I'm sure you've heard about the latest edition of a certain Mark Twain classic. You know, the one that has had certain offensive words removed from it. It's been all over the news and internet, and a lot of people are upset about it. In case you couldn't tell already, I'm one of those upset people.
I can understand why someone would choose to make this edit happen. By eliminating the 'n' word he hopes to keep the book from being banned in various schools across the country. This Twain scholar is hoping to get Twain read by more people. I just have several problems with his approach to the problem.
First, I want you to think about why Twain wrote. He wanted to open the minds of the people who read his work. He wanted to speak about specific issues of his time and world. Twain also wanted to record the words and stories of the people he encountered. He did not use the 'n' word out of spite or prejudice. He was reflecting the language of his time.
Next, let's consider history. A very famous quote by George Santayana. "Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it." Why are we trying to deny this was a part of our history. I know it's bad, but if you want to complain about it, go watch Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind again. Ignoring the problem doesn't make it go away.
One more point point before I wrap this up: Mark Twain would have ridiculed anyone who tried to mess with his work. Not only ridiculed but publicly humiliated over and over again. Twain was a man who knew how to use words to his advantage. I couldn't find a Twain quote that would work well with my rant, but I can hear one of the many Mark Twain impersonators (check out Hal Holbrook is one of the best and has done an annual show for 56 years) saying something like, "In my day, a man could write a book, and if another man didn't like it, he didn't have to read it."
Anyway, that's my opinion. It won't change the fact that the book is getting published right now. Maybe it will convince people to read the book that wouldn't have otherwise.
I'm black and I totally agree. I think the idea of removing the "N" word is actually more offensive. I think it's offensive to deny the fact that it was a bad time to be black in those days. That's why I enjoy the book. It was honest. It was an ugly time, but it did happen and it's stupid to deny that.
ReplyDelete-Mike