N-word deleted from Twain classics

[Palehorse]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Mark Twain wrote that "the difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter." A new edition of "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and "Tom Sawyer" will try to find out if that holds true by replacing the N-word with "slave" in an effort not to offend readers.

Twain scholar Alan Gribben, who is working with NewSouth Books in Alabama to publish a combined volume of the books, said the N-word appears 219 times in "Huck Finn" and four times in "Tom Sawyer." He said the word puts the books in danger of joining the list of literary classics that Twain once humorously defined as those "which people praise and don't read."

"It's such a shame that one word should be a barrier between a marvelous reading experience and a lot of readers," Gribben said.

Yet Twain was particular about his words. His letter in 1888 about the right word and the almost right one was "the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning."

The book isn't scheduled to be published until February, at a mere 7,500 copies, but Gribben has already received a flood of hateful e-mail accusing him of desecrating the novels. He said the e-mails prove the word makes people uncomfortable.

"Not one of them mentions the word. They dance around it," he said.    AP

http://www.suntimes.com/news/3176866-418/twain-books-classics-gribben-deleted.html

This is frustrating beyond my ability to express! It is nothing short of "censorship" and in my opinion also amounts to infringement of copyright law or something along those lines.

It just goes to show how arrogant America as a society has become from my perspective. Has it become so prevalent that we now have to impose political correctness retroactively to the point where we are now taking revered classic works of art and making them comply with what those in power deem to be "the correct way"? Bullshit!

I suppose that pretty soon we will see classic works by the master painters depicting nudes in our national art galleries cloaked in dark cloth? Or will we see history repeat itself by replicating the acts of an early pope, who took a hammer to statues that were so complete as to display the male genitalia, moving him to crack them all off with said hammer?

The word is "******", and yes I personally find it offensive as do many modern day white American people; but that isn't really the point is it? The point is, how can we realistically expect our children to understand how we as a nation and people, have grown and progressed, if we do not accurately represent our mistakes within history? With what measure can they be expected to gauge our progress, or lack of it, if we do not provide to them the proper and uncensored information with which to establish an accurate baseline?

Isn't part of education to receive an accurate and complete picture of what was, and to use it as a comparison of what is today, and to utilize that comparison to better understand the path moving forward? Is it also not a goal to educate our future generations surrounding the ability to understand our history and to put it into its proper context; to teach them to divorce themselves from the inflammitory mistakes of our past, and to properly deal with the emotional ramifications of those mistakes in present day context?

Have we become so jaded and ashamed of our "history" as to suddenly find it so disturbing that we want to "shield" our children from them regardless of the cost; and despite the fact that depriving our children of this knowledge we are thereby dooming them to repeating those mistakes? Please, get a grip people!

Perhaps it is because our so called educators are afraid to broach the subject of derogatory terminology and our racial / racist history, and they are too lazy to properly teach our children to deal with the specter of our past and the emotional responses it elicits from us?

Sure Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer are works of fiction, but for decades these classic works of literature have been heralded as accurate and exemplary representations of life as it used to be in this country, and along the way they attained admiration. Why is this all of a sudden a problem?

[followsthewolf]

Mostly denial by those who don't want to face how deeply ingrained racism is/was in this country.

An uncomfortable reminder.

[Henry Hawk]

AGAIN, I agree with you PH.

Well said!

[Sandy Eggo]

I agree, it's damned annoying. I vote "leave it alone", but no one cares what Sandy Eggo thinks They'll do what they want.

[Locutus]

I suppose that pretty soon we will see classic works by the master painters depicting nudes in our national art galleries cloaked in dark cloth? Or will we see history repeat itself by replicating the acts of an early pope, who took a hammer to statues that were so complete as to display the male genitalia, moving him to crack them all off with said hammer?

We've actually already had some of that crap happening.  Did you forget what John Ashcroft did to the statues at the Justice Department after being named Attorney General of the U.S.?

Here's a lil' review for ya'.    

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2002/01/29/statues.htm

[Anne]

I think it should be left alone, too. If someone's parents object to their child reading it then they could be assigned a different book. Too much pc.

