Banishment Censorship of Twains Huckleberry Finn Essay

Banishment Censorship of Twains Huckleberry Finn Banishment? The novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, has received much criticism through the years. Yet Ernest Hemingway, among other great American writers, considers this work a great American classic. This novel addresses many social issues in the South before the Civil War, causing some critics to find it racist or degrading to the African American culture. For this reason, these critics often attempt to ban Huckleberry Finn, or at least censor it, taking it out of the teaching curriculum for junior high and high school students. Analyzing Twain’s major themes—his satire of racism, the cruelty of the dehumanization of Jim—and the ignorance and inhumanity†¦show more content†¦At times the reader can miss the message and take the vulgar and demeaning passage offensively, explaining the desire of some people to keep it away from their children. This action may have some benefit for some younger students, but that should not give the allow ance to completely ban the book. In the eleventh grade, students receive the requirement to read Huckleberry Finn. By this time, they have matured enough to handle the mature nature of this book and have the ability to read it objectively. Also, in high school, teachers focus more on theme and interpretation of writing instead of focusing on just the plot. This allows the teachers to explain the satire in Twain’s writing, and helps the students understand the meaning of the vulgarity in the characters. In Twain’s novel, Miss Watson, Huck Finn’s caretaker, owns Jim. She discovers that selling Jim could put $800 in her pocket, making her think of Jim merely as property. Booker T. Washington when defending Huckleberry Finn in the North American Review, â€Å"Before one gets through with the book, one cannot fail to observe that in some way or other the author, without making any comment and without going out of his way, has somehow succeeded in making his readers feel a genuine respect for â€Å"Jim†, in spite of the ignorance he displays. I cannot help feeling that in this character Mark Twain has, perhaps unconsciously,Show MoreRelatedCensorship is in Contradiction to Children’s Rights Essay examples819 Words   |  4 Pages Censorship has become a long standing practice within our society. Who gets to decide what American citizens say, read or view? There are organizations that review and rate, guard or block information. Governmental entities create laws enforcing censorship and place judgment against those that break those laws. These restrictions often result in conflict against them and in favor of protecting our civil rights. The practice of censorship by authoritative, policy-making entities is in con flict