The story “Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn” can be very offensive to most people due to the use of
the “n” word. The main question is this, because of the content/word choice,
should students read “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” in high
schools? The answer is yes. High school students have come to the realization
that the world is a cruel place where people aren’t always nice. This time span
of four years is a huge milestone in people’s lives. Reading “The Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn” would help broaden the minds of our future generation.
Also people have resulted to changing the word nigger to slave. This word was
put there for a reason. It was meant to provoke and infuriate people. The “n”
word makes black people seem inferior to whites, but he word slave just doesn’t
cut it. It sugarcoats the brutal reality that our country was once savage to
people of African descent.
Mainly the
parents do not want their children to read this American classic due to its
vulgar language. They do not want their children to be exposed to such manner.
When in reality that word is thrown around all the time such as in rap songs.
High school students, in my opinion, feel more comfortable with the “n” word
because they hear it more often. Parents
then decided to start the New South text, which changed the word to slave to
make the novel more acceptable and appropriate for learning. Changing a word
like nigger to slave is a completely different concept. Twain wrote the book
with the word nigger in there intentionally. This makes the reader feel sad
because they called black people such horrible names. This book has a
reputation for the blunt truth. To learn how savage people were I think that
having young adults read the book when they are in the most emotional stage of
their life poses as a life lesson. It shows that we all need to treat people
with respect no matter who they are or what skin color they have. In the op-ed
from David Matthews he basically said that the people of our day and age need to
read this book and the word nigger must be present in the story to make a
bigger influence on us. He said, ”Dumbing and numbing down 'Nigger Jim' to
'Slave Jim' etiolates the crushing, dehumanizing institutional forces against
the character, and minimizes Huck's enlightenment.” Also Jill Nelson said,
“What’s next? Substituting orange for red in a painter’s work because some
observers find red too aggressive?” these convincing excerpts should show the
reader that nigger is meant to be an aggressive word. It’s supposed to show how
Americans used to constantly dehumanize black people.
The
contrast to saying that reading this story with the New South Text is good. By
using that word choice in the book is bad and those students our age shouldn’t
be influenced further by this word. Also the students are more interested in
playing games and they would not be interested in such an American classic. In
the story, the use of the word nigger purposely used at times for a certain
reasons. In this line from story, Huck tries to belittle Jim. He knows that Jim
is correct but he does not want to acknowledge him because he is black. Twain
writes,” Well, he was right; he was most always right; he had an uncommon level
head for a nigger.” Its ironic because Huck knows that Jim is almost always
right and yet he does not want to admit that a nigger can be right over a white
boy. Huck also depicted a cliché southern white man at the time. He had so much
pride that he could not go humble himself and apologizes to Jim for what he has
done. Just because he is a nigger Huck believes that he should never apologize
to a man that’s beneath him. Huck said, “It was fifteen minutes before I could
work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger; but I done it, and I warn't
ever sorry for it afterwards, neither”
Reading the
story does have its challenges, so one must face them with an open mind and try
to see the book through Twain’s eyes because he is a realist. Twain perfectly
depicted the time period in the best way possible. He showed how the young boy
had a revelation that all people should be treated with dignity and respect.
That is why Huck Finn should be read in schools. It shows students hope
important respect is.
I agree with your work, and think your example of changing "nigger" to slave is great. I feel it isn't taken terrible in music, but for some reason people hate it in a book... How does that work? People are so numb to the idea of "nigger" in our society now, but back then it was used all the time and just a normal everyday thing. People need this use to show how time was back then and to have the full experience of the pain some underwent.
ReplyDeleteSarah- I agree with you that the book should be read in high schools. The point you made about it teaching teens a life lesson is an important argument to make. By depriving kids of the book kids are being deprived of learning the actual meaning of the book. Mark Bauerlein wrote an article in the New York Times called 'What Would Frederick Douglass Say?' which discussed the importance of kids reading the book the way it was written. Mark says,“The more students read sanitized materials in high school, the more they enter college inclined to dispel things they don’t want to hear." So not only does the word teach kids a life lesson but allows them to learn about gruesome history with an open mind as they grow into adults.
ReplyDeleteThe quote by David Matthews about "minimizing Huck's enlightenment" is the greatest truth about the New South text. When Huck seems to say "slave" instead of "nigger" you see a kind of down grade in his intelligence. This gives Huck a hue of boredom around him, repeating himself over and over 'the slave Jim.' We only need to here that Jim is a slave once or twice in the entire book. while on the other had we need to be reminded of his ethnicity because often we see Huck treating Jim as a fellow 'white friend' rather than a 'nigger slave.'
