Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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Racism
and
HuckleberryFinn:
Dialogue,
Censorship,
and
Change
Allen Carey-Webb
A masterpiece.
T. S. Eliot
22
English Journal
23
61-73).
SatireorEvasionconsiderably elaborates Ellison's
remarks. The contributors offer significant evidence that Twain himself was an avid fan of the
black-face minstrelsy. Bernard Bell, a professor of
English at the University of Massachusetts, quotes
from one of Twain's letters: "The minstrel used a
Satire or Evasion? Black Perspectives on Huckleberry very broad Negro dialect; he used it competently
Finn (Leonard, Tenney, and Davis 1992). This is a and with easy facility and it was funny-delightfully
book all teachers of Huckleberry
Finn ought to read. and satisfyingly funny" (1992, 128). When the
is
concerned
with the role of shows appeared to be dying out in the early twenticontributor
Every
Finn
in
the
classroom; most are profes- eth century, Bell points out, Twain lamented the
Huckleberry
sors at leading universities, some have high-school loss of "the real nigger show- the genuine nigger
show, the extravagant nigger
teaching experience. The diverse
and divergent essays in Satire or
show--the show which to me has
Evasion demonstrate the comno peer and whose peer has not
of
Twain's
the
arrived"
novel
and
(127). As his affection for
plexity
racial issues it raises. In addition
the minstrel show indicates, the
to the articles, Satire or Evasion
contributors point out, Twain's personal attitudes toward blacks were
contains a complete annotated
on
issues
of
race,
bibliography
contradictory. His father and uncle
the novel, and the classroom.
owned slaves, yet his wife was the
The collection begins with an
daughter of a prominent abolitionH.
the
ist. He fought briefly with the conWallace,
essay by John
black school administrator at
federate army, yet later in life paid
Mark Twain Intermediate School
a black student's way through Yale
in Fairfax, Virginia, who played a
Law School. Though he protested
in
role
the
debates
prominent
against lynching and discriminaover the novel in the early 1980s
tion, he loved minstrel shows and
Wallace's
is
fol(1992).
essay
"nigger jokes." In their essay Frelowed by others that take signifidrick Woodard and Donnarae Maccantly different and more subtle positions, but Cann, a professor and a graduate student at the
most contributors agree on several key points. University of Iowa, argue that Twain's affection for
First, they make a persuasive case that Twain's de- the minstrel show is fundamental to the portrayal
piction of Jim owes much to the popular nine- of Jim:
teenth-century black-face minstrel show where
The swaggering buffoonery of the minstrel clown
white actors darkened their skin to the color of
is represented early in the novel when Jim awakes
coal to render comic burlesques of African Ameriand finds his hat in a tree (one of Tom'stricks),and
then concocts a tale about witches and the devil.
can speech and manners. This insight is not en(145).
new:
Ellison
wrote
tirely
nearly fifty years ago Ralph
that "Twainfitted Jim into the outlines of the minThey argue that
strel tradition, and it is from behind this stereotype
The "stageNegro's"typicalbanter about wife troumask that we see Jim's dignity and human capacbles, profit making,spooks, and formal education is
ity-and Twain's complexity--emerge" (1964, 65).
echoed in episodes in Huckleberry
Finn, and their inWhile Ellison noted Twain's talent, he remarked
clusion can be tracedto a period when Twainwasin
on a fundamental ambivalence in Jim's portrayal
the midst of planning a new tour of stage readings.
HuckleberryFinn has also consistently attracted the
attention of prominent black scholars and writers
who, since the 1950s, have thought carefully about
the work and its role in the curriculum. As of 1992
we are fortunate to have much of their analysis
readily available in a paperback volume entitled
24
English Journal
"UCK
BLACK? ?
'
November
1993
25
English Journal
November 1993
27
English Journal
This is a classicstudyof the life and cultureof American slave communities. A valuable classroom resource, it is readable and contains numerous
illustrations. Students at all levels will find it helpful.
