Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Huck Finn Essay

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Maria Nunez
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Huck Finn
Synthesis Essay of Argumentation American Literature contains a diverse spectrum of tales that give the modern world a better understanding of American history. Most of these literature works of art contain or are based upon controversial topics that existed in early American history and have had a large impact on the United States today; such as, slavery. Many teachers, parents, and students have argued that these works of literature have no relevance in today's society and should no longer be taught in school; however, their whole reasoning is weak. "Huckleberry Finn" has been subjected to this scrutiny for several years because of the improper usage of grammar -- or lack thereof -- the racial slurs used in the book, and the lack of regard for authority and religion. However, Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" serves as a story to learn about the history of America and should not be subjected to the scrutiny it receives nor omitted from schools and public libraries.
"Huck Finn" has served as a historical figure and taught teens around the United States about the history of their country. Omission of books that give insight into historical cruelties is an insult to a student's education and deprives them of knowledge they should be given. American conservatives, however, continue to challenge that books which contain unfavorable topics. In fact, 4,312 challenges were submitted to schools, public libraries, and colleges, these challenges question the relevance and appropriateness of books due to "obscene" context they contain. Most of the books challenged did contain graphic content that could make the book inappropriate; however, they're essential for the students to understand history properly. A history class equips students with facts but American literary works personify history and provide modern American students with a better understanding of American history. (Source A)
Nonetheless, the same individuals that believe that books like "Huck Finn" should be censored will go on to rebuttal that social issues presented in the book have no relevance and don't serve any educational purposes in modern-day society, but that is far from the truth. Racial discrimination is still a prevalent issue in American society and the discrimination in "Huck Finn" should evoke such emotion in readers that will allow them to form discussions to understand modern racial injustices, speak their minds on these issues, and formulate their own opinions on the topic. Omitting the injustices from schools and public libraries does not protect the youth but hurt them, allowing teens to be ignorant to the past allows them to repeat the same mistakes that have taken so much effort to correct. Rather than hiding the truth from the youth, the ugly truth should be discussed and teens should be educated on the subject and understand that racism is not acceptable in any way, shape, or form.
More importantly, any racial slurs in "Huck Finn" shouldn't be taken literally, Twain was strongly against slavery and any racist terms should be read with high amounts of sarcasm. Many historians agree with this point. Radically racists comments in "Huck Finn" should not be read literally, in fact, Twain would bluntly insert idiotic and racist comments in the book to emphasize how disgustingly dumb racial discrimination is. Twain even gave Jim's character dignity which was an outlandish concept in Twain's time. At that time people of color were seen as property rather than as a person; therefore, Twain regarding Jim as a human was an act of defiance towards the racist society which
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