Light Out, Huck, They Still Want to Sivilize You PDF

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Light Out, Huck, They Still Want to Sivilize You Nicolai Behrndt

26/10-16

Nigger is a word loaded with a lot of negativity but why change the word in our history books? By removing a word doesn’t equal a different story. Should we sanitise words as professor Gribben in the article, so they can live up to today’s standards or let them be conserved in their original form? The article Light Out, Huck, They Still Want to Sivilize You, written by Michiko Kakutani (2011) and the newsmagazine 60 Minutes deals with the issue of censorship of classic literature.

Michiko Kakutani is very aggressive when describing what the word “nigger” stands for. She explains how the word had become a taboo in common English, and that several people even want the word to be changed. They want it to be changed because they associate the word with slavery. The “n-word” is the reason why Mr. Gribben is worried that the book might fall of any reading lists: “Mr. Gribben has said he worried that the N-word had resulted in the novel falling off reading lists and that he thought his edition would be welcomed by schoolteachers and university instructors who wanted to spare “the reader from a racial slur that never seems to lose its vitriol.” The author is very sarcastic in her writing style and she uses many bold comments. Therefore aren’t the readers in doubt of her opinion. An example of her sarcasm is shown already in the headline “Light Out, Huck, They Still Want to Sivilize You”. I interpret this headline sarcastic because she uses one of the characters that are a part of Mark Twain’s novel. She warns Huck about the issue of censorship of classic literature.

The author Michiko Kakutani choose all of the words with care, and every word that is included in the article had been specifically chosen. As a result of this method, she shows us her interpretation of the issue of classic literature. She uses a high style in her language which equals a formal word choice. Consequently, of the high style many technical terms are included in the article: “Nigger, which appears in the book more than 200 times, was a common racial epithet in the antebellum South, used by Twain as part of his characters’ vernacular speech and as a reflection of mid-19thcentury social attitudes along the Mississippi River.” - page 1, line 7-9. Kakutani is a very subjective author, and from the first sentence to the last aren’t the reader’s in doubt of her point of view: “Haven’t we learned by now that removing books from the curriculum just deprives children of exposure to classic works of literature? Worse, it relieves teachers of the fundamental responsibility of putting such books in context (...)” – page 1, line 22-24.

Light Out, Huck, They Still Want to Sivilize You Nicolai Behrndt

26/10-16

Kakutani uses different rhetorical devices including a rhetorical question “Haven’t we learned by now that removing books from the curriculum just deprives children of exposure to classic works of literature?” – page 1, line 22-23. Combined with this question Kakutani intensifies her argument. Kakutani intention with the text is to inform people about the issue of censorship of classic literature. She shows the issue from her point of view and argues why she doesn’t support this subject. The articles’ structure is very straightforward and easy to read. The articles headline works as an eye-catcher and there aren’t any pictures because Kakutani didn’t find it necessary. The article is chronically structured, which means that the first information we get is an introduction and main point. Secondly we have the main text where she uses all of her arguments, and finally a small conclusion.

Many rappers use the word “nigger” because of its ugly past, but is it then fair to let the old texts be changed or banned? Many schools are banning Mark Twain’s novel “Huckleberry Finn” 1 because of that one word, but is it right to remove a book because of one word? In my opinion no. If rappers are allowed to use this word, then it should be allowed by everyone. “Nigger” had a different meaning back in the days, but no one can change the past. Therefore, I support the fact that Kakutani wants all words to be conserved. Yes, it might be aggressive in some contexts, but on the other hand, it’s a part of history and that can’t be changed. In the book, there is a part where the police are chasing Jim and Huckleberry Finn. Finn replies that they’re chasing them and not just Jim because of his skin colour2. In other words, the book is not referring to slavery or race discrimination based on this one quote. Some teachers have difficulties talking about race and the word “nigger,” but can that be right? Again I disagree because the word is a part of history and yes it might be extremely negative in some contexts, however by changing the word in our books are we trying to chance history. An article written by Jane Sullivan in 2011 shows us a different point of view about the issue of censorship of classic literature. She Supports the fear that Mr. Gibben has about the book might fall

1 ”60 minutes” 2 ”60 minutes”

Light Out, Huck, They Still Want to Sivilize You Nicolai Behrndt

26/10-16

of reading lists “Huckleberry Finn has always been hugely controversial and remains the fourth most-banned book in US schools.”3 Furthermore, do Sullivan also have a lot of sympathy for Mr. Gibben because of this fact. She admires Gribben’s personal experience but when he read out loud he will always avoid the “N-word” because of the words status: “(..) Gribben's personal experience. For 40 years he has been leading classes and reading groups in Southern states, discussing The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, and he has always avoided the N-word when reading aloud. He says that every time, he could detect a "visible sense of relief".4 Sullivan has a solution to this problem and she thinks that students should hear the real story without any filters to make sure that they understand the real issue. Even though Mrs. Sullivan submit that it isn’t possible today because of several reasons, she knows that it might be possible in the nearest future. “What those classrooms need is a whole new way of looking at racial history: one that doesn't flinch from reality, but doesn't cause unbearable pain. But that's too hard a task at the moment.”5

I can conclude that Michiko Kakutani uses a high style in her language, and she is a very subjective author. Kakutani uses different rhetorical methods including a rhetorical question to make her argument stronger. As a result of these methods, she convinces the readers about her arguments. She is trying to inform people about all the wrong things there is with censorship of classic literature, and convince us to do the same. Nigger is in multiple contexts interpret with a lot of negativity, but it is a part of history and shouldn’t be changed in our history books.

3 http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/a-case-for-censoring-huck-finn-2011012019xgv.html - The article “A case for censoring Huck Finn” – Jane Sullivan 4 http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/a-case-for-censoring-huck-finn-2011012019xgv.html - The article “A case for censoring Huck Finn” – Jane Sullivan 5 http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/a-case-for-censoring-huck-finn-2011012019xgv.html - The article “A case for censoring Huck Finn” – Jane Sullivan...