After reading Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Case Study in Critical Controversy, for me, the book is just another piece about the slavery in American history. Until I read Peaches Henry’s article, “The Struggle for Tolerance: Race and Censorship in Huckleberry Finn”, I realize that this book carries more purposes than just a story. It has been the center of the controversies about race. In her essay, Peach Henry argues that the book, despite its intensive use of the N-word, still shouldn’t be banned from the school system at all. I definitely disagree with Peach Henry’s argument. For me, the N-word is just so intense even just to whisper it. I strongly feel that this book should be banned from the school system due to the using of the N-word because this racist word really affects young students in many negative ways.
The use of the N-word in the book has given most readers the obvious shocking and offensive feelings, especially if the reader is a person of color race and young. People criticize this book because it uses a word that serves no good purpose except to “insult” and “humiliate” “black children” in school. Henry writes,
Critics vilify Twain most often and most vehemently for his aggressive use of the pejorative term ‘nigger.’ Detractors, refusing to accept the good intentions of a text that places the insulting epithet so often in the mouths of characters, black and white, ague that no amount of intended irony or satire can erase the humiliation experienced by black children. Reading Huck Finn aloud adds deliberate insult to insensitive injury, complain some. (386)
Henry proves that the N-word really makes people turn against each other, especially between races. Even one might argues that Mark Twain uses the N-word to give readers a picture of how African American people were treated, especially those southern people who lived along the Mississippi River at the time being. Well, there are many ways to describe people’s lives without dehumanizing them such as using the N-word against them. It would be questionable if this N-word wouldn’t cause a stir in a classroom where there is a diversity of races. People send children to school to learn knowledge, not to learn a racist word against one’s race. Even though the book is a piece of America historical literatures, people still get upset whenever they hear the N-word. This word reminds people of their ancestors’ lives, especially African American people who were treated unfairly and inhumane at that time. The N-word is a serious racist word which should be avoided totally. That is one of the reasons I believe that the book should be banned from the school system.
A racist word has brought up the controversy about human race. The N-word stands for the blacken memories of a specific time line in American history, which people are trying to avoid by all means. Henry asserts,
To dismiss the word’s recurrence in the work as an accurate rendition of nineteenth-century American linguistic conventions denies what every black person knows: Far more than a synonym for slave, ‘nigger’ signifies a concept. It conjures centuries of specifically black degradation and humiliation during which the family was disintegrated, education was denied, manhood was trapped within a forced perpetual puerilism, and womanhood was destroyed by concubinage. If one grants that Twain substituted ‘nigger’ for ‘slave,’ the implications of the word do not improve; ‘nigger’ denotes the black man as a commodity, as chattel. (389)
Even many decades have passed; people still haven’t forgotten their origins. This book has done more harmful stuffs than as its intentions have because of its use of the N-word. Young students are not fully mature enough. They know the history but they might not understand it. They learn things from school. And if we use this book in school, they would learn the words in the book as well. The obvious language used in the book would be practiced as a normal concept. How would people react to the situation when a black kid goes home and calls his father “n*****”? Have the scholars who defend for the use of the book in the school system ever thought about this event yet? The word was used not only against a particular person but the whole human race. Education doesn’t mean to separate people based on their color. Education should bring people close to each other. Therefore the school shouldn’t use this book in its curricular system to maintain its main purpose of only focusing on knowledge.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Blog 10
After reading Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, I just thought about the book as its purpose was giving me some information about the slavery in American history. Until I read Peach Henry’s essay, I realize that the Huck Finn book has been the center of the controversies about race. In her essay, Peach Henry argues that the book, despite its intensive use of the N-word, still shouldn’t be banned from the school system at all. I definitely disagree with Peach Henry’s argument. For me, even the book is considered a piece of American literature; it still should be banned from the school system due to its negative effects on young students who are not fully mature enough to understand the implying intention of Mark Twain when he wrote the book.
