If you were absent for our seminar about the "N-word" in Huck Finn, watch the videos linked below and review the article handed out in class, "In Defense of a Loaded Word." Then, discuss.
I agreed a lot with what Whoopi Goldberg was saying. I think that the younger generations think of and use the word in a lighter sense because it isn't as personal as it is to older people. I also think that it should be used on a situational basis because there are so many factors to the context of using the n-word. The View also mentioned how if someone takes offense to something, take it into consideration and adapt to it. Andddd, the word "nigger" should not be removed from Mark Twain's books because it is a personal piece of work and a part of history that shouldn't be ignored or altered. There are so many things and words that people could potentially be offended be and as long as words are used with caution and in the right context, they can be hard to avoid.
I agree with Marina with respects that the current generation thinks the word has a much less serious weight than it used to. Kids now use it in a much different context (usually) than it was used in before, that is, not in a degrading way with a crude connotation. Some still use it in an inappropriate way when they purposefully use the term in a situation that can cross a line and this is when using the n-word should not be acceptable. It is like this for many terms and phrases, if used in the wrong context they can be extremely offensive and inappropriate. I believe that the n-word should be kept in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because Mark Twain picked the word for specific reasons. Twain knew the connotations associated with it and still chose to refer to it in his writing, and we should not have the power to change his diction and style. Many people are scared of it because it brings up an uncomfortable part of our past that we, as a county, are not proud of. Although we may not be proud, we are responsible to learn about it accurately. If we try to change the past, that is more disgraceful than the sensitive word itself.
I agree with Marina with respects that the current generation thinks the word has a much less serious weight than it used to. Kids now use it in a much different context (usually) than it was used in before, that is, not in a degrading way with a crude connotation. Some still use it in an inappropriate way when they purposefully use the term in a situation that can cross a line and this is when using the n-word should not be acceptable. It is like this for many terms and phrases, if used in the wrong context they can be extremely offensive and inappropriate. I believe that the n-word should be kept in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because Mark Twain picked the word for specific reasons. Twain knew the connotations associated with it and still chose to refer to it in his writing, and we should not have the power to change his diction and style. Many people are scared of it because it brings up an uncomfortable part of our past that we, as a county, are not proud of. Although we may not be proud, we are responsible to learn about it accurately. If we try to change the past, that is more disgraceful than the sensitive word itself.
I would have to agree with what Marina has said about the younger generations being on a less personal basis, and that Twain's books should not have the n-word removed from it. In my personal view, the n-word is like any other swear word. If editors feel the need to remove the word nigger from the adventures of Huckleberry Finn, then other books should be censored such as catcher in the rye. This of course would be ridiculous because it would ruin a lot of the tone of the piece, changing it entirely. As for the View clip, I couldn't stand listening to them bicker over the topic. I thought Sherri Shepard was being very contradictory when she said that it was okay for her to use the n-word with her friends, but when a white person said it in an informative, professional talk on the subject, she says that is not okay. If Barbara Walters had been an African American, she would have no problem with it. I understand that people have personal feelings that center around this word, but one should remember that it is just a word, and there is only power behind a word, if somebody gives it power. This is the very type of superficial behavior that the civil rights movement worked towards eliminating. I think that Jon Stewart's guest, Larry Wilmore, said it perfectly. The word nigger in Huck Finn a piece of history, and people have an over reaction to that word. There's no reason that say the word nigger should be awkward when being used in a professional situation. And nowadays in the society we live in, I believe that the use of this word will become more and more comfortable. Pop culture icons use the word all the time, and yet once it is written down, it becomes some sort of controversy. Also another topic I wanted to bring up was the fact that some people believe that the word should be removed from Huck Finn because people are uncomfortable saying it, but are there any real statistics linking to how the youth feel about this? All the people on the view, or on the daily show were at least over the age of 25, so the youth's opinion was not expressed. When the day comes where EVERYONE stops using the word, and it is removed from the dictionary, only then can it be removed from Huck Finn. As it stands right now though, the word should not be censored. The youth doesn't need to be sheltered. We know what the word means. We are exposed to it every day. We know the history behind it, so why try to change it. Changing the word to "slave" I find is even more offensive! By calling Jim by slave, which as Larry Wilmore pointed out, isn't even accurate, you are acknowledging that he is 3/5 of a man, which at least to me, is far more offensive than referring to him as a nigger, which would be accurate for the time in which the book was written.
