Blogcritics Comments on Huck Finn's moment of decision

Comment by Al Barger on Huck Finn's moment of decision

Wed, 11 Oct 2006 00:53:47 EDT

Student2006, I can appreciate your lack of appreciation for the common usage of the N word by rappers. I could sure do with hearing it a lot less. On the other hand, at this point, the word just doesn't really mean the same thing it used to. You could argue that it's being de-fanged.

Comment by student2006 on Huck Finn's moment of decision

Tue, 10 Oct 2006 20:56:36 EDT

#42- I am also african american, you need to understand that the "n" word you say is so hurtful was at this point in time, socially acceptable. Today hip hop and rap, african americans flagrently used the "n" word as a filler and they just shout it at random-- maybe we should focus on this and put it to end as it is allowing caucasians backup in saying it. I LOVED Huckleyberry Finn

Comment by I.B on Huck Finn's moment of decision

Wed, 6 Sep 2006 23:36:25 EDT

I read through this whole page, and i could not believe the audacity of some of these people. as an african american student, reading Huckleberry Finn was bad enough, and then hearing my classmates say the N- word like it was nothing... insult to injury. I know this is history and all of that, but i didn't appreciate the book or the comments. Because many of you aren't black, and have never been black,and will never BE black you will never understand how much this word hurts. the history behind it is so deep, and many flip it around like it is nothing, and it has even become "a term of endearment" in some dictionaries. i thank the many people who stood up for african americans, because it is hard to have our viewpoint understood from someone who has never gone through this and cannot say that this has ever really hurt them personally. i also wish that people would stop throwing this word around as though it is nothing. and i dont like mark twain or any of his works. sorry.

Comment by Megan C. on Huck Finn's moment of decision

Sun, 6 Aug 2006 17:11:16 EDT

The overuse of the word 'nigger' is only a small part of the racist comments made in this novel. The way Huckleberry Finn always refers to african-americans as niggers is a way of showing how often it's used in this time and how disrespected they were back then. It's not right how people were treated as objects just because they weren't white. I'm extremely disgusted with the way african-americans were treated. The idea of slavery just terrible. I agree with the author of this article, though. The language used in this novel MAY be degrading and wrong, but its the way people spoke in that time and Mark Twain was just writing as things were in that specific time period. This book shouldn't be banned from schools because of the fact that it educates about the past. It's a real depiction of what things were like. It's like people are hiding education from students who deserve to learn about our nation's history, even if it's not exactly the best thing to remember.

Comment by Jason B on Huck Finn's moment of decision

Sat, 5 Aug 2006 00:23:42 EDT

In the first few chapters, and as I would soon figure out, there was alot of use of the "N"- word. Mainly when reffering to the Character Jim. But I guess this has to do with the time the story was written. Overall I am not offended by the "N" word in the novel, nor how it was used. I can say though it did make me think of how Black people (I am African American) were treated back then. And compared to how blacks use it today. I can say though at some points in the novel when the word was used, I somewhat did not want to here blacks use it anymore. But I got over that. All in all I enjoyed the book from the begining, with the so called gang of robbers and killers that did nothing to no one. To the interesting twists at the end.

Comment by Al Barger on Huck Finn's moment of decision

Thu, 3 Aug 2006 21:26:32 EDT

Thank you for your thoughtful comments Cedric.

Comment by Cedric D. on Huck Finn's moment of decision

Thu, 3 Aug 2006 21:22:19 EDT

The usage of the word nigger in the book does not in no shape or form bother me although I am an african american.In the olden days they referred to africans as niggers, so I don't think people should actually have deep depth about that. Although it use the "N" word a lot in our society and communities we hear that work more frequently now then back then. Like during the part when Huck and Jim were arguing over the way a person talk Huck says to himself as I may quote "I see it warn't no use wasting words - you can't learn a nigger to argue". So this shows the controversal aspects of the book. I don't believe Mark Twain intended for people to think that he was races by using the "N" word.As I said before if society today would not focus on the usage of the word, and not get on the offensive side such as africans now a days would be pleasant.I understand what Twain is expressing in the book and I don't feel the readers should take offense.