The use of the N-word in the book has given most readers offensive feelings, especially if the reader is of color race and at a young age. People criticize the book of its racial word because this word gives no good uses except insult and humiliation to black children in school. Henry writes,
Critics vilify Twain most often and most vehemently for his aggressive use of the pejorative term ‘nigger.’ Detractors, refusing to accept the good intentions of a text that places the insulting epithet so often in the mouths of characters, black and white, ague that no amount of intended irony or satire can erase the humiliation experienced by black children. Reading Huck Finn aloud adds deliberate insult to insensitive injury, complain some. (386)
I believe Mark Twain was trying to focus as true as possible to the real lives of the southern people along the Mississippi River at that time. The use of the N-word in the book, if the readers don’t understand the intended imply meaning, would cause a stir in a classroom where there is a diversity of races. Even though the book is a piece about the historical time of the country, people would still get upset when they are reminded of their unpleasant memories of their ancestors’ lives, especially African American people who were treated unfairly and inhumane at that time. As of today we have overcome our differences to live together united as of today but there are still some differences which differentiate us from each other. That is what makes us so unique. However, a unique won’t eliminate the hurtful feelings by being called one “nigger” like that. The word is a serious racist against one race. That is one of the reasons why the book should be banned from the school system.
The use of the N-word in the book has given most readers offensive feelings, especially if the reader is of color race and at a young age. People criticize the book of its racial word because this word gives no good uses except insult and humiliation to black children in school. Henry writes,
Critics vilify Twain most often and most vehemently for his aggressive use of the pejorative term ‘nigger.’ Detractors, refusing to accept the good intentions of a text that places the insulting epithet so often in the mouths of characters, black and white, ague that no amount of intended irony or satire can erase the humiliation experienced by black children. Reading Huck Finn aloud adds deliberate insult to insensitive injury, complain some. (386)
I believe Mark Twain was trying to focus as true as possible to the real lives of the southern people along the Mississippi River at that time. The use of the N-word in the book, if the readers don’t understand the intended imply meaning, would cause a stir in a classroom where there is a diversity of races. Even though the book is a piece about the historical time of the country, people would still get upset when they are reminded of their unpleasant memories of their ancestors’ lives, especially African American people who were treated unfairly and inhumane at that time. As of today we have overcome our differences to live together united as of today but there are still some differences which differentiate us from each other. That is what makes us so unique. However, a unique won’t eliminate the hurtful feelings by being called one “nigger” like that. The word is a serious racist against one race. That is one of the reasons why the book should be banned from the school system.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Blog 9
After reading the article about the councilman in Cotati who posted his picture with a black face on his blog, I felt that this man is somehow racist. On Barich’s blog, he put several pictures of the President Obama as a woman, as a cowboy in front of the White House, and in one picture a man disguised as the President with the evil look. If saying that the councilman was not racist, it was absolutely not true at all. As a white person, or even as a councilman, Barich couldn’t just do anything that he felt pleased. He had to give some considerations to others, especially when the issue was the sensitive topic like this. According to his responses to NAACP racist comment, I feel that he was just trying to deny his initial motive of putting his picture in a black face on his own blog. Didn’t he know that people would see it and question his motive then? The reasons he gave to defense his motive were just nonsense. He was referring to the time he had volunteer at the Hurricane Katrina or his request for help at the Hurricane Rita as those examples that he was concerned about people of colors. These wouldn’t help at all, Barich. Even when he removed his picture, its results are still there. He already crossed the line and he thought that people would let him slip through this incident. I really appreciate his meaningful thoughts about color people and his volunteer services or request of help during those catastrophes. But Barich, please don’t use those excuses to cover up your own racism toward others.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Peer Review Essay # 4
Essay # 4 draft
Jim – a Stereotypical or a Real Person?
Being an immigrant in America, I have heard a lot about the black slavery from the Civil War. Recently, I have read “The adventures of Huckberry Finn” by Mark Twain for one of my English class’s assignments. Since the publishing of this book, there were numerous controversies about different aspects such as race, gender, and between human beings at that time. “The adventures of Huckleberry Finn” told us about Huck or a little white boy’s adventures with a runaway black slave. This runaway slave named Jim. Under Mark Twain’s pen, Jim was characterized as the second main character in these adventures and he was up to the same level as a white person despite the fact that he was portrayed as a stereotypical black slave.
In the beginning of the story, Jim appeared in a shadow. He was just an ordinary slave who served old Miss Watson, living in the same house as Huckleberry. Fearing for being sold away, Jim had ran away because he wished not to become a slave for some others. Then he met Huck while hiding on the empty Jackson’s Island. Together they made their adventures down south instead of going north to look for freedom. Throughout these adventures with Huck, Jim had taught Huck quite a few good lessons about human being and about the differences between classes in society at that time. As in the happy ending, Jim finally became a free man.
