10+1 Disney Songs

Be our guest in the wedding!

Come in, take a seat.

Kate and I are excited,

just can’t wait to be king.

In order to enter,

A big hat you must wear.

Go the distance, surprise us,

And make everyone stare.

It’s a small world I tell you,

Are the words of my wife,

I couldn’t be happier

With the circle of life.

She would sigh and repeat,

"Someday my prince will come,

But for strangers like me

This only happens to some."

But when you wish upon a star,

No matter what it is,

A dream is a wish your heart makes,

Your dream is the same as his.

So as Kate and Henry,

Prepare for a whole new world,

Some say they can you feel the love

Tonight, while others want to hurl.

"The Fog" Carl Sandburg

In Sandburg's poem "The Fog," the author uses literary devices such as tone, personification and structure to depict the fog's essence. Throughout the poem, the fog is portrayed as an insouciant character who "sits looking/over harbor and city [...] and then moves on." This depiction is reflected through Sandburg's nonchalant tone. The human and animal attributes given to the fog represent its essence as well. The character's arrival "on little cat feet" suggest the fog is meticulous and easily unnoticed. The fog then "sits on silent haunches" as he looks "over harbor and city." This personification represents once again to the fog's carefree character.

Likewise, the poem's structure depicts the fog's casual manner. The poem is divided into a couplet and a quatrain where each stanza is a sentence. The couplet describes the fog's apparition: "The fog comes/on little cat feet." It is a very concise statement made up of one syllable words. The enjambment between the lines create a smooth sentence which may allude to the "little cat feet's" behavior. The plain structure of this couplet alludes to the fog's simpleness . The quatrain, although also concise, has more enjambed lines and therefore creates a sense of continuity. This enjambment represents the monotony of the fog's actions: "It sits looking/over harbor and city/on silent haunches/and then moves on." Despite the conciseness of both stanzas, the couplet mainly represents the fog's simpleness while the quatrain depicts the monotony of the fog as it "sits," "looks" and "moves on."

Through the use of tone, personification and structure, Sandburg is able to represent the fog's light-hearted character. The authors nonchalant tone, the personification of the fog and the poem's structure allude to the fog and emphasize on it's way of being.

Litetary Terms For Ap Exam

Aphorism

· Original thought , spoken, or written in a laconic and memorable form

· Sutra Literature of India

Bombast

· Pretentious inflated speech or writing

· Victorian writers where masters of the bombastic (ex. Democracy in America written by Alexix de Tocqueville)

Cadence

· A beat or rhythm of poetry in a general sense

· Iambic pentameter

Dirge

· Song expressing mourning or grief, appropriate for a funeral

· Bye and Bye by Bob Dylan

Elegy

· Mournful melancholic poem, usually a funeral song that shows lament for the dead.

· Catullus Carmen 101- poem written by Catullus to his dead brother. It speaks of “mute ashes” which were the only remaining evidence of his brother’s body.

Doggerel

· Derogatory term for verse considered of little literary value

· Dr. Seuss

In medias res

· Narrative technique where a story begins either at midpoint or at the conclusion rather than at the beginning.

· The Odyssey, the war had been going on for seven years.

Plaint

· A poem or speech expressing sorrow

· A piteous plaint by Eugene Field

Subjunctive mood

· Verb mood typically used in a subordinate clause to express a wish, emotion, possibility, judgment, opinion, necessity, or action that has not yet occurred.

· Truth be told, Come what may, suffice to say, God save the Queen, I wish it were summer.

Morrison On Race

Race is like God. They were both created to generate a sense of security. In the interview with Charlie Rose, Morrison describes racial hierarchy as a "fantasy." She continues to affirm people permit race to exist because "it is safer to feel superior," and I totally agree. The only way to feel you're worth something is for there to be someone worse to compare to. It's kind of a logic issue: if there has to be light for there to be darkness, there has to be "inferior" for there to be "superior."

When Charlie Rose asks Morrison about Bacon's rebellion and it's importance, She describes it as "a kind of people's army that got together to overthrow the government." "The interesting thing," she says, "were the laws that were established after [...] because what they said was, any white can kill any black for any reason. So that poor whites, indentured whites, have a reason to have contempt and feel superior to the blacks." Racial division, Morrison adds, became "the theme of the states." In other words, race was created the moment when superiority became a skin color issue.

Morrison barely mentions Song of Salomon in the interview but the racial divison theme is present throughout her whole novel. In the beginning of the book, when the Dead family are out on their Sunday rides, Lena doubts whether black people could afford to have a summer house. Although the reasons why black people can't buy summer houses are economical, the fact that Lena believes no black can afford one implies that all blacks are poor, thus supporting the statement that blacks are inferior to whites. During the course of the novel, Guitar makes big deal about how Milkman, although a "negro," lives both the white and black life. The white life Guitar talks about consists of nice parties in Honore, a red haired girlfriend, and a house in Not Doctor Street. It is represented as the rich life, again implying that blacks are worst off just for being blacks.

