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Essay / Whether Huck Finn should be banned in the United States
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, also known as the "Great American Novel," has sold more than 20 million copies, has been translated into more than 53 languages and has not been out of print since 1885, when it was first published. Huck Finn is known to almost everyone. It is one of the most popular novels in the world. So how can it be the sixth most banned book in the United States? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Although Huck Finn is known as a literary classic, it has been considered offensive to many people. Mark Twain is known for speaking out about social issues through his art of writing. The book is known for depicting the era of slavery and racism before the Civil War in the United States. Throughout the novel, Mark Twain uses racial slurs 219 times. While many say the word is offensive - which it is, many say the word is what helps people understand what the time before the Civil War and racism in America was like. Many schools, including recently some school districts in Virginia, have banned the novel along with another classic that also talks about racism in America – To Kill A Mockingbird. The schools claimed that using the derogatory word so frequently in the book had made some students, including parents, uncomfortable. Although the book makes some people uncomfortable, these books are about unjust racism in America, the novels are history, and while it may be uncomfortable to talk about, that doesn't mean you should avoiding it is what book banning does. Huck Finn along with other controversial banned books such as To Kill A Mockingbird help depict the unwritten truth of the time. In 2011, a new version of Huck Finn was released, censoring the use of racial slurs and replacing them with the word "slave". The censorship of the new version was intended to bring the book back into schools, as it was widely banned from school libraries and classrooms due to the use of racial slurs. “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a big deal. This is the difference between lightning virus and lightning. -Mark Twain. While the book was set in the pre-Civil War era, where slavery had not yet been abolished, the use of slurs was understood. Although we are well past the days of slavery, racism in America does exist. Although you can find this book in bookstores and online, you won't find it in many classrooms or school libraries. Even though the subject of racism can be uncomfortable, it needs to be talked about and these books tackle the subject head on. It's important to have these discussions about history to ensure that history doesn't repeat itself. Although in some cases the use of racial slurs is not the problem, it is rather the use of Twain's satire that is offensive in some African American institutes. Some believe that Mark Twain and his use of satire mocks and, in a way, mocks a very serious subject. Twain was always prominent in his use of satire to make fun of people and their thoughts during that time. Throughout the book, Twain uses satire to mock the thinking of society at that time and to show how cruel man can be to man. In conclusion, Huck Finn is a piece of history written to ensure that history does not repeat itself. The only way to..