Limitations Of Censorship In Literature

Supporters of banning say profanity can negatively influence the actions and thoughts of readers, especially younger readers that may not have heard or read many corrupt words. Huckleberry Finn, a book commonly inveighed for its use of contentious racial language, is commonly challenged for that reason. For USA Today, Martha Moore wrote, “When the younger reader is staring at that word five times on a given page and the instructor is saying, 'Mark Twain didn't mean this and you have to read it with an appreciation of irony,' you're asking a lot of a younger reader”. Granted, foul vocabulary is a challenge that academies need to address, but not through barring novels. Besides, if the reader is sufficiently mature for the book, they can still learn from it. For instance, some racial characterizations do not intentionally persecute people, but show the contrasting tensions between them, conforming to the time period. Again, the article “Huck Finn Navigating Choppy Waters Again” revealed, “The word is there for a reason… The word is terrible, it's hurtful, but it's there for a reason” (Moore). The racial epithets used in that book convey the attitude of Missouri in the 1840s when friction between African Americans and white people was rising. Additionally, banning a book due to concerns about the language is not beneficial to pupils because it prevents them from learning from other components of the book. “Often the organizations or schools that ban these books fail to see the book as a whole; they often center on the one page, the one scene or even the one word containing the offensive language or meaning and judge the whole book based on that one aspect,” according to an article by Adriana Lopez. She makes a sound point. A book contains a whole plot with themes that

The n-word is considered one of the most vicious racial slurs in the English language today. True that the n-word is closely associated with slavery and the oppression of blacks. Even after the abolition of slavery the word still haunted African Americans, especially in more segregated areas; where blacks were viewed as inferior to whites. In recent years the n-word has become less of a malicious slur in parts of our country. Public figures who use the n-word run the risk of losing their jobs. However, since the 1960s African Americans have coined the term “nigga”, when addressing one another. The rise of hip hop culture also enhanced the use of the word-they felt as though they are using the word as a term of endearment. Critics of the

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.

Euphemism, a form of indirect censorship, is often used to substitute certain phrases in order to soften their influence. The word “dead” becomes “passed away”, one who was once “disabled” is now “physically impaired”, and what used to be considered “firing a worker”, is called “employee termination”. These euphemisms are used to protect their audience from the reality, and although they sometimes serve to censor people from the truth, they ineffectively protect children from explicit content in many forms of literature. Despite the fact that And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, and Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White are excellent children novels that teach meaningful lessons,

Many teenage books have profanity in the books to prove the point of topics that the writer wants to tell the audiences point of view. The Literature today is more mature then most of the the children and teenagers that is reading this type of mature literature. Having strong language in books makes the books more interesting and more intense with a lot more mature topic the for readers. In the numerous articles, “Darkness to visible”, “Sick-lit”, and “Potty Mouth”, arise the question: Should explicit content be available to young readers? Profanity in literature reveals real content that everyday young adults go through. However, profanity should be tolerated, but monitored to a certain extent.

The increased use of the word, “nigger”, in mainstream media by young people is the result of the lack of knowledge of historical context and thus inadequate education. The ignorance from those who use it resonate from the lack of relatability and apathy of the suffering and indignifying treatment of African-Americans when the word was used in a derogative manner. The consequence that also arise as a result of the desensitization of the word is the normalized stigma of disrespect towards black people–by allowing a term previously used in the slavery era as a norm, it is as though they are praising or glorifying the slavery. The usage of the word freely will merely be a display of ignorance, especially when black people use it. It is normalizing

I do in fact agree with Randall. “Nigger: it is arguably the most consequential social insult in American History, though, at the same time, a word that reminds us of ‘the ironies and dilemmas, tragedies and glories of the American experience’” (Kennedy 1). (Please note that my points are absolutely debatable). I do indeed believe that in today’s world, even though there is still racist lurking around us, you can use the N word if it’s in the right context. I would in no condition use this manner when speaking to an adult. I also would never use this word if I were at school or work. But I would use it with my friends, or having a casual conversation with someone my age. During my senior year of high school my English teacher asked us to write an essay using our everyday terminology. She made it clear that we could use foul language. In my essay I including the N word and the next day I was called into the office. My principle explained to me that my English teacher believed I was being racist and only chose to use that word because I had the freedom to say anything I put my heart to. I got into a big argument with the principle on how the word is used differently for my generation and I was not going to apologize or accept any type of punishment. I had to write letter for the board explaining myself. I won this conflict because I stated that if my teacher was not capable of handing this kind of paper, she should have never asked for it in the first place. I

The word "nigger"is the most inapporiate racial slur according to dictionary.com, which has meant to belittle African Americans. Leaving many individuals to be beat, lynched, or even the victim of arson based upon racially motivated attacks within black communities; for instance “the reaction towards the news of Booker T. Washington dining in White House, Senator Benjamin Tillman of South Carolina predicted (Kennedy, pg 15), “The action of President Roosevelt in entertaining that nigger will necessitate our killing a thousand niggers in the South before they will learn their place again”(Kennedy, pg 77). Allowing countless features of the slur within countless jokes, cartoons, and the performing arts; which reflects stereotypes and encourages the downing of Afro-Americans. Essentially the signature phrase of racial prejudice, specifically in racial identified court cases of black individuals. Leaving the United States to accept the public display of inhumane actions and verbal usage; for instance, Supreme Court in Dred Scott v. Sandford, which ruled “that African Americans were permanently ineligible for federal citizenship”(Kenned, pg 63). These decisions and lack of appeals surrounding the cases allowed for racial insult and oppression of a national policy that make a specific race “inferior”. However, like most words the context for the derogatory word is in the moment of reclaimed by the black community and beyond. Although, the lack of evidence when the itself term

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

The N-word is an insult to our ancestors; the content in which you use the word doesn’t deny it’s derogatory meaning. What’s the point of bringing back and using a word that white people used to use to degrade people of color? It’s so much more than just a word, there’s a sad and depressing history associated with this word. A professor once said, “ The poison is still there. The word is inextricably linked with violence and brutality on black psyches and derogatory aspersions cast on black bodies..a word that has tormented generations of African-Americans...Among many young people today-black and white-the N-word can mean friend”. We live in a society where the word is so common; it’s often used by the descendants of the people who had to

Opponents of the n-word argue that due to the term’s close association with oppression and slavery of African-Americans in the U.S., the word is still a vicious racial slur. According to Source A, after the abolition of slavery in the mid-1800s, “the word continued to haunt African-Americans, particularly in segregated

This is why I think the original version of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be taught. Because, that is how they talked back in the day, the n-word is only offensive if you think it is offensive, and it is a teenager to adult book not a kids book. So people shouldn’t be arguing for the kids because it is not a book meant for

In Season 1, Episode 5 of the The Netflix Original Series: Dear White People released on April 28, 2017, Reggie, a black college student and the leader of Winchester University’s Black Student Union is seen at a fraternity party surrounded by mostly white students. All is well until Reggie’s white friend, Addison, repeatedly utters the N-word while singing along to a hip-hop song. Reggie asks him not to say it anymore however, Addison questions him and attempts to justify his use of the word which leads to a debate. The creator of Dear White People uses characterization and setting to convey how non-Black people-especially white people- who use the N-word regardless of whether or not they understand its historical context, reinforce the notion that Black people are inferior which helps to maintain white supremacy.

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

(Keith Allen and Kate Burridge, Forbidden Words: Taboo and the Censoring of Language. Cambridge Univ. Press, 2006)