Comment by Al Barger on Huck Finn's moment of decision

Tue, 1 Aug 2006 15:28:34 EDT

Miss Lisa- Thank you for your thoughtful comments on Huck Finn. I do get a bit frustrated with idiots seing the word "nigger" and losing their little minds with no regard for the context and meaning. On top of which, I suspect that a lot of the people so objecting make no objection to the often truly hateful and derogatory use of the word in rap. Huck Finn volunteering to go to hell for his nigger friend is wrong, but Eazy E wanting to smoke a couple of niggers with his gat is just authentic street reporting, or some such nonsense.

Comment by Lisa Vernon on Huck Finn's moment of decision

Tue, 1 Aug 2006 15:10:34 EDT

Mark Twain's 'Huckleberry Finn' is first and foremost a satire. The word 'nigger' seems harsh and degradeing now but, was used in everyday vocabulary a hundred years ago. Those who want to ban 'Huck Finn' saying it is too controversal have missed the entire point of the book. Sure some examples are extreme and are degrading in today's culture. For example, when Huck is explaining to Aunt Sally about the Steamboat accident: Aunt Sally: Good gracious, was anybody hurt? Huck: No'm. Killed a nigger. Aunt Sally: Well, its Lucky; because sometimes people do get hurt. AS if black slaves were not people at all. Then, when Aunt Sally learns what the 'runaway nigger' did for Tom and that he was really free she "made a heap of fuss over him," and even put him up in the sick room. Though Jim is the character with the most hardships in life, due to his color of skin, he is also the character with the most joy in life through the little things. Thoughout the book Huck struggles with the conflict of slavery. His upbring through Miss Watson and the Widow teaches him that black people are under him in social standings but, his friendship with Jim a runaway slave teaches him the values of friendship. Each time Huck and Jim are seprated Jim is overjoyed with seeing Huck agian and praises him. When it comes time to make the choice to turn Jim in or to continue to help him excape Huck chose to be condemed to Hell and Help Jim. Just as Huck had to decide we all Have to. Twain's 'Huck Finn' has taught me to make the choice and to watch what I say for our words are very powerful to others not just the word "nigger."

Comment by Aaron JV on Huck Finn's moment of decision

Fri, 14 Jul 2006 21:05:34 EDT

The thing is with Twain's 'Huck Finn' is that for the time he was writing about, the racial method of thinking is somewhat irrelevant, becuase this is something everybody knew back then, it was common knowledge. So the consistent use of the word "nigger" shouldn't be surprising. An example: During the part where Jim is trapped at the Phelps' and Tom and Huck are trying to help Jim escape 'the right way', Jim agrees to invlove himself in the mess that Huck and Tom have started for him, becuase "he allowed we [Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn] was white folks and knowed better than him; so he was satisfied." Towards the end of the novel, the differences in race didn't seem to matter to Huck Finn as much as before, at least this started out in what great characteristics he had seen in Jim. It might be a stretch, but this is Huck's thought process towards African-Americans and equality of race: "I knowed he [Jim] was white inside..." and later on, "because I thought he had a good heart in him and was a good man the first time I see him." What these thoughts allow is the possibility that other African-Americans can 'be like Jim' or be intelligent - just as supposedly the "whites" were, if one gave them the chance; which, for back then, would be controversial thought.

