Argument Essay:The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

        No book should be banned, if you don’t find a book appropriate, ignore it. Other people may enjoy or admire that book and they should have the right to expose themselves to the material without our approval or input. “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” was written by Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) and published in 1884 (England) and 1885 (United States). It depicts the life of a boy spending most of his time on and along the great Mississippi river, trying to save the life of a slave by the name of Jim. Throughout the story, Huck Finn encounters many problems, like being kidnapped by his father, he also struggles to survive along side Jim, a slave, to try and set him free. The two meet many people and endure a thoughtful journey.  Yet, what has caused problems, are the words used in the story like, nigger. It has led many people to try and ban the book. However, I believe that the text should not be banned from middle school libraries, because it’s a classic in American writing and readers must understand the time period in which the book was written (1884). The language and characterizations are all there for a reason and they even have benefits themselves.

First of all, the book is a powerful teaching tool, it makes children sit up and listen, because of the words that are present in the text. Sally Hansen, a retired teacher from Eastside High School in Gainesville, Florida, has been teaching the book for thirty five years. She seems to have made observations during those years, “ ‘It does impact students, it does make them sit up and listen…’ ” as quoted from, “Huck Finn Navigating Choppy Waters Again”. The N-word, specifically, is not a very new addition to certain children and young adults vocabulary, who are taught about the reading, “ ‘The word is hardly new to high school students’, says English teacher Lindsey Franklin, who teaches Huckleberry Finn to a predominantly African-American class of eleventh graders at Eastside High School [as well]”. What all this evidence suggests, is that the N word (and more characterizations similar to it) itself are beneficial to the teaching of the classic in school. Additionally, we shouldn't be scared about using these words in front of young adults because many of them already know about the word and are used to it.

Moreover, without the curses and racial slurs the book wouldn’t be the same. It wouldn't portray the same feelings or moods. Those words are what make you feel like you’re in the particular scene and time that “Huck Finn” takes place. Jeff Nichols explains in a more in-depth way, “ ‘The word is there for a reason…The word is terrible, it’s hurtful, but it’s there for a reason…To convey the language and attitudes of Missouri in the 1840’s, in a book written in the 1880’s when Jim Crow laws were being passed in the South to deprive blacks of their civil rights .”. The attitudes and language that Twain put there were to make you realize and understand what was actually happening during the time. Also, Twain invented “Local Color”, which is a technique that is used and was used in many books, it is when an author, like Twain, will use the actions and language of a certain place and time to connect their readers to their book. Therefore, all Twain was doing, was trying to connect his readers to his story. Moving on, Another significant quote from Barbara Jones, of the American Library Association, explains why Twain put certain words in the text, “ ‘The book without that word [nigger] is not Huckleberry Finn…Twain put it there because he wanted people to struggle with it. I think as a country, we’re big enough to struggle with it.’ ”. Jones makes it clear that Twain put it there because he wanted people to struggle with it in the future and realize what it was like back then and how certain people were treated, again the word has many different purposes in the story. Here’s something to think about, if someone changes all the words and racial slurs in the book, for the new edition of Huckleberry Finn, you wouldn't feel the same way as you read the text. Here is a scene from the book, where Huck meets a new family as he travels North with Jim for freedom. The first sentence is the original and the second one would be the modified edition, “A nigger woman came tearing…comes a little nigger girl and two little nigger boys…acting the same way the little niggers was doing.”, now for the modified edition, “A slave woman came tearing…comes a little slave girl and two little slave boys…acting the same way the little slaves was doing.”. After reading both quotes, there is a large difference. As you read the original, something stirs in you and you feel closer to the actual scene and think about the actual time that the book takes place because of the N-word. However, as you finish reading the second quote, you don’t realize the time period in which Twain is trying to depict clearly. Again, all Twain is doing is using “Local Color”.

