The Huck Headlines:

Should Huckleberry Finn be censored?/ Opinion Article

The book, Huckleberry Finn, takes place during the nineteenth century when slavery was very common in the United States.  Many African Americans were owned to work for whites, and they were also looked down on by their owners.  Often, whites used the word "nigger" to refer to their slaves and to other black people during this time period.  Mark Twain used this word a number of times throughout his novel, Huck Finn, and today the issue of whether or not the word "nigger" should be censored out of the book is very controversial. 

Many people today, especially African Americans, find the use of the word "nigger" in book offensive and amoral.  Although the word is not the kindest label to use, I believe calling someone a "nigger" today is more offensive than it was back then.  During the 1800's, whites got so used to calling blacks "niggers" that often times they used it nonchalantly and they meant no harm by it.  Today, since everyone is segregated and the word is used much less often, I believe it is more offensive this day in time.  In my personal opinion, I think that people reading the book today need to realize that and look past the use of the word in the book.

One example of how Twain used the word "nigger" in Huck Finn is "Miss Watson's big nigger, named Jim, was setting in the kitchen door."(ch.2, 6) Personally, I believe this adds to the book and the book would not be the same without the use of the word.  It helps take you back to the time period and see what Huck Finn's life was really like.  Huckleberry Finn is an American classic that is read in tons of English classes and I believe that the book should not be censored in any way.