Brent, Linda. 1973. Incidentsin the Life of a Slave Girl.
ral literature and history. A classroom without African Americans presents particular difficulties for
the teacher and students reading HuckleberryFinn.
Lacking black voices in the room, it will be difficult
for "sympathy" or "understanding" to be more
than superficial. Issues of race may be treated at a
safe though somewhat uncomfortable intellectual
distance: "I think that they would think . '.." "If I
were black I would feel . . . ." In a classroom without blacks, some students may seek to relieve the
tension that a discussion of race brings by making
supposedly funny, but actually inappropriate, racial
remarks. A white teacher in this situation needs to
make it clear from the outset that such remarks are
not acceptable whether or not blacks are present to
hear them. Students and parents in such contexts
may resent any time spent on racial questions or on
black history and culture as "too much" time, yet
for these students moretimeis necessary to understanding the literature and preparing for democratic citizenship. Inviting black speakers to the
class, regardless of their viewpoint, is especially important. It is relatively easy for white teachers to
argue for the importance of multicultural perspectives and racial understanding, while teachers of
color, black or otherwise, attempting the same pedagogy may be perceived as "hypersensitive"or "activist"or may be accused of "reverse racism."
When issues of race come up in classes where
black students constitute a small minority, these
students will sense, often accurately, that they are
November 1993
29
30
English Journal
Continued
fromp. 29
"TheLife of OlaudahEquiano"and the storyof Mary
Prince. In addition, it includes excerpts from the
writings of Frederick Douglass and Linda Brent
which are listed in this sidebar.
Genovese,Eugene. 1976. Roll,Jordan,Roll:TheWorld
theSlavesMade.New York:Random, 823pp., $16.95.
ISBN0-394-71652-3
A massivestudy of slave culture writtenby a leading
AfricanAmericanhistorian,this work is surprisingly
approachablethough encyclopedic.Genovese'swife,
Elizabeth Fox-Genovese, has also done important
workon slave culture, particularlythe experience of
women. Advanced students might want to examine
WithinthePlantationHousehold(1988, Chapel Hill: U
of North Carolina P, 544pp., $13.95. ISBN 0-80784232-X)
FivePlaysbyLanHughes, Langston. 1963. "Mulatto."
gustonHughes.Ed. WebsterSmalley.Bloomington:Indiana UP, 280pp., $6.95. ISBN0-253-20121-7
Hughes' play offers a compelling look at personal
and social relations in the "bighouse" among slave
masters,their slavemistresses,and mulattochildren.
There is a certain mysteryabout the period in which
the action takesplace that gives the playa transhistoric dimension.
.N:
Roots.1977. Dir.DavidGreone.Warner.
Though all of us mayhave seen the televisionmovie
and read the book, many of our students have not
encountered it. The six-partvideo series is a fine way
to complement other reading about slaveryand presents one of the few depictions I know of slave capture and transportationto America.
Sembene, Ousmane.1974. "TribalScars."TribalScars.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 116pp., $7.95. ISBN
0-435-90142-7
A shortstoryby the renownedSenegaleseauthor,this
work examines the effect on Africanculture of the
slave trade.
Turner,Nat. 1861. Confessions
of Nat TurnerLeaderof
theLateInsurrection
in Southampton,
Va.,As Fullyand
Madeto ThomasC. Gray(facs. ed.). Salem,
Voluntarily
NH: Ayer,$9.95. ISBN0-8369-8672-5
"Notto be confused with the novel of the same name
by WilliamStyron,Turner'soriginalconfessionswere
recorded by a journalist named T. R. Grayand are
probablythe most rivetingfifteen pages you or your
students,will ever read. Throwing caution to the
windsTurnerand his group of rebellingslaveswould
arriveat one plantationafter another, slaughterthe
white families and be joined by many of the slaves
Continuedonp. 31
Continued
fromp. 30
before moving on. Though the rebels, including
Turner, were eventually caught and hanged, their
revolt reveals that anger and violent resistancewere
very much a part of slavery.
