Books: Tom Sawyer. Why aren't some schools allowed to read this book?

Question

Book: The adventures of Tom Saywer
Author: Mark Twain

Notes: With a foreword by Newbery Honor author Bruce Books.

Hey thanks, Most people say that it's because of racist.......But lets see. Thanks for all your answers.

Answer 1

Because a few simpleminded self promotional individuals who read the book misinterpreted it as being racist.

In the original foreword of the book Twain says that he wrote in the language of the time and place the story was set. Casual usage of the n-word was part of his experience of the times.

If you read with an eye to who's saying what you'll see that any racist statements are from the mouths of characters who are criminally amoral or comically stupid or they are being repeated without consideration by the naive main character early in the book.

By racist statements I'm referring to things that the characters say that would be bigoted even without the inclusion of the dreaded n-word included.

Mark Twain "gave money to or acted as a celebrity orator for fundraisers for various African American churches, the Tuskegee Institute, and for the fledgling NAACP." Odd things for a racist to do.

His Mississippi river books were satirical criticisms of the racist legacy of slavery.

Answer 2

Well he uses the N word a total of 214 times I think. That's alot. However considering the era he wrote in, his book really isn't that racist. Yeh it's harsh to hear these days, but back then it wasn't a big thing. The book teaches so much about coming of age and finding ones self that it shouldn't be stricken from the reading list's because of a few negative words.

Answer 3

“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” by Mark Twain was excluded from children’s room in the Brooklyn, New York public library (1876) and the Denver, Colorado public library (1876). It was removed from the 7th grade curriculum in the West Chester, Pennsylvania schools (1994) because “it is too full of racially charged language.”

Answer 4

I wouldn't call the whole book "racist", per se.
However, one character is referred to as "ni**er Jim", because he's a slave, and that's how they were referred to at that time.
I'm not saying it's allright, but Mark Twain was writing in the style of the time, using all the current terminologies & euphemisms of the day.
The overly-sensitive P/C crowds are the ones whom deemed this great work to be "racist".
I hardly think Mark Twain was because of the way he portays Jim & others in his works.

Answer 5

Huck Finn has been even more harshly criticised, but is even better, in my opinion. My favorite part is when Huck thinks that he is going to go to hell for helping Jim (a slave) escape, but decides that if that's the case, he'd rather go to hell. Huck was completely seeped in the beliefs of his society and their twisted sense of morality, but he chose to do the right thing anyways.

You want to know the real reason those books have been banned? Because Mark Twain assumed that his audience was reasonably intelligent, and didn't talk down to them or mince words. We like to water things down for our chilren. Mark Twain painted the stupidity of his times in all of its glory, and didn't apologize for it.

Answer 6

Because some of the terminology used in the book is considered racist

Answer 7

Racist, not understandable in context by young readers. Racism was a reality folks, for a short time,, but recently in our history.

Answer 8

Hmm...I think that there is nothing rascist about the book. It is being read all over in India

Answer 9

Because there are passages that come acroos as being a bit racist toward blacks.

Answer 10

I have no ideal. I always assumed it was required reading as an american classic.