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Huckleberry Finn - Racism Deba - College Essay

Huckleberry Finn - Racism Deba

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In recent years, there has been increasing discussion of the
seemingly racist ideas expressed by Mark Twain in Huckleberry Finn. In
some extreme cases the novel has even been banned by public school

systems and censored by public libraries. The basis for these

censorship campaigns has been the depiction of one of the main

characters in Huckleberry Finn, Jim, a black slave. Jim, is a

"typical" black slave who runs away from his "owner" Miss Watson. At

several points in the novel, Jim's character is described to the

reader, and some people have looked upon the characterization as

racist. However, before one begins to censor a novel it is important

to ...

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description of Jim. The reader is told that Jim is illiterate,

childlike, not very bright and extremely superstitious. However, it is

important not to lose sight of who is giving this description and of

whom it is being given. Although Huck is not a racist child, he has

been raised by extremely racist individuals who have, even if only

subconsciously, ingrained some feelings of bigotry into his mind. It

is also important to remember that this description, although it is

quite saddening, was probably accurate. Jim and the millions of other

slaves in the South were not permitted any formal education, were

never allowed any independent thought and were constantly maltreated

and abused. Twain is merely portraying by way of Jim, a very realistic

slave raised in the South during that time period. To say that Twain

is racist because of his desire for historical accuracy is absurd.

Despite the few incidences in which Jim's ...

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Huckleberry Finn - Racism Deba. (2005, October 20). Retrieved November 23, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Huckleberry-Finn-Racism-Deba/35172

"Huckleberry Finn - Racism Deba." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 20 Oct. 2005. Web. 23 Nov. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Huckleberry-Finn-Racism-Deba/35172>

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 10/20/2005 01:11:30 PM
Category: English
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 720
Pages: 3

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