Essay On Nigger

“You’re just another stupid nigger,” says a classmate. I was in the third grade, he [the classmate], felt threatened by my intellectual superiority I realize now. As a child, who didn’t know what to make of the tern nigger, I decided to ask my teacher. Retelling the incident to her, she decides to tell the principal and have my classmate suspended. I thought of it being odd, as this child, like I, was in the third grade, gets suspended for a word, which I didn’t know was a derogatory word at the time. Nigger – a derogatory name for a Black person. As I asked my elder brother to explain what a nigger is, I was informed on the period of slavery, racial segregation, Jim Crow laws, and what the definition of a nigger. Was that what I was to other people? Just a young nigger girl? Is there nothing else that can be used to describe myself besides the color of my race? As a young girl, I was very conflicted and overwhelmed with all of this

When some think about the word nigger they immediately think about negativity and some might even venture to say that it is a "bad" word. It takes you back to a time when blacks were oppressed and demoralized. When blacks were looked at as inferior and not worthy to obtain equal rights in America. But that was decades ago and it is now the 21st century. Not only have we changed the spelling of the word, by dropping the er and adding a, but the definition has changed also. According to Gloria Naylor, we have took our "past history of struggle and present survival against the odds" and transcended the word nigger into a "victorious statement of being". So a word that was used to depict

The essay “The Meanings of a Word” by Gloria Naylor discusses the many definitions of a word and how its meaning can change according to context and delivery. She made this point by telling a story of her childhood and the first time she heard the n-word used by a white person in a derogatory, demeaning way. She described her this situation that took place when she was in third-grade and a boy in front of her in math class called her the n-word. She had no idea what it meant to be called that in a negative way because the people she grew up around only used it as positive and empowering. At the end of her essay, she once again emphasized how easy it is to change a word into something hateful simply depending on who says it and their

In the English language, the word "nigger" is an ethnic slur, usually directed at black people. The word originated as a neutral term referring to people with black skin, as a variation of the Spanish and Portuguese noun negro, a descendant of the Latin adjective niger . It was often used disparagingly, and by the mid-twentieth century, particularly in the United States, its usage became unambiguously pejorative, a racist insult. Accordingly, it began to disappear from popular culture, and its continued inclusion in classic works of literature has sparked controversy. In the contemporary United States and United Kingdom, using the word is taboo, and it is often replaced with the euphemism "the N-word". "Nigga" is sometimes used among African Americans in a non-derogatory sense or as a term of endearment. Etymology and history

This word became the noun, negro, describing a black person in English, and simply defining the color black in Spanish and Portuguese” (Niggers, a Brief History). No matter what meaning the word had before, it all changed in the 1800’s. The words nigger and negro suddenly transformed from a harmless connotation to a spiteful term used to tarnish the black community. It was now a new favorite among the vocabulary of racist whites, who held first place in thinking the absolute lowest of the African American race. In the United States, "nigger" was first regarded as pejorative in the early nineteenth century. In the era of enslavement, the words "nigger" or

The use of the term nigger can be used as a amicable greeting between two blacks, or as a “hideous pejorative” (Marriott 94) towards blacks. Marriott notes that the use of nigger is usually condoned and used by younger blacks as a “term of endearment” (98), in hopes to gradually alter the meaning of the word. Their goal is to normalize the usage of nigger between blacks to “dull its edge whenever whites use it” (Marriott 95). This has been proved somewhat efficient, as most whites dread the word and express feelings of disgust whenever it is heard from the mouth of whites. Many younger blacks believe their efforts are stimulating a progression in society, but older blacks and the majority of whites assert just the opposite- it illustrates “anything

We have all heard the phrase “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” However, depending on how words are used, and the opinions associated with them, they can indeed be very hurtful. Gloria Naylor writes about this in her article “Mommy, What Does ‘Nigger’ Mean?” She states “words themselves are innocuous; it is the consensus that gives them true power” (Naylor 481). She explains that African Americans’ use of nigger does not in anyway invite Caucasians to use it. Naylor is accurate when she writes that the word ‘nigger’ would not be offensive had it not been for the thoughts, and sometimes, action others associate with it.

A 1700 quote by judge Samuel Sewall uses the term in a denunciation of slavery. Gradually, however, polite discourse increasingly used the term negro (which dates to at least 1555) and nigger became relegated to the vulgar tongue, increasing in offensiveness over the centuries.

The word "nigger" has become a popular saying amongst our current population. The word appears to be used more each day by an assorted group of people. I've conducted a research in order to gather a better understanding as of to why the word "nigger" is so commonly used. I've collected responses from my fellow class mates and read a book called nigger to acquire addition information about the different opinions brought on by its usage. In these responses were patterns that helped me to get better acquainted with this idea. Most writes provided me with the same answer, that the reason why people call each other "nigger" is because it is used in a positive way. With this information given, the next question that came to mind was is it

Aside from your community, the issue goes more into depth when entering the household. As young children, blacks and whites played together but as they grew up, the whites were taught a life changing word, “nigger.” Slowly but surely, they grew up being presurred with the mind set that they were superior

However, the historical significance of the word nigger is deeply rooted in American History. For example, Kennedy’s book presents historical examples of nigger in its most pejorative context: “Michael Jordan was suspended from school for hitting a white girl who called him a nigger” and “Tiger Woods was tied up in kindergarten by his older schoolmates who called him nigger” (Kennedy 22). It is precisely because of this history that many African Americans are in favor of banning the word from the English language. Although the historical significance of the word nigger often triggers deep-rooted hostility in the African Americans, it has also progressively evolved into a term of endearment in the modern day African American culture. Consequently, a fine line exists between past and present definitions of the word nigger that opens up the possibility of misinterpretation and the potential of further damage.

“The Word “Nigga” Is Only for Slaves and Sambos” was written by Rob Nelson and first published in a university newspaper in North Carolina. Later on, the article was so meaningful that it was re-published in the academic journal, the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. In the article “The Word “Nigga” is only for Slaves and Sambos”, Rob Nelson uses ethos, logos, and especially skillful pathos appeals based on the history of slavery and the illustration about the future of African American, to prove why he thinks the “N-word” is not acceptable. By using ethical argument and those clever appeals, Rob Nelson definitely persuades his young African American audience.

What is the problem with the n-word in the first place? This word has a racist history starting during the 17th century when it was used to insult slaves (Asim, 2007, as cited in McClure, 2015). The writer states that no matter what race, the word is a powerful symbol of the history of anti-black oppression in the United States. In the essay, the author explains that some people believe that the use of the word in rap music has stripped it away of its original racist meaning, but others say that the term should be forbidden. Reading the essay, it shows a lot of proof of the inconsistency between the usage and meaning behind the n-word in society. For example, rappers would use the word in their lyrics referring the term to themselves and their friends, but hateful people would use the term to yell at others or write it out as threats. The way the term is used and who decides to use it determines how people will interpret the

Make no mistake that slave owners came up with the word Nigger and it was only supposed to mean an individual, who is lazy, unwise, and good for nothing, but somewhere along the history lines of slavery the N word began to be used more as racial insult against the non-white Americans

This topic has always been a question people have asked, there is not completely correct answer. Even if there was people would still continue using the word. Anyone who saying nigga should care about if they’re allowed to say that word because they should know how the word originated.