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African-American history chapter 9
19th century african american history
19th century african american history
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The “N word” as some people call it, is an age old name for people of African American descent. Now where in tarnation did this monstrosity of a word come from? Well of course we look to Latin American Language as the culprit. The word “niger” is Latin meaning “black” and at the time was only used as the name of a color. Eventually, the word “niger” was turned into a noun, a noun being a word for any person, place or thing. The noun formed from the adjective “niger” was “negro”. Which coincidently enough is the word for the color black in Spanish and Portuguese. From these words, the French developed the word “nigre” meaning a black man and “negress” which referred to a black woman. Now I bet you’re wondering how the word “nigger” originated from the word “negro”. Well it is believed that misinterpretation and mispronunciation from white southerners that led to the development of the word “nigger”. In 1619 of Colonial America a man, John Rolfe used the word “negars” referring to African slaves …show more content…
The word “nigger” has two main variances today, and they were both expressed beautifully by Tupac. The word carries with it a privilege also, a privilege that only certain people are allowed to use this word. And it is what African descendants call each other as a way of connecting in a brotherhood type of fashion. In areas such as “Bomton” - otherwise known as “black compton” - “brothas” can casually see each other at the convenience store and address the other as “my nigga” or “niggah” however they prefer. Now imagine the same scenario but with two Caucasian males saying the exact same. It’s weird right? That is because the word is still highly debated to the present. It is unclear whether the word should be banned from everybody’s mouth or if it should all be left to identify
In "The Meaning of a Word" and "Being a Chink", Gloria Naylor and Christine Leong examine words of hatred that are meant to scorn, hurt and disgrace people. But these same words could also be used without harmful intentions and in a fashion of endearment amongst the people those words were created for. They each had a different word to discriminate their different culture and ethnicity. These writers discuss the words "nigger" and "chink", which are words in our language mostly ignorant people use. Naylor and Leong are also both minorities who were raised in America. They talk about how discrimination and hatred towards minorities is almost always inevitable in America, which is mostly populated by Caucasians. Naylor and Leong observe how these racial acts of discrimination can unify a group of people even closer together. Naylor didn't know the true meaning of the hate word nigger until it was used against her in a degrading manner. On the other hand Leong already knew what chink meant but wasn't traumatized until she found out her father discovered it.
The Meaning of the Word “Nigger” I can recall the first time I paid close attention to the word nigger. In junior high a school fight would occur about every week and of course the whole school would gather together and watch. Well this particular fight sticks out in my mind because it was between two boys of different races, Hispanic and black. During their conflict the Hispanic boy bluntly called the black boy a nigger, and that was when the rest of the black students became verbally involved. I remember screaming out “ who do you think you are calling him that?”
Slaves were commonly referred to by the n-word as if that was their definition of who they were, when Rufus speaks to Dana as a child after she has saved his life he says “WORDS” (PAGE NUMBER). It’s a category and a word that means lower than white people and it is a strict enforcer of the idea that the races were not only separate, but that all of them can be defined as a single lower entity. Furthermore, Dana is referred to by other slaves as a “white nigger” (PAGE NUMBER) throughout her stay due to her education and ability to talk back to Rufus as if she were equal to him. When (NAMES) call her that,(PAGE NUMBERS) they mean it in a derogatory way and thus were enforcing the ideas of oppression, that only whites were smart and can read or write and that to be black is to be inferior. They don’t see Dana as someone to look up to, but as someone to despise for her abilities and that helped enforce oppression. The slurs and ideas had become embedded in the slaves themselves and even Dana in the end of Kindred continues these ideas when she tries to convince Alice that things aren’t that bad for her without meaning too (PAGE
The word is taught by many to be said to any slave during this time period. I thought that there were white slaves? Where they called “niggers” as well? Indeed, there were white slaves that were called “niggers” along with black slaves. Many people are unaware of this fact and only subject the term to only be meant for black people. Since this new knowledge had be brought to light, the word “nigger” consequently does not refer to just blacks but rather both blacks and whites. The term groups together any property owned during this time period that was marked as a slave. The African American slave owners during this time were not called subject to the word. This is because a “nigger” was someone of low class or even just a piece of property that could be replaced. Another misconception is that there were in fact many black slave owners as well as white slave owners. The meaning of the word is arguably the most contemptuous word in the english language. “You are a white nigger!” “You are black nigger!” These two sentences mean the exact same thing. This term, as horrible as it is, should be just as offensive to white as it is to
Massive amounts of people find it hard to believe that the “N” word is harmless. Little that they know, it inflicts a great deal of mental damage to the victim. Like when Mrs. Dubose stated to Scout, “Your father’s no better than the niggers and trash he works for!” (Lee 135).