Finally, the main reason people believe that the novel should be banned, is because of the certain cusses that are present throughout it. However, the words are in there because of the time period in which it was written. Twain published the book in eighteen-eighty-four and five, explaining a story in which took place in the eighteen-forties. At the time the N-word was always used and considered normal to use and so, Twain put it in because it was what certain people were called at the time and he used his Local Color to connect his reader directly to every scene and chapter of his publication. So, Twain couldn't possibly know or predict that in the future the word would be deemed horrible. A justification from, Barnes and Noble’s online site, Sparknotes, explains that it is okay that the N-word is present in Twain’s text because of the time it was written and published in, “The fact that the historical context in which Twain wrote made his use of the word insignificant—and, indeed, part of the realism he wanted to create…”. Also, Sally Hansen, from earlier, explains that the solution wouldn't be to remove the word and change a great American classic, but to educate the reader about the time period in which the book took place “The solution, she says, is not to ‘change the writer— you would educate the reader’  by discussing the time period in which the book is set and its language and mores.”, this reveals that altering the book would be unjust and instead, the simpler solution would be to explain to the readers beforehand about the time the book was written and published.

In the end, there is no real reason that justifies the banning of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”. It shall remain the same that it has always been, part of great literature. Each word and characterization in the plot, gives a meaning to each scene. The style and choice of words are all part of Twain’s use of Local Color. All that is asked of the reader, is to understand and embrace the fact that the book was written and published in 1884-85. In the reading and writing world, along with the parent world, we should understand that banning a book would be unlawful and that it shouldn't be up to the federal government or schools to make these decisions but to parents and ourselves. It’s simple, if you aren’t fond of a book, ignore it, let others who do admire the book experience it and expose themselves to the material.

Bibliography
Moore, Martha T. "'Huck Finn' Navigating Choppy Waters Again." USA TODAY. 06 Jan. 2011: A.3. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.

Twain, Mark. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Oxford UP, 1996. Print.

"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Context"" SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2014. <http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/huckfinn/context.html>.

Social Awareness Project

Reading Response to Social Issue

Magazine: Upfront  Article: “Guess Who’s Looking at Your Facebook Page?” 

Author: Alessandra Potenza

          According to the Upfront article, "Guess Who's Looking at Your Facebook Page?" by Alessandra Potenza, college admissions officers and employers are using social media, like Facebook, for a background check on school and job applicants. Many people are losing their jobs and being turned down from big colleges because of their interactions on these online sites.

          Throughout the article, the author wants readers to understand the negative impact of social media on your economic and academic life. For example, Potenza begins with a huge sentence starter that gets you hooked right in to her piece, "she posted her Facebook status update on a Friday night in July. By Monday, she was fired.", here the author not only makes you want to read her story to figure out why she was fired, but also gives you a hint as to what her article is going to have to do with. Potenza then continues on to give more real world examples that social media can have that you don't want it to have. The topic makes me want to get rid of the social media that I use, like Instagram. The way she presents her reasons make you realize how enjoyable things can turn their backs on you. Here's another example from the text that convinces me into getting rid of my online profiles, "At Pitzer college in Claremont, California, an applicant was denied admission because of offensive comments he had posted on Facebook about one of his teachers.", by the end of the article, my mind was made up. I think that it's a fair way to give these types of background checks, it's simple, don't post negative things and don't be impulsive, think before you post.

However, the author didn't show much bias in the article, in fact none was actually present. Although, there is a small box that explains some tips "to tweet or not to tweet". Potenza stated her facts and supported them with evidence in an objective tone, giving a full summary on her main idea. Something I admired in her article, were the small anecdotes she included throughout her whole plot. Each of them explained the different ways that social media can be used for background checks, all in real life situations. I cherished each of these anecdotes because of the

way they were presented, and because they made me understand what I should and should not do on social media.

Now that I have read this article, it has changed my thoughts on Instagram, Facebook and many more of these types of applications. I realize that everything students post from my school might just affect their future academic life. Tons of kids on social media like Instagram, are always cursing and posting weird stuff that are certainly questionable. I would also like to further investigate on these "background checks" and maybe get some results and tallies on young adults who have been rejected from

school or work because of their interactions with social media. I predict that in the next few years the numbers will rise sharply.

