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Gloria Naylor The Meanings Of A Word Summary

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Gloria Naylor The Meanings Of A Word Summary
In her essay, “The Meanings of a Word”, Gloria Naylor explores the various meanings of the controversial word “nigger” and the context that it creates. She reflects on the first time she ever heard the word, when she was in third-grade and a boy behind her yelled it out after noticing that she had received a better grade than him on a paper. After this experience, she went home and asked her mom what it meant, only to realize that it wouldn’t be the last time this word was used in her presence. This reading led me to question the use of the word “nigger” in society today. What does it mean? Why is it used? I have always contemplated the uniqueness of the n-word in the English language. On one hand, it is an insult- a word that has tormented
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