What Does The Word Nigger Mean

The revisional author, Alan Gribben, said he worried that the N-word had resulted in the novel falling off reading lists. He believes his sanitized edition will please more readers and teachers. Gribben has plowed over Twain's freedom of speech in the process. After all, Twain isn't around to comment(Dawkins 1). The responsibility of this book belongs to no one. Banning or sanitizing Huckleberry Finn should not be a topic of discussion because Twain had every right to write the book however he desired. Offensive terms and words are being invented right now. We should not pick on historical terms when others are being invented everyday.

How would you feel if an author published a book that contained a word that was once used frequently but has now developed into one of the most derogatory and unfriendly things a person can say? Since 1884, when the book was first published, there has been much controversy regarding the use of the word “nigger” in the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain. Many people all over the world, predominantly the African-American population, feel that the word demoralizes the Blacks, and feel that the novel should be strongly censored from society. Some say that the constant use of the “n-word” forces the reader to conceive one of the main characters, Jim (Huck’s slave friend), as a buffoon, and it therefore embarrasses the

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 liberal use of the “N” word did not make it difficult for me for me to read this novel. This word is a part of history and if we were to get rid of this word, we would be changing what actually happened. I also believe that the “N” word serves a purpose to being in historical novels like The Underground Railroad. This time in history was very vulgar and vicious, so this word shows how the people thought and the inhumane way of the slave trade. The “N” word may be a little vulgar, but if the author didn’t use this word, the background of the story would loose its intensity. If the word was exchanged with the word “slave”, the novel would not show how terrible this time really was for black people. Although Colson Whitehead may be an African

One of Mark Twain’s best selling novels, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, has been disputed ever since the novel has been published in 1884. The novel was based on a young white boy who escaped his abusive alcoholic father and had so many crazy adventure with Jim, a runaway slave. The novel also included racial slurs such as using the word “nigger” over 200 times. Over the time that has gone by, the novel is still unwanted and so many schools are discussing to ban this famous American literature because of just one word, “nigger”. So many people found this word to be offensive so instead of banning the book, the word “nigger” was replaced with “slave”. Also other options were considered such as making a new edition of the novel or just replace

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

Since its first publication in 1884, Mark Twain’s masterpiece The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has proven to be one of history’s most controversial novels; especially recently, the novel has often been banned by schools and censored by libraries. Characters in the book are constantly using disparaging language toward slaves, and the repeated use of the word “nigger” makes many sensitive and offended. Critics denounce the novel and Mark Twain as racist for this word being insulting and politically incorrect and for its depiction of black people and how they are treated. However, Twain was not attempting to perpetuate racism; on the contrary, he used satire to expose the ignorance and paradoxical views held by many in America at that time.

Many schools have banned teachers from teaching on Twain’s Huckleberry Finn for various reasons. One of those reasons is that Twain uses the word nigger, and he uses it to many times. At the time that this book was written, slaves and free black people were called niggers. So Twain in his writing is being politically correct when writing about Jim and the other slaves

Society has had problems with The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn shortly after being published. Huckleberry Finn was first published in January of 1885 and only two months later in March of 1885 the book was banned. The problem first with the book was it was too friendly toward African Americans and believed to lead children astray from certain values. Now over 100 years later “Huckleberry Finn is still making news” (Pitts). Now in the 21th century we have a problem with Huckleberry Finn not because of kindness to African Americans or believing it would lead children astray from traditional values but because of “one reason - one word: nigger” (Pitts). This word has been seen as a problem in the classrooms and teachers and schools refuse

When the argument of replacing the word "nigger" with "slave" one sees the issue with that. The issue being that "nigger" in that time meant African-American, not necessarily a slave. So looking at a high school or college student in the future reading Huckleberry Finn for the first time and reading is with the word "slave" the story loses its effect on the reader. It does not give a sense of the time, it would only give a vibe that something is not right in the story. When reading this story for the first time, one must have an open mind and not pay attention to little things like racism in this book. The main plot is not, lets raft down a river and see how racist we can be. As one reads the story flows, and part of that flow is to allow discrepancy in racial slurs. It is okay to have the

It is odd to think that a high school student would pick up the word “nigger” and use it against another student because high school students have already been exposed to topics such as slavery and racism. Therefore, it would be unlikely for a student to use “nigger” against another student given the fact that race is still a “volatile and divisive subject” in this country and high school students is not ignorant infants that can’t distinguish the rights and wrongs about the word “nigger.” (Williams, Randle). At this point in time teenagers are exposed to excessive profanity through the media, music lyrics on TV and many times it is not censored. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be kept in library shelves and schools in its original form because students can receive moral lessons and therefore, mature as human beings. A big part about how a student can react to the novel is how the book is being taught. Teachers should acknowledge the intention and purpose of Mark Twain, which was to appeal to the reader 's emotions through the use of specific diction. Along with teaching the literary elements of the novel the teachers should also imply the ideas and controversies that are being presented in the novel. Twain’s purpose was also to capture the moments that defined the 1800s such as slavery and racism. After all, the novel should be taught in its original

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

“All modern literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn,” this is what fellow writer had to say about this classic novel. Still, this novel has been the object of controversy since it was published more than 150 years ago. Some people argue that Huckleberry Finn is a racist work, and that the novel has no place in a highschool classroom. This feeling is generated because a main character in the story, Jim, and other slaves are referred to many times as “niggers.” When Mark Twain wrote this book, he was striving to show the general public that society was wrong in the past, that the way white people thought black people were less than human was a wrong viewpoint. The

This is again Twain making a mockery Southern values that considered it a sin to be kind to black people. Twain’s critics consider the novel to be racist and quite outwardly. They cite the common use of the word “nigger” as the most obvious instance of the book’s racism. To have used the words Negro or African American would have taken away from the story’s impact and would make it sound ridiculous. If Twain wanted to write a historically accurate book as he did then the inclusion of this word is totally

In pop culture, you will hear obnoxious music, with multiple edits, bleeping out unnecessary obscurities , but what if it is in literature, with an ultimate purpose for the readers? In Huckleberry Finn, it uses the cringeworthy word "Nigger" 219 times, yet it is not in a derogatory sense. In my opinion, the "n-word" is necessary in this type of literature, to really show how people acted back in the times of Huckleberry Finn. Mark Twain's purpose of using the word, was to draw attention, and be controversial. The word shows that they were not just "slaves", but a worse in their times a "nigger." I do not think they should be able to censor a work of literacy such as Huckleberry Finn, because using a white crayon, on white paper will not change anything.