Stereotypes In Huckleberry Finn

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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel by Mark Twain. Since it was published in 1885, it has remained a work of controversy. The N-word is used 219 times by Twain in the novel. At McClintock High School in Tempe, Arizona, Kathy Monteiro and her daughter, Raquel Panton, were deeply offended and distraught by the use of the N-word. She sued The Tempe Union High School District, in 1998, claiming that “an already tense racial environment was exacerbated by the assignment of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as required reading.” According to the film, Born to Trouble: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the judges did not ban the book from the school district but they did state that “a school district has a legal duty to take reasonable steps…show more content…
He carefully takes the time to represent each individual character and his culture, in an accurate description and dialect. The students of the twenty-first century are constantly inundated with stereotypes through the media. Whether it’s a make-up magazine ad, a television sports ad, or a food product ad, racial representations are often inaccurate and stereotypes are abundant. Whether in a multiethnic school or in one lacking diversity, racial stereotypes and jokes are a part of everyday conversations in high school. The amount of racism and stereotyping is innumerable in the lives of high school students and is not isolated in any way. Mark Twain’s novel is extremely relevant for high school students because racism has yet to be eradicated. Subtle racism starts with how children are raised and continues into high schools and the workplace. It grows to be very destructive and detrimental, eventually causing crime, and social segregation. Even still, many students were opposed to reading the novel because they were offended by the N-word. Ann Lew, an American literature teacher in a multiethnic classroom initially struggled with the decision to teach the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. “I decided, first of all, that if any of my students are going to have any appreciation for the contribution Twain made to the American literary tradition, I must present the novel in its historical context. It cannot be presented in…show more content…
It teaches valuable lessons to high school students, who are the future leaders of the world. Randall Kennedy, a Harvard Law School professor, believes that in regards to the N-word, “Trying to erase the word from our culture is profoundly, profoundly wrong.” The Frederick News-Post, in an article for January 1st, 2011, says that “There’s no denying that the N-word carries centuries of heavy baggage and is arguably the ugliest and most hurtful racial epithet ever contrived” (Frederick News-Post 1/11/2011). While the N-word is very hurtful, it is a misguided decision to remove it from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Students of differents racial and ethnic backgrounds need to seek to understand one rather than ignore racial slurs and never discuss the past or current problems. With of of the race-based riots and political issues of American society and culture, it is crucial that students learn how to move past problems of the past so that the future will be less violent. Sally Hansen, a retired teacher says in regards to the N-word, “It does impact students, it does make them sit up and listen” (Moore 2). While it is true that the book Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has the capability to deeply offend and hurt students when read out of context, being uncomfortable leads to educating conversations. Ann Lew, previously mentioned,
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