Preview

Gloria Naylor The Meanings Of A Word Summary

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
174 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
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

Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Nigga Please Summary
    • 431 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Nigga Please Summary

    Moreover, our nature born instincts tend to do things that are banned so even if we are banning people from saying the word, they will continue to use it more often. Continually, he also points out why Black people can be the biggest perpetrators of white supremacy. In reality, I also see a lot of African-Americans call each other "niggers" more than any other ethics and rappers usually include the n-word in songs more often than white rappers. Since many Black people are saying the word, non-black people must have thought that why would they say it even though they know its history, gradually it becomes an excuse for non-black people to say it too, but with a wicked mind. By that reason, I do agree with his statement," We become the victim of it and the perpetrators of it at the same damn…

    • 431 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Summary Of The Racially Charged Meaning Behind The Word Thug
    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Summary Of The Racially Charged Meaning Behind The Word Thug

    In the interview “The Racially Charged Meaning Behind The Word 'Thug” (2015), the National Public Radio’s Melissa Black interviews Columba University’s John McWhorter, and he describes the idea that there are different connotations of the word “thug” between the African-American race and the Caucasian American race, while simultaneously reviewing the word’s efficiency to describe Baltimore, Maryland’s violent protestors. McWhorter emphasizes that “thug” is a more polite version of the “N-word”. He describes how the word “thug” could be of a different meaning for black and white people, and analyzes the reason behind the rioters’ violent acts. McWhorter focuses on these three subtopics in order to allow the reader to comprehend the controversial meaning of the word “thug”. It is a strong possibility that the intended listener or reader of this interview is a linguist or any person who lives in the now racially sensitive 21st century.…

    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Huckleberry Finn Language Analysis
    • 143 Words
    • 1 Page

    Huckleberry Finn Language Analysis

    In this cartoon, Mike Luckovich is referring to the controversial use of the word “nigger” within Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Luckovich wants his audience to note the changes in the meaning of the “n-word” over time. In the early 19th century, the “n-word” was a common term used to identify an African American. In today’s society, this word can often be heard throughout pop culture and rap lyrics, which is why the young boy has mistakenly referred to Mark Twain as one of the great “gangsta rappers.” However, Luckovich uses this scenario to indirectly explain that since the “n-word” is considered an acceptable identification of an African American in modern music, why should it not be allowed within Twain’s work?…

    • 143 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Tehran Von Ghasri Nigga Analysis
    • 207 Words
    • 1 Page

    Tehran Von Ghasri Nigga Analysis

    People of different races use the word “nigga”—especially the younger generation of the America—however, using either n-word is still very offensive to people of all races. For instance, Tehran Von Ghasri, an African-American actor, said, “I’m still uncomfortable with [a] white guy saying, ‘You’re cool nigga.’ But in 25 years, I would hope that my kid’s not uncomfortable—because that white guy wouldn’t mean it in a demeaning, degrading way.” What Ghasri’s sentiments about the use of “nigga” by non-blacks reveal is that some African-Americans are still ambivalent about its use outside of the black community. By Von Ghasri explaining how he does not feel comfortable being called “nigga,” clearly illustrates the negative connotation of the word…

    • 207 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Etymology of the N Word
    • 1533 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Etymology of the N Word

    “Nigger” is closely associated with slavery and the mistreatment of African Americans. Slaves date back to a very long time ago. In the Slavery throughout History: Almanac, on page 2-3, the almanac says, “Historians believe it [slavery] happened around 10,000 years ago.” Slaves in that time were prisoners of war tamed like wild beasts. Then in 3500 B.C.E., a new form of slavery called debt slavery was used and often led to lifelong imprisonment (Sylvester 2-3). After that, the slave trade came along and humans were being shipped across the Atlantic Ocean producing…

    • 1533 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Nat Hentoff's Response to Huck Finn
    • 1082 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Nat Hentoff's Response to Huck Finn

    In an attempt to rebuke the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s claim that controversial books damage the self-esteem of African-American children, Hentoff recounts an experience where he talked with a group of eighth-grade students who were studying Mark Twain’s Huck Finn alongside a history of cities with a reputation for having a high tolerance for racism. One student in the class was bold enough to comment that his class was taught that the “bigots” Twain referred to in his novel commonly referred to African-Americans as “niggers,” stating that just because of Twain’s over-zealous use of the term did not equate to an assumption that Huck Finn was a racist novel (Hentoff). On the contrary, this particular student claimed that as evidence that Twain was expressly critiquing the word and people who used it in order to write a very anti-racist novel.…

    • 1082 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Leslie Savan’s Essay
    • 810 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Leslie Savan’s Essay

    In Leslie Savan’s essay, “What’s Black, Then White, and Said All Over?,” Savan talks about the “hidden costs”(381) and benefits of the black language in America. When observing this economic and psychological boundary its clear that African American people went through lots of pain and suffering when creating trendy words and sayings. This is important to African Americans because most people do not understand that these words have now been adopted by white people “who reap the profits without paying [their] dues”(Savan 382).…

    • 810 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Should Huckleberry Finn Be Allowed In Schools
    • 1945 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Should Huckleberry Finn Be Allowed In Schools