I know I was in class yesterday but I only got to say one think and I can't sleep and was thinking about this...I don't believe that the word nigger should be removed from the book because it just completely takes away from the historical context. Covering up history is not right, it should be recognized and acknowledged by all generations now and in the future. The connotation of the word is important in the book, even if it does 'offend' some people, you're supposed to feel when you're reading, readers should sympathize with Jim and understand the significance of his relationship with Huck as vernacular such as nigger creates the setting and develops the mood. However, I do believe that this work carries a significant meaning. Insulting terms that are used to basically call someone a jerk are less severe because words like the 'n-word', the 'c-word', and faggot are used to directly abuse a particular group of people which encourages racism, sexism, and homophobia. In richer and more civilized parts of the United States, (especially primarily white areas) it's really easy for us to to say that 'nigger' has taken on a different meaning and slavery is behind us. In ghetto areas of big cities and in the south there is still severe accounts of racist hate crimes and the word nigger is still used with intent of the original meaning--to classify a black person as less than human. That being said, the idea that the situation where you are using the word is very crucial and even though saying "nigga" is cool and acceptable where we live-- it still can very easily offend someone or be dangerous obviously if you're saying it in the wrong part of town. The context of the situation of all swear words is important. For instance a girl may refer to her friends as "my bitches" but if a boy refers to a group of girls as his "bitches" then that would more easily offend someone because it implies objectification. For the same reasons, the n-word possesses similar sensitivities. A white person saying it could sometimes be less acceptable that if a black person says it. This also exemplifies the importance of the situation, and even pronunciation of the word. All these complications lead me to the personal decision that I don't use the word at all. It doesn't make me uncomfortable, I just don't feel the need because I do believe it has a connotation that may offend someone around me.
(Sorry for being so late.) I have to agree with what practically everyone else has stated: that using the word "nigger" in this generation is usually used as less of a hateful word. That people taking offense to the word all depends on the connotation a person gets with it on a personal level. Almost like any other swear word that people use nowadays, different people have different reactions to the use of a swear word. People, regardless of another's opinion will use swear words or from use them in their works. If one is offended by a swear word then they would usually decide that this particular piece of media, for example, a song, is something that they don't like. Furthermore they would have the sense to go to another page, or stop listening. Most wouldn't demand that the swear word be taken out of the song because it offended them personally. Why should the "n-word" be any different?
I agreed a lot with what Whoopi Goldberg was saying. I think that the younger generations think of and use the word in a lighter sense because it isn't as personal as it is to older people. I also think that it should be used on a situational basis because there are so many factors to the context of using the n-word. The View also mentioned how if someone takes offense to something, take it into consideration and adapt to it. Andddd, the word "nigger" should not be removed from Mark Twain's books because it is a personal piece of work and a part of history that shouldn't be ignored or altered. There are so many things and words that people could potentially be offended be and as long as words are used with caution and in the right context, they can be hard to avoid.
ReplyDeleteMarina
I agree with Marina with respects that the current generation thinks the word has a much less serious weight than it used to. Kids now use it in a much different context (usually) than it was used in before, that is, not in a degrading way with a crude connotation. Some still use it in an inappropriate way when they purposefully use the term in a situation that can cross a line and this is when using the n-word should not be acceptable. It is like this for many terms and phrases, if used in the wrong context they can be extremely offensive and inappropriate. I believe that the n-word should be kept in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because Mark Twain picked the word for specific reasons. Twain knew the connotations associated with it and still chose to refer to it in his writing, and we should not have the power to change his diction and style. Many people are scared of it because it brings up an uncomfortable part of our past that we, as a county, are not proud of. Although we may not be proud, we are responsible to learn about it accurately. If we try to change the past, that is more disgraceful than the sensitive word itself.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Marina with respects that the current generation thinks the word has a much less serious weight than it used to. Kids now use it in a much different context (usually) than it was used in before, that is, not in a degrading way with a crude connotation. Some still use it in an inappropriate way when they purposefully use the term in a situation that can cross a line and this is when using the n-word should not be acceptable. It is like this for many terms and phrases, if used in the wrong context they can be extremely offensive and inappropriate. I believe that the n-word should be kept in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because Mark Twain picked the word for specific reasons. Twain knew the connotations associated with it and still chose to refer to it in his writing, and we should not have the power to change his diction and style. Many people are scared of it because it brings up an uncomfortable part of our past that we, as a county, are not proud of. Although we may not be proud, we are responsible to learn about it accurately. If we try to change the past, that is more disgraceful than the sensitive word itself.