Walker,Margaret.1984. Jubilee.New York:Bantam,
432pp., $5.95. ISBN0-553-27383-3
More approachable for most high-school students
than other contemporary black fiction on slavery
such as Toni Morrison'sBeloved,
IshmaelReed'sFlight
to Canada,or CharlesJohnson'sMiddlePassage,Jubilee
is a powerfuland compelling novel of one woman's
journey through slaveryand its aftermath.
November 1993
31
their
to
it.
torturto
it.
torturby their
heightened
sensitivity
by
heightened
sensitivity
Slowly,
Slowly,
of
the
wal
silence
would
to
crumble
the
wall
of
silence
would
to
crumble
ously,
ously,
begin
begin
students'
before
timid
to
the
before
students'
timid
to
the
attempts
attempts
approach
approach
topic
topic
wiwith
th
aafter
fter
ttense
ense
ne
moments,
euphemism.
moments, oone
euphemism. FiFinally,
nally,
adolescent
would
ututter
ter
tthe
he
word.
AAs
s
the
would
word.
the
courageous adolescent
courageous
cclass
las
relreleased
eased
aan
n
alalmost
most
audi
ble
oof
f
tthe
he
audible
relief,
relief,
sigh
sigh
seriousness
he
seriousness ofof tthe
s ue
aand
nd
dodoes
es
aa didisservsservrace/slaver iissue
race/slavery
tt
o
the he complexity
ofof tthe
he
novelnovel.
.
aa ssubRaci
sm
iisn't
sn't
ubRacism
complexity
.c
Marylee
Uengstebeck
Marylee
Hengstebeck
tthat
hat
bbe
e
ccan
an
nd
itit woulwould
d
compartmentalized, aand
jject
ect
eeasily
asily
compartmentalized,
bbe
e
tto.deal
o
wiwith
th
didifficult
fficult
deal
otother
her
addressed
The
The
de~cision
of
or
to
to
or
decision
of
wheth~er
not
teach
no~t
Adventures
whether
subje~ctsaddressed
tea~ch
Adven~tures
vvery
ery
subjects
of
of
in
tthe
he
after
bookboo~kafter
in
tthe
he
is ue
oof
f
issue
s rairaised.
sed.
for
Finn
is
one
me.
one
I've
for
me.
Fin
stereotypes iis
is a
a difficult
I've
difficult
back
back
H-uckleberry
stereotypes
gone
Huckleberry
gone
ne
When
isis confronted
tthe
he
When oone
th
confronted wiwith
oof
f
blblack.
ack
feelingys
and
and
forth
forth
so
the
the
often
is ue
the
on
the
issu~e
so
often
on
I'm
I'm
sure
sure
feelings
onlything
only
thing
ccan
an
students
o
ffor
or
al
.tudents whw~ho
of
of
is
the~mselves,all
If
themselves,
is
aa lose/lose
II decide
it's
that
that
it's
If
to
decide
arguments,
to
spe~ak
speak
lose/lose
arguments,
proposition.
proposition.
aand
nd
academic
aa halt.
academic
to
halt.
to
HoHow
w
otherwise, quiquickly
teach
teach
otherwise,
of
ofthe
must
the
novel.I
I love
it,
novel
love
virtually
ckly
grgrind
ind
it, II must
ig~nore
parts
ignore
virtually
parts
II supposed
aam
m
black
toto black
students
hat
stud~entstthat
more
and
focus
on
more
and
focus
on
and
and
slavsu~pposed toto explain
slavexplain
important
aspects--racism
tth~ey
hey
important
aspects--racism
bbe
e
wwill
il
so
an
humiliated
II ccan
tthat
hat
so
educate
embarrassed/ humiliated
educate
embarrassed/
I don't
If
If I
don't
teach
teach
in
in
the
th~e
it,.I'm
ery.
it, I'm
putting
posiery.
mysmiyself
elf
putting
posittheir
heir
fel ow
whiwh~ite
te
students
fellow
sm?
