In the article, “In Defense of a Loaded Word”, the author Ta-Nehisi Coates claims the use of the n-word should be exercised exclusively among African-Americans. Although Coates claims the word should be used, it shouldn’t be for several reasons. Firstly, the origins of the word came from a very dark time period in America when slavery was yet to be abolished. Second, because of the fact that Coates believes only African-Americans should only use this word and no other race can is a double standard. If, for example, a black person addresses another black person with the n-word, the context of the word is taken as a friendly greeting, but if a white person were to say the n-word to a black person, then the context of the word would change and be perceived as an insult to the black person just because a white person said it.
It was a chilly brisk afternoon with Huck as I had been drunk most of last night and I didn’t feel right this morning. I told Huck to head to the river to get some fish to bring to town to sell and bring in some extra cash for us to spend. “Don’t stand there palavering all day but out with you and see if there's a fish on the lines for breakfast”(Chapter 6 Pap’s Downfall Page 37) Huck had told me the day before he weren’t rich but I shot back him at him soon after. “I hain’t heard nothing about you bein rich.
The chapters begin with Huck Finn on the porch of the Grangerford’s, where he introduces himself as George Jaxon, and they question him and invite him in cautiously with guns ready to fire in case he is a Sheperdson. Huck meets Buck who tells him a riddle, though Huck does not understand the concept of riddles, and that he must stay with Buck and they will have great fun. Meanwhile, Huck conceives a detailed story to tell how he was orphaned. The Grangerford's offer Huck to stay there as long as he likes at the comfortable and kind home. Buck admires the warmhearted Colonel Grangerford and his beautiful children; Bob, Tom, Charlotte, Sophia, and Buck.
In 1998, McClintock High School in Tempe, Arizona assigned students to read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. The book has long been regarded as a controversial novel, and each generation that comes upon it has found something that rubs against the current societal norms. The mother of a student at McClintock took serious offense to the use of the word, “nigger” throughout the book and protested that it be banned due to the racial discrimination (Source I). Huck Finn is just one of the many pieces of literature that have been labelled “challenging,” and many feel that they do not deserve a place in schools’ curriculum. However, the study of challenging literature introduces students to new ideas and lessons that they can apply
In conclusion, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should remain in schools, the book is useful because it serves as a way to introduce race into a class discussion, the book can bring up “teachable moments” as described by David Bradley in the short clip of 60 Minutes. (Schneider). Censoring books by banning them restrains readers from learning and talking about topics that may be labeled as “controversial” or “explicit”. The “n-word” has a negative connotation due to the usage of the word in the past, it is often correlated with a disrespectful attitude, however this is controversial since David Bradley describes the complexity by comparing and saying “Rednecks can make jokes about rednecks”, this in other words says that one is not “allowed
Teachers should just focus more upon what the book is actually about and relax a little more about the use of the offensive term. Some people just try to change the n word to “slave” to make the word more acceptable, but that is not how the word was used back then, so they do not need to change it
The constant usage of the n word can be demeaning and harmful to African American students — in 1995, a group of African American students in Cherry Hill, NJ suddenly began failing tests and quizzes in their English class. This happened as a result of an incompetent teacher, who forgot to mention the 200 plus instances of the n word and the fact that the book was controversial. And to make matters worse, the white students would snicker and stare at the African American students when the n word was read aloud. (Document E) This should not be the case — I was lucky enough to have a teacher who would make sure to make reading Huck Finn as comfortable as it would aloud.
When discussing about American history many tend to ignore the unpleasant events from the past. One word, that was commonly used in the past yet rarely used in the present, still causes a sense of discomfort and displeasure when being used. The word has caused many controversial disputes concerning the proper usage of this word. This word is often referred to as the “N-word” and reminds us American of the terrible actions taken place in the past. In remarkable novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, has caused an uproar of the repeatedly usage of the “N-word”.
To some the “N” word gets in the way of the story’s powerful message against slavery. To others, Twains simply capturing the way people use to talk back then. I for one, think that schools should keep the book with the “N” word. For this reason, to stay true to Twain’s words is this. We’ve been reading “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and “Tom Sawyer” for a long period of time and it hasn’t stopped us from passing political rights, law giving, ending discrimination in public schools, passing the Voting Rights Act, engaging in multicultural relations, or electing nonwhite governmental administrators, including our current president.
Moving on, taking note that racism and discrimination is a part of everyday life for many, the anger of the 52 year-old man is felt when he comments to his daughters that he has “grown upset that the word has slipped into casual usage”(Baltimore Legislator..). The fact that the n-word has grown into society as a social norm and a violent term can be an accessory towards the decision of the school board. If the word
In the time of slavery, the word was looked at as a common and harmless (except in the African Americans minds) word that was used by white Americans to describe an African American slave. In today’s day and age, the N-word is looked at as a common word that is also very offensive word that can harm anyone. The view of the N-word in general has changed into being an effective word that can hurt someone of any race, which changes the mind set to thinking that the word is bad and should not be used. The N-word in today’s educational system has brought about a questionable topic.
“ people… took a word that whites used to signify worthlessness or degradation and rendered it important”(article 1) The word can empower future generations to bring change rather than push it down until it crumbles on them again. That negative meaning of the N-word will never fade away but the black community can absorb that and create new
Students should learn about the value the novel provides from that time-period in which Mark Twain wrote, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain put the N word in the novel for a reason, to describe the time-period in which these events had occurred. Phillip Rawls writes, “‘It’s such a shame that one word should be a barrier between a marvelous reading experience and a lot of readers,’ Gribben said. Yet Twain was particular about his words.”
In a society clinging to the cushion of political correctness, to be faced with a novel so offensive, so brash, so seemingly racist in the classroom was initially jarring. At first, I was opposed to the concept of having to read the word “nigger” and discuss it as if it was just any antiquated term; it seemed impossible. However, through my reading of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, I began to understand the value of my discomfort. A tenant of Jesuit education, personal growth is necessary for one to grow into an intellectual, whole human being. For one to grow, they must step outside their comfort zone and become uncomfortable.
After twenty one years of peace passed, another war was unleashed onto the world. By now, everyone was using their new favorite toy to use in this destructive war, the airplane. With how efficient planes were in the First World War, everyone started to use them heavily in the Second World War and the evolution of the plane begins again. As a result of their new found favoritism planes received a considerably large upgrade to their systems. As Berel author of Aircraft History:
