Huckleberry Finn is one of those books that keeps on landing on the banned book lists. At first it was protested because of the friendship between a white boy and a black boy. It was too progressive. Now it gets banned for the opposite reason. It is too old fashioned and uses terms that were acceptable in the days that it was written in but are no longer used in polite society. Justine McDaniel, Inquirer Staff Writer on Philly.com discusses the issues of dealing with culture icons that no longer fit the age they are in, and how we are dealing with it.
~ * ~
After The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published in 1885, the book was boycotted in some places in the United States for portraying friendship between a black man and a white boy.
“In its time, it was derided and censored,” said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, deputy director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, which tracks challenges to books.
Today, Mark Twain’s classic – about a boy who flees his abusive father and travels down the Mississippi River with an escaped slave – is still sometimes challenged in American schools, but for nearly the opposite reason: its liberal use of the N-word and perceived racist portrayals of black characters.
This week, a Montgomery County school removed Huckleberry Finn from its curriculum after a group of students said the book made them uncomfortable.
“We have all come to the conclusion that the community costs of reading this book in 11th grade outweigh the literary benefits,” Hall said in his letter.
The book’s use of the N-word was challenging for some students, who felt the school was not being inclusive, Hall said this week.
According to the school’s website, Friends’ Central is guided by Quaker philosophy, and “peaceful resolution of conflicts, seeking truth, and collaboration are key aspects of a Friends’ Central education.”
Read the full post on Philly.com
~ * ~
If you liked this article, please share. If you have suggestions for further articles, articles you would like to submit, or just general comments, please contact me at paula@publetariat.com