ThThe
e
wholwhole
e
studen~tsaboutabout raciracism?
of
fine
tion
line
between
and
of
aa fine
tion
line
between
and
walking
walking
censorship
censorship
i
d
e
a
r
a
c
i
s
t
s
e
ems
tthe
he
idea
a
t
seems
racist
at
oonce
nce
sstutuwhiwhite
te
In
ccore;
ore;
I
I
n
the
I
t
h
e
have
decided
to
again,
h
a
v
e
deci
d
ed
not
t
o
teach
t
h
e
n
o
t
t
e
a
c
h
the
end,
sensitivity.
end,
again,
sensitivity.
ded~ents
nts
aand
nd
their
aare
re
needs
their
ffirst.
irst.
AnAnd
d
ne~ed~s
tthe.
hen
been
but
but
it's
aa long
been
being
it's
aand.bupywaythere..
nd
novel,
put
t
h
e
r
e
.
novel,
be
i
n
g
p
u
t
long
wa
y
bumpy
there's
the
there's
the
AAs
s
Peaches
Peaches
cautions
cautions
worword,
d,
"nigger."
I have
and
Henry
filed
that
"nigger."
Henry
and
filed
that
II
neatl.eatly
y
typed
away,
paper,
typed
away,
JIhave aa paper;,
in
ororEvasi
Satire
on
Evasion
in.Satire
"The"The S~truggle
ffor.Tolerance:
or
Tolerance:
(1992,
woeafew
few
wrote
a
semeste.rs
back
that
semesters
back
that
(
1
992,
vehemently
Struggl
e
supp.rt
vehemently
supports
and
Race
in
Race
and
in
Durham:
Durham:
the
Finn,"
the
of
Finn.
At
the
of Huck
II didn't
see
Censorship
Huck
Finn.
At
the
se
Finn,"
didn't
the
the
time,
teaching
Censorship
Huckleber~ry
Huckleberry
time,
teaching
DukeDluke UUP,.25-48),
1 1 shared
shared inin ""the
the
f
P,
book
book
as
as
fact
is
aa fact
thti
that
25-48),
so
so
can't
obvious
II ca~n't
incapacity oof
obvious
racist,
now,
racist,
now,
incapacity
non-blacks
he
enormous
non-b~lackstoto comprehend
enormous emotional
emotional
I didn't
I thinhikit's
believe
then.
it tthen.
k
believe.Iddntse
se
it's
for
c~omprehen~dtthe
white
hrdfor
hard
white
attached
attached toto tthe
he
hateword ''nigger'
hateword
for
for
freight
to
to
when
when~
freight
people
recognize
racism'
racism'
nigger'
people
recognize
especia.ly
especially
th~ey're
they're
each
I hhad
blblac~k
ack
ad
nno
o
iid~ea
dea
e~ach
how
how
tthe
he
word
word
surrou~nded
white
person.".I
white
surrounded
for
most
of
for
of
their
their
most
person.
"
people
ugly
ug~ly
by.oher
by other
people
sounds
sounds rrea~d
ead
nor
alaloud
oud
nor
tthe
he
ttha.
hat
lives.
lives.
ch~arged
atmosphere
charged
atmosphere
ffrom
rom
results
results
iit.
t.
black
o
black
el
students ttell
students
me
me
made
Listening tto
the
made
bla~ck
black
the
they
Although
m~any
good
Listening
poin.s,
they
many
Although
go d
points,
firsthand
it made
how
firsthand
it
tthem
hem
how
ffeel
el
made
is what
is
what
in
scoasincluded
included
scholars
Satire
in.Satire
or
? Black
orE.so?
Evasion
changed
Black
my
my
Perspectives
changed
Perspectives
mind.
II tthink
NoNow
w
hink
mind.
that
iit's
t's
not
that
not
insensitive
insensitive but
but
on
on
Finn.
S. Leonard,.Thomas
Fin
TenThomas
TenHuckle.erry
oonly
nly
Leonard,
Huckleberry
UJamesJaxes S.
tto
o
abusi
ve
abusive
ack
students
it
students toto ssit
bbe
e
and
and
and
and
Thadious
expect blblack
M.