But race is a two way street. White's who believe they're superior to blacks because of their skin color are racist. Blacks who hate whites for being white are racist as well. They're all fools, fighting for something that doesn't exist.

"Soft Fried Egg"

The anecdote I am about to tell and the topic I am going to discuss have one thing in common: Eggs.

Two eggs to be specific. One was fried, the other wasn't. You want to know why this egg never had the chance to turn it's dark-transparent slime into crispy white yolk surrounding? The answer is colors. You see, eggs tend to be very simple when it comes to colors. Ask anyone how many colors an egg has and they'll most likely say two. The reason why the un-fried egg ended up in the siphon is because it had one more color than it's supposed to.

Mom was at work and she had asked us to make dinner. Due to talent and time restrictions, I decided to make a basic tortilla española. Crack the first egg, crack the second egg, whoa. What the hell? Is that? No, no, no, no, no. There's an extra color in my egg! And that extra color is dark red. And red inside an egg can only mean one thing: blood. And blood can only mean: fetus. And fetus means that that egg I was just about to feed my sister and I was fertilized. More than that, it was in the process of becoming a chicken. I've kept a dead chicken inside an egg in my fridge for who knows how long. I refuse to eat eggs now. Eggs bother me.

There are actually a lot of reasons why eggs would bother someone, I've learned. Guitar for example, dislikes "soft fried eggs" because they look like white people. He actually has a thing against eggs in general because " a negro ain't never been no egg" (p.115). Actually, Guitar only hates eggs when a negro claims to be one. You might think this is absurd, but Guitar's got a point here: "Eggs is difficult, complicated. Fragile too. And white" (p.116). I find those very valid reasons for a "negro" not to be an egg. But there's something that doesn't make sense in all this Guitar. When Macon says he's a "soft fried egg" you get pissed off. But you've called him Milkman all your life, and as long as I know milk is white. So how come this doesn't bother you? I'll tell you why. You're not mad at Macon comparing himself to an egg. You used that to make a point you've been wanting to make for a very long time. Macon's not as poor as the rest of you "black folks." He's a wannabe white with that beach house and that ginger girlfriend. And while he's having the time of his life in that limbo between "Not Doctor Street" and "Southside," there are blacks being killed by whites. Milkman's ashamed of being black. That's why he said he was a "soft fried egg" and not a "crow" or a "baboon." He's one of those "racial Negroes," that's why you're mad at him. You more than anyone know it's not about milk or eggs. It's about what's going on in the real world. All people want are white things. "White eggs," "white tea bags," "white lifestyles." Bunch of racists huh?

Mock, Mock, Mock And A Little Bit Of Irony

I have to admit that until high school, I took literature for granted. I thought novels were just imagination on paper. As it turns out, they're much more than that. Throughout these years we've read some really dense texts which I truly believe (let's hope Mr. Durrance never reads this) are actually more complex than physics. At first, it was hard to grasp every significant detail the author threw at you. Mr. Tangen would show us something and I'd seriously doubt whether the author had really done it on purpose. As my bookshelf started growing, I realized I was making conclusions I wouldn't have made five years before.

If you had 8th grade Laura read Song of Salomon, and then asked her what her first impression of the novel was, she'd say something like: "I thought the book was cool because I had never read a book that began with a suicide."

I wouldn't say 8th grade Laura was wrong. It is a "cool" book after all. But her comment was definitely shallow. There's much more to this novel than just a suicide beginning. In her Foreword, Morrison states that the sentence "The North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance agent promised to fly from Mercy to the other side of Lake Superior at 3:00" was "designed to mock a journalistic style." This sentence doesn't stand alone. Throughout her novel, this unlike-Austen female author implements irony in order to mock certain aspects of society.

An easy one to catch appears on page four, where the narrator is explaining the whole Doctor, Not Doctor Street fuss. The first colored doctor happened to live and die on "Mains Avenue." Due to this, the street acquired the common name of "Doctor Street." It wasn't long before people changed their address to "Doctor Street" and send mail to this same place. However, "the city legislators, whose concern for appropriate names and the maintenance of the city's landmarks was the principal part of their political life, saw to it that "Doctor Street" was never used in any official capacity." For all of you greedy politicians who focus mainly on insignificant details like street names and ignore real problems like starvation and violence, you're being laughed at. Thumbs up to that.

