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>.