Huckleberry Finn - NOW FOR TEN YEAR OLDS!

[Madaraki]

I can immediately see that this may become charged...

Still, have fun with it

Link found here.

Yes, a proposed new edition of Twain's work is proposing to have the word "n*****" in all its instances with the word "slave". The move is...as far as I can tell; designed to make the book more age appropriate for children, given how offensive the former of the two aforementioned terms can be.

Okay, on one hand I suppose I can understand the reason: Some parents and school boards are nervous about kids reading that kind of language in any form. In those cases; the book is banned entirely.

At the same time however, swapping out words because "they're offensive and I don't want my child to read it" is silly. Kids are going to learn history in one way or another, and editing a period piece like this just feels silly. What's next? Editing the Bible?


The comments below the article make some interesting points as well (quoting them here).

Replace it with slave? I was noncommittal when I read this article's title, but after reading that bit, I think it's a terrible idea. That word is potentially more painful than what the n-word has developed into. All that black people have done to overcome even the idea of being identified with slavery is being brushed aside by this errant PC-ification of a classic that should not be taken as a behavioral guide, but as a representation of the way things were. Leave it alone

If Twain's work is so weak that changing this word destroys the message, it is not worth reading.

In Twain's own words: "The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter--it's the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning."
(from a letter to George Bainton, 10/15/1888)

Mark Twain himself would have had a field day with this one.

So where're the rest of you on this issue (the people thinking it's a pointless/stupid idea seem to be in the majority...)?

 

[Demon]

I'm not bothered by the idea. Modernization of books can happen, this is only a big deal because it's talked about.

We're not talking about the Bible, a religious text. We're just talking about Huck Finn. Removing an offensive word will simply allow more people to read the book.

 

[Ilyena]

Eh, I don't really see the point in changing one little word and to one that's probably just as bad the way it will be implicated. I read Huckleberry Finn in high school and while I didn't really care for the book, I don't see the point in this update. If young children can't read it because of language, then they can certainly read it when they get older.

 

[Valvalis]

I can understand them not wanting young kids to pick up the word and go around using it, but isn't it also the PARENTS' RESPONSIBILITY to teach their children not to use it!?!? *slaps irresponsible people*

Honestly, obscuring the way older historical periods really were, will only keep people from learning from the mistakes that were present there. In a lot of literature from earlier time periods, discrimination raged rampant simply because that was a standard back then, and whether the authors individually supported it or not, it was historically accurate. And such discrimination was demonstrated in various thematic ways, not just in one racial slur being thrown around. Actions speak louder than words, as they say; what's next, would they edit slavery itself out of a historical fiction story just to make it more PC? That doesn't teach kids anything, it's just hiding the truth. A word like that is not just another curse word, like "F you man" or "You asshole" or something, it's representative of a lot of uncomfortable things that happened, and kids need to learn the full story behind what's wrong with it.

 

[CassinoChips]

This is crap. It may not be the Bible, but it is arguably the most important book in American history, and like it or not, that word is an integral part of the American story. That's why Twain included it in the book in the first place. Because that is how people spoke of black Americans in that time frame. To remove that is to neuter a great piece of American literature and lessen its potential impact on future generations. Is the word offensive? Certainly. In context. This is a great opportunity for parents (and teachers) to teach the importance of context when viewing language from different cultures and/or different eras. But god forbid we actually apply some critical thinking to the situation. Let's just take it at face value for what it is, and look no deeper than that.

Ridiculous.

 

[Mitsuki]

The contents of the book is not meant to offend or condone the usage of the word; that's just how people spoke back then. Twain had a purpose set in mind when he wrote that book - to open the eyes of the people and the issues they were going through at that time. Censoring the word is changing the power of the book, and I am certain Mark Twain would not have wanted his book edited in any way. He's one of America's greatest literature writers (one of the best in the world) and his stories have captured the hearts and minds of many people. The book has stood the test of time so it would be very unfortunate to change it now just to accomodate overly sensitive individuals.

 

[Rydia]

I don't agree with it. It's like hiding the fact that racism existed. Why sugar coat how African Americans were reffered to at the time the book took place? And honestly, most students read this book when their are about 13 or 14 years old. I think that age is appropriate for kids to read that word in a work of literature. I don't think ten or eleven year olds would even understand the subject matter.

Any teacher using this book in their class just has to approach the subject matter appropriately. Point out the word, point out how it was used, discuss it's usage and how wrong it is to use it today. And point out that African Americans were not accepted into society back in those days.

 

[moogling]

Had a discussion in my English Lit. class today about this, our teacher was completely outraged about it. She did an excellent job with our class in explaining the context in which words like this should and should not be used. So long as you have competent teachers in your district, I don't see why we need to censor books, especially classics, from students.

Definitely agree with her though. Taking out the word makes the book extremely unbelievable and takes a lot of the lasting impact out of it. Take To Kill a Mockingbird for example; when Mayella Ewell points to Tom Robinson and says

Spoiler

"That ****** yonder raped me."

If the word had been removed for a "more appropriate" one, that scene in the novel loses an insane amount of authenticity. The author didn't originally use it to be offensive, so it certainly shouldn't need to be removed.

To be honest though, I think the word is very overused nowadays anyway, and I imagine someone would be more offended by calling them a 'slave' than a '******'. Along with that, not all African Americans were slaves, and not all slaves were treated badly in that time period and further ahead in history. Again, it takes accuracy out of the book for the sake of being politically correct. And we all know that we will never be a completely respectful society. Something always offends someone in some way.

The thing that really gets under my skin is the fact that they're doing this for the generation of children/young adults. Okay, like 80%+ of them don't go home to watch Jersey Shore and then follow that example. It's a lost cause.

 

[Dee]

We kind of had this discussion in our 7th grade class about The Giver, which has some rather depressing and difficult issues such as murder (euthanasia), suicide and whatnot. It may read, technically, at a fifth grade level, but the content can be somewhat mature. That tends to get on some folks nerves knowing that the content is touchy. One girl even started crying in class and I let her go to the counselor (I still feel bad about that). They are very, very important issues, however, which students will benefit from learning at a certain age. It's not surprising, to me anyway, that this book would be read in a 5th or 6th grade class--not one bit.