Against The adventures of Huckleberry Finn

1. Against The adventures of Huckleberry Finn Presentation by: Owen Jarmoc

2. The Issue • “This book is not good for our children” (Wallace 16). • In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain the word nigger is used 219 times. • The Webster Dictionary defines the word “nigger” as a “Negro or member of any dark-skinned race of people, and is offensive.” • In many novels and movies it is perceived that the word nigger is used and accepted by blacks. • This racist novel has been banned from over 100 school across the country for its use of the word nigger. (Wallace)

3. In the Classroom • In the classroom it is the job of the educator to discourage the ridicule of different children. “The assignment and reading aloud of Huckleberry Finn in our classrooms is humiliating and insulting to black students. It contributes to their feelings of low self-esteem and to the white students’ disrespect for black people. It constitutes mental cruelty, harassment, and outright racial intimidation to force black students to sit in the classroom with there peers and read Huckleberry Finn. The attitudes developed by the reading of such literature can lead to tensions, discontent, and even fighting. If this book is removed from the required reading list of our schools, there should be improved student–to–student, student-to-teacher and teacher-to-teacher relationships “(Wallace 17). (Wallace)

4. In The Class Room • Every student wants to be accept and like for who they are. • No student wants there differences from other students to standout. • It is the best for the class and the student if their differences are not highlighted, and all the students are treated the same. • By reading Huckleberry Finn color, the one thing that is always apparent is demonstrated in a negative way. (Wallace)

5. The Teachers • The traditional version of Huckleberry Finn is a novel that should be taught in collage level courses. • It should be the teachers job, to assist the students in understanding the history setting and the social context of the novel. • In America there are teachers that are hostile and racist, and should not be aloud to teach Huckleberry Finn.

6. The Teacher • All teacher should teaches their student to respect all races, religions, and ethnic groups. • The only reason that Huckleberry Finn is a American classic is because it ridicules black to a great state than an other book does.

7. Equal Opportunity • Even in the hands of some of the best teachers in the country, Huckleberry Finn can be used as a source of racist propaganda. • According to the Fourteenth Amendment “The use of the word “nigger” in the classroom does not provide black students with equal protection and is in violation of their constitutional rights. Without equal protection, they have neither equal access nor equal opportunity for an education” (Wallace 19). (Wallace)

8. The Black Student • Through literature, the black student does not need to be submersed in even more racism. “The primary school child learns, almost the minute he enters school, that black is associated with dirtiness, ugliness, and wickedness. Much of what teachers and students think of the black child is color based. As a result, the black pupil knows his pigmentation is an impediment to his progression” (Wallace 22). (Moore)

9. Nigger • The word nigger can take away from the true message of Huckleberry Finn. • The word nigger is found to be extremely offensive. • The use of the word nigger is unnecessary. • Replacing the word nigger with the world slave, makes the book less controversial.

10. Nigger • In the new version of Huckleberry Finn with the word slave in place of nigger, the word slave will keep the true meaning of the novel, and make the novel less controversial.

11. Recomendiations • There are other books that are better fit as an introduction to serious reading. • The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is a novel, that is great book to communicate the message of color and ethnic background, but it doesn’t point out any one student difference like Huckleberry Finn does.

12. Works Cited Duban, James. "We Want Young People to Read." The New York Times. Web. 04 Apr. 2011. Moore, Lorrie. "Send Huck Finn to College." The New York Times. Web. 04 Apr. 2011. Wallace, John H. "The Case against Huck Finn." Satire or Evasion: Black Prospective on Huck Finn. North Carolina: Duke UP, 1991. Print