Sunday, January 9, 2011

The Vandalism of Huckleberry Finn

Read the article here:

From the article:

"Alabama publisher NewSouth Books is preparing to release a new version of Mark Twain’s classic The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, edited to remove a couple of words that offend modern ears. One of them is injun,' and the other is now considered acceptable only in rap songs and Quentin Tarantino films. The offending n-world will be replaced by “slave,” which will make it read like a cornpone version of Spartacus. "

"NewSouth Books calls this a “bold and compassionate move” to “counter pre-emptive censorship,” according to the UK Guardian’s story about the release. The idea is that teachers don’t like saying the N-word out loud, or forcing students to say it, so the book has been tragically expunged from many classes. Were they also having trouble saying 'injun?'”

"Twain knew exactly what the word “slave” meant. He once said, “The skin of every human being contains a slave.” A little over 200 times in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, he used a different word, one that was common in his day. Pretending it wasn’t does not enhance anyone’s understanding of the past. The study of history requires a measure of courage, because the student will not always like what he sees. Dr. Gribben’s motivation is understandable, but students are better served with difficult truth than easy ignorance. We’ve already convinced ourselves to forget about far too much that has come before… and we spend too much time reeling in surprise when it comes around again."

Source: Human Events, Conservative news/opinion source.

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