Censoring the "n" word from huck finn

What are your thoughts of censoring the "n" word from huck finn? I personally think its altering history and completely 1984esque

i could care less i read the uncensored version a week ago for school it didnt bother me or the black people in my class

it just came from southerners not pronouncing negro right so it just means black person

good luck

Seems pretty Orwellian to me.

If life were like Grand Theft Auto and political correctness were a hooker, I'd blast her away with a machine gun and get my money back. Then fly off in a jet.

Why Censor the N Word at all? Hehehe, N word. We refer to as "N word"

This topic just reminds me of this.

Well, to be fair, it seems only to be the one publisher that's chosen to censor their print of the book. There's nothing wrong with choice in a free market, and people who don't want to buy from NewSouth Books (affiliate of Black Belt Press and founded in Alabama, if that means anything) don't have to.

It shouldn't be done... PC will be our downfall

It pisses me off. Freedom of speech people, freedom of speech. I'm glad I've got a real copy before they decide to try that crap.Brozekial

I see what you mean, though - there should be some protection guaranteed to prevent works of literature being altered willy nilly. At the moment, a copyright on a work of literature has a limited lifespan (for new books, that's the author's lifetime + 70 years). There is a special exclusion system of perpetual copyright, occaionally granted in Britain to prevent corruption of important works (The King James version of the Bible carries such a perpetual copyright), but this was apparently deemed unconstitutional in the USA.

Oddly enough, it seems like the only solution to the freedom of speech issue you're talking about here is to extend copyright restrictions.

It's a sad day...people have really gone nuts with this PC nonsense. I am all for equality, but whats happening now isn't it...it's just the reverse. Worse yet, people aren't looking at things logically anymore. They aren't taking into account the history of the book or the content...they see one word and react from a totally emotional point of view.

I see this happening in many areas of our society. The more we allow reaction and emotion to dictate our society instead of reason and understanding, the further we will fall.

The bottom line for me is we are not doing our children any good by sheltering them from our past, in fact I believe this is a disservice and those who would do so should be ashamed.

Words can't be offensive. Its the reason why the word is used that causes offence.

Censoring it is stupid

I'm ok with it if its being censored for a specific age group.

I'm ok with it if its being censored for a specific age group.

Console_Gamer93

You mean the age group that shouldn't be reading it in the first place? It's not a book for children.

I guess you could make an abridged version with all the violence taken out as well, but it wouldn't be the same book at that point.

[QUOTE="Console_Gamer93"]

I'm ok with it if its being censored for a specific age group.

Cherokee_Jack

You mean the age group that shouldn't be reading it in the first place? It's not a book for children.

I guess you could make an abridged version with all the violence taken out as well, but it wouldn't be the same book at that point.

Sure it is.. I read it in Middle School (hated it too, I do not like Mark Twain's writing style), its a important historical piece..

[QUOTE="Cherokee_Jack"]

[QUOTE="Console_Gamer93"]

I'm ok with it if its being censored for a specific age group.

sSubZerOo

You mean the age group that shouldn't be reading it in the first place? It's not a book for children.

I guess you could make an abridged version with all the violence taken out as well, but it wouldn't be the same book at that point.

Sure it is.. I read it in Middle School (hated it too, I do not like Mark Twain's writing style), its a important historical piece..

[QUOTE="sSubZerOo"]

[QUOTE="Cherokee_Jack"]

You mean the age group that shouldn't be reading it in the first place? It's not a book for children.

I guess you could make an abridged version with all the violence taken out as well, but it wouldn't be the same book at that point.

LJS9502_basic

Sure it is.. I read it in Middle School (hated it too, I do not like Mark Twain's writing style), its a important historical piece..

Children he stated children.. Middle School is the earliest really be expected to do it based on the reading level you need to comprehend the book.

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"][QUOTE="sSubZerOo"]

Sure it is.. I read it in Middle School (hated it too, I do not like Mark Twain's writing style), its a important historical piece..

sSubZerOo

Children he stated children.. Middle School is the earliest really be expected to do it based on the reading level you need to comprehend the book.

I read some great books in middle school...I wonder if they are still allowed to read Grendel by John Gardner? I remember there was some really gory parts and even some sexually explicit stuff as well. Great book though and glad I read it when I did, that book has stuck with me for a long time and I have even re-read as an adult many times.

[QUOTE="sSubZerOo"]

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"] Middle school isn't exactly too young for the book....LJS9502_basic

Children he stated children.. Middle School is the earliest really be expected to do it based on the reading level you need to comprehend the book.

.....Thats great because I said from the beginning..

I don't see the point in censoring that word in the book. I mean c'mon, chances are they've heard the word long before they read the book.

My English teacher back in the day tried to make us "self censor" when reading a chapter out loud in class.... it didn't work (not for me anyway). I told her I would read the book as written, not any other way. not like anyone in the class could get offended, since it was 15 middle-class white kids in suburban NH.... (hillariously I was never called on to read again, despite volunteering to do so)

[QUOTE="LJS9502_basic"][QUOTE="sSubZerOo"]

Children he stated children.. Middle School is the earliest really be expected to do it based on the reading level you need to comprehend the book.

sSubZerOo

.....Thats great because I said from the beginning..

[QUOTE="Cherokee_Jack"]

[QUOTE="Console_Gamer93"]

I'm ok with it if its being censored for a specific age group.

sSubZerOo

You mean the age group that shouldn't be reading it in the first place? It's not a book for children.

I guess you could make an abridged version with all the violence taken out as well, but it wouldn't be the same book at that point.

Sure it is.. I read it in Middle School (hated it too, I do not like Mark Twain's writing style), its a important historical piece..

I think most kids these days know all these words by the age of 5.

If I happen to buy a copy of the "censored" book, is it stated anywhere in the book what changes were actually made?

I don't think anybody should go back and edit "bad words" out of a classic book. It takes away from the original flavor.

I think that's a bad thing. If anything, that provides some context of the time in which it was written. It allows people to reflect on how society was back then and now.