But don't worry, you're not alone. It wasn't long enough before Morrison picked a next victim: jobs and roles in society. In chapter one, the author lets us know Macon Dead owned and rented houses. However, she confesses he owned mostly "shacks" and only four "real houses." His "office", or what he thought of as his office, was and would always be remembered as "Sonny's Shop." Macon had painted the word "OFFICE" on the door but hadn't bothered to scrape the last owner's name off since "he couldn't scrape it off anybody's mind" (p. 17). I don't know how you feel about this, but to me, this sounds like an awful job. Nevertheless, Mr. Dead loved to show off that dreamy lifestyle wanted by so many other colored folks.

The last aspect I'm going to discuss, and probably the most recurrent, is family. Morrison mocks that happy family image which we're expected to follow through the greatly disturbed Dead family. I'd like to start off with Macon Jr. and his mom's fishy relationship. The story behind "Milkman" says it all. The second thing to highlight is the lack of love and excess of hate that exists in this family. Whenever Macon thought of his wife, his emotions were "coated with disgust" (p.16). He had wanted a son for fifteen years, but once he did, he felt bitter about it. Ruth and Macon's daughters, Magdalene and Corinthias didn't seem to have a healthy relationship with their mother. When Macon Jr. stopped his father from hitting his mom, his sisters looked at him with hatred. And even though it is more than obvious that this family is dysfunctional, they insist on taking rides on Sunday afternoons. They drive around, looking at lake houses, pretending everything between them is all right, showing others what they want to see: a family that spends "quality time" together.

The suicide was an innovating way to start the novel but Morrison's mocking abilities and overdose of irony were exceptional ways of causing a first impression.

In His Shoes

I had the strangest dream the other night. I was on a ship for one minute but then I wasn't. You know how weird dreams can be... Anyways, I can't really remember where I was or who I was with, all I can recall is that there were three pairs of shoes on the floor. I tried the closest pair on. As I was tying my right shoe, I looked up and realized I was in an unknown place. I did, however recognize a few faces. Where had I seen them, I began to wonder. That's when it hit me. I knew them from my History textbook! I stood up and everything seemed smaller than I imagined. I was Abraham Lincoln. "Are you all-right Mr. President?," I heard someone ask. I nodded and sat down. Instantly, something changed and I was no longer conscious of the soul change I had just experienced. It felt like I had been the sixteenth president of the United States all my life. I remember saying "fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal," and actually believing it. I was aware of slavery and wanted to fight against it, but I knew that first, I had to get the Union back together. Then I don't remember exactly how it happened but for some reason I started trying another pair of shoes on. My beard was gone, but I was still tall. I was more built than before actually. "Those inferiors serve no purpose!" I heard myself saying. It is now that I realize how awful that makes me seem. But when I said it it seemed totally fine. I really did see myself as superior. I looked at all those natives and thanked God I had been born in Europe. Suddenly my body started rocking from one side to the other. I looked at my feet and had the third pair of shoes on. I was on that ship again, the one from the beginning. Some men were surrounding me and I was telling a story. I was talking about how misguided the task of civilizing natives is. I thought it was wrong not because it was unmoral, but because I found it useless. I never thought those savages could learn anything and therefore found it to be a hopeless project. I woke up with The Heart of Darkness resting on my chest. I began to think about the different existing perspectives on colonization and equality. Sounds like blog material, I thought.

Yes, We Live In Trees.

Sometimes people say stupid things. I never thought I would say this but it’s not their fault. I blame imperialism for their stupidity. Imperialism is the reason why people write Colombia with a “U” and ask if we live on rainforests. Once people are taught they are superior, it is hard for them to realize they are not the only ones who live in cities and eat McDonalds.

We see a similar thing happening in The Heart of Darkness, where Marlow compares his experience in Africa to traveling back to "prehistoric earth." For some time, he has to travel with cannibals. Surprised, he remarks: "And, after all, they did not eat each other before my face" (PDF). For your information Mr. Marlow, and all of you out there who think cannibals eat each other, they don't. If they did, then they wouldn't live in groups. Otherwise, they would always be in danger and it would just be stupid. People seem to live without thinking. Marlow thinks the native people in Africa are prehistoric because imperialism has taught him so. This is a statement he has never questioned. Thankfully, in The Heart of Darkness, the cannibals prove to remain calm and obedient in times of struggle while the pilgrims, on the other hand react violently. Through the ironic behavior of these two groups of humans, Conrad criticizes how hypocritical and poorly sustained imperialism ideas can be. How’s that for “prehistoric”?

Equals?

In The Heart of Darkness, an obscure side of European colonization is exposed. One of the most shocking occurrences that are seen throughout the novel is the mistreatment of humans towards other humans. This is not the first time we read about human's cruel treatments. As a matter of fact, this topic has been present through most of history. It's interesting to see the variety of opinions on the subject. Those who believe all men are created equal, may have had ancestors who thought they were superior to other human beings. There are those who still believe their skin color reflects their status, and men who still hold women responsible for the sex of their child. Biology however, insinuates another reality which eliminates the validity of these affirmations.

