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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is, not and should not, be considered a childs story. A story like this may corrupt a young childs mind. It deals with adult themes and concepts that are generally not suitable for young children. Als o, if used as a childs story it may confuse them or give them the wrong idea about slavery and the terminology of the time. First of all, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is extremely inappropriate for children because it may put bad ideas into a young impressionable mind. At the young age of about twelve, Huck is roaming around the woods all by himself and later on is flo ating aimlessly down the Mississippi River with a bunch of criminals.
Huck is living what may appear to the children to be a very exciting and glamorous life. Most parents would never steer their children the wrong way in life, dont want to tell child en about a kid around their age or little older than they are that is homeless and basically cheating and stealing to survive. This novel explains in depth about various scams such as the Wilks brothers scam, and the teaching schools like the dancing sch ool or yellow caution. In addition to the royal nonesuch plays which teach children that all you need to do is take the money and run like the King and the Duke did. After reading this novel the majority of children wont go out and try to scam their n eighbors. However, it may seem like an appealing lifestyle for them.
It may also give them the impression that being a con man for a living, or being homeless and wandering is a wonderful and glorious carefree lifestyle, and because your Mommy or Daddy tells it to you, it must not be the wrong thing to do. In addition to giving the wrong idea about life, it is a brutal and vulgar book that children should not be exposed to. There are a couple of deaths like when Colonel Sherburn kills a harmless town drunk named Boggs. Earlier on Huck is staying with a the Grangerford family that is in the middle of a feud with the Shepherds on family. Buck, the youngest child, is about Huck's age. Buck speaks of murdering all of the Shepherdsons for a reason he doesnt even know of.
Eventually Buck is killed by a She person right in front of Huck's eyes. The King and the Duke are tarred and feathered later on and Huck doesnt really think twice about it. Huck also encounters a wreck on the river with two criminals on it that are going to leave a third one on there to die. Not to forget the alcoholic and abusive father that is killed in a whore house.
Which is just another example of how vulgar this story is. Furthermore, not only is the plot very adult, the language is also unsuitable for children. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn takes place in the pre-civil war south. At this time slavery is very common and is condoned by society. Black people were tho ugh of as property and treated extremely poorly and inhumanly. When Huck makes up the story on why he, Tom, was late getting to Aunt Sally's house he explains that a cylinder head had blown up.
When Aunt Sally asked if anyone was hurt Tom says that nobody was hurt, just a couple of niggers were killed. Aunt Sally was relieved and said good, because sometimes people get hurt. This is an example of how black people were treated. Not as real people but as property or luggage. Huck would have gott en a similar reaction if he told her that someone had their suitcase broken.
The niggers were left to live in shacks near the Phelps house. Treating black people that way is not a setting a good example for todays youth. Weve all made mistakes and the United States made a huge one with slavery, reading to your kids about niggers being killed and treating niggers as servants is not helping us teach todays children that slavery and racism are a bad thing. Another th ing that is unsuitable for children is the excessive use of the word nigger.
This was a book written a long time ago and nigger may have been a common term to use. However, we shouldnt teach children in todays society to call black people niggers. In conclusion, Huck Finn is not a childs book and shouldnt be read to children. They are too young to comprehend the book in a mature way. Also, they are too impressionable to take in that kind of information and not be affected in some way by it, an d the only way Huck Finn can be interpreted is in a negative way that gives children the wrong idea about life.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should never be taught to young children.
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