Huckleberry Finn - Criticism

Criticism

Huck Finn has been one of the most-challenged books in the USA, both for exposing the ignorance and racism of the South and (paradoxically) for being racist itself. Craig Lancto, then education editor of World&I magazine, wrote:

  • Nigger is an ugly word that ignites strong feelings and diminishes both speaker and hearer. Of course, neither Huck nor Tom meant it in a derogatory way. It was what they heard adults of their day say. Their behavior did not reflect racism, but those who would ban the book because of it rob students of the opportunity to discover that Twain was not a racist. Instead, they exacerbate racial tensions by finding racism where it does not exist.

Read more about this topic:  Huckleberry Finn

Famous quotes containing the word criticism:

    “A tailor can adapt to any medium, be it poetry, be it criticism. As a poet, he can mend, and with the scissors of criticism he can divide.”
    —Franz Grillparzer (1791–1872)

    “Parents sometimes feel that if they don’t criticize their child, their child will never learn. Criticism doesn’t make people want to change; it makes them defensive.”
    —Laurence Steinberg (20th century)