The N-word in School Literature
A Read-Aloud is exactly what it sounds like; twice a week the teacher reads from a book and generates discussion from his or her notetaking students. Students could have talked endlessly about how their white student teacher repeatedly said the n-word, but that's not the kind of conversation I wanted to create. The text in question was the YA novel 47 by Walter Mosley, and it took place on a Southern plantation in 1832. I decided to pretend like the word wasn't even there. The first time I conducted a Read-Aloud this seemed natural, because the word wasn't used that often. It was usually used in front of an adjective, so that instead of reading that a slave was a stupid n I said that the slave was a stupid boy. I consulted with my aunt who is an English teacher at the high school I went to, a school with a mixed population. When I asked her if I did the right thing, she said that she does the same thing when she reads texts with the n-word, pretend like it's not even there.
However, during subsequent sessions, the n-word appeared more and more frequently. Now, I thought, it's going to be really obvious. My cooperating teacher, who is black, used to say the n-word whenever she came across it, and the students weren't phased in the least. When I explained my latest dilemma, she told me that I should substitute the n-word for negro.
Although negro seems like an offensive word to me, it's not nearly as offensive as the n-word, because the n-word originates from the slave trade. The word negro, on the other hand, is the color black in Spanish and Portuguese, so it's not strictly a derogatory name. However, the word is offensive enough for organizations such as The United Negro College Fund to stick with just using their acronym (UNCF). I was also pretty uncomfortable as a white person saying the word some ten odd times in front of mostly black students. Were they offended? I heard a gasp the first time I said it, but I'm not sure if it was related.
Reading works of historical fiction, where the author uses particular words for authenticity, creates a slippery slope. Do you say the word in respect of the text, or eliminate/substitute it in respect of the audience you're reading it to? If I come across this paradox in the future, and I'm certain of it, I will continue to eliminate it from the text. The n-word has no place being spoken by a white person in a classroom, especially in a junior high classroom.
Published by Kat V
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40 Comments
Post a CommentThanks for reminding us just how much pain such words and issues cause.
The same thing happened to me as I was reading Tom Sawyer aloud to my Jr. high class my first year of teaching. I did the same thing and substituted the word. Unfortunately, I was reading to a small class of mostly white and hispanic students. It surprised me when a few of the white students "informed" me that I skipped some words. I have since banned that book from my classroom.
Take a look see at my article on the controversy STILL surrounding "Huck Finn" - which is still being banned at various locations.
I agree, I think it should be left out of the text. The kids are going to ask questions if that word is used in a book in the classroom, It should be left up to the parents to teach their kids why that word shouldn't be used. Great article.
I have done a lot of research about this topic. You did an excellent job.
Thanks for your insights into this important topic. Excellent article!
very well written article
I know it has no place in everyday language, but I just described my personal experience with the word as a white person in a black community. I never read anything in school with the word in it, and until that incident, never had the unfortunate opportunity of having to say it. The word makes me very uncomfortable, but I'm not a member of the PC police. I've just never known of a word with as much potential for hate.
You wrote: The n-word has no place being spoken by a white person in a classroom, especially in a junior high classroom.
Personally in everyday language it has no sense being spoken by anyone...it doesn't matter if you are white or black. My mother and maybe your parents took action in the civil rights movement (and she's white) so that word is humans not understanding what happened in the past.
However, Mosley set his novel in 1832, at a time when the word was more acceptable.He was trying to capture the black experience as it was in 1832. Unfortunately, that is the way it was. That doesn't make it more comfortable per se, but try to remember the context ofthe novel.
If the students are reading the text along with you while you read it, then they really have no reason to be offended, as it's there in front of them. If they are offended, they should take that up with Walter Mosley...
Very well written! My sister called me because her daughter's was upset because they had to read a book that used that word. I bet it was a Mark Twain one. I think if you make a big deal about it, it then becomes a big deal. I think you handled it very well!