Nigger In The English Language

While Pulp Fiction does use a fair amount of racist language, the movie has a deeper motive for using such language. The frequency to which the word is used in Tarantino’s works, including Pulp Fiction, has led some to believe he has an infatuation with the word. Tarantino has been quoted saying that, “the word ‘nigger’ is probably the most volatile word in the English language,” and he believes that the word should not hold the kind of power that it does. (Metroactive) Through his movies, Tarantino is trying to make the word less powerful by having it said so

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.

Naylor and Leong were both minorities raised in an area that was predominately populated by Caucasians. Naylor writes, " I was part of a large extended family that had migrated from the rural South after World War II and formed a close knit network that gravitated around her maternal grandparents." Her family knew what nigger meant (as all black people probably do), but was did not let the dense true meaning of that word get in the way of living. Living in America, they took that word of disgrace or shame and rendered it ineffective. They made it ineffective by ignoring and hiding the word's true origins and meaning. Leong grew up in a suburban town in New Jersey populated

“N-r”? What’s that supposed to mean? Is that supposed to be nigger? Why didn’t they just type out nigger? The answer is really just that “nigger” is like a super bad word. And it became a bad word, because it was used during an era where African Americans were being openly segregated from white Americans. My only question is why are they misquoting? You got to understand that

In addition, the article “The Word “Nigga” Is Only for Slaves and Sambos” also has a strong intrinsic ethos itself based on the quality of his writing. The argument was organized in a logical way and easy to follow. The article started from introducing the word “Nigger” and the history of it, then a specific story from his own experience, then arguments about the “affectionate term” and its negative effects, and finally with a metaphor illustration to end his article. He

Randall Kennedy argues that the word nigger should be usable by all people as long as no one is being harmed. “There is nothing necessarily wrong

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

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.

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

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

An instance of her exemplification is by calling someone a, "trifling nigger" (Naylor 2) is to say that person has a bad reputation of being drunk, foul or rude. Calling another person that name may be demeaning to their reputation but in no way does it discriminate against them racially. A second exemplifying definition is the possessive adjective use by a woman to her boyfriend or husband. When that woman calls her man “my nigger” (Naylor 2) it means a term of endearment or a compliment. By defining a word specifically one can alter the meaning and the reality of that word through language while excluding prejudice.

White people have been the superior race since the very beginning of America. Throughout history white people have owned and ruled almost everything about American culture. Although white people are still the majority and have most of the wealth in America, there is one thing they do not own, the n-word. This one word has caused controversy and conflicts between races in society. The essay “Why Do They Get to Use the N-word But I Can’t” talks about the issue of who can say this word and why are only certain races and social groups allowed to say it.

I agree that the author could have changed the word nigger to dummy or knuckle head, but it would have completely changed the tone of the play. I think that the usage of the word, really makes you understand how the characters feel about racism in the time of the play. in the 1950's racism was in a kind of crazy state. Many people still used the word nigger to downgrade African Americans. The word is not appropriate for a play in todays setting, but I think it is appropriate to use in the setting of this

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

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