To Whom It May Concern,
I believe that the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain should not be taught as a whole class read. I do not believe any book should be banned, as that is a form of censorship. My advice is: have the book as an optional read, but not have it as a requirement. It is mine and many other student’s belief that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an inappropriate choice for a whole-class read, even though it has all of the quarter 1 essential questions, because of its perpetuating normalization of racist slurs, it’s not written in a relevant way to appeal to a modern audience, and there are far better options to spread the messages Twain attempted to make.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain uses the N-word over 200 times throughout the novel. This is may be historically accurate but it's detrimental to any person of color’s mental health. There is a way to learn and understand how much the N-word was used and how beyond disgusting, let alone how oppressive the word is without making people's current situations worse. This is not something Mark Twain did. His use of satire was not enough to make what he wrote acceptable in a school environment. One glaring example is when Huck is talking to Aunt Sally. She asks him, “‘Anybody Hurt?’” referring to a fake boating accident, Huck's response was “‘ No’m. Killed a nigger.’ ‘Well, it's lucky; because sometimes people do get hurt…’” (Twain 201). In this example not only is there use of the N-word, but both Huck and Aunt Sally express how they don’t consider African-Americans human. Huck says no-one was hurt when someone was and the word “Nigger” isn’t capitalized signifying that it's not a noun/ person, that he is speaking of. To which Aunt Sally is relieved because it was common belief that African- Americans didn’t have feelings; so if one was hurt it wouldn't matter.
It's no secret that the mental health of adolescents is at an all-time low especially for people of color. Minorities don’t need to hear a word that feels like a slap in the face over 200 times! Especially in a place that is supposed to be safe… such as school. I know for me personally if I heard homophobic slurs more than 2 times, my mental health would suffer in a big way, let alone over 200 times. I think it's safe to say that a lot of high schoolers lack empathy and love a bad word. It's horrible, but in my opinion, the thought that there will be no one repeating the N-word for recreational use after hearing it so many times (in the book and in-class discussion) is both idiotic and irresponsible. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not worth anything close to someone’s mental health and emotional safety. Unfortunately, the misuse of the N-word is not Huckleberry Finn’s only issue.
Mark Twain lived in the 1800’s, a time in which standards were only as high as civil rights were abundant, which is to say… low. It is almost a 100% guarantee that a white person was racist or did/ said racists things in their lifetime. The only people worth listening to were white men. For the time it makes sense that Twain would have his main character be a white man. He wanted white people to know that African-Americans are people too. This book was a baby step for white people guiding them to the right side of history. The books share the most basic common knowledge though Huck warming up to Jim and that's where the lesson will come in. In chapter 15 it becomes apparent that Huck doesn’t know that slaves have feelings. After Jim became emotional over a prank was played on him Huck thinks, “I didn’t do him no more mean tricks, and I wouldn’t done that one if I’d knowed it would make him feel that way” (Twain 81). Today we know a bit better; we need books that challenge us to be even more progressive while understanding the past in its entirety.
To hear a story about a black person’s struggle from the mouth of a white person is like hearing how impossible coming-out is from the straight parent of a queer child. It's not that person’s place and ends up silencing the silenced even more. To be an ally is not to overpower the people whose stories need to hear but to support them, encourage them and listen with an open mind with the full knowledge that you will never be able to fully understand their story as a person of privilege or someone who is oppressed in a different way. A disgusting example of a white person telling a person of color’s story for them is in chapter 23 when Huck explains how Jim is feeling, “I knowed what it was about. He was thinking about his wife and children, away up yonder, and he was low and homesick; because he had never been away from home before in his life; and I do believe he cared for his people as white folks cared for their’n. It don’t seem natural, but I reckon it's so” (Twain 142). The only way to get a truly accurate account is to hear from the person you are studying/ learning about!
Though Huckleberry Finn does meet all the requirements for the quarter 1 essential questions; Leaving home vs. putting down roots, Honoring tradition vs. rejecting the past, Rejection of authority vs. conforming to the expectations of others, Exploring new territories that doesn’t mean that it’s the best choice to read as a class. Of course, it meets the requirements; that's why it's being taught 1st quarter, no one is questioning that. What is up for debate is whether Huck Finn is the best choice for a whole class read. In many student’s opinions, it is not. There are so many other books that would also check all the quarter 1 boxes in a more productive way. Some of these books include My Jim by Nancy Rawles and The Help by Catherine Stocket. Books where the main character, the person whose head you get to go inside, is a slave/ person of color. Not someone who tells you about what they think people of color were thinking and feeling. All these books meet the requirements while being more sensitive and historically accurate, it's a win-win!
In conclusion, Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain should not be taught as a whole class read. The kids themselves should decide if they believe they are ready or want to read such a book. It's not that hard to replace Huck Finn with a superior book with exceptionally executed messages as a whole class read. Make Huck Finn an optional choice. No child should be forced to do anything that harms them; school is already stressful enough. The book failed to keep up with the times. It's also supposedly about African-Americans but it's written and narrated by white men who have never suffered the emotional trauma that comes with being a minority. He may have been able to understand intellectually what it would have been like but only those who have gone through the horrors can truly say. All I’m asking is to think about switching what books are whole class reads. Please don’t hold on to the legacy of Huckleberry Finn tighter than your students' well-being.
Sincerely,
Aubrey Haskell

Works Cited:
Twain, Mark. Barnes & Noble Books. Michael J. Fine, 2008.