Dealing With The “N-Word” in Literature “The Problem We All Live With” Ruby Bridges, an African-American student being escorted to an all-white school.

Why To Kill a Mockingbird has Been Banned This novel uses the n-word 30 times Of Mice and Men has also been banned and uses the n-word 16 times The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has also been banned and uses the n-word 219 times (it also uses the i-word) Other controversial titles include The Invisible Man, The Help, The Color Purple, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings…and many more

So why do we continue to study this work in school? Lee’s classic points out flaws in society, in the judicial system and in individuals that are still relevant in today’s society It reflects an important part of History It is one of the best loved novels of all time The moral lessons and values that Harper pens are superior for her era Let’s examine the message of the following poem:

“Incident” Countee Cullen Once riding in old Baltimore, Why do you think the events described in the poem were the only thing he remembered from the summer? What does this poem teach? In what ways might a child’s prejudice be even more disturbing than an adult’s? What do you think the poem would have been like without the n-word? Can you substitute a different word? Once riding in old Baltimore, Heart-filled, head-filled with glee, I saw a Baltimorean Keep looking straight at me. Now I was eight and very small, And he was no whit bigger, And so I smiled, but he poked out His tongue, and called me, "Nigger." I saw the whole of Baltimore From May until December; Of all the things that happened there That's all that I remember.

Etymology of the N-Word The word originated as a term used in a neutral context to refer to black people, In the 18th century the word nigger was not always considered derogatory, because it then denoted "black-skinned", a common Anglophone usage During the fur trade of the early 1800s to the late 1840s in the Western United States, the word was spelled "niggur“ and was similar to the modern use of “dude” or “guy.” By the 1900s, nigger had become a derogatory term. In its stead, the term colored became the mainstream alternative to negro and its derived terms. By the late 1960s, the social progress achieved by the Civil Rights Movement (1955–68), had legitimized the racial identity word black as mainstream American English In the 90s, “black" was later displaced in favor of African American. Currently, some black Americans continue to use the word nigger, often spelled as nigga The appropriateness (or lack thereof) of this word is a hotly debated topic. Take a look at the two opposing views on the following slide:

Langston Hughes(poet) in The Big Sea (1940) wrote: “Used rightly or wrongly, ironically or seriously, of necessity for the sake of realism, or impishly for the sake of comedy, it doesn’t matter. Negroes do not like it in any book or play or whatsoever, be the book or play ever so sympathetic in its treatment of the basic problems of the race. Even though the book or play is written by a Negro, they still do not like it. The word nigger, you see, sums up for us who are colored all the bitter years of insult and struggle in America.” While Kevin Cato (NBA player) observes: For instance, a show on Black Entertainment Television, a cable network aimed at a black audience, described the word nigger as a "term of endearment." "In the African American community, the word nigga (not nigger) brings out feelings of pride" (Davis 1). Here the word evokes a sense of community and oneness among black people. Many teens I interviewed felt that the word had no power when used amongst friends, but when used among white people the word took on a completely different meaning. In fact, comedian Alex Thomas on BET stated, "I still better not hear no white boy say that to me... I hear a white boy say that to me, it means 'White boy, you gonna get your ass beat.'"

N-word in Pop Culture

So What Do You Think? This highly controversial word has been used in film, television, literature, poetry, essays, novels, music, social media, and children’s rhymes. Fast Write: In a one page double-spaced journal, respond to the following The Resolution: Be it resolved that the n-word be banned from all speech, literature and media.