Two Fathoms Deep of Messages
Ian Marzke
3/1/12
Honors English 10--3rd hour
Written Take Home Test
Dear Dylan,
People believe The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is racist. People believe that it should be stripped from the shelves of American schools, and most surprisingly, people believe it isn’t relevant and important in today’s society. However, I want you to see it differently. Although you are only in fourth grade and won’t be in high school for a few years, Huck Finn contains many messages and themes that are crucial to understand. It has been debated whether or not this book should be allowed in school libraries and classrooms, so I am here to give you my opinion, and hopefully inform you on why this book is important to be read and also important to stay on the shelves in American schools.
If you don’t already know, slavery played a big role in our country’s history. Blacks had no rights, and were looked at as “property” instead of human beings. Since Mark Twain wrote this book in the 1800’s, certain terms, such as “nigger,” were used in place of the word “black” or “slave.” Critics today believe that Huck Finn is a racist book just because of this, but this book is set before the Civil War, and according to Peter Salwen in his article “Is Huck Finn a Racist Book?” it would be “amazing if they didn’t use that word.” The language in this book reflects the language that would have been used during that time period, so why would something that has historically accurate grammar and word choice be banned from American school libraries and classrooms? If it were to be taken out of the schools, students such as yourself wouldn’t get exposed to the themes and messages contained within, and according to Ernest Hemingway, the greatest American novel.
Throughout the story, you will see a slow progression in the friendship of the two main characters—Huckleberry Finn, a young boy, and Jim, a runaway slave. At the beginning, Huck has a hard time with his conscience, constantly turning over in his head whether or not he should help Jim. He was raised to believe that slaves are only property and are not human, but as the story progresses, you will see that Huck has a change of heart and is willing to take whatever risks necessary to help Jim regain his freedom. You will see this in Chapter 31, when Huck tears up the letter to Miss Watson and says “And for a starter I would go to work and steal Jim out of slavery again; and if I could think up anything worse, I would do that, too; because as long as I was in [hell], and in for good, I might as well go the whole log” (Twain 214). Twain is using this line in the book to show how a white boy, someone raised to look at slaves and blacks differently, gives up everything and even determines that he will burn in hell just to help a black friend. If Twain were racist, would he have made his main character do such a thing?
Twain was on to something, and in order to display his message about slavery, he uses satire. As you read the book as well, I’m sure that you will see that Twain is merely making fun of slavery—he was really an abolitionist. The people that deem this book as “racist” are missing the point completely and are not studying the text; they are naive and stubborn.
When you read this book, I don’t want you to merely skim the surface. I want you to read it for meaning and really understand what Twain was trying to express. Another theme, for example, is that of lying. Throughout the story, Huck continuously lies to get out of certain situations. Eventually, he sees how lies can hurt people when the Duke and King (you will read more about them) fake the brothers of Peter Wilks just to gain the fortune that he left behind. Once again, Twain decides to make Huck have a change of heart and tell Mary Jane, Peter Wilks’ daughter, that they are frauds. You will see this in the book when Huck says, “this is another one that I’m letting him rob her of her money [...] I’ll hive that money for them or bust” (175). Up until this point, Huck saw lying as something good and harmless, but now he understands the damage that it can cause.
Huckleberry Finn, besides Jim, is one of the most important characters. Twain made him very dynamic, meaning that he is always changing both mentally and emotionally. You will continually see Huck change for the better. He sets examples and symbolizes many themes and messages that Twain was trying to get to readers. According to Salwen, Huck Finn is “about nothing less than freedom and the quest for freedom.” By the time you finally read this great American novel, I will be away at college, so as your older brother, I want you to really think about this book. It has an incredible amount of messages and themes that you will find relevant still today. Remember, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is NOT a racist book, and you should therefore read past the occasional abrasive language to strike gold—the moral themes and messages within.
Your favorite brother,
Ian
3/1/12
Honors English 10--3rd hour
Written Take Home Test
Dear Dylan,
People believe The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is racist. People believe that it should be stripped from the shelves of American schools, and most surprisingly, people believe it isn’t relevant and important in today’s society. However, I want you to see it differently. Although you are only in fourth grade and won’t be in high school for a few years, Huck Finn contains many messages and themes that are crucial to understand. It has been debated whether or not this book should be allowed in school libraries and classrooms, so I am here to give you my opinion, and hopefully inform you on why this book is important to be read and also important to stay on the shelves in American schools.
If you don’t already know, slavery played a big role in our country’s history. Blacks had no rights, and were looked at as “property” instead of human beings. Since Mark Twain wrote this book in the 1800’s, certain terms, such as “nigger,” were used in place of the word “black” or “slave.” Critics today believe that Huck Finn is a racist book just because of this, but this book is set before the Civil War, and according to Peter Salwen in his article “Is Huck Finn a Racist Book?” it would be “amazing if they didn’t use that word.” The language in this book reflects the language that would have been used during that time period, so why would something that has historically accurate grammar and word choice be banned from American school libraries and classrooms? If it were to be taken out of the schools, students such as yourself wouldn’t get exposed to the themes and messages contained within, and according to Ernest Hemingway, the greatest American novel.
Throughout the story, you will see a slow progression in the friendship of the two main characters—Huckleberry Finn, a young boy, and Jim, a runaway slave. At the beginning, Huck has a hard time with his conscience, constantly turning over in his head whether or not he should help Jim. He was raised to believe that slaves are only property and are not human, but as the story progresses, you will see that Huck has a change of heart and is willing to take whatever risks necessary to help Jim regain his freedom. You will see this in Chapter 31, when Huck tears up the letter to Miss Watson and says “And for a starter I would go to work and steal Jim out of slavery again; and if I could think up anything worse, I would do that, too; because as long as I was in [hell], and in for good, I might as well go the whole log” (Twain 214). Twain is using this line in the book to show how a white boy, someone raised to look at slaves and blacks differently, gives up everything and even determines that he will burn in hell just to help a black friend. If Twain were racist, would he have made his main character do such a thing?
Twain was on to something, and in order to display his message about slavery, he uses satire. As you read the book as well, I’m sure that you will see that Twain is merely making fun of slavery—he was really an abolitionist. The people that deem this book as “racist” are missing the point completely and are not studying the text; they are naive and stubborn.
When you read this book, I don’t want you to merely skim the surface. I want you to read it for meaning and really understand what Twain was trying to express. Another theme, for example, is that of lying. Throughout the story, Huck continuously lies to get out of certain situations. Eventually, he sees how lies can hurt people when the Duke and King (you will read more about them) fake the brothers of Peter Wilks just to gain the fortune that he left behind. Once again, Twain decides to make Huck have a change of heart and tell Mary Jane, Peter Wilks’ daughter, that they are frauds. You will see this in the book when Huck says, “this is another one that I’m letting him rob her of her money [...] I’ll hive that money for them or bust” (175). Up until this point, Huck saw lying as something good and harmless, but now he understands the damage that it can cause.
Huckleberry Finn, besides Jim, is one of the most important characters. Twain made him very dynamic, meaning that he is always changing both mentally and emotionally. You will continually see Huck change for the better. He sets examples and symbolizes many themes and messages that Twain was trying to get to readers. According to Salwen, Huck Finn is “about nothing less than freedom and the quest for freedom.” By the time you finally read this great American novel, I will be away at college, so as your older brother, I want you to really think about this book. It has an incredible amount of messages and themes that you will find relevant still today. Remember, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is NOT a racist book, and you should therefore read past the occasional abrasive language to strike gold—the moral themes and messages within.
Your favorite brother,
Ian