Rebuttal 2.2

Rebecca Moran
Professor Henderson
Academic Writing
2 March 2011

Censorship of the American Classic, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Is
Absolutely Not the Answer

Should any person change Michelangelo’s painting in the Sistine Chapel, or Rodin’s world famous sculpture, The Thinking Man, or even Leonardo Divinci’s masterpiece, The Mona Lisa? The answer would be absolutely not. The censorship of the American classic novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, is comparable and is completely wrong. This American classic should be considered a work of art that should never be altered, but the argument of its censorship is a hot topic of debate today. The Lufkin Daily News published an editorial on January 6, 2011 titled: “Huck Fin: Censorship? Sure, it is, but Changes to ‘Huckleberry Finn’ Are Warranted. In this editorial, the authors claim that the word “nigger” should be replaced with the word “slave”, so that younger children are able to read it. The Lufkin Daily News is correct that the language in this novel is not appropriate for younger children, but the book was not written for that particular audience. Mark Twain is an amazing and gifted author who is able to take the reader on a journey back in time and see the reality of the American culture in the 1800s. By altering Twain’s writing, one would be robbing the reader of a potentially life-changing experience.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain was published in 1884, only 19 years after the Civil War ended (Twain par.4). Since the novel’s publication the novel is one of the most frequently read pieces of literature in America, second in frequency to Shakespeare (Carey-Webb 22). It is the most taught book and is required in 70% of public high schools. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is considered to be a “staple form junior high to graduate school” (Carey-Webb 22). This novel is a key source of American literature, but even at the beginning of the novel’s publication, it stirred up much controversy. A month after its publication many libraries banned the book, calling it "tawdry" and its narrative voice "coarse" and "ignorant" (Twain par. 4). In the 1950s, the novel had strong criticism due to its racial content. In Arizona in 1988, a parent sued her school district, claiming: “that making Twain's novel required high school reading made already existing racial tensions even worse” (Twain par. 4) . Even through all this fiery debate, the novel has remained unchanged, and for good reason. There are many who realize the importance and significance of the novel’s content. Twain was not writing in a disrespectful way by any means, but rather he was displaying the cruel cold reality of America back in the days of slavery. Twain was able to display most perfectly the intolerance, injustice, suppression, and the ignorance that was demonstrated by many white people against people of color. It is through his descriptions that the reader is able to get a taste of the harsh reality during this troubled time period. By eliminating word ”nigger”, which in retrospect was used quite often, the reader does not get the full experience Twain was trying convey to his audience.

Since The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn depicted most vividly the grim life of a slave, it was not previously or presently intended for a young audience. The authors of the Lufkin Daily News editorial stated: “The Twain books are too important to be shelved, which is what’s happening. The new versions, for those readers who prefer them, or for lower level grades in our schools, are appropriate” (Huck par.3). This statement does not acknowledge that the Mark Twain’s audience includes adults who are able to understand and interpret Twain’s message in an appropriate fashion. The books are only being shelved from those who are not fit to read it, but older children and adults continue to read the American classic. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is inarguably an advanced text. How many children are actually reading and fully understanding the content of Mark Twain novels? This literary masterpiece was not written with the intent of young children reading it. Upon the novel’s first publication, a librarian wrote to Mark Twain asking him to defend his books. Twain responded to her with confidence:
"I am greatly troubled by what you say. I wrote 'Tom Sawyer' & 'Huck Finn' for adults exclusively, & it always distressed me when I find that boys and girls have been allowed access to them. The mind that becomes soiled in youth can never again be washed clean. I know this by my own experience, and to this day I cherish an unappeased bitterness against the unfaithful guardians of my young life, who not only permitted but compelled me to read an unexpurgated Bible through before I was 15 years old. None can do that and ever draw a clean sweet breath again on this side of the grave” (Paine 813).
Twain states clearly that he did not write this story for children and did not have any intent of “soiling” the minds of children. He wrote this novel for the adult audience; if Twain wished for children to read the novel then he would have made the text much simpler with less vulgar language. It is not the right of others to change Twain’s words in his story.

Although The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was not written for children, it can still be considered a very important source of knowledge for young adults today. The book should not be censored to older students who are able to discuss it in a sophisticated, understanding, and respectful way. Marcus Tullius Cicero, a well-respected Roman writer, speaker, philosopher and politician (106-43BC), once brilliantly stated, “Not to know what happened before you were born is to remain forever a child” (Thorp par.4). Here, Cicero meant that if one does not learn from the past then they are considered to be ignorant, just like a child. By censoring The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, we are depriving young adults of a very valuable lesson. We must allow them to read this book and allow them to get swept off into a world full of ignorance and injustice. It is when the reader is able to feel these emotions that they are able to learn from the failures of America’s past and strive for a brighter future. Through this novel, they learn that the language and treatment of the people of color was undeniably wrong. By observing the wrongs of past American society, people can learn how to make things right here and now and in the future.

This novel has played a key role in teaching our American society about its past social injustices. The Lufkin Daily News distressfully stated: "The problem with keeping the text of Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer intact in schools, instead of banning the book  because that creates an outrage of its own are simply not assigning it to students anymore. And that's a shame” (Huck par.2). If we have children read it when they are younger with or without the word “nigger”, it would be a waste of time. The thrill in reading this American classic is the exposure of the dark chapters of America during the time of slavery. If the novel is censored, then it would take Twain’s intended experience away and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn would just be another book lost in history. And that would be the ultimate shame.

Works Cited
Carey-Webb, Allen. "Racism and "Huckleberry Finn": Censorship, Dialogue, and Change." The
English Journal 82 (1993): 22. Print.
"Huck Finn: Censorship? Sure, it is, but changes to 'Huckleberry Finn' are warrented." Lufkin
Daily News 6 Jan. 2011: Print.
Paine, Albert Bigelow. Mark Twain, a Biography the Personal and Literary Life of Samuel Langhorne
Clemen,. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1912. Print.
Thorp, Katie. "Censorship of a classic promotes revisionist history." The Smith College Sophian
10 Mar. 2011: Print.
"Twain Publishes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn — History.com This Day in History —
2/18/1885." History.com — History Made Every Day — American & World History. 18
Feb. 2011. Web. 28 Feb. 2011.