    A trashy and racist book wouldn't be allowed in classrooms. The novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, is receiving negative attention. The dominant problem that students, parents, teachers, and even professors, face , is the usage of the n-word. After reading this adventurous story, it is hard to find the problem that is upsetting many people. Therefore, this incredible novel should continue to be in the high school curriculum because it offers students a realistic historical background, it receives numerous positive reactions, and the meaning of the word nigger, (referred to as the n-word) is changing over time.…

    • 1945 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Huck Finn Racist
    • 916 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Huck Finn Racist

    “Thoughtful examination of Twain’s use of the word “nigger” can help teach students the importance of understanding the context in which a word is used.” (Apstein). The word can help students learn about how African-Americans were treated and viewed back then. He wanted to show the importance of the word. He couldn’t have just switched out the word for slave, because anyone can be a slave. Also if Twain didn’t want to use that word, he wouldn’t have. Twain put that word in there for a reason, he wanted it to spark conversations and controversy. He wanted the readers to understand what type of language people used back then and how certain people were treated and…

    • 916 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Black Like Me
    • 1292 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Black Like Me

    The word “nigger” not only was used to degrade the blacks but also revealed how ignorant the person who used it was.…

    • 1292 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Latin Word Nigger In Hip Hop Music
    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Latin Word Nigger In Hip Hop Music

    The word “nigger” should not be used by anyone regardless of the circumstances. Nigger comes from the Latin word niger meaning black. Nigger was used derogatory term used to refer to black slaves during colonial times. It represents generations of endured racism and oppression. The word was used to make a mockery of black people. “Whether [nigger is] used as a noun, verb, or adjective, it strengthened the stereotype of the lazy, stupid, dirty, worthless nobody,” (Nigger, a brief history). The use of the word “nigger” strips away the individuality of a person. Nigger is evident in hip hop music, the civil rights movement, pop culture, and is now used as a term of endearment.…

    • 757 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Essay On The Word Nigger
    • 370 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Essay On The Word Nigger

    The word nigga comes from the Latin word niger which simply means black. The word niger was then changed to negro and integrated into two other languages, Spanish which kept the pure meaning of the word as “black”, and English which perverted the meaning into “black person”. However, by about the 1800s most white Americans had adopted the word as a derogatory racial slur to describe black African American slaves and yet again changed it into a new form of the word. They transformed the word negro into the much more racially insulting word nigger. Most people believe that this transformation was made through the inability for the white southern slave owners to properly pronounce the word negro and thus, the word nigger was born. The New Oxford…

    • 370 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ethnic Notions
    • 589 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Ethnic Notions

    Ethnic Notions is a documentary that has really opened my eyes. The documentary shows to the viewer the attitudes and relations between “white” Americans and African Americans in the 1940’s. The display of the historical accounts of how African Americans were portrayed in media is still shocking even after all this time. The amount of propaganda and hatred that fueled the exploitation was ridiculous. A large number of “white” Americans today still show a complete lack of respect toward the African American culture as a whole. The documentary portrayed how various cultural characteristics have been used in the past abusively in different theatrical ways, i.e. cartoons for children, books for children, journal, magazines, posters, films, etc. Throughout the film many inappropriate and uncomplimentary words were used to label African Americans as being uneducated, unmotivated, lazy and uncivilized human beings. In the 1940’s the dominant social group, being the “white” Americans began brainwashing people with hatred towards African Americans through the various strands of propaganda. To substantiate the “white” Americans prejudices, they would try to convince others in the way of how an African American male or female looked by exaggerating their facial features, skin color, no educational accomplishment and the way they acted by putting attention on their low social and economic standings. Marlon Riggs, the director of this documentary shows us children’s books for educational purposes in which African Americans are called ‘niggers,’ as if that is exactly how we are to address them. One children’s book was brought to our attention in the film, “Seven Little Niggers,” the content and illustrations were not only cruel but for a children’s book, they were appalling. The documentary demonstrates that throughout cartoons in the 1940’s and so would have very stereotypical names for those in the cartoons, i.e. Mammy, Auntie, Uncle, boy, girl,…

    • 589 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    caucasia notes
    • 974 Words
    • 4 Pages

    caucasia notes

    “I stood many nights in front of the bathroom mirror, practicing how to say ‘nigger’ the way the kids in school did, dropping the ‘er’ so that it became not a slur, but a term of endearment, ‘nigga’”(63).…

    • 974 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The N-Word Argument
    • 450 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The N-Word Argument

    “Every black person who lives in the United States at some point or another comes to accept one thing: the “N-word” is not going away. Whether you use it or not, whether you are OK with it or deeply offended by it, it’s a word weighted down with so much history and so much pain that is impossible to avoid” (Blay 1). The negative connotation around the “N-word” has been plaguing the country since its founding. One of the key principles that America is founded on is that “All Men Are Created Equal” (Jefferson Declaration of Independence), but let me continue it; All Men Are Created Equal except women, homosexuals and lastly niggers. The word “nigger” had so much power because it was used to belittle Africans and make it so that they were not…

    • 450 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics