A Misunderstanding
AP English
27 March 2014
A Misunderstanding
The fact that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a fictional book, has caused such an outcry from certain people is downright ridiculous...although somewhat understandable. Those who believe the word nigger is an unacceptable insult in every circumstance are completely narrow minded and stubborn because they are choosing to associate “nigger” with the worst type of connotation instead of emerging from David Foster Wallace's “water” and viewing “nigger” as perhaps a perfectly acceptable term used to describe African Americans from the 19th century, the time period of the book, to hundreds of years before. Others, who although understand that “nigger” was used appropriately, still believe it is racist due to how it exemplifies the racist ideals of the antebellum South. Twain is, quite contradictively, mocking the South, but in a subliminal way so as to not to provoke the already bitter Southerners. It is acceptable, however, for people to have their own opinions, that is fine. If one does not wish to be involved with Huckleberry Finn, that person can easily excuse themselves and not participate. There is no need to subjugate others to the lack of American culture by the editing or removal of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. “Nigger” came from Spanish and Portuguese descent as a perfectly neutral word intended to describe. Over time the words negro and niger, both of which mean black, transformed into “nigger,” and was used to categorize African Americans due to their skin color, just as caucasians are categorized as whites. Over time from when Africans arrived in America, the usage of “nigger” increased until eventually it was an accepted term by everyone, blacks included. That is ever so true today, where African Americans can, as said in source E, “fly it like a dirt flag” and can “spill it into the ether like sewage,” then can turn around and play the race card on the nearest person, as long as they are
27 March 2014
A Misunderstanding
The fact that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a fictional book, has caused such an outcry from certain people is downright ridiculous...although somewhat understandable. Those who believe the word nigger is an unacceptable insult in every circumstance are completely narrow minded and stubborn because they are choosing to associate “nigger” with the worst type of connotation instead of emerging from David Foster Wallace's “water” and viewing “nigger” as perhaps a perfectly acceptable term used to describe African Americans from the 19th century, the time period of the book, to hundreds of years before. Others, who although understand that “nigger” was used appropriately, still believe it is racist due to how it exemplifies the racist ideals of the antebellum South. Twain is, quite contradictively, mocking the South, but in a subliminal way so as to not to provoke the already bitter Southerners. It is acceptable, however, for people to have their own opinions, that is fine. If one does not wish to be involved with Huckleberry Finn, that person can easily excuse themselves and not participate. There is no need to subjugate others to the lack of American culture by the editing or removal of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. “Nigger” came from Spanish and Portuguese descent as a perfectly neutral word intended to describe. Over time the words negro and niger, both of which mean black, transformed into “nigger,” and was used to categorize African Americans due to their skin color, just as caucasians are categorized as whites. Over time from when Africans arrived in America, the usage of “nigger” increased until eventually it was an accepted term by everyone, blacks included. That is ever so true today, where African Americans can, as said in source E, “fly it like a dirt flag” and can “spill it into the ether like sewage,” then can turn around and play the race card on the nearest person, as long as they are