M.
Thadious
Durham:
Durham:
Duke
Duke
Davis,
eds.,
1992,
expect
ney,
Davis,
eds.,
19 2,
quiquietly
etly
ney,
sstare~d
tared
aat
t
whiwhile
le
the
the
woword."nigger"
rd
iis
s rread
ead
alaloud
oud
iin
n
their
their
didn.'t
me,
didn't
II fin.d
find
me,
W~allace's
Wallace's
UP).really
persuad~e
John
UP)
"nigger"
real y
persuade
John
oown
wn
classroom
n
classroom iin
1993.1993. 1 1 ssimpl
cannot ddo
cannot
o
and
and
stance
stance iiiiiis
t ve e i.ismand
offensi
and n
His
iit,
t,
His ::::::
th
preisnt offensive
caritjustiiii~ii~ii~iiiii
s.1iki. r::::(-::::i:
iwith.iiii~i:cl~~
i~iiiiiiiiii~~~~~~
cainii
.:. reactionary.
imply
:::us person-,-:::i-:l
::-i:-::-,-:(I::
-i::i-:::'ii:::::
especially
reactionary.
personjiui iic-rii''iiespecially
students,
and:rrr::i::::::::
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talk
about
th:~,:':iii~ii::~e
"reaI'i
:::??::i:;:::::::
:::::::
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:::::::::::::
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:--::-::::::::j
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::::::
won'won't
t.
IoCut.~i~
l
"sanitized"
version
version
of
Fin :::::::is,
of
rewri.~tten,
Huck.Finn
Huck uner
in
ally
rewritten, story,
is, ines
i.fmy
al y
r"sanitized"
o
r
m
y
orthestoparts
that
prefer.
I
That~~ii~iii~~ii~~,i~~,
thei~iii-~~iiiiiii
::--:-:
_iii
iiiiiiii
iiii-iiiiiiii
iii
y,
aa larger llevel,
OOn
n
II tthink
hink
tthat
hat
HucHuck
k
tthe
he
FiFinn
nn
cont
rocontroevel,
aa blatant
of
of censorship.
If
blatant
view,
If we'*re
tto
we're
view,
larger
example
going
example
censorship.
going
Weslrn
neesit
ichij
lot
morm~ore
e
tthan
han
even
these
Huck
even
iissues,
s ues,
these
of
nov~els
of
novels
what
what
Huck.
are-.he
words
repre~sentsaa lot
are-the
words
versy .ersyrepresents
strip
they
very
strip
they
very
they're
they're
Fin
is considered
Finn
is
considered
made
made
of-then
we
we
as
well
as
by
many
of-then
on
(probably
myself
we
l
c~lothes
included)
cl
o
t
h
es
the
o
n
t
h
e
b
y
included)
many
might
paint
(probably
mys
e
l
f
might
paint
to
"the
bbe
e
to
American
"the
."
II tthink
American novelnovel."
And
And
hink
tthat
hat
the
nudes
in
the
in
th~e
nudes
the
H-uck
Finn
is
aa mixed
Sistine
Huck
is
Fin
mixed
grgreat
eat
Sistin~e.Chapel!
Chapel!
bobook
ok
isis did~istinctily."American"
"American"
t
h
a
t
that
b
u
t
(whatever
we
either
w
e
must
ei
t
h
er
take
mus
t
t
a
k
e
it
it
leave
means!)
or
o
r
i
t
c
o
m
com(whatever
i
t
l
e
a
v
e
means!)
s
ti
n
ctl
y
package,.but
package,
for
for
aand
nd
ffor
or
worsworse..Huck
e.
