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Rethinking Race In The Classroom Summary

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The article “Rethinking Race in the Classroom” by Allison Samuels, explains the controversial topic, if race related novels or topics should be taught in today’s classrooms due to the overuse of the N-word. English teachers have voiced their opinion on what they think about the use of the N-word in the novels. Novels such as “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and “Of Mice and Men” use the N-word substantially and teachers question if they should be teaching it in their curriculum. Teachers say that these novels should not be taught in schools because the use of the N-word. However, teaching the novels in class can be a gateway for students to learn about the history of the N-word, how the meaning has changed over the years, and how blacks were treated. …show more content…

The novels that use the N-word show the history of the derogatory term towards the blacks. The novels create an image in the reader's mind and they learn from the characters action to not act out as a racist. As Terry McMillan says, “The characters in those books make whatever the issue is all the more tangible for the reader. They do what a PBS documentary can't—whether it's talking about Abraham Lincoln or slavery.'' Students that are reading the novels do not know what it was like to live in that time period and may of not realized how blacks were treated until they read the books. Reading novels that use the derogatory term for an African- American express how they were mistreated and how far they have come today. The novels show a part of history in a way that can intrigue students to want to read and learn more. Novels with racial terms should be taught in classes because it is a learning experience about the past that every student can learn from. Reading the novels teaches the reader about history, to accept everyone, and everyone is a person no matter

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