This characterization of Jim was portrayed as a stereotypical southern black person at that time. People would assume that a black slave would be uneducated, stupid, dumb, mean, and worthless. Being a slave, of course, Jim couldn’t get any kind of education at all. All he did was pretty much what he had learned from his own experiences. Luckily, he had a great master, old Miss Watson. Even though she was tough with him but she made him pray every day. From those prayers he could have learned something valuable about human, right? Another unfortunate fact was that Jim was a black man. Being black meant that he would be a slave forever; he would not be able to become a free person at all. A black slave had become a white person’s own property and he could be sold or killed as the owner pleased. Black people were being pushed down to the lowest level in the society. They had become the worthless property in human’s life. That is so untrue. How could they become the worthless property while they could work all their lives, sweat their tears and blood, sacrifice their own freedom to make people rich? I would say that these people are the most valuable assets to have. Because of those rude stereotypes, some black people would act very mean just in order to protect their hurtful feelings. They were hiding their own feelings; they didn’t want people to think of them otherwise. They had to live in their shells, not allowed to look forward or outside of that shell. I don’t think that black people would be much meaner than any other races. Eventually, some white people would be really mean such as Huck’s father character in this story. Huck’s father appeared to be worse than this black man. He was drunk all the time and tried to take Huck along to live his desperate life. Saying that black slave was always dumb and stupid, that was not true at all. Twain showed us that Jim, a black slave, has a very simple mind but his mental was the same as human as anyone else. He thought things logically, based on the appearance of events. For example, when Jim said that “it was a sign it was going to rain” when Jim and Huck saw some young birds “flying a yard or tow at a time and lightning” (67.) The reason Jim was so sure about the rain was that he had learned from his experiences and he realized that young birds and young chickens were similar species; therefore, they must shared similar instinct about the change in the weather. I would say that Jim was pretty smart. I would be never understand or conclude something like he did in my life. I must be the stupid one here.
From my opinion, it looked like Twain wanted to make Jim a character that was challenging the society’s expectation about the black slave at that particular time. People ignored Jim because he was black, because he was a slave. No one would question why Twain put him on the same level as Huck, even mentor Huck in some ways about life. Jim was an old man. He was yearning for his freedom when he ran away from home. He was always trying to save money so that he could buy himself out and his wife and his children. Huck was a white kid. He was an orphan even though his father was still alive. He was brought up poorly. Huck would be considered as low as Jim. However, Jim didn’t look at Huck that way. For Jim, Huck was white, and that was proved by the way Jim treated Huck as superior. Moreover, during their escape, Jim considered Huck a close person, such as his son by protecting and caring for him all the time. Jim devoted himself to Huck in every situation. He was always grateful about Huck being nice and helped him during several difficult situations. Every time they got separated and then reunited, Jim always showed his emotion toward Huck. Like when they met again after their raft got hit by a big steamboat, Jim “nearly cried, he was so glad” (120.)
There were some controversies about whether Jim was a minstrel. Initially, a minstrel was a servant who would sing and dance to entertain his owner. I don’t think that Jim was a minstrel at all. Most of the time being with Huck, Jim was pretty much controlled by others, including Huck, a little boy. Why did he let others do that to him? Did he do so to entertain them? Actually, he didn’t entertain any of them. Twain put Jim in several situations to present the bitter reality in society at that time. Remember when the king and the duke printed out some fliers portrayed Jim as a wanted runaway nigger and had him all tied up while they were away conning people. He let them did that in order for them all traveled safely during the daytime as he also wanted to hurry to the free land. Or another time, the duke “dressed Jim up in King Lear’s outfit… painted Jim’s face and hands and ears and neck all over a dead dull solid blue, like a man that’s been drowned nine days (155.) Jim was even satisfied with their instruction because he didn’t want to become their burden. Jim also believed Huck indefinitely as one of his nature of believing in people. Under his skin, Jim was equally a white person as Huck realized “he was white inside” (249) after Huck and Tom rescued and set Jim free.
There is a double consciousness in Jim. From his appearance, people were making assumption of him as being lazy, stupid and somewhat dangerous, not to be around the “white” society. However, inside Jim, another human being who showed concerns, sincerity and gratefulness toward others. Like when Tom was injured while rescuing Jim free, Jim didn’t run away when the old doctor would leave Tom by himself on the isolated island for help. If anyone appeared to be the runaway slave in that case, he would just abandoned Tom and left for his freedom rather than helping and risking being arrested again.