FiFinn
n
Huck
is
is aas
s
aa
mucmuch
h
betbetter,
ter,
Selective
ofoften,
ten,
masks
the
Selective
re.l
the
masks
real
pletely.
edlitin~g
only
problem.
pletely.
editing
only
problem.
o
f
American
of
American
cul
culture
t
u
re
a
n
d
and
t
h
e
a
s
the
o
f
as
l
lore
o
r
e
of
For
aa lo~ng
I
For
I
could
still
part
I
teach
this
th.t
mythology
time,
I
t
h
a
t
c
o
ul
d
s
t
i
l
t
e
a
c
h
t
h
i
s
thought
p
a
r
t
time,
mythology
long
thought
Mani
fest
aand
nd
tthe
he
Manifes.
llone
one
And
And
iit's
t's
aas
s
Destiny
the
central
discussion
cowboy.
racism
the
book,
central
of
in
discussion
in
Destiny
makin~gracism
book,
to~picof
cowboy.
jjust
ust
making
topic
flawed.
flawed.
Mani
fest
aa grand aand
Manifest
wwas
as
n
d
iidea
dea
II have
but
now
have
this
Destiny
but
now
decddthat
decided
was
this
glorious
that
was
a
afae
flawed
Destiny
clas~s,
clas ,
grand
glorious
that
WeWest
st
tthe
he
oou~rs
urs
that
wwas
as
or
tthe
he
idea..If
II really
America's) ffor
idea.
want
to
and
If
teach
discuss
with
and
want
to
teach
((white
white
discuss
with
America's)
my
ttakin~g.
aking.
real y
my
Th
e
Nat
i
v
e
T~he
Nativ.
Americans
Americans
were
were
small
s
m
al
l
a
a
footnote
tto
o
footnote
students
the
issue
of
students
the
of
only
is ue
I
racism
thereare
t
h
e
r
e
a
r
e
racism.(which.I
do),
only
(which
do),
that
HucHuck
k
FiFinn
nn
that
is
is
f
the
iirreverrreverthe
much
much
better
to
texts
than
to
use
better
Huck
Finn.
it
texts
than
representative oof
use
Huck
Finn.
as
it as
aa
sstory.
tory.
representative
Us.ng
Us
i
n
g
for
a bit of
aa cop> eent,
individual
whwho
o
the
oout
ut
ffor
or
the
tterrier ive~hicle
nt,
rugged individual
discu~ssing
racismnis
for
vehicle
is a bit
of
racism
rugged
"l"ligh~ts
ights
prim.rimary
ary
discussing
copthat
it
was
a
written
man
white
and
by
hhe
e
befbefore
ore
ccan
an
bbe
e
"civilized."
The
who
"civilized."
'The
who
tory"
that
it was
writ en
and
man
people
tory"
out, .ut considering
peopl
e
considering
by a white
were
were
denied
tth~at
hat
denied
ssame
ame
freedom
freedom
aare
re
alallotted
lot ed
aa
aa rather
on
rather
the
issue
of
only
on
presents
the
of
is ue
ambiguous
mo~rality
only
presents
ambiguous
morality
smal
and
his
oof
f
his
sso
o
small.and
AnA~nd
d
tthere's
here's
racism
this
and
novel
part
racism
this
story.
and
I.
I
novel
slavery..By
studying
pl
e
asant
pleasan~t
p
a
r
t
s
t
o
r
y
.
together,
slavery.
By
studying
together,
more .ore aat
ssta~ke
take
t
hhere
ere
tth~an
han
aa novel
.
There'
There's
s
aa basic
basic
nov.l.
iidea.
dea
almost
feel
fe l
that
almost
that
about
racism
is
about
is be~in~g
racism
suborsuborteaching
teaching
being
on
tthe
he
on
lline
ine
about
about
Ameri
ca
aand
nd
America
iits
ts
ThatThat's
's
dinated
to
the
dinated
the
In
to
Huck
of
In
of Hu.kFinn
Finn.
self-concept.
fact,
teach~ing
self-concept.
fact,
incorpoteaching
incorpothe
on
the
bboth
oth
on
ssides
ides
are
are
sso
o
heat
heated.
ed.
