[SWTXBelle]

Context is everything.

Mark Twain was making a very important point with "Huckleberry Finn" - Jim is the most honorable character in the book, a fact which finally convinces Huckleberry Finn to turn his back on everything his society has taught him because he has come to see Jim as a man, and not as a slave, or n_______. The use of the disputed word to refer to Jim stands in stark contrast to the character we see presented as Twain shows us Huckleberry Finn's epiphany. Twain held up a mirror to his society, and if what he shows was unpleasant or painful - good. That's what good literature does - it makes you think. In the hands of a skillful teacher "Huckleberry Finn" can be an incredible experience. I'd rather a teacher or school decide not to teach it than sanitize it in some attempt to "protect" the students.

As to "To Kill A Mockingbird" - are they going to take "n________ "out of it, too? I taught "TKAM" for the first time to 8th graders this year, and when they heard the word in the movie they reacted as though they had been slapped - which lead to some really great discussions on the use of the word, and what it says about those who use it.