i have to do an 5 page research essay on the Adventures of Huck finn, i NEED help!?

Question

this is an persuasive essay, an we need to pick a side on wether the book is racist or not, i picked that it is not a racist book, and i need points for my body paragraphs or topic sentences.
here is the prompt:
"The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn has been at the center of contoversy and acclain since its first publication. it has been debated as a racist literature and a masterpiece. Decide where you stand on one of these issues and prove your argument.

thank you!!!!!

btw, i know it says one week left to answer, but i really need this by today!

Answer 1

Some useful resources:
Masterpiece or racist trash?
http://www.bridgew.edu/newsevnt/BridRev/Archives/00Jun/huckleberry.htm

'Huck Finn' a masterpiece -- or an insult
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/149979_huck26.html

Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Huckleberry_Finn

If this or any other answer to your question helps you resolve this issue, please select a "best answer." This motivates people to help you and rewards their research in your behalf.

Cheers,
Bruce

Answer 2

In recent years, there has been increasing discussion of the
seemingly racist ideas expressed by Mark Twain in Huckleberry Finn. In
some extreme cases the novel has even been banned by public school
systems and censored by public libraries. The basis for these
censorship campaigns has been the depiction of one of the main
characters in Huckleberry Finn, Jim, a black slave. Jim, is a
"typical" black slave who runs away from his "owner" Miss Watson. At
several points in the novel, Jim's character is described to the
reader, and some people have looked upon the characterization as
racist. However, before one begins to censor a novel it is important
to separate the ideas of the author from the ideas' of his characters.
It is also important not to take a novel at face value and to "read
between the lines" in order to capture the underlying themes of a
novel. If one were to do this in relation to Huckleberry Finn, one
would, without doubt, realize that it is not racist and is even
anti-slavery.

On a superficial level Huckleberry Finn might appear to be racist.
The first time the reader meets Jim he is given a very negative
description of Jim. The reader is told that Jim is illiterate,
childlike, not very bright and extremely superstitious. However, it is
important not to lose sight of who is giving this description and of
whom it is being given. Although Huck is not a racist child, he has
been raised by extremely racist individuals who have, even if only
subconsciously, ingrained some feelings of bigotry into his mind. It
is also important to remember that this description, although it is
quite saddening, was probably accurate. Jim and the millions of other
slaves in the South were not permitted any formal education, were
never allowed any independent thought and were constantly maltreated
and abused. Twain is merely portraying by way of Jim, a very realistic
slave raised in the South during that time period. To say that Twain
is racist because of his desire for historical accuracy is absurd.

Despite the few incidences in which Jim's description might be
misconstrued as racist, there are many points in the novel where
Twain through Huck, voices his extreme opposition to the slave trade
and racism. In chapter six, Huck's father fervently objects to the
governments granting of suffrage to an educated black professor. Twain
wants the reader to see the absurdity in this statement. Huck's father
believes that he is superior to this black professor simply because of
the color of his skin. In Chapter 15 the reader is told of an incident
which contradicts the original "childlike" description of Jim. In
chapter 15 the reader is presented with a very caring and father-like
Jim who becomes very worried when he loses his best friend Huck in a
deep fog. Twain is pointing out the connection which has been made
between Huck and Jim. A connection which does not exist between a man
and his property. When Huck first meets Jim on the Island he makes a
monumental decision, not to turn Jim in. He is confronted by two
opposing forces, the force of society and the force of friendship.
Many times throughout the novel Huck comes very close to rationalizing
Jim's slavery. However, he is never able to see a reason why this man
who has become one of his only friends, should be a slave. Through
this internal struggle, Twain expresses his opinions of the absurdity
of slavery and the importance of following one's personal conscience
before the laws of society. By the end of the novel, Huck and the
reader have come to understand that Jim is not someone's property and
an inferior man, but an equal.

Throughout the novel society's voice is heard through Huck. The
racist and hateful contempt which existed at the time is at many times
present. But, it is vital for the reader to recognize these ideas as
society's and to recognize that Twain throughout the novel disputes
these ideas. Twain brings out into the open the ugliness of society
and causes the reader to challenge the original description of Jim. In
his subtle manner, he creates not an apology for slavery but a
challenge to it.