Original Poem on Bullying

Why must 

I

Be influenced

Why must 

I

Change

Why must 

I

Be forced to do things 

That 

I

Don’t want to do

When will

They

Be influenced

When will 

They 

Be changed

When will 

They

Be forced to do things

They

Don’t want to do

It is a lifestyle
That some live
Every
day

A lonely lifestyle

It is a horrid lifestyle

It is a detestable lifestyle 

Sobbing because I don’t want to have to confront 

Them

Trying to ignore

Them

Trying to be oblivious to

Them 

Trying to fix the 

Bully

I decided to write a poem, because I love the way you can turn such complicating things into small condensed words and phrases. Each line of a poem explains many things and can also stir many emotions in someone. When you write a poem you can write it in so many different forms, and they can be read in so many different tones. A break in a poem can leave a reader to think about so many different topics that the line just explained. A new stanza in a poem can completely change the mood of the whole piece. Poems are meant to be customized and altered in so many different ways, the author may feel free to express themselves. It’s what makes a poem unique and different than an essay, piece or response. That’s why I wanted to write a poem.
 I chose the topic of bullying, because it has been happening for a very, very long time. The main spot as to where bullying takes place is, school. I thought that bullying would be an appropriate topic relating to school and connecting to many lives that suffer from harassment in school. I find bullying terrible and I wanted to explain what it is to me, through this poem.

Response to Visual Art

Photographer: Jacob Riis  Name of Artwork: “Lodgers in Bayard Street Tenement,           Five Cents a Spot”

This image produced by Jacob Riis is one that really stands out to me in his collection of photographs. It displays a small tenement with more than seven or eight men jammed into it. There aren’t any proper beds and the room has nearly nothing in it except for a furnace and shelves. The room seems to be in poor condition and the men crowded into it don’t seem to be of high or middle class. A spot in the room is only five cents.

What this photograph makes me think, is that many people and immigrants in New York City were poor or of low class. The conditions they worked in must have been bad enough during the day and on top of that they were living in crowded tenements with some people they didn't even know. In these tenements, diseases and sicknesses would spread easily making conditions even worse. Another thing I noticed is that there isn’t much in the tenement, only a furnace to warm themselves up and cook, along with shelves to carry their pots and pans. I also think that their work days were long and they didn’t spend much time in the tenements. There is no visible, sink or bathing unit, they probably had to go out to the one faucet to wash and get water. What about going to the bathroom? The buildings in which they lived in were filthy and the streets especially, since most business was taken care of out there. However, the bathroom visits soon piled up and were being placed underground in a small hole that was covered up. The pipes were also underground and the waste would soon seep in through the pipes infusing their water with that waste. It sure wasn't fun living in one of these tenements and being an immigrant. This photograph would have convinced me to do something about these horrible tenement conditions and to help the immigrants of New York City at the time. The art also tells me so many different things, above I explained almost everything the image told me and it let me make inferences, connecting my knowledge to the visual piece.

Jacob Riis finished by convincing many people through his photographs and book, “How the Other Half Lives”. Soon people were ready to help the immigrants and many new groups were formed. Some of the things that were done to help the immigrants was the Settlement House Movement, by Jane Addams. Jane created her own settlement house, one of the well known called the Hull house. Another figure who helped to improve the life of immigrants was Mother Cabrini, who helped found more than 70 hospitals in North and South America. Some other organizations were formed to support lives of immigrants like, the YMCA, YMHA and Salvation Army. 

Just because of some photographs, Jacob Riis was able to change the minds of certain people and get them into improving and supporting the lives of immigrants. It shows that, just through a piece of artwork, you can say some many things and display so many emotions, that you can convince certain people. This is why visual art is a big way to display social issues, back in the day and to the present.

Reflection

        Overall, I felt like the project was a good idea, because it let me understand social issues in a more sophisticated and new way. I also learned that social issues can be displayed in many different ways. The one way that stood out most significantly was the way that you can display social issues through visual interpretations. Just one photograph can mean so many things, it can say phrases and most importantly, an image can display many emotions and feelings. Some pieces of artwork can make you stare at them for hours, just to understand the full meaning of it. I learned that there are so many different social issues in the world and that there must be tons of ways to explain and depict your feelings toward certain social issues, because the public creates each method in there own ways. I would like to further research and investigate into social issues and I would like to develop more social awareness for myself. Many things are taking place in the world, and I feel that we should all help to make a change in the world, before things start to create deeper wounds in the earth.