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Mark Twain's Use Of The N Word Analysis

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Although he wrote the novel in the 1880s, Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, still remains a controversy today because of Twain’s use of the “N-word.” Why does Twain use the word “nigger” over 100 times in his novel? What impact is he trying to create by using this derogatory term? Although a multitude number of schools banned Twain’s novel because of the use of the derogatory “term,” Mark Twain’s utilization of the “n-word” satirizes the white American society in the 1880s by reminding his readers that racism was considered a social norm and illustrates how much society attained in terms of racism and discrimination from when slavery was prominent. Furthermore, Twain utilizes the “n-word” because it is his work of literature and changing his words deprives the reader of its purpose and is considered to be a form of censorship. Although President Lincoln abolished slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, the existence of slavery still continued to play a factor during the 1880s when freed slaves tried to assimilate into society. Now, a question arises how is Mark Twain’s use of the “n-word” relevant to the existence of slavery? Twain wanted to depict the evilness of slavery and how it impacted the freed slaves even after they gained freedom and rights. By using the “N-word,” Twain reminds his …show more content…

Even though The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn still remains controversial today, Twain employs the “n-word,” to satirize the white society he lived in and how common racism was towards the freed slaves, even though they were considered free. Moreover, Mark Twain wish to use the “n-word” in his novel because he wanted to illustrate how racism can degrade an individual’s status down to an animal. By changing the novel because it contains an obscene term, one changes the purpose Twain wished to create in his novel, which is considered to be a form of censorship. Clearly, Mark Twain’s use of the “n-word” serves people to see the bigger

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“’Why were n****** and whites made? What crime did the uncreated first n***** commit that the curse of birth was decreed for him… How hard the n****** fate seems this morning!’” (Twain 51). Analysis of

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Some school districts have banned the book due to the use of the “n word”, the negative portrayal of African Americans throughout the book, and Huckleberry’s distasteful character, which offers a poor role model for youth. However, these misguided administrators misunderstand Twain’s literature because Twain uses the “n word” to spotlight its offensive and dehumanizing nature, the portrayal of African Americans is

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Many books have been censored or banned in libraries and schools across the United States because of their suggestive or inappropriate content. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, a sequel to the popular The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, is one of the books that are being illuminated as “unfit to read”. It is the story a young boy, Huck, and a black man, Jim, in the 1800s, who ran away and their journey across the Mississippi River. It is a controversial piece in a majority of the classrooms across America. In this book, the N word shows up over two hundred times (Here's Why Banning 'Huck Finn' Over The N-Word Sends The Wrong Message).

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After reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn I could not understand people 's argument on banning this story that had gone way past it 's time showing the friendship between a black man and a white boy, which was almost unimaginable at the time in many people 's minds, and exposing the worst parts of humanity, showing that we don 't live in a picture-perfect world. While doing some research, however, I had found that most arguments against letting Huck Finn were because of the conspicuous and repetitive use of the n-word, as well as the extreme racial theme that is played out throughout the course of the novel. It all made sense to me then. As always America is again trying to cover up their insightful, but very real history, in hopes that it will be forgotten so that they can go on to be recognized as the

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We know that Twain is not racist, but he did use the N-word to show what kind of people his characters were. Delila Lloyd wrote a document that addresses both sides of the issue, but one of the points that sticks out is "Take the N-word out of Huck Finn, and is it really Huck Finn?" (Lloyd). Huck uses the N-word because he grew up in a society where the word was meaningless, and was used to describe slaves as scum. The word practically means nothing, but not as in the word doesn't have a meaning, but in the sense that the people described as the word are meaningless.

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Connotations are included to make words more symbolic than its literal meaning. Twain uses the word “nigger” many times throughout his book not only because it was frequently used in that period, but to add meaning to the word. “”Sends the key to the punkin-headed nigger, and don't send nobody to watch the nigger.’” (Twain, 240).