ReplyDeleteThe part of this op-ed that stood out to me the most was the part when you said, "High school students, in my opinion, feel more comfortable with the "n" word". I think this creates a strong argument that I have never heard before. You did not mention this, but because this "n" word is so common in the high school world, they should know what is connected to that word. One way this word can be best learned is by reading The Adventures of Huck Finn. I agree with what you have mentioned, but would like to add that little point. It is necessary that high school students realize what connotations the "n" word has with it, and maybe become more careful when using it.
ReplyDeleteSarah that was such an interesting to look at the Huck Finn. Huck Finn would be Huck Finn if it didn't use the n-word. I took a different approach and looked at Huck Finn a different way. In one of the Op-ed I read it talked about how if we censor the book, then we are taking away how society used to be. It is as if we are hiding from the truth and saying that racism never existed. We can't hide things that are come from the past. Using Huck Finn should be a way to teach students a deeper meaning and give them the understanding on why Twain choose the n-word instead of slave.
ReplyDeleteHey Sarah, I agree that we should preserve history. But I disagree with your ideas on censorship. Although, the n-word is prevalent in today's high schools, that does not make it okay to use in the classroom. Is the slang that our high schoolers use the standard for what should and should not be read in a novel read by high schoolers? Are we going to then censor the n-word if the n-word isnt as 'popular' amongst teens in the future? And sure, we can all agree that finding the n-word in a rap song is like finding a fish in a fish tank... Its common, I know. But have you ever heard the n-word used on the radio in your car? If the radio is the only place that you hear rap music, I need to tell you something: the original title of Jay-Z's song is not "Hipsters in Paris." And also, the artists '50 Cent' and 'B.I.G' did not collaborate to make a song called "Realist Hipster". ... There is a reason why the radio does not let these artists say the n-word in there songs!!
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, you don't need the n-word in Huck Finn. Everyone will tell you that you need it to show the racism of the time. But lets look at the word that would replace it (and supposedly make the book too soft). The word is 'slave.' According to handy-dandy- Google, a slave is: "a person who is the legal property of another and is forced to obey them." If The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn refers to each and every African-American character as property of a white man, does it get much worse than that? Because thats what "dumbing down" and "softening" the book would do. Interesting. Put it this way: we need to keep the racism in Huck Finn, but we don't need to keep the n-word. The book can be have racist themes on its own.
Lastly, I dont think, as you said in the last paragraph, that Huck has some sort of revelation. Never does Huck make a defiant move and stand up directly to racism. Throughout the whole book, Huck just goes with the flow. And then, by dumb luck and with no help from Huck, Jim is freed in the end. And then Huck, anticlimactically, just randomly leaves Jim in the dust to go west. ... Do i think Twain was dead set against slavery? Yes. Do I think Huck had abolitionist ideas at times? Sure. But did he have a roaring revelation and change of heart? ... No. Not really.
Thanks Sarah for the blog, and of course...Panther Pride.
I completely agree with you! Huck Finn shows a side to American history that a lot of people like to try and shut out or forget. When doing so it makes it hard to deal with times of our own, doing people no good. The n-word could be related to a word such as gay in todays culture. It is thrown around, but can really affect people on a deeper level. Therefore, I think it is crucial that high school students read literature such as Huckleberry Finn to see how horrid the n-word is and how it affected people. When really studying the book the n-word takes on a whole new meaning, and reading it in schools helps the students to discover how derogatory the n-word actually is. They can then use that knowledge and apply it to their everyday lives and situations they re faced with.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the book should be read in high schools. I like your quote that you used by Jill Nelson because it helps you argument and it helps us see how severe it is to change just one word. I also think that Twain meant to use the n word in an "agressive" way because it helps us look how Huck really feels toward Jim. Overall, I think your op-ed was very well written.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Huck Finn should be read in schools. I like how you pointed out that students today are more comfortable with the 'n-word' because of how often it is used in songs, etc. I made the same point! Also, I agree that if you change the word 'nigger' to 'slave' then Huck Finn would not have the same affect on readers. Mark Twain choose to use the language for a reason. To show how it was like during that time in history. It is important that we read and study the use of this word in Huck Finn. Great Job on your Op-Ed.!
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