This issue rears its stubborn head every few years and I don't have much to say about it other than we all know the word. I read Huckleberry Finn when I was 11 years old and even though I was not the most enlightened youth I knew instinctively what Mark Twain was trying to do. I was more shocked by the way Jim was treated than by the word used to describe him - if you read the book you will know Jim and the word. And if you haven't read it - it's time you did.
If the new publisher of this book thinks they are "protecting" the youth of today from being exposed to the ugly truth that history reveals they better think twice. There are millions of copies of this book in print that are not going anywhere. And with the advent of new technology anyone can download the original version in mere seconds like I just did.
I suppose if this new version makes the book accessible to more young readers then perhaps it is not all bad. I personally think most readers can handle the fact that the book was written in another time and dialect. It has been said that there is no such thing as bad publicity so ultimately this recurring controversy only serves to promote more interest in this book which has been in circulation for over 100 years.
Mark Twain was no fool. He once said "Never let your schooling interfere with your education." I think any schools that choose to teach from the new expurgated version will be guilty of doing just that. I listened to a live radio show recently where they discussed this issue and took listeners calls. There were many comments but the best one was from a 10 year old girl who said she felt she should be allowed to read the book in the same way her father and grandfather did. Smart girl...
And now just to bring the matter up to date - here is another little digital donut for ya. You remember Dire Straits song "Money for Nothin'" don't you? It was a huge hit on radio and MTV and has become a mainstay of popular music. Well, the CBSC (Canadian Broadcast Standards Council) has just seen fit to ban this song from the Canadian airwaves due to the inclusion of an offensive word. I won't tell you what the word is - if you don't know you can find out for yourself. But not on the radio. Maybe they should just have the offensive word changed to "clampett" like Weird Al did in his satirical version which can be seen in the video below. Enjoy - and y'all come back now, hear?
3 comments:
I think I'll side with the bad guys on this one. If I were in a class and was forced to read the F-word for example, it would make me feel uncomfortable. If the schools educate correctly, the children should be made aware that this is an edited version of an original book written long ago before we knew that certain words were degrading.
The option still remains to read the original version on their own time, should any one so desire. But thrown into a group setting where one might be afraid to show their discomfort, it may be best to teach the watered down version.
A great work of literature it is and always will be but we are more educated than our forefathers, therefore I am in support of the edited version for school use.
I think it is totally off the wall...
I grew up and heard many "bad" words...heard them all in fact...BUT..I was taught "at home" right from wrong and how to use others with respect and just because "those" words existed...did not give us the right to follow suit and use them....
children learn from example from day one (which in my opinion is from parents)...
to this day I read novels etc. and see words that I may not like or use but they are there none the less...that is the way it is.
something written in another era is in the past ..and people must be educated to know the difference and be able to convey to younger generations how it once was ..be it right or wrong...it IS the way it WAS..! if children are taught to recognize the word in it's context of the era then what is the problem ?
Jacqui
I agree with Jacqui. And what is that old saying about "Those
who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." I think it might apply. Why not let youngsters know how it was compared to how it is and why....And don't tell me those little ears aren't hearing the N word is many of the "so called" songs they download.
Sandy
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