Recently, there have been movements set in motion to “censor” some American classics. A publishing company has recently changed every use of the word “nigger” in the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to the word “slave”, and many are not pleased about it. This was brought about by many people feeling the word was too harsh and offensive, and from some teachers and parents not feeling comfortable with their kids reading it. When you change something like that are you not changing the authors intended creation? Are you not completely changing details and themes? And are you not being so arrogant as to improperly portray history?
Among the problems I see with their reasoning for the change, I see a larger problem, and that is that when you change a word, any word (not just a controversial one), that occurs literally hundreds of times in a novel you begin to change the book as a whole. Many people have been drawn into the debate over the controversy of the word "nigger". I liked the gist of Stephen Colbert’s bit on the topic however. This time, they are changing words over racial issues, but the plague of censorship can change anything and that's the problem. He jokes that even the title could be in jeopardy. His point is that the issue shouldn't be over the word, it should be over the changing of any word. Alongside the comedic newsman, the author Jill Nelson began to touch on this viewpoint in her Room for Debate article when she said, “What’s next? Substituting orange for red in a painter’s work because some observers find red too aggressive?” I see it as a problem where X is replacing Z, and if you know basic math, you know that changes everything.
It’s pretty funny, and sort of ironic that Mark Twain, the one whose book i...
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...the word wasn’t even racist back then, but that’s a topic for another essay. It’s very similar to how in today’s world, no one would would say “let’s take the automobile out for a spin”, they would say car, even though either word would fit.
The very notion of changing a novel in these three ways by changing the words is ridiculous. You can’t just go and change a great work of art for personal feelings or in an attempt to be politically correct. It’s like if someone who strongly supported gay rights started a petition to paint over and change the husband in American Gothic to a woman. No one would stand for that! The petition would get no where. Only because this issue is racial fueled are people blinded to the other effects. You aren’t just cutting out a racist term, you’re altering history: the history the novel tells of and the history that is the novel itself.
Every one hundred years dialects change and what is considered “politically correct”, or socially acceptable, changes. “David Bradley argues that ‘if we'd eradicated the problem of racism in our society, Huckleberry Finn would be the easiest book in the world to teach’” (Zwick, Jim. “Should Huckleberry Finn Be Banned?”). If we, as a nation, make it a point to rule out all books that could possibly offend students, then every hundred years or so our library of American Literature will be completely different. Even today, modern day authors use vulgar language, lurid sexual content, and racial slurs to get their point across. If The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is taken off of required reading lists across the country, then that could create a never-ending cycle of books being taken off of school shelves every time words and ideas become unacceptable. If this is the way that American society is turning then something must be done, and the Superintendents, Deans, and Principals of every High School around the country must take it upon themselves to do it because the students will not.
In both their essays, Naylor and Leong introduce a word that is meant to humiliate, hurt and ridicule. Naylor, being of African decent, was introduced to the word nigger at a very early age. Naylor asked her mother what the word meant, but she knew it meant something terrible. Black people raising their children in America would have to explain what nigger meant sometime in their childhood. Naylor's mom explains that the word
The words Negro, nigger, and nigga have always been a sensitive topic, yet it is a topic that needs to be addressed in light of the more common use of its vernacular. One word is used to describe a color, while the others are used to define a people. It’s very clear to many the negative connotation these words carry, but where did these words come from? Furthermore, is there a difference between the word nigger and nigga; and why is it that African-Americans now use the word nigga to degrade each other in today’s society? These words, in spite of their spelling, still holds the same degrading power as it did during the time of slavery, and they are still spoken out of cruelty and ignorance, but who is to blame? Can one still blame the Spaniards for considering people of a darker skin tone –Black? Can we blame the Europeans for perpetuating their hatred and ignorance of superiority over a race of people to the point they felt it lawful to define and dehumanize them? Or does the blame lie with the African-American race as we use this degrading labeling on our own kind, thus becoming the victimizer. Either way nigger or nigga are words that should be eliminated from the vocabulary of every human being.
This fictional, satirical follow-up to to Mark Twain’s 1876 novel is just as popular, although for most it’s for different reasons. The amount of times that the “n-word” is used is between 160 and 213 [2]. Since the 1950s, black parents and some white sympathizers have called this book out as being racist. As for my opinion on this, I never got why this was bad. Sure, it may seem racist to us, but in the context of it’s time, there’s really nothing wrong. That was the controversy of it, as for the story itself, it’s a classic in it’s own right.
Why should this novel be banned from use in schools? Students should be able to hear these words and talk about them and not use them offensively. Racial content, tension, and slurs are used in people’s everyday lives. If people can use these words outside of school why would they not be allowed to be talked about in school? It is important for everyone to be informed about these racial tensions. This book also shows the reader what is was like to be growing up in this time period. Although this book uses the n-word, it uses it in a historical way. Using these racist words explains the way of thinking of the south in the 1930s. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee is appropriate to use and read in school.
