Sawyer is part of the story to highlight particular qualities of Huckleberry Finn.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, was written before The Civil War, by Mark Twain (AKA) Samuel Clemens, was written in Hartford Connecticut, and Elmira New York in 1876 to 1883. Mark Twain’s writings often show life lessons being told through characters and are very involved with society and the effects that is has on certain people, like most other novels it shows morals and beliefs of the time era. Authors use many different techniques in literature to portray whatever they wish to give to the reader. Motifs are childhood lies and cons, superstitions and folk beliefs; the hypocrisy of “civilized” society. This technique is one used very frequently in this novel.