Scholars such as David Bradley, Shelley Fisher Fishkin, Jim Miller, and Jocelyn Chadwick-Joshua examine its language, the characters of Huck and Jim, the time period in which it was written, and Twain's intent in writing the novel. Teachers who want to help students understand the history of debate around the novel might want to show the film at the beginning of their study of Huck Finn. The film can also be shown at any point in a study of the novel. Teachers may want to show the film before and after the book is read.
Students can then explain, change, or enhance their opinions on the book and the controversy.
In addition to looking at the history of the book, the film also chronicles the recent crusade of Kathy Monteiro and her daughter, Raquel Panton, to remove Huck Finn from a high school required reading list in Tempe, Arizona. In 1998 the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the district court's decision regarding the ban on the controversial literary works, saying that students' First Amendment rights would be violated if controversial works, such as Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, were removed from a school's curriculum on the basis of their content. As with any film, preview Born to Trouble before using it with your class.