Comment by Double K on Huck Finn's moment of decision

Sat, 20 May 2006 23:17:23 EDT

How can u have a novel set in the south during the time of slavery without using the word nigger. Jim is not even depicted in a bad way, its the white characters that are portrayed as thieves and selfih unintelligent beings

Comment by Kitty on Huck Finn's moment of decision

Mon, 8 May 2006 00:06:01 EDT

I feel like such a goofball I mispelled "Controversay" and "learned" so sleepy can't tink must go finish the essay almost done! :D ~*<3*~ Kitty

Comment by Kitty on Huck Finn's moment of decision

Wed, 3 May 2006 19:40:30 EDT

Angel, I do not know if this has the information you want but if you look in the Second Edition a case study in Critical Cotroversey 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' by Mark Twain edited by Gerald Graff and James Phelan, there is alot of information that you and anyone else may find itresting. I hope you look for it I learened alot from it and i hope everyone else does to. :) <3 Kitty

Comment by Nancy on Huck Finn's moment of decision

Wed, 12 Apr 2006 17:50:29 EDT

Like it or not, it's history. Those who would ban or "retire" it would also like to revise history - which itself is seldom pretty or nice or clean. Furthermore, the book & the abusive societal picture it paints of how people were perceived & treated 150+ years ago (or even just 50 years ago) because of the color of their skin, and the ruses & hoops they had to jump through just to survive, are valuable just BECAUSE they serve as a warning & a reminder of how bad things were, and a guideline to where we do want to go. Banning the book isn't going to wipe out the bad old days; by that standard you're also going to have to ban a slew of other works as well, including Fred Douglass' autobio, William Wells Brown's autobio, Lydia Child's novel, Harriet Stowe's novel, all the archived old newspapers & magazines still dating from old days, and on and on, because they all contain the same "offensive" historical context & terms. Rendering all this even more hypocritical & ridiculous is that, as pointed out by an earlier poster, current rap artists use the N-word prolifically & constantly, no one raises hell about it, they just shrug & say it's part of the gangsta/ghetto/black culture - and the worst part is, that kind of abuse is going on here & now. If black people continue to call each other trash names like that, then how can they credibly insist that historical records ought to be expunged? Other than that, my additional comment is surprise that people are not getting to Huckleberry Finn until high school. High school? I read it in grade school. Is this part of the dumbing down of current US education, or does it have to do with the 'offensive' nature of the book which was not as hot an issue back in the stone ages when I was in school (sex was the touchy topic back then more than anything else).

Comment by Kitty on Huck Finn's moment of decision

Wed, 12 Apr 2006 14:48:32 EDT

I am a Junior in High school and I am now reading "Huckleberry Finn" for my end of the year book, we have to do a research paper on the era of the book or something connected to Mississippi, 1800's, Mark Twain, or "Huck Finn". I am doing my paper on why is "Huckelberry Finn" the most contreversial(sp?) and Banned book in most public schools and i have came to a shocking result my school computer only found FIVE results...either they banned most results or thats all that is located on the net(I highly doubt this for its the internet i searched on and not on the bookshelves lacated behind me lol) going on I was wondering if you have any other web links or sites I can use as well as this one for my research paper I would really appreciate it. Also if you don't mind I hope I can use this article (cited and all) for my research I think people would appreciate your thoughts as well as mine. Thank You for reading my comment. ~*<3*~ Kitty

Comment by Angel on Huck Finn's moment of decision

Sat, 25 Mar 2006 07:27:11 EST

why didn't Mark Twain give his own comments about his own book "The Adventures of Huck Finn"?