I would have found an article that I disagreed with to write about, however, no author would risk their livelihood and potential career, on supporting Kylie in her latest racial exploits. The use of the N-word in the media by White celebrities, is perpetuating the idea that Black culture is open for appropriation and by default further oppressing a group of people based on skin colour. The issue with this is the meaning presented by celebrities and their casual usage of an oppressive word by the already
As for some, the novel of Mark Twain, known as Huckleberry Finn, is subjecting high school students to a literature they are not mature enough to handle. These individuals who share in this idea encourage the novel to be introduced to students after their college enrolment. This is simply because they are not comfortable exposing the word, “nigger” in such a manner that it can be viewed as harmful to African Americans. My stance on this subject is very in favor of exposing the novel to high school students for many reasons. I find that many people look at the word “nigger” in only one viewing, and need to broaden their views of this word. The maturity of high school students is almost the same as those in college. However, many college students
The diction Wright applies is very serious because “ black son of a bitch!” (Wright 31) is seen throughout the novel and shows what most African-Americans were called by white southerners and were treated bad because they were different from the white men. This diction adds to the novel because it makes the reader feel sympathy towards the African-Americans in society after the civil war. The diction he uses helps develop the theme of racism because it emphasizes how a white southerner might talk to an African-American in everyday society. Wright has most of the white people calling African- Americans “ son of a bitch niggers!” (Wright 52) because during the period,in which it was set in, many African-Americans were being discriminated by others. They were also being blamed for robberies and shootings because white southerners used them as an escape goat, which could be considered racism.For some slaves it was “we jus as waal git killed fightin as t git killed doin nothing” (Wright 163) because they were blamed for simple things or serious things like a revolt against a plantation. Most southerners tracked down their missing slave and would “put a rope around
I consider this book to be one of the greatest books I have read. It is actually inspired by Twain’s own experiences living on the Mississippi River. Many people consider Twain to have been a racist. Although he uses the word “nigger,” it does not mean that he was racist. If people would look past the word and actually see the story, they would realize that he is writing of a white boy and a black man who run away and start a journey together. If Twain was such a racist, then why does the story have the white boy and black man together? People think that he is racist just because he uses the word, but in that time, that is how people spoke. In present time, we will not see a black slave working in a white person’s home; but we will hear the word in almost every rap song there is. Many people use the word, but they probably don’t know where or why the word became what it is now. The word started out as Negro in the north, during that time; but in the south, people put the southern dialect on the end and said “nigger.”
Blacks considered the N-word to be one of if not the the absolute worst and most offensive word throughout history. Why should that suddenly change because the last two letters are changed to an a? The meaning and history of the word is something of which many members of the younger generation are completely oblivious. Why should this dehumanizing, demeaning word be used freely in songs and everyday speech? In the words of Martin Luther King Jr: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” If all men are created equal, then why should blacks be discriminated against in everyday language and in popular songs?
The United States Bill of Rights guarantees its citizens the freedom of expression, but how far does that freedom extend? Does the right to express yourself include the right to observe the expressions of others? According to pro-censorship view holders, it does not. But to those who feel strongly against censorship, the freedom of information, or the “right to know,” should be an absolute right granted to the American public. Censoring material is the responsibility of the individual, not the institution itself, and certainly not the job of a separate institution. Also, the definition of what is censor-worthy is by no means clear.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by the pseudonym Mark Twain, has been central to American literature for over a century. His seemingly effortless diction accurately exemplified America’s southern culture. From his early experiences in journalism to his most famous fictional works, Twain has remained relevant to American writing as well as pop culture. His iconic works are timeless and have given inspiration the youth of America for decades. He distanced himself from formal writing and became one of the most celebrated humorists. Mark Twain’s use of the common vernacular set him apart from authors of his era giving his readers a sense of familiarity and emotional connection to his characters and himself.
The company NewSouth Books has published the new Huckleberry Finn by replacing the word nigger with the word “slave”. This book is for the schools who have banned the original Huck Finn. “If you can have the discussion and you’re comfortable havin’ the discussion, have it” (Williams, 2). Instead of schools banning the book they should spend time discussing the word and societal value during the 1800’s. The word nigger is okay if it is used in a literary sense but other than that is shouldn’t be used. People shouldn’t be calling each other the N-word because it is calling each other slaves. There is no sense of reclaiming the word because it will always be derogatory. The N-word is very controversial and everyone has their own
Without the history of Censorship, what type of things would children be watching? Without the unique methods of Censorship, what kinds of films would be being released into the public? Throughout this essay I will be explaining the steps taken to achieve the level of Censorship, that we have now.
Censorship affects our society in many different ways, it affects the music we listen to, the movies we watch, the books we read, and many other aspects of our everyday lives. Even though many might argue that censorship doesn't really have a place in a society that emphases freedom of speech and the freedom to express oneself, but censorship is an essential and needed part of our growing society, it's needed in the television industry, the Internet, and the music industry. Censorship helps to make our world a better place because it creates a better environment for us to live in.