And
And
II
racism
why
discu.son
abo~ut
arguments
discussions
about
racism
be~comes
a
becomes
why
arguments
aju~stification
rating
rating
justification
think
think
tthat's
hat's
of
of
iit's
t's
so
so
mme
e
hahard
rd
for
for
not
not
wawant
nt
tto
o
for
for
th~e
the
the
not
least
part
why
At
the
for
l
e
a
s
t
me.
A
t
me
.
f
o
r
teaching
p
a
r
t
wh
y
p~urpose.
novel,.not
novel,
teaching
purpose.
tteach
each
to
to
HucHuck
k
ThThe
e
FiFinn.
nn.
oold
ld
II wwas
that
that
as
toltold-of
d-of
aa
I
If
Finn
If H~uck
is
Fin
aa part
Huck
of
aa unit
story
is used
as
used
as
of
on
on
unit
solely
story
solely
part
and
and
lliberated
iberated
aa comforting
America-is
America-is
free,
or
we
book
fre ,
or
sell
the
I lovove
we
short..I
sel
book
the
short.
e
Huck
Huck
slavery
grgreat,
eat,
racism,
racism,
comforting
slavery
and
and
tthat's
hat's
toto let
ne
hahard
rd
II tthink
oof.
f.
hink
iin
n
tthat
hat
and
while
II a~ccept
and
Finn,
have,
while
fact
th~e
the
fchti'
it's
that
always
Finn,
hopeful
have,
hopefu.l oone
le~tgo
go
always
accept
tto
o
tto
o
hhold
old
oon
n
FiFinn
n
HucHuck
k
wewe're
're
al
all
oone
ne
llast
ast
also
it's
also
other
it's
trying
other
racist,
making
hilario~us,
many
things~-breezy,
t
r
yi
n
g
racist,
hilarious,
maki
n
g
many
things-breezy,
ffor
or
ttha~t
hat
oold
ld
nati
onal
oon
n
that's
tthe
he
that's
natio~nal
comolex.
an
and
and
an
adventurtto
rendadventure
to
teqrher
read.
As
aa teacher,
Aq
complex,
I grasp
way
grasp
iidenti~ty
dentity
wayI
Huck
Huck
and
and
Me
Me
Finn,
Slavery,
Finn,
Slavery,
ice
81131az1eE
TI
332
2
Engl
English
ish
Journal
Journal
Mihian4
90
students and I would embarkupon a livelyand risk- and that if we fail to challenge established ways of
taking exchange about race and its attendant com- knowing, contrast viewpoints, and broaden perplexities. (41-42)
spectives, we fail to do our job. Yet we must be
An open classroom discussion of racial epithets in
a mixed classroom of ninth graders with a sensitive
and able black teacher clearly offers important opportunities for learning. With a different student
population and a different teacher the results
might have been less positive. Some teachers forbid the use of the word in the classroom and simply
skip over it when the work is read aloud. Others
speak the word only when they are quoting from a
secondary source, such as the novel itself. Others
use the expression "n-word"or "the racial epithet."
No approach is guaranteed, but whatever approach is taken it should be done explicitly and be
discussed by the students. Discomfort with the
white American male, because the novel is a powerful evocation of puer, the eternal boy for whom
growth, maturity, and responsibility are enemies.
(1992, 205)
WesternMichigan University
Kalamazoo,Michigan 49008
Works Cited
Applebee, Arthur. "Stability and Change in the High
School Canon." EnglishJournal 81. 5 (Sep.): 27-32.
Bell, Bernard W. 1992. "Twain's'Nigger' Jim: The Tragic
Face behind the Minstrel Mask." Satire or Evasion?
Black Perspectiveson HuckleberryFinn. Ed. James S.
Leonard, Thomas Tenney, and Thadious M. Davis.
Durham: Duke UP. 124-40.
Booth, Wayne. 1988. The CompanyWeKeep:An Ethics of
Fiction. Berkeley: U of California P.
Ellison, Ralph. 1964. "Change the Joke and Slip the
Yoke." Shadowand Act. New York:Signet. 61-73.
