Huckleberry Finn Censorship As parents, it is important for you to know what information your child receives, especially in the learning environment of a classroom. The thought of your child reading a racially offensive book is unacceptable. Some people find Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn racially offensive. If you parents perceive this book as offensive, some of you may ask teachers and administrators not to allow students to read it in school. I ask that you consider other options before taking this action. The real reasons for Huckleberry Finn's censorship hinge on many other factors: fear that ignorant or insensitive teachers will lead student discussions, school administrators wishing to avoid controversy, and discomfort with acknowledging our country's painful history. What some people find offensive in this story is the language Huck Finn uses. In the story, Huck often refers to Jim as a "nigger", which some groups find unnecessary and objectionable. In the minds of administrators and teachers, there is a simple solution using less controversial books. John Wallace, school superintendent, writes: "Pejorative terms should not be legitimized by their use in the classroom under the guise of books of great literary value, nor for any other reason" (18). Why are we afraid of these "pejorative terms" instead of explaining to students what they mean and why whites used them to address African Americans? Yet instead of finding out why we care if children read a derogatory term commonly used more than a century ago, we ignore the topic and pat ourselves on the back for saving children's minds. Huckleberry Finn tackles race-related topics that are still relevant today. We cannot expect to solve racial problems today by banning literature that directly addresses these problems. Twain writes of a friendship between a slave and a young white man; demonstrates the lack of reason behind racist thinking. These topics are not harmful to African Americans and, if taught correctly, can be a positive learning experience. Instead of addressing these issues, administrators often remove the controversial book from the class's reading list and replace it with another book. Former Justice William Douglas is known for his concern for First Amendment freedoms on the Supreme Court. He writes, “The First Amendment does not say that there is free speech as long as the speech is not “dangerous.”'.