Texas Pages

Posted by TD @ 10:52 AM Thu, Nov 01, 2007

This only happens, I think, when there are only one or two black students in the class. It is embarrassing to them. In the majority, though, they would probably be fine. Try to imagine the outrage of parents of the only girl in a classroom filled with boys studying The Tropic of Cancer or Portnoy's Complaint.

Posted by Judy Alter @ 8:12 PM Thu, Nov 01, 2007

I think some people are looking for offense--their reasons may be anything from publicity to money. But I always remember historian C. L. Sonnichsen, whose criteria was "Is it appropriate to time and place?" And that language, unfortunately or not, meets the criteria.
I understand the student's parents are going to sue to have Huck Finn taken off the school library shelves. What a shame to rob students, black and white, of one of our national literary treasures.

Posted by Tom Dodge @ 7:41 AM Fri, Nov 02, 2007

It's too bad that education has failed to prevent a widespread misunderstanding of Huckleberry Finn. The novel has became branded with the letter N. People who have never read it or read it and misunderstood it don't see that it's a condemnation of America as a slaveholding nation. It was called "trash" when it came out in slavery days because librarians got it and saw its ironic attack on slavery in a time when most people didn't question slavery. The author characterized Jim, a slave, as a person of high moral character, something not done by very many authors in slavery days. The author showed slavery to be so prevalent in American consciousness that Huck, a 12-year-old boy, felt that he was going to hell for having Jim as a friend and helping him escape. The author blames the church for slavery, as he has Huck believing he wouldn't be doing this if he had only gone to Sunday school and church. Also, the author shows Huck's illiterate worthless father as the most filthy of racists. To this day illiteracy is the chief characteristic of a racist, and country clubs, fraternities, lodges, and churches, small ones anyway, are still segregated for all practical purposes. Two things must be done before Huckleberry Finn is taught to such technically segregated classes. First, the classes must be made to understand that the book uses the poetic technique of irony to show an anti-slavery theme. Second, unless the class has a make-up of equal numbers of black and white students, it should be discussed only in personal themes written by the students. Again, would you want your teenaged daughter to be the only girl in a class of boys reading Tropic of Cancer and discussing its vocabulary?

Posted by Tom Dodge @ 10:20 AM Fri, Nov 02, 2007

I was wrong, of course, by writing in an earlier comment that Huckleberry Finn came out during slavery. It was published in 1884 or 1885, I think.

Posted by Phillip J Hubbell @ 1:15 PM Fri, Nov 02, 2007

First of all Huck Finn was published in 1884 and was never introduced in slavery days. Second, another theme that runs through this book and most of Twain's writings is the incredible levels of ignorance that runs through the population...both in the 1800's and now. This "controvery" rears up every few years and I have to laugh at Twain's ability to describe just how stupid the common man can be.

Since all this comes in cycles I await the "Cleopatra" was black episode to make the rounds again soon.

Posted by TD @ 9:13 AM Sat, Nov 03, 2007

And, being a common man myself, I'm often stupid, ignorant too, in most matters. But I do know a humane way to teach Huckleberry Finn. And I know too well the feeling of a young person when singled out for shame. Everyone should endure, once, the terrible arrogance of the majority.