Emily Speybroeck's Last Words

The question has been brought up all over the country: should Huck Finn be read in schools? And if so, should the offensive words be changed into something less offensive like ‘slave’ and ‘Indian?’ Some people think that the book shouldn’t be read at all because of its racist vocabulary, while others say it needs to be read to educate people of those offensives. Other people still, think it should be read with the word changes to numb down how horrible this time period is.

            I think the book should be read in schools without the word being changed. This is because of parts in the book and Twain’s reasoning behind his word choice.

            A reason the word should not be changed is because Twain put a lot of thought into what word he should use. At one point he was asked why he did not just use a less offensive word, and he said, “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter- it is the difference between the lightening bug and the lightening.” Twain shows he put a lot of thought into choosing “the right word” for the story. The word ‘nigger’ is the “lightening” in the story; it is shocking and hurtful, but that is how the times were. In the novel, when Pap is ranting about the black man who might get the right to vote, he says, “but when they told [him] there was a state in this country where they’d let that nigger vote?” In this rant, the word “nigger” is so important because it shows how offensive and rude the common white man was. Here is Pap Finn, a drunk, calling a more qualified man a “nigger.” Slave would not have made the same “lightening” strike here. In 2011, New York Times put out a story asking what people’s opinion was of the controversy with Huckleberry Finn being read in schools and having the word changed and many people answered. One of these was Shelly Fisher, who said, “the new edition of Huck Finn…is NOT Huck Finn…the word is key to the rant.” Fisher shows how the “key” word changes the meaning of the story and so someone cannot come in and change a key word. You have to use the right word to get the full meaning of the story.

            Other people think that reading the book without the word change should not be allowed, for the racial comments and discomforts of the reader. But author Chadwick Joshua in The Jim dilemma states, “the understandable discomfort of the students and teachers in discussing the word is a part of the conversation.” This shows that the word ‘nigger’ should be used because we should be uncomfortable saying it.  In that discomfort, we realize the depth of the hurt that is inflicted on black people. We realize that this time period was full of hurtful things that can’t be shown with a word like slave. Chadwick Joshua goes on to explain why the word “slave” is not strong enough: “we see exactly what the slave is as well as the freeman confronted on a daily basis.” During the story, Jim is technically a “freeman” through most of it. This shows how the word “slave” does not work. Even when Jim is not a slave he is still being discriminated against. During the story, Huck said, “it was fifteen minutes before [he] could work [him] self up to go and humble [him] self to a nigger; but [he] done it.” If the word ‘slave’ was used here, it would not make a difference because Jim is free here, he is not a slave. But Huck still looks at him as a “nigger.” The word makes this part of the story impactful.

                        I think people should respond with realizing the choice of words Twain uses. He is not trying to hurt anyone, he is trying to showcase the hurt that was done in that time period. And covering up history or trying to change it is lying.