Human Dignity In Mark Twain's The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn

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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is undoubtedly an American Literature classic, with praise for the novel running far and wide. However, when taught in the culturally diverse melting pot that is public high school, prejudice can arise between teachers and students alike, making some students feel as though they are being targeted. The very definition of human dignity states that each and every person has a value and is worthy of respect and freedom from manipulation, exploitation, and slavery. Knowing that definition, it is absolutely impossible to deny that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn takes a stab at the very basis of African American human dignity. The racial intolerance of the novel alone makes it a difficult topic…show more content…
Since desegregation in the 1950s, black Americans have raised objections to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and its effect on their children, vying for equality and justice in the educational system. Eleventh grader Melvin Efesoa says that he isn’t thrilled with reading the book in class because, “it reflects on African-American history back then. And it’s a history nobody wants to relive.”, while seventeen year old Jeremy Richardson, the only black student in his classroom, says that he most definitely had a problem with discussing the book with his white peers but was too nervous to say so. Even English teacher Nora Wise says that she feels uncomfortable teaching the book and that if it were up to her, she’d drop it from the government-regulated curriculum, arguing that, “I might not always reach and nourish and nurture every single student, but I can certainly do my best not to harm them.”. If we want our country to have a future deserted of racial segregation and bias, we must teach our future leaders to be completely intolerant of any and all forms of oppression, no matter how minimal some may argue them to
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