University puts 'TRIGGER WARNING' for Mark Twain classic over character's use of N-word
EXETER, ENGLAND: Mark Twain's classic 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' was recently put under fire by a top university for several reasons, and the character's use of the N-word is one of them. The university put a 'trigger warning' on the classic that tells the story of a boy on a river journey and a Black man escaping slavery. The book has long been used as an example of anti-racist literature for generations by academics, up until now. The book is considered as a benchmark in American literature as novelists like Ernest Hemingway have claimed that all great American literature can be traced back to this masterpiece.
'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn', Mark Twain's sequel to 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer', follows young Huck Finn, on a river journey, and his friend Jim, a Black man escaping slavery. But according to the Exeter University staff, the representation of a slave is "problematic in a number of ways" which has prompted them to put a trigger warning on the same. The Times reported that the staff at the University believes it is "problematic in a number of ways, not least because of Huck's use of the N-word throughout the novel." The course directors on an American literature module at Exeter believe it to be "classic but contentious" and highlights the fact that it has "scenes of murder, violence and child abuse." They also said that the book can represent children in racist ideologies.
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Mark Twain's classic is under fire
The report claims that the book "can be read as an ingenious way of representing the indoctrination of children into racist ideologies." "You may wish to refer again to our policy on the use of the n-word in this module," the university stated. "Set in the pre-abolition south, it tells the story of a river journey undertaken by a White boy fleeing an abusive father and a Black man escaping slavery. Please be aware that this novel also features scenes of murder, violence, and child abuse."
The university further said that it would "discuss and debate the value of Twain’s novel" with the students in the module which would also include responses from audiences and critics.
The official synopsis of the book reads, "A nineteenth-century boy from a Mississippi River town recounts his adventures as he travels down the river with a runaway slave, encountering a family involved in a feud, two scoundrels pretending to be royalty, and Tom Sawyer’s aunt who mistakes him for Tom."