It was really interesting to read about Jim character in this story. Twain seemed to tell the “white class” people to give more respects and some considerations toward the black slaves in their live. Jim was the same human as everyone else and he should be treated equally. From this book, I believe that Twain wanted to send a message to everyone that human beings are the same no matter how different they look and that their consciousness is the most important and valuable.
Jim – a Stereotypical or a Real Person?
Being an immigrant in America, I have heard a lot about the black slavery from the Civil War. Recently, I have read “The adventures of Huckberry Finn” by Mark Twain for one of my English class’s assignments. Since the publishing of this book, there were numerous controversies about different aspects such as race, gender, and between human beings at that time. “The adventures of Huckleberry Finn” told us about Huck or a little white boy’s adventures with a runaway black slave. This runaway slave named Jim. Under Mark Twain’s pen, Jim was characterized as the second main character in these adventures and he was up to the same level as a white person despite the fact that he was portrayed as a stereotypical black slave.
In the beginning of the story, Jim appeared in a shadow. He was just an ordinary slave who served old Miss Watson, living in the same house as Huckleberry. Fearing for being sold away, Jim had ran away because he wished not to become a slave for some others. Then he met Huck while hiding on the empty Jackson’s Island. Together they made their adventures down south instead of going north to look for freedom. Throughout these adventures with Huck, Jim had taught Huck quite a few good lessons about human being and about the differences between classes in society at that time. As in the happy ending, Jim finally became a free man.
This characterization of Jim was portrayed as a stereotypical southern black person at that time. People would assume that a black slave would be uneducated, stupid, dumb, mean, and worthless. Being a slave, of course, Jim couldn’t get any kind of education at all. All he did was pretty much what he had learned from his own experiences. Luckily, he had a great master, old Miss Watson. Even though she was tough with him but she made him pray every day. From those prayers he could have learned something valuable about human, right? Another unfortunate fact was that Jim was a black man. Being black meant that he would be a slave forever; he would not be able to become a free person at all. A black slave had become a white person’s own property and he could be sold or killed as the owner pleased. Black people were being pushed down to the lowest level in the society. They had become the worthless property in human’s life. That is so untrue. How could they become the worthless property while they could work all their lives, sweat their tears and blood, sacrifice their own freedom to make people rich? I would say that these people are the most valuable assets to have. Because of those rude stereotypes, some black people would act very mean just in order to protect their hurtful feelings. They were hiding their own feelings; they didn’t want people to think of them otherwise. They had to live in their shells, not allowed to look forward or outside of that shell. I don’t think that black people would be much meaner than any other races. Eventually, some white people would be really mean such as Huck’s father character in this story. Huck’s father appeared to be worse than this black man. He was drunk all the time and tried to take Huck along to live his desperate life. Saying that black slave was always dumb and stupid, that was not true at all. Twain showed us that Jim, a black slave, has a very simple mind but his mental was the same as human as anyone else. He thought things logically, based on the appearance of events. For example, when Jim said that “it was a sign it was going to rain” when Jim and Huck saw some young birds “flying a yard or tow at a time and lightning” (67.) The reason Jim was so sure about the rain was that he had learned from his experiences and he realized that young birds and young chickens were similar species; therefore, they must shared similar instinct about the change in the weather. I would say that Jim was pretty smart. I would be never understand or conclude something like he did in my life. I must be the stupid one here.
From my opinion, it looked like Twain wanted to make Jim a character that was challenging the society’s expectation about the black slave at that particular time. People ignored Jim because he was black, because he was a slave. No one would question why Twain put him on the same level as Huck, even mentor Huck in some ways about life. Jim was an old man. He was yearning for his freedom when he ran away from home. He was always trying to save money so that he could buy himself out and his wife and his children. Huck was a white kid. He was an orphan even though his father was still alive. He was brought up poorly. Huck would be considered as low as Jim. However, Jim didn’t look at Huck that way. For Jim, Huck was white, and that was proved by the way Jim treated Huck as superior. Moreover, during their escape, Jim considered Huck a close person, such as his son by protecting and caring for him all the time. Jim devoted himself to Huck in every situation. He was always grateful about Huck being nice and helped him during several difficult situations. Every time they got separated and then reunited, Jim always showed his emotion toward Huck. Like when they met again after their raft got hit by a big steamboat, Jim “nearly cried, he was so glad” (120.)