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Clemens was historically significant since, his writings were occasionally controversial, but at the same time they convey to the reader a vivid image of what went on during the Gilded Age. There has been a debate over whether his works should be taught in schools because of their racial slurs even though they are an important works of classic American literature. Often people forget, or do not consider because of personal prejudices, how most of the diction Clemens utilizes is simply how people talked in the Gilded Age. Even though in today’s culture people may not use the word nigger anymore, unfortunately people in the Gilded Age used the racial slur in everyday life; considering, during the Gilded Age and before, the word did not have the same connotation as it does to Americans now. Samuel Clemens also hid some social commentary within his works which proved to work in his favor, since he was able to create a vivid depiction of many of the major issues during the Gilded Age, particularly slavery.

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Many people may not recognize the name Samuel Langhorne Clemens; however, chances are he is quite well known as “America’s favorite writer,” (USA Today) Mark Twain. For many years his classic novels, including The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer were taught widely in high schools and universities as coming-of-age stories and to tell what life was like on the Mississippi. Unfortunately, because of the language of the time, “Huck’s frequent use of the n-word – 214 times by one count – has prompted parents and educators to question its use in classrooms and libraries. The American Library Association reports that Hucklberry Finn was the 14th most challenged book in the past decade”

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The black man on the back porch is afraid of the rattle snake because it is bad luck, or the innocent little slave is quick to believe everything one tells them at the drop of the hat. These are just some of the many racist stereotypes of the 1840s. A character named Jim is the star African American whom Twain bestoys the mission of being the stereotypical black man to prove a point. He along with his much more pallor companion Huck go on exciting adventures that unfold the events which expose the racist conduct of the time. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain saturates his novel with potent images of acute racism severe enough as to create a satirical mien that exposes the absurdity of prejudice.

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In Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird there is evidence of a racist past that is still brought up to this day. There are many lessons to be learned from this book that are still relevant today such as inequality in the justice system and underlying racism. In modern day society, historian Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor talks about how the “n-word” is used by many but most of the time people do not know the harm or history behind the word. I believe that Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird is still relevant to this day and that it can help teach future generations to stray away from using the “n-word” by learning from its racist past. Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird brings about the unfairness of the justice system for African

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Would slavery throw you back to the popular N-word? The word “ nigger” is one of the huge controversial factors in Blacks and White community. Nigger is an infamous term in American culture. Many people like to be polite, and they prefer to discuss call it as “the N- word” (Nigger, 2018). In entomologists, the dictionary shows the readers that “nigger” is originated from an English word “neger” later reform to “Negro,” the Spanish term for blacks (Kenny, 2004).

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In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn the racist attitudes of the Deep South in the late 1800's are shown. Mark Twain portrays a runaway slave, Jim, as a racist caricature who does whatever is asked of him and exhibits little intelligence. The reader can initially see this through the use of the word "nigger" that is all throughout the book. In the modern 21st century this term is taken offensively, but in the 19th century this term was commonly used and Twain took advantage of it.

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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.”

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Because, these “obscene” yet acclaimed novels conveyed emotions and unconventional thoughts that continue to reverberate into the twenty-first century. Writing introduces and reminds readers of imperative issues and can incite a revolution of critical thinking. Authors only have the duty of composing authentic work, regardless of the potential objection. Mark Twain’s 1884 classic, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, has frequently been cited as being racist and heretical. In the 1900s, Twain’s repeated usage of anti-Black epithets created controversy for offending readers of multiple races;

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Through Twain’s portrayal of Jim and his characteristics in the novel, the author is able to paint a clear picture of how racism and slavery affected American society in the 20th century. Although racism is commonly viewed as an idea limited to the past, it still has not completely left the minds of Americans in the present, as it remains to be the underlying influence in many people’s behaviors and decisions in current times. So despite the extensive efforts taken by prominent leaders in the past to end racism, removing this belief in any form that it lingers in the country today is definitely still a work in progress; the battle is not over

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