Jaleah's Page

Response to the article " Why Read That Book "

Paul Butler, a former federal prosecutor, is a associate dean and an author of" Why Read That Book. " Rev to Huckleberry Finn. Weblog Post. The New York Times.  Wed. Jan 9, 2013. 

       Paul Butler believes that Huckleberry Finn should not be about censorship but it should be a choice. It just depends on how people take offense about the book especially when it was written. Paul Butler says, " if other teachers think keeping those epithets in is worth the pain they will cause students of color, I understand that too. This isn’t about censorship, it’s about choice. Either choice will have unfortunate consequences. " I agree with this statement because there should be a choice to read the book especially in schools because maybe  some students would feel uncomfortable when they read the book. The way the dialect is portrayed in the story can be different in a powerful way to the African American race.  Jane Smiley says, " The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has little to offer in the way of greatness. There is more to be learned about the American character from its canonization than through its canonization." I agree because the book could have been more based on a better understanding of slavery and the implications of ethnic developments throughout the story. The way that Mark Twain emphasizes the relations between the characters should have been more powerful and he should have portrayed slavery more important. In the book Huck says, "But I reckon I got to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she's going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can't stand it. I been there before"(Twain Ch 15). The end of the story was a cliffhanger and i think it should have been more instead of leaving the readers wondering what would happen next. I did not like the book because I thought there was too much dialect even though that's how the people used to talk when it was written. There wasn't a good concept to the story especially about slavery. The adventures in the book were good because slavery was involved through the journey. Even though i didn't enjoy reading the novel, Huckleberry Finn was a American Masterpiece because Mark Twain was a very prominent author who wanted to sent a message about what adventures happen between white and black people during slavery. The concept of the story could have been better but for the most part the book was a success because of Twain wanted it to be written. This shouldn't be read in schools because students shouldn't always be reminded of what happened during slavery and they could take offense to the fact that the dialect and many other details can be powerful that make people hate the book.