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with what Marina has said about the younger generations being on a less personal basis, and that Twain's books should not have the n-word removed from it. In my personal view, the n-word is like any other swear word. If editors feel the need to remove the word nigger from the adventures of Huckleberry Finn, then other books should be censored such as catcher in the rye. This of course would be ridiculous because it would ruin a lot of the tone of the piece, changing it entirely. As for the View clip, I couldn't stand listening to them bicker over the topic. I thought Sherri Shepard was being very contradictory when she said that it was okay for her to use the n-word with her friends, but when a white person said it in an informative, professional talk on the subject, she says that is not okay. If Barbara Walters had been an African American, she would have no problem with it. I understand that people have personal feelings that center around this word, but one should remember that it is just a word, and there is only power behind a word, if somebody gives it power. This is the very type of superficial behavior that the civil rights movement worked towards eliminating. I think that Jon Stewart's guest, Larry Wilmore, said it perfectly. The word nigger in Huck Finn a piece of history, and people have an over reaction to that word. There's no reason that say the word nigger should be awkward when being used in a professional situation. And nowadays in the society we live in, I believe that the use of this word will become more and more comfortable. Pop culture icons use the word all the time, and yet once it is written down, it becomes some sort of controversy. Also another topic I wanted to bring up was the fact that some people believe that the word should be removed from Huck Finn because people are uncomfortable saying it, but are there any real statistics linking to how the youth feel about this? All the people on the view, or on the daily show were at least over the age of 25, so the youth's opinion was not expressed. When the day comes where EVERYONE stops using the word, and it is removed from the dictionary, only then can it be removed from Huck Finn. As it stands right now though, the word should not be censored. The youth doesn't need to be sheltered. We know what the word means. We are exposed to it every day. We know the history behind it, so why try to change it. Changing the word to "slave" I find is even more offensive! By calling Jim by slave, which as Larry Wilmore pointed out, isn't even accurate, you are acknowledging that he is 3/5 of a man, which at least to me, is far more offensive than referring to him as a nigger, which would be accurate for the time in which the book was written.
ReplyDeleteI know I was in class yesterday but I only got to say one think and I can't sleep and was thinking about this...I don't believe that the word nigger should be removed from the book because it just completely takes away from the historical context. Covering up history is not right, it should be recognized and acknowledged by all generations now and in the future. The connotation of the word is important in the book, even if it does 'offend' some people, you're supposed to feel when you're reading, readers should sympathize with Jim and understand the significance of his relationship with Huck as vernacular such as nigger creates the setting and develops the mood. However, I do believe that this work carries a significant meaning. Insulting terms that are used to basically call someone a jerk are less severe because words like the 'n-word', the 'c-word', and faggot are used to directly abuse a particular group of people which encourages racism, sexism, and homophobia. In richer and more civilized parts of the United States, (especially primarily white areas) it's really easy for us to to say that 'nigger' has taken on a different meaning and slavery is behind us. In ghetto areas of big cities and in the south there is still severe accounts of racist hate crimes and the word nigger is still used with intent of the original meaning--to classify a black person as less than human. That being said, the idea that the situation where you are using the word is very crucial and even though saying "nigga" is cool and acceptable where we live-- it still can very easily offend someone or be dangerous obviously if you're saying it in the wrong part of town. The context of the situation of all swear words is important. For instance a girl may refer to her friends as "my bitches" but if a boy refers to a group of girls as his "bitches" then that would more easily offend someone because it implies objectification. For the same reasons, the n-word possesses similar sensitivities. A white person saying it could sometimes be less acceptable that if a black person says it. This also exemplifies the importance of the situation, and even pronunciation of the word. All these complications lead me to the personal decision that I don't use the word at all. It doesn't make me uncomfortable, I just don't feel the need because I do believe it has a connotation that may offend someone around me.
ReplyDelete(Sorry for being so late.)
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with what practically everyone else has stated: that using the word "nigger" in this generation is usually used as less of a hateful word. That people taking offense to the word all depends on the connotation a person gets with it on a personal level. Almost like any other swear word that people use nowadays, different people have different reactions to the use of a swear word. People, regardless of another's opinion will use swear words or from use them in their works. If one is offended by a swear word then they would usually decide that this particular piece of media, for example, a song, is something that they don't like. Furthermore they would have the sense to go to another page, or stop listening. Most wouldn't demand that the swear word be taken out of the song because it offended them personally. Why should the "n-word" be any different?