Huckleberry Finn to Be Republished, Minus the "N Word" - Comments

Also the book is mainly for highschool and up, i've never really seen a middle school discuss this book, even if they take out the lanagua there is still the actual plot. The language in the book defines and upholds the plot, with out it the plot is shattered in places and younger kids won't get the full feel of what's happening

so far all the comments below to seem to want to stick to the original version, which I completely agree with, so far 10/10 people would rather stick with the original version then the "clean" version. Like many have said it takes off many allegories and also just takes away from the plot in general. The reader isn;t hit so hard with the affect people had in slaverly at the time and the list goes on.
The only real reason they have for changing it is for people's feelings! that's crazy to me! every book touches you in a different way, this one is just different and in a deeper way, but different is good. They shouldn't destroy such factors in such an amazing book.

The book was written in a time when the "n" word was in common usage and serves to emphasize the racism of the time period. Students don't need a "watered-down" version of a classic novel, or any novel. No one has the right to rewrite, or change, any person's story. The teachers need to get over their own discomfort instead of trying to act like an entire time period in history wasn't nearly as severe as it was. As for students "of-color" feeling offended, the majority of the people I know use that word constantly to refer to themselves and, while I still find it wrong, it is the way the novel was written. If someone is offended, they can legally choose not to partake in the lesson.

I can't believe they are legitimately doing that. If I've learned anything about literature over the years, it's that every single word has intent and meaning and weight. If Mark Twain wrote the book in a certain way, that's certainly how he intended it to be read. The use of language is intended to shock in this case and censoring it makes it juvenile. This isn't a story for children whose ears we have to cover from bad words, it is a piece of literature.

In doing that they're basically destroying the whole meaning of the book. Theyre trying to act like racism never happened in America. Next you know they'll be rewritting Anne franks diary without the holocaust.

This actually annoys me beyond belief. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is taught at a level in high school where students have had enough history classes to know that the context of the book fits the time period. They should be able to completely comprehend that "the N word" is part of the time period. I highly doubt that Twain sat down and said, "Hmm i wonder how I can offend people in 100 years?".

If a high school student is not mature enough to understand that much, then they shouldn't be in the grade level they're in.

Oh, good, someone wrote an article about this; I was about to, because this really frustrates me.
Those words are meant to shock people. They're meant to showcase the reality of that time. Because it's not just a story, it's a historical portrait with themes of social reform.
Replacing that word with slave won't erase the fact that people were called it. It'll simply take a part in erasing our, and future generations, knowledge of it.
If you take out those words, how are people going to see things like Huck's character developement away from racism, as he stops saying them? It messes up the book in a number of ways, like [b]asteroid[/b] said.

I'd be, and I am, disappointed with this professor Gribbens too -.-

This should absolutely [i]not[/i] happen. Mark Twain put those words in there for a reason. Whoever requested this change probably isn't aware that Twain worked extremely hard for a very long time to incorporate not only multiple dialects into one book, but correct versions of those dialects. His mastery of the vernacular in this book is absolutely phenomenal. Taking them out ruins his efforts.

I feel as though anyone who isn't old enough to be taught the context of the story and how slavery and racism are awful concepts should [i]not[/i] read this book.

I feel like it SHOULD make people uncomfortable personally- it's good that racism makes us feel uncomfortable, and we should talk about why and what's different between now and then.

I'm not sure how I feel about altering a timeless classic. When I moved to America, the English class I was placed in was finishing the book and I didn't notice many people feeling awkward. Perhaps it was because I was placed in an advanced class that everyone was more mature to the language in the book and understood that at the time it was written, that 'n' word was common. But, I can see how it would make some people uncomfortable.