I am going to defend Twain's novel. This wonderful story is not racist and the vernacular speech makes it very unique. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be taught in school because it is a renowned classic and it provides a valuable insight into the depths of the past. There are certainly instances where the book should not be taught, or maybe just portions of it. But this book can stimulate controversy and powerful emotions, which make school and discussions interesting. This book can be a very valuable tool, if not to understand great literature, but to understand the differences in society that were evident and still persist today.
Also, it is clear from Clemens' personal actions and view that he is not a racist, therefore it is evident that his novel isn't racist either. Twain's deftness as a satirist and his plea for human rights in other lectures and works make it clear that although the book may appear racist on the surface, just underneath it is a call for humanity. Twain is a skilled writer whose message is humanitarian. I kind of started my essay below...roughly
On our adventures with Huck and Jim, we are taken a bright journey through and to "the truly dark heart of the American Soul and of American History: slave country." This is a bright journey because of the brilliant writing that takes us there and the moral growth of a young child.
This is an adult novel written by an adult who grew up in the peak of slavery in America. Samuel Clemens, whose most famous pen name is Mark Twain, was born and raised in Hannibal, Missouri, the small riverside town that St. Petersburg is supposed to represent in the novel. At the time of Clemen's youth, Missouri was one of the 15 slave states of the South. Twain was continuously surrounded by the presence of slavery
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I like where you are going with this. I think that you have good ideas on where to go with this and since you are going to go off of historical happenings maybe pick or or two specific things that stick out and relate them to the novel. Also, maybe since you feel that this is a classic and needs to be taught, find a person would beileves the complete opposite and use that to strenghten your argument and have a opposing base to spring ideas from. Hope that helps a litle!
ReplyDeleteVictor,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you intend to mount a defense of the novel, but be sure that you don't discount its many critics out of hand (rather, you need to rebut their arguments thoroughly and convincingly--and in this regard, Mia is right that critics hostile to the novel, like Smiley, may prove most useful to you). Be wary, too, of oversimplifying things. For example, rather than simply claim the novel isn't racist, you might want to acknowledge the surface racism (a product of the time and place in which the book is set) but argue that it is necessary (for without it, what does Huck have to overcome on his path toward racial enlightenment).
I also like your notion that, precisely because the novel can "stimulate controversy and powerful emotions" it lends itself to being taught (this is a case that Peaches Henry makes, and you might want to review her essay as well).
Because you'll be gone all week, why not simply email me a draft of your essay, and I'll try to figure out a way to get it back to you with my comments--if we wind up having to give you a bit of an extension on your revision, this shouldn't be a problem.