Censorship WoesAbhilash Panthagani

The N-Word at the Surface

•The N-word is used 219 times in Huck Finn•The new version of Huck Finn replaces the N-word with “slave” and “Injun” with Indian•Huck Finn commonly refers to Jim, a servant, as “nigger,” and Jim shows no signs of annoyance when being called “nigger.” (NYTIMES)

Culture of the N-Word

• The connotation we associate with the N-Word is drastically different in comparison to the connotation Huck Finn had with the word. Without the connotation that we associate with the N word, it is harmless. • Huck uses the N-Word thoughtlessly because the name doesn’t negatively affect other characters in the book. (60MINUTES)

Culture of the N-Word

• “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter–’tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” -Mark Twain

• Slave shouldn’t be inserted into Huck Finn because Twain put thought into using the N-Word because he believed that it would authenticate the story.

(NYTIMES)

•Numerous vital passages of Huck Finn are ruined because the word “slave” doesn’t have the impact and that the N-word had in Huck Finn.

•A rich black man, who was educated, could be called the N-Word along with a poor black town drunkard.

(Kemble)(NYTIMES)

Culture of the N-Word

• Jill Nelson of the NY Times describes the N-Word by saying, “it is a salutation, a term of affection.”• If you can believe it or not this is how Jill Nelson describes the N-Word because in society today some African American neighborhoods use this word avidly.• The connotation with the N-Word has changed dramatically since Huck Finn’s time so why should it be taken away if it has been morphed into a “term of affection?”

(NYTIMES)

Teach Huck Finn!!!!!!!!!!

• Taking the N-Word from Twain’s novel will put readers into a fake past, that is free from racism and vulgar. Therefore, making the Huck Finn experience fake.• The vernacular that is spoken is accurate in a way that if it is made artificial to console modern readers, the whole novel will be marred.• Taking away the N-word makes it seems as though the word is what caused so much racial pain to African Americans, instead of slavery and oppression.

(60MINUTES)(NYTIMES)

Teach Huck Finn!!!!!!!!!!!

•Nowadays, the N-Word is considered socially unacceptable among some parts of society, but in other parts of society it is considered normal.

• The N-Word was used in a different context in Huck Finn; however, it should remain because it accurately portrays Mississippi in that time period.

(NYTIMES)

Teach Huck Finn!!!!!!!!!

• A slave is a man who has a master and must cater to any of their needs because they are property. A “nigger” is just a black man . These words are not synonyms, so they can’t be interchangeable.• This book should be taught because it makes readers think about historical mistakes, such as slavery and oppression because of race. Instead of a light novel, this has significant meaning because of the implications the N-Word has when Huck Finn says it.

(NYTIMES)

Teach Huck Finn!!!!!!!!

• Huck Finn should be taught as it is because…

• It teaches students how race affected the lives of numerous people during the time of Huck Finn•By taking away one word, the racial tension wouldn’t be taken away from the book

(NYTIMES)

Teach Huck Finn!!!!!!!!

• Huck Finn is important novel to teach because it is an accurate historical recording of racial tensions in Mississippi in Huck Finn’s time.

•Many make the argument that the N-word in Huck Finn ruins the experience of reading Huck Finn. However, if they can’t accept the history in which the novel was birthed, then they shouldn’t be reading it.

(NYTIMES)

Works Cited

Censored Page. Digital image. Http://www.readthesmiths.com. Web. Apr.-May 2011.

"Does One Word Change 'Huckleberry Finn'? - Room for Debate - NYTimes.com." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 05 Jan. 2011. Web. 01 Apr. 2011.

Kemble, Edward W. On the Raft. Digital image. Http://etext.virginia.edu. Web. Apr.-May 2011.

Murrow, Edward R., dir. "60 Minutes: The Power behind the N-word." 60 Minutes. CBS. Mar.-Apr. 2011. Television. Transcript.