Racism Quotes In Huckleberry Finn
On July 17, 2014, a man named Eric Garner died after an officer put him in a chokehold during an arrest. He was yet another black man killed by police brutality. A chokehold is illegal in the NYPD because of deaths and problems that have occurred in the past due to it. However, this did not stop the white officer who arrested Garner from performing it on him. Although, he uttered “I can’t breathe” several times the chokehold was not released and he died a few moments later. In this case of police brutality, race may have played an important role in Garner’s death. This type of violent racism exhibited through police brutality occurring today, and similarly in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn offers learning opportunities for students. Obviously,
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It is important that anytime the n-word is used in Huckleberry Finn it can be replaced with slave. When Huck is talking to Mrs. Loftus he asks if everyone has “‘quit thinking the nigger done it’” (Twain 63). If you replace the n-word in this sentence with the word slave, it still has the same meaning and effect. This is true of anytime that word is used throughout the book. During the time Mark Twain wrote this, any slave was referred to as a “nigger”. It was not any special case to degrade Jim specifically, it was just how it was. Debate and discussion of how this word can be switched out for others creates class discussion, enriching the learning experience. Additionally, during the 1800’s when this book was written and published this was the way black people were referred to by pretty much everyone. Also, the n-word was not considered derogatory, nor was it offensive to the African American population at that time. Twain could not have seen into the future to realize how the connotation of that word would change. During that time the n-word was simply what black people were called, so obviously that is what Mark Twain had to use. It would not be any different than writing in a book that a character was “black” or “white” today. Considering the meaning of the n-word in the 1800’s as well as its literary value, Huckleberry Finn should be a part of the curriculum at Glenbrook
It is important that anytime the n-word is used in Huckleberry Finn it can be replaced with slave. When Huck is talking to Mrs. Loftus he asks if everyone has “‘quit thinking the nigger done it’” (Twain 63). If you replace the n-word in this sentence with the word slave, it still has the same meaning and effect. This is true of anytime that word is used throughout the book. During the time Mark Twain wrote this, any slave was referred to as a “nigger”. It was not any special case to degrade Jim specifically, it was just how it was. Debate and discussion of how this word can be switched out for others creates class discussion, enriching the learning experience. Additionally, during the 1800’s when this book was written and published this was the way black people were referred to by pretty much everyone. Also, the n-word was not considered derogatory, nor was it offensive to the African American population at that time. Twain could not have seen into the future to realize how the connotation of that word would change. During that time the n-word was simply what black people were called, so obviously that is what Mark Twain had to use. It would not be any different than writing in a book that a character was “black” or “white” today. Considering the meaning of the n-word in the 1800’s as well as its literary value, Huckleberry Finn should be a part of the curriculum at Glenbrook