[Palehorse]

We've actually already had some of that crap happening.  Did you forget what John Ashcroft did to the statues at the Justice Department after being named Attorney General of the U.S.?

Here's a lil' review for ya'.    

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2002/01/29/statues.htm

Indeed I had forgotten! But, see there yah go then! This is all bullshit! They need to get their big girl/boy drawers on and stop all this fake religious piety and covering up dammit! (Figuratively and literally) 

Whats next, an international indictment of Da Vinci, etc for pornography???? Dammit all this money they're spending to try to fool the world/nation could be put to much better use in feeding the hungry and housing the homeless!!!

[followsthewolf]

I think it should be left alone, too. If someone's parents object to their child reading it then they could be assigned a different book. Too much pc.

Why should they be assigned a different book?

[followsthewolf]

Indeed I had forgotten! But, see there yah go then! This is all bullshit! They need to get their big girl/boy drawers on and stop all this fake religious piety and covering up dammit! (Figuratively and literally) 

Whats next, an international indictment of Da Vinci, etc for pornography???? Dammit all this money they're spending to try to fool the world/nation could be put to much better use in feeding the hungry and housing the homeless!!!

Hell, that's no fun for them. The frickin' crusaders for morality are too used to being "holier-than-thou" to stop.

Ray Stevens called them "Bertha-better-than-you."

[Anne]

Why should they be assigned a different book?

I guess because their parents haven't taught them right from wrong. It is fairly common practice, I think, that if someone or their parents object to a particular class or book the student is given an alternative.

[The Troll]

  The "Do Gooders" are idiots.  Leave the N word in.  That was the way it was written.  That's the way they thought back then.  It's history.  Everybody with a cross to bear wants to rewrite histroy and turn a fact into a lie.

  That would be like writting a book about George W. and leaving out that he was a idiot, fool and just plain stupid.  That's the facts and the history of George W. Bush.

[followsthewolf]

I guess because their parents haven't taught them right from wrong. It is fairly common practice, I think, that if someone or their parents object to a particular class or book the student is given an alternative.

I agree with your assessment.

I also think it is a shame to alter a course of study because of the failure of parents to properly prepare their children for the world.

[Palehorse]

I guess because their parents haven't taught them right from wrong. It is fairly common practice, I think, that if someone or their parents object to a particular class or book the student is given an alternative.

And that is just one symptom of what is entirely wrong with today's PUBLIC education system. The course curriculum is what it is, and has been approved for use in providing education to everyone in the system.  (Part of the reason for the removal of religion is exactly because the public education system is supposed to be for everyone and not just Xtians).

My thoughts are that if a parent has a problem or issue with the material(s) or subject(s) being taught within the school system, then they have the right to discuss it with the head of the program(s), and minus the obtainment of an understanding acceptable to both sides of the issue, those same parents have a choice; accept it and move on or pursue education within a private venue.

The other side of this is that providing an alternative to the child is restricting his/her ability to develop the skills necessary to express their thoughts on the material being assigned. Why should a child or parent's objection to material being assigned have any validity surrounding the assignment? If it is a report the child is to write on the material, then let him/her express their objection(s) within the report. If it a classroom discussion, then why do we silence the detractors surrounding the material and thereby deprive the group of the opposing perspectives, and the opportunity to consider them? Coddling children (and their parents) is not the answer here! The development of the skills necessary to debate the opposing perspectives within a given subject are best learned early.

Diverting the curriculum to meet the individual needs of one or even three within a given course negatively impacts the process for the larger group proportionately, by dividing the teacher's attention between the various objectives. This substantially reduces the quality of the retention of knowledge for the students and is a severe hinderance to the effectiveness of the process for all. Unacceptable. Just as the censorship of classic literature is.

You want religion in your child's school? Send them to a religious institution of learning and pay for it yourself, because the public system is what it is.

You want your child "shielded" from racial history and learning from this society and country's past mistakes? Then find a school system (private) that sees things the same way and pay to send your kids there!

The public system exists to assure an equal, accurate, and thorough education for every child. You don't have to use it if you do not want to. Feel free to pay for your children's private education if you feel so strongly about whatever it is you find objectionable within the public curriculum.

Now, you also have the right to talk to your children about the content of their school work, and to "teach" them your personal beliefs surrounding its content, etc., and no one is standing in your way toward doing so. In fact, I'd dare say that if most parents sat down and put forth a sincere effort to discuss Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer with their child, they themselves just might learn a thing or two!

But if we sincerely desire our children to become educated and along the way obtain the ability to critically analyze the information they receive, as well as obtain the ability to exist as a socially well adjusted individual within society, then shouldn't we allow them the opportunity to do so and arrive at their own decisions? Sheltering children from the reality that is our history, our legacy, and our very existence, is depriving them of the ability to do each of these things and forcing them toward a life of maladjustment! It is unnecessary and downright cruel, and if you as a parent sincerely feel that a child is emotionally "not ready" for certain materials, then why aren't you getting off your respective asses and putting in the time and work necessary to help them catch up yourself? Teaching is, after all, an integral part of parenting. . .And if you cannot handle that, then what makes you think that you have the right to impose your will upon your child's public education???

[followsthewolf]

Palehorse posted:
" In fact, I'd dare say that if most parents sat down and put forth a sincere effort to discuss Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer with their child, they themselves just might learn a thing or two!"

I believe there is an alarmingly large number of parents who don't have a clue why Samuel Clemens wrote those seemingly simple (but incredibly complex) novels the way he did and why he used the language he did. He was not a simple man.

Most parents who raise issues with a school system over curriculum have already made up their minds about the situation before they meet with anyone, and only have the meetings because they believe that they will change the course of study.

[Palehorse]

Palehorse posted:
" In fact, I'd dare say that if most parents sat down and put forth a sincere effort to discuss Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer with their child, they themselves just might learn a thing or two!"

I believe there is an alarmingly large number of parents who don't have a clue why Samuel Clemens wrote those seemingly simple (but incredibly complex) novels the way he did and why he used the language he did. He was not a simple man.

Most parents who raise issues with a school system over curriculum have already made up their minds about the situation before they meet with anyone, and only have the meetings because they believe that they will change the course of study.

Indeed FTW. Indeed!

I suspect those who are objecting to the literature of Mr Clemens, never really understood the material during their own opportunity to learn from it as children themselves. And that is either due to the poor state of teaching during their time in school, or the failure of their own parents to follow through surrounding their child's learning process; or both!

It's an ugly cycle in either case, and one that must be addressed and broken in order for the future of this country to rest on a solid foundation. And yet, incidents like the one that opened this subject, chip away at it each and every day! 

I grew up with a mother who was what I would call today, a religious zealot. Dad had his own belief system and it certainly did not include going to church or any form of organized religion. But when the two works of classic literature came up in my school work, and I was shocked at some of the terminology used within them, mom sat down with me each evening while I read my assigned portions of each book, and then we talked about whatever it was that bothered me, or the things I had questions about. And then the next morning, dad would follow up those conversations with some individual lessons on what he found offensive, and why, and how the literature was used to create a window in time for the reader, to show them how things were then. Then he always asked me for my thoughts on the things he had told me, and made sure to emphasize the thoughts that the literature was intended to evoke from the reader in the first place, when I expressed them myself.

Dad worked second shift back then, and looking back it was an outstanding effort on his part ( and mom's part as well) for him to drag himself out of the bed 1 1/2 to 2 hours before I was scheduled to be at school the next morning, just to make sure I understood the material I was reading, and had a pretty good grasp on it.

Later on in life I found out why mom made me leave my schoolbooks on the kitchen table before going to bed. She always told me it was so that I would know where they were in the morning and not forget them, and while it was partially true, the real reason was so that she could stay up and read my assigned chapters, and dad could read them when he got home from work that night.

I eventually came to recognize the herculean efforts my parents made in assuring that I and my 3 siblings were afforded the best possible opportunity toward learning. I'd like to think that it is the norm, but doing so is delusional I know. . .