Comment by Chris Duryea on Huck Finn's moment of decision

Sun, 7 Aug 2005 16:05:01 EDT

I can easily understand how some people are offended by the topic of the novel and especially the repeated use of the word "nigger." People of African American descent probably don't want to be reminded of all the atrocious treatment their ancestors had to endure and considering how much things have changed in the past two hundred years, whites also probably don't want to be reminded of the horrible crimes against humanity their ancestors committed. But, the fact is, no matter how horrible these things were, they're in the past and the best we can hope for is to learn from the mistakes and never make them again. Regardless of how it might easily offend some people, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a relevant piece of literature that gives a very accurate description of what life was like in that time period. This book is also vastly different because, while the racial issues and differences are still present, the story is mostly told from the point of view of an outsider. Huck never fit in with the upper class or was forced to be a slave, he ended up somewhere in the middle. Due to what was thought of as proper in society, he did treat blacks differently but never thought of them as property. The closest example I can think of to the relationship between Huck and Jim is that of a boy and his dog. I don't mean this to be at all degrading to blacks, but the circumstances are similar. While a dog is considered property, most people still care about their needs and feelings to the point where the pet is accepted and loved as a member of the family, even if it is not given the same treatment as a human. Jim is considered property, but is thought of by Huck as more of a companion and friend than property. Both are loyal to each other and if it weren't for one, the other wouldn't have gotten out of some pretty bad scrapes. For example, when the two finally manage to ditch the duke and king and Huck finds out Jim was sold, he goes after him instead of just leaving him to his captors. Jim also proves to be an exceptional friend by shielding Huck from his father's dead body and providing very good companionship. A boy and his dog can be very close without being equals. This is Jim and Huck's relationship not because Jim is inferior but because he is ignorant and has never been given a chance to learn and be an equal. I believe Twain's novel is necessary because it provides a narrative of the way things were and how regardless of society and institutionalism, people should rise above it and show compassion for their fellow man no matter what their religion, color, or nationality.

Comment by Samantha M. on Huck Finn's moment of decision

Sun, 7 Aug 2005 14:13:52 EDT

Slavery, although still present today, was a major part of life during the early 1880's, the set time for Mark Twain's novel. All throughout Twain's novel, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," the issue of slavery is always present. Characters like the "Duke" and the "King" see Jim as just a way to gain cash by setting up a fake "Wanted" notice and selling Jim for whiskey money. And before I go any further, I would like to say that slaves are people too, though it didn't occur to most people back then. Slaves were just thought of as property, to be bought, sold, or replaced. Huckleberry Finn was like that in the beginning, too. However, as they embarked on their journey together, Huck and Jim grew closer and closer as friends. During chapter nine, Jim protects Huck from seeing his father's dead body saying that it was "too gashley" (though it remained unknown to Huck that it was is his father). Huck, then, turns around in chapter sixteen and defends Jim from being sold when he told some ferry boat men that Jim was his father and that he had the smallpox. Huck also helps Jim escape slavery once again at the end of the book when he and Tom Sawyer broke Jim out of the Phelp's small prison shack. So as slavery goes, Huck learned that slaves are people with families and lives to live. That is why slavery is one of the major themes of Mark Twain's novel.

Comment by randy Kirk on Huck Finn's moment of decision

Sat, 6 Aug 2005 21:22:10 EDT

I don't know if you folks are all real young or what? When I grew up in St Louis in the 50's, we still used the "n" word and were only beginning to get the idea that it was offensive. Negro's were still considered second class citizens, and it was rare that a white middle class person came in contact with anyone of color unless they were hired help. How amazingly far we've come in 50 years . . and yet . . my neighbor, who is a junior college counselor and black says he truly believes there are people here in polyglot LA who would rather kiss their dog on the lips than shake his hand. Thanks MTwain for the beginnings of civilizing this nation on that issue.

Comment by Andrew May on Huck Finn's moment of decision

Sat, 6 Aug 2005 20:13:44 EDT

Samuel Langhorne Clemens's, better known as Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn has been one of the most controversial novels ever written. This is mainly due to the fact of the racism predominantly found throughout the book. One point that strikes this note is when Huck, mistaken for Tom Sawyer, talks to Aunt Sally about his made-up trip on a steamboat. He said there was a blowout on the cylinder head, the chamber in a steamboat in which steam acts upon the piston, and when his 'aunt' asked if anybody was hurt, he replied, "No'm. Killed a nigger." This shows that African Americans were thought of as second class. This reflects a lot of opinions in the South then; the racial inferiority of the black people to the whites. While all of this is quite apparent to readers throughout the book, one must step back a moment and look at the time when the book was written, and the situation at the time. This book was written in the 1800's, when there was still racial prejudice, and the Civil War had not ended too long ago. Changes to society, even through war, are not wrought in days or even years. So Mark Twain was still used to slavery and rewound time a bit in his book. So basically, in his time it was not racism, or not truly it yet, it was simply a fact and part of everyday life.

