Well do you?

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Furore over 'censored' edition of Huckleberry Finn
File picture of the cover of the first edition of 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn', published in 1884 The American classic is the fourth most-banned book in US schools

* Why are parents banning school books?
* Mark Twain in his own words
* Is Tom Sawyer still a top read?

A new edition of Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is causing controversy because of the removal of a racially offensive word.

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BBC News - Furore over 'censored' edition of Huckleberry Finn

All this PCness never ceases to amaze me..

This preceded the Huck Fib story: BBC News - Why are parents banning school books?

No... Not at all. Its total Bullsh*t. Particularly about a word in Tom Sawyer, that referred to friend of Huck Finn... that you will hear 10 times a minute on any HipHop music video channel on TV.

Bunch of damn crybabies... jeeze. Talk about their parents raising a bunch of pussies.

Two issues here" - one is about banning books, and the other is deciding what to actually include in the shool curriculum.

First, with respect to a banning books - there is no reason to ban any books from high school libraries that are not outright pornograpic. A well stocked High School Library should include books such as "Catcher in the Rye," "Huck Finn," "I Have Two Moms," "Mein Kampf," "Mao's Book of Quotations," and even (horrors!) the Harry Potter books. There is no excuse to restricting high school students from having access to all these.

As for what books to actually study as part of the school curriculum - "Huck Finn" definitely belongs in the canon of High School literature. However, because it uses the "N word" over 200 times, and because that word in modern times has become toxic, the fact is that many districts just plain won't risk upsetting students and/or parents. So they don't include the book in their curriculum. If replacing the N word with "slave" 200 times means that some of those school distriucts will now give kids a chance to read this American classic, then I say "hurray." I would support using the sanitized version in class, but the original miust be available in the library, and students must be told up front that the book is edited from its original (much like broadcasters do with sanitized movies on TV). And also include class discussion around the use of such words, and why Twain used it in the book.

Hello ben:

You can't wipe out history because you change a word. Just like you can't turn torture into something else by changing a word.

excon

Twain never meant Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer to be children's books. He was making social commentary much like Swift's Gulliver's Travels(he peed on the town of little people to put out a fire) .

How is Shakespeare handled ? Are 21st century sensitivities used when reading the modern text of Macbeth ? Yes . I rarely hear the witches brew read correctly in the original text.

Should it ? I don't know... probably not. Shakespeare's attitudes about Jews reflected the times he lived in. Today the text is clearly inappropriate.

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Originally Posted by tomder55

Shakespeare's attitudes about Jews reflected the times he lived in. Today the text is clearly inappropriate.

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But isn't that to be part of the discussion in an English or lit class? And Shakespeare and Twain are only two writers whose works reflect their times and the prevailing attitudes/activities. Should we prevent Hester Prynne from getting pregnant? Should we have the beheaded people in A Tale of Two Cities get whipped instead? And certainly Grandfather should feed Heidi something more nutritious than black bread and goat cheese!

Don't worry, they have plans to rewrite Mine Kamph to explain how Hitler was really a saviour of the Jews to make it politically correct.

WG When was the last time you heard the witches brew recited in the original text ? I don't think the revision takes away from the play.

The examples you cite are not really the same . The witches brew reflected a raw antisemitism. I'm not sure the use of the 'n' word in Huck Finn reflects the same prejudices.

Wasn't that actually written in Old English for the original words used... which is much different than modern english (before they got PC on it.)? I know I can't read old English though I've seen it.

In the original text the brew included 'the liver of a blaspheming Jew'. I've seen and read the modern text... and that has been removed .

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Originally Posted by tomder55

The witches brew reflected a raw antisemitism. I'm not sure the use of the 'n' word in Huck Finn reflects the same prejudices.

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Precisely - if it did, then the book would not be the classic it is. The N word helps articulate the gulf that existed between the even the lowliest of whites (Huck) and blacks. The process of bridging that gulf is of course the point of the book. A truly radical idea in 19th century America.

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Originally Posted by tomder55

WG When was the last time you heard the witches brew recited in the original text ? I don't think the revision takes away from the play.

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I don't know if I've ever heard or read the revision.

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The examples you cite are not really the same .

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PC is PC. Altering any text simply to be PC is wrong.

Hello tom:

I'm trying to follow your discussion with WG. Like any good librarian, she's AGAINST censorship.. She believes that children SHOULD be exposed to the classics, and DISCUSS them in class.

Are you saying that the removal of the antisemitic remark is cool, but changing Mark Twain isn't? I can't tell.

excon

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Originally Posted by tomder55

in the original text the brew included 'the liver of a blaspheming Jew'. I've seen and read the modern text... and that has been removed .

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Of course that should remain in the play. That's part of the discussion!

When are the book burnings, every nation that started to control what is written and what can be read, takes over the press and then burns the books.

I vote we go after excons playboy books next.

But yes my wife was "shocked" we have all of these books and have this year included then in Nate's ( our son" school work. I hope it is not reported to CPS making him read banned material.

I'm not either for or against changing Huck Finn ,because the removal of a word overused doesn't change the story .

I don't think Twain meant it as the same pejorative that Shakespeare did. Not only in Macbeth ;but in other works like the character Shylock in 'The Merchant of Venice',he exposed his inner feelings.

Edit . The question really is ;should it be part of a high school curriculum ?

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Originally Posted by tomder55

I'm not either for or against changing Huck Finn ,because the removal of a word overused doesn't change the story .

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Hello tom:

I'm trying to figure out what you just said... It makes absolutely NO sense... I'm sure it's the justification censors use. It's just flat out wrong... Because the result ISN'T Twain's story. It's the CENSORS story..

What I don't get, is why you don't get that.

excon

Actually Huck Finn was grade school and middle school reading,

And yes I think the change does make the tone, and the harsh meanings of the words.

The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.
- Mark Twain


Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet B Stowe used the "n" word over a 100 times. Should it be rewritten, too?

Maybe we should fit the Venus de Milo for a bikini top and Michael for a banana sling.

I would love to be able to hear Twain's thoughts on this debate.

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Originally Posted by Fr_Chuck

Actually Huck Finn was grade school and middle school reading,

And yes I think the change does make the tone, and the harsh meanings of the words.

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I read it (actually most of Mark Twains books) in gradeschool... fairly early on too. Didn't make me prejudiced against either blacks or Indians... and know what... THEY weren't offended by it then either.

So how when a black in certain socioeconomic classes can't utter a sentence without using it 3 or three times be offencded when they use it all the time.

And Incidentally I went to school with two Navaho Kids (brother and sister)... they never took exception to Injun Joe.