By: Sahib Lohcham, John Oliver Secondary School The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been banned in many schools across America and has raised controversy. It has been banned due to racial slurs and it made students feel uncomfortable. Friends' Central School in Philadelphia said American literature students would no longer be required to study the text because its negative impact on the community outweighed its literary benefits. This novel is about a is about a boy named Huck Finn who fakes his own death to escape his violent father and then goes down the Mississippi River with an escaped slave. Even though it doesn't support slavery, it still has been banned. I don't think it should be banned because it doesn't support slavery and being racist. Even though blacks are portrayed in a negative way, there are also whites who have just as many negative stereotypes too. There are many nice whites and many who are "scammers". Blacks are viewed as unintelligent beings but in opposition to that, Jim, the escaped slave, is clever, smart and creative. In the novel, Huck decides to help Jim escape slavery. This book discourages racism and encourages helping each other, no matter what race. "The relationship of Huck and Jim is the ultimate demonstration of Twain’s ideal family relationship. Although their “family” lacks the conventional roles of the father, mother, and children, it nevertheless “embodies an ideal of community that highlights the shortcomings of the actual families and society in the novel."- Heather M. Shrum, Bachelors degree in English from Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, NJ. To conclude, I feel like this book shouldn't be banned just because of racial slurs. It teaches many great things and I feel it is important for children to know what life was like for a slave back in the day. This book is a frequently challenged book throughout schools and I believe it shouldn't be banned. Works Cited Jan, Tom. "My Thoughts on Huckleberry Finn." The Perspective. N.p., 19 Dec. 2011. Web. 17 Jan. 2017. Akkoc, Raziye. "American School Bans Huckleberry Finn from Lessons Because of 'use of N-word'." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 18 Dec. 2015. Web. 17 Jan. 2017.
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By: Sahib Lohcham, John Oliver Secondary 01/16/2017 The death penalty continues to be an issue of controversy and is an issue that will be debated for many years to come. The death penalty does prevent future murders, but executing the innocent is a rare but acceptable risk of the death penalty. It's a very interesting issue and for the countries that have not abolished the death penalty, should we do to the criminal as they did to the victim? The death penalty has been officially abolished in over 100 countries including Canada. But for countries like the US, there is controversy. "We as a society have to move away from the "eye for an eye" revenge thought if civilization is to advance. It also sends a very wrong message, why would anyone kill people who kill people to show killing is wrong" states Joe Messerli http://www.balancedpolitics.org/death_penalty.htm I believe it should be abolished because the death penalty is unjust and morally wrong. When someone murders someone else, the correct punishment is not to murder him or her, but to try and help them. Also, the possibility exists that innocent men and women may be put to death. This thought is just horrifying and this should never have a possibility of happening. Life in prison is a worse punishment and a more effective obstruction. It violates the constitutional rights of a human being. It is more of a barbaric and cruel punishment against a living human being and can be classified as one of the worst acts of human nature. "it creates feelings of sorrow for the perpetrators of the crimes". -Joe Messerli, writer for http://www.balancedpolitics.org/death_penalty.htm and owner of the website. Follow him on twitter @Jpmesserli Some also think that capital punishment is dying and I agree. "Improvements in staffing and technology have given us so-called super max facilities where life-without-parole sentences can be served in relative safety. The fact that this alternative to capital punishment is now a practical possibility has fed the shift in public opinion, for most people realize that being locked in a solitary cell forever is a terrible punishment. Indeed, some argue it is a fate worse than death. Whatever deterrent capital punishment provides can likely be matched by the threat of permanent lockup". -David Von Drehle, a TIME editor-at-large, is the author of Among the Lowest of the Dead, an award-winning history of the modern death penalty. All in all, The death penalty does not guarantee safety for innocent victims,, it does not effectively deter crime, and it does not give closure to victims’ families.Nothing good comes of hate, and nothing good can ever come from capital punishment. It cannot continue to be accepted especially by nations that claim to have liberty and justice for all. The death penalty should be abolished. Works Cited Primary Sources Messerli, Joe. "Death Penalty (Pros & Cons, Arguments For and Against, Advantages & Disadvantages)." Death Penalty (Pros & Cons, Arguments For and Against, Advantages & Disadvantages). Balanced Politics, n.d. Web. 09 Jan. 2017. Drehle, David Von. "Here's Why The Death Penalty Is Doomed in America." Time. Time, 08 June 2015. Web. 09 Jan. 2017. |
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