Learned a new word today

[MaddieM]

When I was writing my novel, The Open Doorway, I had a real struggle at times getting my mindset back 150 years. My main character comes from this century, so we can experience the Civil War and that time period through her eyes and through her struggles with it. But I still had to remember that societal etiquette and thought processes were sometimes a million miles away from how we are now. I also had to try not to gloss over certain historical incidences, such as Powell's beating up of the maid, Annie Ward, and the Burning Raid of Loudoun Valley. There was one section where we see the main character at Abraham Lincoln's birthday bash, where she witnesses these Victorian ladies and gentleman behaving like a particularly voracious mob at an 18 to 30 beanfeast! She's aghast that they can behave that way, and yet wouldn't be seen dead in the street without a hat or bonnet. And yet also, the world was not so changed in other aspects...particularly that of human nature. I learned so much writing that book. So much about that period, the war, the society etc, and all the little human tragedies and miracles inbetween.

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(06-26-2015 08:21 PM)Juan Marrero Wrote:  [quote='My Name Is Kate' pid='48980' dateline='1435356198']
Huckleberry Finn is banned from libraries (where have I been...)? That is an anti-slavery, anti-racist book. Mark Twain intentionally wrote it with an ironic tone to give it more power and make a greater impact on the reader. He hated slavery.

Is it because of the use of the n-word? Take that word out, and its impact is greatly diminished, IMO.

I wonder if banning HF has more to say about today's students than the book itself. There are a lot of schools with discipline problems and having to explain the context of the "n" word to a group of teenagers (regardless of race) might be just be too much bother for over-burdened teachers.

Every child in America knows that the "n" word will get you in more trouble than any other and it might well be confusing to discern when it is literature and when it is hate.

The class focus might end up being all on the "n" word and very little about the book. Think about it being the "f" word instead of the "n", what school would want it on the curriculum, especially dealing with irate parents. Educators, like everyone else, don't want to buy trouble and may figure that "To Kill a Mockingbird" is safer than HF and may accomplish the same reading goal.

Ridiculously, my daughter's eighth grade teacher got grief from several parents when it was announced that the kids would put on an abbreviated "Romeo and Juliet". One dad practically screamed that on no condition would his daughter kiss a boy on stage (even if it was a chaste kiss to a dead Romeo). Next year's choice is likely to be something very anodyne--maybe "Tela-tubies go shopping." Better to put the audience to sleep than deal with the angry parent.

Reminds of something that allegedly Stalin said about dealing with people: "lots of people, lots of problems; a few people, a few problems; no people, no problems." He had a dry wit, I suppose.

I struggled with using the N word in my novel, but I did, because it was part and parcel of the language at that time. I used it very sparingly, but with enough emphasis to get the point across.