The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Teaching to Relieve Tension

After careful consideration, I have decided that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain will be allowed to be taught in our schools. The children should be given the opportunity to read the novel. Despite the fact that the book appears to hold a racial prejudice on the surface, after reading and understanding the deeper meaning it is apparent that Twain's intent was far from insulting blacks; instead, he was actually criticizing people who are racist. Other schools in the area are already teaching the novel to students that are only a year older, and since this is an honors class, the book has a place in the curriculum. Even though this is, and will remain, a highly controversial issue, the book will be taught in junior high school, as it is a well-written novel with a very meaningful point.

Despite the fact that the novel uses derogatory words towards blacks numerous times, the book is not racist. The book is written as a satire and attempts to expose the idiocy of slavery. According to Doctor John Wallace, the book is noting but "grotesque racist trash." Like others who hold similar viewpoints, Wallace does not understand the true meaning of the book. Racist passages cannot be taken from the novel in an attempt to classify it as prejudice; instead, one must look beyond specific pages, reading the novel as a whole and interpreting the meaning that Twain intended. However, the same method can be used to identify his satirical undertone. In one scene, Huck tells Aunt Sally, a seemingly moral character, that a steamboat exploded. Worried, she asks him if anybody was hurt. Huck replies, No'm....Killed a nigger." Aunt Sally responds, "Well, it's lucky, because sometimes people do get hurt." If the words are taken out of context, then it does appears to be an extremely racist remark; however, the sentence connects with Twain's main purpose of forcing people to take a look at the racism in the world. Twain was not racist in the least bit, and wanted to shed light on the ridiculousness of slavery. It has been proven that Twain actually attempted to help a black student further his education. Francis Wayland, a young black man, wanted to further his education through college, but was not able to afford it, Twain responded, writing, "I do not believe I would very cheerfully help a white student who would ask for the benevolence of a stranger, but I do not feel so about the other color." Twain covered the full cost of tuition for Wayland until his point of graduation. In addition, Twain repeatedly makes remarks that actually are insulting to white people. He writes, "Nearly all black and brown skins are beautiful, but a beautiful white skin is rare." Later in the novel, he writes, "There are many humorous things in the world; among them is the white man's notion that he is less savage than all the other savages." Twain appears in both his writings and through his actions to favor blacks over whites.

Still, there are people like doctor Wallace who view the masterpiece of Huckleberry Finn as derogatory to blacks, and claim that it will scar black children for life. It is true that it may make black students slightly uncomfortable at first, but after fully recognizing the humorous undertone there will not be a problem with the language. Meshach Taylor, a black man who plays the role of Jim in the stage production of The adventure of Huckleberry Finn, understands that the intention of Twain was to fight prejudice against blacks. He also realizes that the novel only uses offensive language to make the book seem more realistic, because that is how the people spoke at the time. This was very important to Twain, in fact, at the beginning of the novel he writes, "In this book a number of dialects are used.... The shadings have not been done in a haphazard fashion, or by guesswork; but painstakingly." Taylor speaks from his personal experience in dealing with the book and agrees that eighth grade students will be able to handle the language used in the novel.

Nat Hentoff, a highly respected journalist and essayist, also thinks that the book is suitable for eighth grade students. Hentoff argues that children cannot be shaded from the novel; he thinks that if students should not overprotect children, as students can learn from the novel. He claims that children need to be given more credit, that they can handle the language used by Twain. He laughs at the doctor Wallace's ridiculous claim that the novel is "grotesque racist trash" and proves multiple times throughout the book how Twain is mocking slavery and people who are racist.

The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn is not only an acceptable novel for the classroom, but should be actively forced to be taught in all junior high schools, not just certain honors classes. The book exposes children to race issues at an impressionable age, but does so tactfully, allowing the students to understand the absurdity of racism and prejudice. Huckleberry Finn is not racist and there is no reason to ban it in any school. Children can handle the language, and will embrace the novel, leading to a deeper understanding about racial issues.