Huckleberry Finn and Censorship
People have objected to Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, for the book’s whole existence; beginning with its publication in 1884, individuals have protested against what they deemed unacceptable. While the perspectives of what is ‘unacceptable’ within the novel have shifted over the past one hundred and thirty years, people’s discomfort has not. However, by allowing books like Huckleberry Finn to be discussed in the classroom without the censorship of its material, intellectual freedom is maintained and students are able to critically analyze sensitive topics that are pertinent to society and can lead to change through greater understanding and dialogue. Rather than serving as a pedagogical adjustment …show more content…
However, rather than just being a pedagogical adjustment to curriculum, the censorship of Huckleberry Finn serves only to bar certain ideas and topics, which is not a legitimate reason to remove it from classrooms. This became a legal issue in 1933, when the United States District Court established a precedent concerning the censorship of literature. In United States v. One Book Called Ulysses, Ulysses, written by James Joyce, was being banned on the grounds that it was obscene and shouldn’t be in the possession of American citizens. This begs the question of how exactly it is that one determines what is obscene and why that warrants censorship. According the the Oxford Dictionary, something that is ‘obscene’ is “offensive or disgusting by accepted standards of morality and decency ("Definition of Obscene in English:.").” The very definition of obscenity directly depends upon what is socially acceptable. Censoring material on grounds of obscenity, therefore, is an insufficient reason for banning others from having access to it, because it thwarts a discussion outside the realm of what is socially acceptable, in which valuable themes and ideas …show more content…
As, society and its views will continue to change, it becomes more important to allow the discussion of issues within our society, many of whom are addressed in Huckleberry Finn. The first amendment of the United States Constitution states that “Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press...” The founders of the Constitution established this amendment in order to protect the free distribution of information and ideas, because they knew that it was necessary in order to maintain a representative democracy. United States Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black conveys its purpose and importance, writing that “The Framers knew that free speech is the friend of change and revolution. But they also knew that it is always the deadliest enemy of tyranny ("Amendment I: Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, and Assembly.").” The first amendment protects not only the right to distribute information, but also the right to receive it. Its guarantees of speech and of the press also apply to school libraries; books can’t be banned solely because school-board members don’t agree with ideas or content they present. By doing so, they go against the values of democracy, which allow access to information so that people can make their own informed, educated decisions. Access to information leads to conversation and dialogue. This creates awareness: the first step to
People have objected to Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, for the book’s whole existence; beginning with its publication in 1884, individuals have protested against what they deemed unacceptable. While the perspectives of what is ‘unacceptable’ within the novel have shifted over the past one hundred and thirty years, people’s discomfort has not. However, by allowing books like Huckleberry Finn to be discussed in the classroom without the censorship of its material, intellectual freedom is maintained and students are able to critically analyze sensitive topics that are pertinent to society and can lead to change through greater understanding and dialogue. Rather than serving as a pedagogical adjustment …show more content…
However, rather than just being a pedagogical adjustment to curriculum, the censorship of Huckleberry Finn serves only to bar certain ideas and topics, which is not a legitimate reason to remove it from classrooms. This became a legal issue in 1933, when the United States District Court established a precedent concerning the censorship of literature. In United States v. One Book Called Ulysses, Ulysses, written by James Joyce, was being banned on the grounds that it was obscene and shouldn’t be in the possession of American citizens. This begs the question of how exactly it is that one determines what is obscene and why that warrants censorship. According the the Oxford Dictionary, something that is ‘obscene’ is “offensive or disgusting by accepted standards of morality and decency ("Definition of Obscene in English:.").” The very definition of obscenity directly depends upon what is socially acceptable. Censoring material on grounds of obscenity, therefore, is an insufficient reason for banning others from having access to it, because it thwarts a discussion outside the realm of what is socially acceptable, in which valuable themes and ideas …show more content…
As, society and its views will continue to change, it becomes more important to allow the discussion of issues within our society, many of whom are addressed in Huckleberry Finn. The first amendment of the United States Constitution states that “Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press...” The founders of the Constitution established this amendment in order to protect the free distribution of information and ideas, because they knew that it was necessary in order to maintain a representative democracy. United States Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black conveys its purpose and importance, writing that “The Framers knew that free speech is the friend of change and revolution. But they also knew that it is always the deadliest enemy of tyranny ("Amendment I: Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, and Assembly.").” The first amendment protects not only the right to distribute information, but also the right to receive it. Its guarantees of speech and of the press also apply to school libraries; books can’t be banned solely because school-board members don’t agree with ideas or content they present. By doing so, they go against the values of democracy, which allow access to information so that people can make their own informed, educated decisions. Access to information leads to conversation and dialogue. This creates awareness: the first step to