One of the most harrowing words in the English language is the epithet “nigger.” It was a common moniker used to refer to an African-American in the United States of America since the 1800s. The term has undergone extensive scrutiny ever since it has been inducted into casual conversation, though this examination does not diminish its popularity. In modern times, the word has become a recurrent nickname among fellow African-Americans and some Caucasians. Despite its increasing conventionality, there are schools across America debating whether or not Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which uses “nigger” over two-hundred times, should be allowed to be taught in middle and high school courses. Permitting the story to remain in the
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This was the case for David Bradley, who on his first day of school was attacked by one of his classmates. “When a little boy of Irish extraction confronted me with “nigger,” I had never before heard the word. If he hadn’t bloodied my nose, I’d not have known to cry,” (Source B) he recounts. Later in his life, he came across the story The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, another of Twain’s novels which precedes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and experience with “nigger” being used in a story. He recognized Tom as a bigot, versus Huckleberry who he decided “might not be.” (Source B) Bradley took to reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn afterwards and declared that. “I began to distinguish connotation from denotation, to judge intent by action rather than rhetoric.” (Source B) He closed his excerpt by stating, “Until that happens, the safest place for a child to learn about the word is in a book. From there, it cannot bloody any child’s nose.”(Source B) As he clearly explained, a classroom is generally a secure environment to learn about the world. Students will potentially be able to draw their own conclusions from what the story displays, similar to the way Bradley …show more content…
Skoler went on in his article to mention that, “But many teengers- and even adults - may find to hard to grasp the irony in Twain’s telling, the deliberate saying of one thing when the reverse is intended. And the repeated use of the ‘N-word’ diverts from mark Twain’s best moral intentions.” (Source C) In this quote, one can see how Twain’s goal in writing this story is already ambiguous enough without a change in phrasing. Were the sentences to be altered, the entire tone of the story could prospectively be remodeled drastically. Similarly, some of Twain’s underlying meanings could be lost. Controversially, Jane Smiley ends her essay about an analysis of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by declaring, “The irony may not be redemptive,” (Source D) in accordance with claiming that, “Twain was a repository of all the contradictions in his society.” (Source D) Smiley is a representation of someone who finds that the cons of the story outweigh the pros, thus the story should be taken away. However, her sentiments are derived from her interpretation of how Twain presents the character Jim. The equivocal aspect of Jim’s character, in regards as to whether or not he can be referred to as an “Uncle Tom” or not, is a prime example of Twain’s subtle storytelling. To expurgate “nigger” from this story is doing a colossal disservice to Mark Twain and all
This was the case for David Bradley, who on his first day of school was attacked by one of his classmates. “When a little boy of Irish extraction confronted me with “nigger,” I had never before heard the word. If he hadn’t bloodied my nose, I’d not have known to cry,” (Source B) he recounts. Later in his life, he came across the story The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, another of Twain’s novels which precedes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and experience with “nigger” being used in a story. He recognized Tom as a bigot, versus Huckleberry who he decided “might not be.” (Source B) Bradley took to reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn afterwards and declared that. “I began to distinguish connotation from denotation, to judge intent by action rather than rhetoric.” (Source B) He closed his excerpt by stating, “Until that happens, the safest place for a child to learn about the word is in a book. From there, it cannot bloody any child’s nose.”(Source B) As he clearly explained, a classroom is generally a secure environment to learn about the world. Students will potentially be able to draw their own conclusions from what the story displays, similar to the way Bradley …show more content…
Skoler went on in his article to mention that, “But many teengers- and even adults - may find to hard to grasp the irony in Twain’s telling, the deliberate saying of one thing when the reverse is intended. And the repeated use of the ‘N-word’ diverts from mark Twain’s best moral intentions.” (Source C) In this quote, one can see how Twain’s goal in writing this story is already ambiguous enough without a change in phrasing. Were the sentences to be altered, the entire tone of the story could prospectively be remodeled drastically. Similarly, some of Twain’s underlying meanings could be lost. Controversially, Jane Smiley ends her essay about an analysis of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by declaring, “The irony may not be redemptive,” (Source D) in accordance with claiming that, “Twain was a repository of all the contradictions in his society.” (Source D) Smiley is a representation of someone who finds that the cons of the story outweigh the pros, thus the story should be taken away. However, her sentiments are derived from her interpretation of how Twain presents the character Jim. The equivocal aspect of Jim’s character, in regards as to whether or not he can be referred to as an “Uncle Tom” or not, is a prime example of Twain’s subtle storytelling. To expurgate “nigger” from this story is doing a colossal disservice to Mark Twain and all