Mommy What Does Nigger Mean Analysis

How does a word change its meaning from “a bundle of sticks” to “homosexual male?” Context and perception can greatly change the meaning of a word. This is illustrated in Gloria Naylor’s essay, “Mommy, What Does ‘Nigger’ Mean?” as she discusses how the word “nigger” is often misinterpreted. Similarly, the connotation of the word “faggot” has changed greatly over time. In this day and age, the word contains many meanings. Therefore it is important to distinguish the context in which it is used; failure to do so results in offensive behavior.
In her essay, Naylor explains the evolution of the word “nigger” and how it was misinterpreted. She claims that she first recalled listening to the word “nigger” in her third grade class when she was called that by a classmate who scored a lower grade than she did. After this incident, she realized that it was not the first time she had heard this word. As a matter of fact, her family used the term “nigger” quite often; however, they would use it in a different connotation than the boy in her class did. They would use the word “nigger” to describe someone who was masculine as well as a term of endearment for husbands. Naylor’s explanation of the word “nigger”
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first definition of “faggot” is “A bundle of sticks, twigs, or small branches of trees bound together (Oxford).” By the mid-16th century, it became associated with burning sticks because bundles of sticks were mainly used for fires (Weeks). In addition, it was also known as a cruel punishment in which heretics were burned at the stake during the medieval times; however, if heretics repented and were spared from facing this punishment, they had to wear a picture of a faggot – a bundle of burning sticks – on their sleeve to indicate what could have been their fate. Prior to the twentieth century, “faggot” had no homosexual connotations attached to