Essay On Slurs In To Kill A Mockingbird

The usage of slurs, specifically the n-word in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird has caused several controversies throughout schools reading it, along with professional organizations, requesting to “clean the book up,” or removing the slurs used in the novel and replacing them with a less harsh synonym. Though removing the slurs in the novel creates a more sensitive environment for the reader, doing so can cause the book to lack historical accuracy and lessen the impact that the novel leaves on the reader. Therefore, I do not believe the book should be cleaned up, but instead left as is, to display the evolution and issues relevant in the novel that are still relevant today. To Kill a Mockingbird is a timeless novel. Though it was written nearly six decades ago, the issues in the book still apply to certain current events today. The book tells the story of eight-year-old Scout Finch, her twelve-year-old brother, Jem, and their father, Atticus. Atticus is a lawyer that is representing a black man, named Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping a young white girl. Because the book takes place in southern Alabama during the 1930’s, there is deep-rooted prejudice from white people against Tom, a black man. Though he is not guilty, Tom is prosecuted, simply for his race. The latter events, such as racial profiling and prejudice against minorities …show more content…
We can view what mistakes we have learned from, and what we still need to fix, and how though time changes, there are still similar issues. The ‘cleaning up’ of To Kill a Mockingbird will cause a powerful, timeless classic to become less powerful, and will not display the true conditions that people had to face in earlier times. Removing the n-word from the book will be a mistake, as without it, the book with lack depth and weaken the powerful effect the book has on almost every