Full of Trouble
How should we frame the discussion of difficult topics in schools? Should students be protected from materials and situations that may be hurtful or offensive to them? How do we create a context for the frank exploration of racism in American culture without creating divisions among students, teachers and parents? These are some of the questions at the heart of the readings for this unit of the course.
This unit will focus on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. While this novel has gained a reputation as one of the greatest works in American Literature, it has also in the last half century come under fire for its use of the racist “N” word and its portrayal of African-American characters. Supporters of the novel have defended it as a product of its time, and have pointed to its clear condemnation of slavery and of racist white society, but critics argue that this can be no excuse for racist language and offensive stereotypes. Because this is a course on language, not literature, our main focus will not be on the literary qualities of Huckleberry Finn. Instead, we are going to explore the controversy that surrounds the novel, and we will explore different opinions about how it should be presented to secondary students—if, indeed, it should be taught in schools at all. |