Fishkin, Shelley Fisher. 1993. Was Huck Black?: Mark
Twain and African-AmericanVoices.New York: Oxford
UP.
November
1993
33
Graff, Gerald. 1992. Beyondthe CultureWars:How Teach- Morrison, Toni. 1992. Playing in the Dark: Whitenessand
the LiteraryImagination.Cambridge: Harvard UP.
ing the ConflictsCan RevitalizeAmericanEducation.New
York:Norton.
Finn
Rampersad, Arnold. 1992. "AdventuresofHuckleberry
and
Afro-American
Literature."
Satire
or
Evasion?
Peaches.
"The
for
Tolerance:
1992.
Henry,
Struggle
Black Perspectiveson HuckleberryFinn. Ed. James S.
Race and Censorship in HuckleberryFinn." Satire or
Evasion? Black Perspectiveson HuckleberryFinn. Ed.
Leonard, Thomas Tenney, and Thadious M. Davis.
Durham: Duke UP. 216-27.
James S. Leonard, Thomas Tenney, and Thadious M.
Davis. Durham: Duke UP. 25-48.
Smith, David L. 1992. "Huck,Jim, and American Racial
Discourse." Satire or Evasion? Black Perspectiveson
HuckleberryFinn. 1993. Stephen Sommers. Walt Disney.
HuckleberryFinn. Ed. James S. Leonard, Thomas
Jones, Rhett S. 1992. "Nigger and Knowledge: White
Tenney, and Thadious M. Davis. Durham: Duke UP.
Double-Consciousness in Adventures of Huckleberry
103-20.
Finn." SatireorEvasion?BlackPerspectiveson Huckleberry
Finn. Ed. James S. Leonard, Thomas Tenney, and Wallace, John H. 1992. "The Case Against Huck Finn."
SatireorEvasion? BlackPerspectiveson Huckleberry
Finn.
Thadious M. Davis. Durham: Duke UP. 173-94.
Ed. James S. Leonard, Thomas Tenney, and Thadious
Leonard, James S., Thomas Tenney, and Thadious M.
M. Davis. Durham: Duke UP. 16-24.
Davis, eds. 1992. SatireorEvasion? BlackPerspectiveson
Woodard, Fredrick, and Donnarae MacCann. 1992.
HuckleberryFinn. Durham: Duke UP.
"Minstrel Shackles and Nineteenth-Century 'LiberalFinn." SatireorEvasion?BlackPerspecLester, Julius. 1992. "Morality and Adventuresof Huckleity' in Huckleberry
tives on HuckleberryFinn. Ed. James S. Leonard,
berryFinn." SatireorEvasion? BlackPerspectiveson HuckThomas Tenney, and Thadious M. Davis. Durham:
leberryFinn. Ed. James S. Leonard, Thomas Tenney,
and Thadious M. Davis. Durham: Duke UP. 199-207.
Duke UP. 141-53.
EJ SEVENTY-FIVEYEARSAGO
The Idea Is the Thing
Some years ago I remember seeing a series of textbooks entitled How to Think in
Frenchand How to Think in Spanish. The titles aroused in me a sort of envy. If only
we could teach our pupils how to think in English! This I believe to be the chief
aim of the study of literature in the high school, not merely a knowledge of forms
and types, of meters and styles, and of literary anecdotes, or even an appreciation
of technical excellence. The idea is the thing. A knowledge of other matters is
desirable, but only as a by-product.
***
If I were asked by a child what literature is, I should say, "It is a new pair of
eyes-dozens of pairs-with which to see things you never dreamed of, and, what
is still better perhaps, to see things differently which you have often seen."
The knife with which to open a book is not the question of structure, plot, or style,
but rather the question of the author's point of view. What is his idea? The pupil
should be taught to look for this first of all, whether the book is a novel, a play, or
a poem. How did the author look at life?
M. Ellwood Smith. November 1918. "The Coroner on 'English Literature'," EJ7.9: 551-56.