There were some controversies about whether Jim was a minstrel. Initially, a minstrel was a servant who would sing and dance to entertain his owner. I don’t think that Jim was a minstrel at all. Most of the time being with Huck, Jim was pretty much controlled by others, including Huck, a little boy. Why did he let others do that to him? Did he do so to entertain them? Actually, he didn’t entertain any of them. Twain put Jim in several situations to present the bitter reality in society at that time. Remember when the king and the duke printed out some fliers portrayed Jim as a wanted runaway nigger and had him all tied up while they were away conning people. He let them did that in order for them all traveled safely during the daytime as he also wanted to hurry to the free land. Or another time, the duke “dressed Jim up in King Lear’s outfit… painted Jim’s face and hands and ears and neck all over a dead dull solid blue, like a man that’s been drowned nine days (155.) Jim was even satisfied with their instruction because he didn’t want to become their burden. Jim also believed Huck indefinitely as one of his nature of believing in people. Under his skin, Jim was equally a white person as Huck realized “he was white inside” (249) after Huck and Tom rescued and set Jim free.
There is a double consciousness in Jim. From his appearance, people were making assumption of him as being lazy, stupid and somewhat dangerous, not to be around the “white” society. However, inside Jim, another human being who showed concerns, sincerity and gratefulness toward others. Like when Tom was injured while rescuing Jim free, Jim didn’t run away when the old doctor would leave Tom by himself on the isolated island for help. If anyone appeared to be the runaway slave in that case, he would just abandoned Tom and left for his freedom rather than helping and risking being arrested again.
It was really interesting to read about Jim character in this story. Twain seemed to tell the “white class” people to give more respects and some considerations toward the black slaves in their live. Jim was the same human as everyone else and he should be treated equally. From this book, I believe that Twain wanted to send a message to everyone that human beings are the same no matter how different they look and that their consciousness is the most important and valuable.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Blog 8
My topic for essay 4 would be topic # 2. It is about Jim character. Jim is a stereotype of the southern slave at that time. He is a minstrel through his adventures with Huck.
My points would be:
1. Jim is stereotyped as a normal slave at that time such as uneducated, honest, and superstitious.
2. He is minstrel because he lets others make him, change him into another character to fit with the certain occasions.
3. Jim has a double consciousness.
4. Jim would become loyal to whoever understands him and trusts him.
My points would be:
1. Jim is stereotyped as a normal slave at that time such as uneducated, honest, and superstitious.
2. He is minstrel because he lets others make him, change him into another character to fit with the certain occasions.
3. Jim has a double consciousness.
4. Jim would become loyal to whoever understands him and trusts him.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Blog 7
For me, I really don't understand the whole meaning of satire very much. According to Wikipedia website, satire is a literacy genre of form, usually it is found in the graphic and performance art. It could be funny, ridicule but its humor might depend on its target, its purpose. For an effective satire, the elements must be that it should sound funny, ridicule; the target would be some popular persons, events, or stories; its features are strong irony or sarcastism but exaggeration, juxtaposition. For example of satire, usually I would think of something about like Tina Fey acted like Sarah Palin during the Presidential Election period. Or something like other actors who mimicked "Tom Cruise's jumping on the couch" style. Anyway, I found this poem which is satire, I think it's really funny. But it does make sense when you read out loud, otherwise you would think it of inappropriate. http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/lit_terms/satire.html
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Blog 6
As I have read up to chapter 18, character Jim appears as a human being. He is a slave, uneducated person. He appears to be a mean black one but in fact he has a warm heart. He doesn’t want to be a slave anymore. He tries to save money to buy him out, to buy his wife and his children. He recognizes who he is and because of his social status differences in that society, he has to try very hard. Also, he is very stubborn in some areas like his opinions about King Solomon. His superstitions are just too much which cause him to become kind of a passive person. As a slave, he is very helpful in pairing with Huck in surviving on the raft while they run away.
Anyway, I don’t think Jim is a minstrel. He also doesn’t have a double consciousness. He knows who he is. All he wants to do is to be a free man, to be himself. He is the same human being as anyone else.
Anyway, I don’t think Jim is a minstrel. He also doesn’t have a double consciousness. He knows who he is. All he wants to do is to be a free man, to be himself. He is the same human being as anyone else.
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