Comment by Al Barger on Huck Finn's moment of decision

Fri, 5 Aug 2005 03:15:08 EDT

Yes, and the whole book is full of these kind of moments, as Huck has to learn to make some kind of sense of the world and the races- what he's been taught versus what he sees in Jim. Sydney, I guess I just don't mind too much if the book upsets some people, black or white. Maybe they need to be upset a little now and then. The world's full of tough topics that have to be grappled with, which is one of the useful functions of art.

Comment by Nicole Padre on Huck Finn's moment of decision

Thu, 4 Aug 2005 20:35:45 EDT

In Mark Twain's novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, he emphasizes racism throughout the story. While reading the book, there was one point that caught my attention. When Jim, Miss Watson's slave, talks to Huck about his family, Huck worries whether or not he made the right decision to run away with Jim as said: "Well, I can tell you it made me all over trembly and feverish, too, to hear him, because I begun to get it through my head that he was most free-and who was to blame for it? Why, me." This shows that Huck's morals made it seem wrong to help a slave run away, but if he did not help Jim, part of him would say that it was not right to not save someone, who seems like a good person, even if Jim is a black slave. One example of how Mark Twain represented that Huck thought of black people different from white is, "It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger," As Huck said this, he does not regret apologizing to Jim because of making a fool of him thinking their separation in the fog was a dream. In this quote, the author shows that Huck has some sympathy for Jim and is a person nonetheless, even if Jim is a different color and knows he is a slave. As you go deeper in the novel you can see that Huck learns more about Jim as a person rather than thinking of him as a mere slave. In short, Huck finds it difficult to decide whether helping Jim is right or to listen to what he was brought up to know that blacks are inferior to them.

Comment by sydney on Huck Finn's moment of decision

Thu, 4 Aug 2005 18:52:59 EDT

Ya with regards to my comments in my last post and your view that young students could handle the heavy issues, I'll admit that you may very well be right. However, my experince as a teacher suggest that they probably wouldn't. My opinion anyway. Your right that students are extremely media savey and are capable of accessing layered discourses within many media texts. They are none-the-less deficient in many areas of language and higher thought. ITs funny... sometimes they understand things in a far more complex way then many adults (in particular when it comes to reading media texts), but they are way far behind in other ways. I find my students very resistant to accessing literary texts on anything but a literal level. Perhaps that is my shortcommings as an instructor... The other thing is that I think its very difficult for me , or any other white person to understand how huck finn makes a black peroson feel. This is a question only black audiences can answer. All the comments made in my last post come from my thoughts and feelings as I read the novel, and my efforts to view the novel from a black's perspective. IT is neccesarily inadequate. Only a point for discussion.... Thanks for the response.

Comment by Al Barger on Huck Finn's moment of decision

Thu, 4 Aug 2005 18:42:11 EDT

Sydney, I appreciate your balanced and thoughtful comments, but I think you WAY underestimate young people. They deal with stuff in the popular culture every day FAR more degrading to blacks, 50 Cent for example. Moreover, considering the rocky social and emotional terrain involved, it would be particularly good to have this in a classroom setting. That way, they can get input from teachers and other classmates to help them unscramble the meanings. That called LEARNING, and that's exactly what schools are for. On the other hand, trying to ban the book would tend to make it sound cool and dangerous, which might get the kiddies interested in this classic piece of literature.

Comment by Bryan Yabut on Huck Finn's moment of decision

Thu, 4 Aug 2005 18:26:06 EDT

*referred