There is nothing I love mo than a good debate.That's a lie,but still,I enjoyed it immensely.Well,I believe the students won this round Mr. B,but by a small margin.You are very eloquent and you have a very nice stage presence.That being said,you kind of just reiterated your same two or three points over and over again.I believe we won because we brought in all sorts of reasons why the book shouldn't be banned from classrooms.What made us weak was our stage presence-we all just kind of bumbled along.I think you won the style of the debate,not the debate itself.
The fact of the matter is that literature,and history,is controversial,messy,and at times scary and sad.We're not wallowing in the past with Huck Finn,were wallowing in human nature;we're acknowledging that humans,past and present, sometimes do sad and unforgiving things to one another.Yes, the book has racist elements,but find me a book that doesn't offend somebody.You said that other books such as There Eyes Were Watching God isn't flat out racist and that were picking at the straws to find some.The fact is,we could find some.Is it better to have a book be taught that has subliminal messages(Woman who can't control her life,three different black men who all suck) then to have one that has messages that are in your face?At least with Huck Finn,there has already been debate over its merits.It's nice to get a book that students feel like they can discuss its merits than to be handed stuff that there is no question about it,it's good.At this point,just teach the book so we can talk about the controversy surrounding it!It may not be the best book, but it trumps others in thought,controversy,and pop culture.Not teaching it for others is like saying "Hey let's only talk about the winners at the Grammys.Let's not talk about what was on everyone's minds which was how crazy did Nicki Minaj look?".Sometimes you have to indulge in what people are talking about even if it's not the most merit worthy thing.It's what people are interested in and it's what starts many conversations.
What I like about Huck Finn is that now a days with our culture,information,and original thought,you don't need a teacher to recognize the bad things about the book.Saying that it might fall into wrong hands at all white schools with inept teachers is discrediting the minds of youth.We don't listen or believe everything a teacher says.Nor do we listen or believe everything that society says.That one kid out of thousands that will take the wrong lessons out of Huck Finn is the same kid that will take the wrong message out of a song or movie or saying.Shield us all for that one kid?Uhh no!
At the end of the day,this book makes us discuss,debate, and ask questions. Isn't that what literature is supposed to do? Isn't that what education is supposed to do?There might be some other masterpiece out there that all it makes people do is say"oh wow that was great!".That's nice,but sometimes we want things that divide us,that make us look differently at each other and the world.And hey,without Huck Finn would we have had that debate today? Because we haven't had any for any of the other books.So maybe in the end,in regards to reading Huck Finn,we're all winners.
PS. I think we won partly because I don't believe your heart was in it.Yes,you brought in some interesting points,but I don't think they are points that you wholeheartedly believe in.I felt that you were just playing the devil's advocate because it's a fun side to take on,not because it mirrors your thoughts.
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