On the other hand, when some people hear the N-word they feel a negative aura surrounding that word. It brings forth unwanted memories of the past. According to Coates, “for some the mere mention of “nigger” conjured memories of lynching and bombings. But there’s more here - a deep fear of what our use of the word “nigger” communicated to white people” (Coates, 1-2). In other words, Coates believes that yes some people associate the n-word with trauma from the past. But the importance in this word is that in how it communicates with white people. Essentially, it’s the one thing that they don’t have control over. They’ve lost the battle and no longer have the freedom to use one word in all of the english language. I guess they were never expecting
The word “Nigger” was a term used in reference to a slave. A slave meaning, you were the lowest scum of the earth, Illiterate and uneducated in every sense. Today, the usage of the word is spilt in to different context, it is used to refer to one another. A lot of children today use the word freely, not because they are ignorant to the history and putridness of the word, but solely because they are not really offended by it and the only time they hear it, it's being said by someone else who is of color. As I looks back over the years, I can’t really remember anyone distinctively ever calling me the N-word, or better yet, not in a derogative fashion. I don’t think that anyone has ever called me the word to my face or in hearing distance. Growing up in New York City, the only time I ever heard the word “Nigger” was from people who called themselves “Nigger”. I remember sitting in class daydreaming on the word, thinking to myself, “How could anyone call themselves a Nigger and be proud of it?” Yet It’s Hard to hurt me with words, but I had never heard that word used with such vengeances. What does this word mean in my everyday life?
One example is explained when Wright said “Whut yuh tryin’ t’ do, nigger, git smart?” (Wright 4) This is verbal abuse because the word “nigger” is what whites would call blacks in a bad way. No one should call anyone something they don’t want to be called. “Nigger” is a word that was used towards blacks when white people would feel disrespected by black people. This was a word used to make black people feel like they are lower than white people, like slaves; even though some were. Even though “nigger” is a word that is still used today, it is not as offensive as it was back then. When black people use this word among themselves, it’s not really a problem, but if a white person calls a black person ‘nigger’ it brings some hostility. Another example explained in Wright’s “The Ethics of Living Jim Crow” is when he said “You black son-of-a-bitch! You call me Pease, then!” (Wright 6). This is verbal abuse because using profanity towards a person is verbal abuse, especially toward a child. Calling someone that word could make a person feel so low in a way. This could make a person feel low in a way where it’s double-consciousness (Dubois). Double-consciousness is when you feel some type of way about yourself and it could be different in the eyes of others. Meaning you might think you’re smart, while others think you’re dumb. When you call someone a name, like “son-of-a-bitch” could make you change
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?
Normalizing the use of the N-word can undermine the importance of its history. As history progresses, the casual use of the N-word allows for people to forget the origin. The N-word is “most likely a White Southern pronunciation of the word negro” (Pilgrim). The word was used as a way to exclude
The word nigger is an offensive term used by a white slave owner during the 1800’s. It is used in the beginning of a slaves name to indicate that this person is a slave. It comes from the Spanish word negro and the French word nègre. It is one of the most offensive and controversial words in the English language. With this word comes many years of immoral and unethical treatment of the black man by the white race. This word is used in the book Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. One of the 60 minutes videos is on the controversy on the N-word in the book Huck Finn. Stating that many different school districts have banned this book because of the word “nigger,” a word so offensive it’s usually called the “N- word.”
There are laws that prohibit any type of segregation in the United States of America. We have in office today the very first African American president, President Barack Obama. The culture is now more politically correct on what is acceptable and what isn 't. There is a scene in the 2005 remake of The Longest Yard that includes Guard Dunham ( Stone Cold Steve Austin) and prisoner Megget (Nelly). The "N" word was used towards this prisoner a few times, but this was the only time in the movie it was used. This is obviously not okay, but compared to the 1970 's film, this was a huge change. The use of that hateful word helped the director portray the guards as villains in the film. The 2005 remake did not separate the white and black inmates in the prison like they did in the 1974 original. Although director Peter Segal did use the disrespectful word in modern day, he used it moderately. Segal did not use it so freely like the original film because today 's culture would not tolerate it. It could have jeopardized the quality of the film in the view of modern day
I see several mixed couples, different race teachers, i see white ghetto kids and black preppy smart kids, in my little world at putnam city north I see a generation of people who realize that your skin does not define who you are at all. I and several of my friends have a tendancy to forget that many of the people we are around and are friends with have to deal with racism still. White people see our black president and millionairs like michael jordan and dr. dre and hold them to as high of standards as successful white people. The harsh term that once belittled african americans is now more of a slang word "nigga" that is used commonly especially in the younger generations. White people such as Eminem have adopted black culture successfully, so as ignorance is bliss, many white people like to close their eyes to the every day struggles of racism and pretend that its all gone. Although with my perspective on this view, i believe that if everyone thought like this it could terminate
"Negro" is used both in parts of the black and white community however, in different ways. The white community had used this term to discriminate and belittle the black community, whereas the black community had used this term as a descriptive equal and without prejudice.
Nigger. Although it has acquired additional connotations in today’s society, at base, it still evokes an intense emotional and psychological response. Even now, in print or in speech, the word nigger causes one to cringe. Today, no one would tolerate being referred to as a nigger let alone called a nigger to their face. However, Jim and every other black, free or slave, endured that insult daily because it was a part of the social fabric. Even those with ‘good intentions’ used nigger as a utility word to desc...