Many texts focus on the equality of men. The Declaration of Independence, where Thomas Jefferson so expressively writes: "we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," is the most evident example. Nevertheless, it's hard to acclaim this renowned piece of work when it's author wrote one thing but lived another, praised liberty but owned slaves. The idea of human equality is very romantic but also highly unrealistic.

Life is a competition and our main purpose is to survive. No, we are not born equal. We do not have the same skin or eye or hair colors. Some are smart, some are athletic, some are both, unfortunate ones are neither. We aren't born with the same opportunities or beliefs. If we were, then who would survive and who wouldn't?

Jefferson's utopic ideals can't explain this. Biology, on the other hand can. In fact, biology not only explains human inequality. It also turns the story upside down. The "superior" ones slide down the status triangle and those "inferior" human beings now find themselves on top.

Let's begin with the typical example: light colored people are superior to dark skinned individuals. Most History textbooks are full with stories where Europeans colonized and killed Native American tribes. American history beholds slavery as the perfect example. It was okay to exterminate a whole population because they were inferior right? In comes biology with a different story at hand. Dr. Susan C. Taylor, a Harvard-trained physician speaks about the advantages of having a darker skin color. "Our skin is made up of three distinct layers: the epidermis, the dermis and the subcutaneous layer. The only visible layer, the epidermis, is composed mainly of keratinocytes-cells that provide a protective barrier to the skin." The epidermis also contains cells that produce melanin, the pigment which gives skin color. The more melanin you have in your skin, the darker tone you have. "Our melanin has many significant health as well as beauty benefits," Taylor adds. Some of these include a natural protection from the sun, less risks of skin cancer and guarding the skin from long term damage associated with aging like wrinkles and age spots. So according to biology, not only are dark skinned people are less common to suffer from the harmful effects of the sun, they preserve their young complexion for a longer time as well.

Another common belief proved wrong by biology has to do with women being responsible for the sex of their child. All those men who mistreated, killed or left their wives for having baby girls instead of boys have no one to blame but themselves. Humans have two sex chromosomes represented by the letters X and Y. Women have two X chromosomes and men have one X and one Y chromosome. When a man and a women produce an offspring, each one gives one of his/her chromosomes to the baby. Since women's two chromosomes are the same, they will always contribute an X. It is therefore on the male's hands whether or not the child is a male or a female.

Even if you don't consider one race being superior to another, or hold females or males responsible for a particular event, you should question yourself if everything you believe in can be supported by some sort of evidence. It's easy to create stereotypes and easier yet to believe in them. Once you do, the words you say about certain subjects stop being your own.

Romanticism In The Heart Of Darkness

In times of darkness, when cruel colonizations are taking place and humans are constantly mistreated and depicted as inferior, nature shines a light of hope.

The Heart of Darkness is without a doubt very obscure. But the nature descriptions provided in the novel give it a hint of romanticism and make all the darkness bearable. "The sea and sky welded together without a joint" (PDF) is probably one of my favorite. Another good one: "The day was ending in a serenity of still and exquisite brilliance. The sky without a speck was a benign inmensity of unstained light" (PDF). It's interesting to see how in the novel, nature is many times related to "light" while human doings are often accompanied by "darkness". It gives the impression that nature is trying to fight against evil acts driven by imperialism.

Dear Alan Gribben

Dear Alan Gribben,

If my intentions with The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn were for it to be massively read, I would've made Jim a vampire.

Sincerely, Mark Twain

Valentine's Special

For all you romantic day dreaming, cheesy gift loving, chick flick watchers out there who are looking for a happy ending play, be sure to check out The Cherry Orchard. Full of compassionate characters willing to do anything for each other, this play truly brings out the best in people. As you start reading, you'll realize everyone's concerned for Varya's happiness. They all know Lopahin's deeply in love with her so they try to get them engaged. Lopahin, being the shy fellow that he is doesn't have the guts to propose. As you keep turning the pages, you find yourself anxiously waiting for Varya to marry Lopahin, Lopahin to buy the Cherry Orchard and give it to Lybov as a present, and everyone to be rich again and live together HAPPILY EVER AFTER.

I wouldn't want to spoil the ending, so to finish off, I'll promise you one thing:

You know that feeling you get when you're watching C.S.I and you suddenly realize the killer has been X guy all along? By the end of Act III, you'll feel something similar.

So sit your lonely self on the couch, pick up the play and enjoy. Happy Valentines!

The Cherry Orchard

Some wood and leaves

And flowers and dirt that cannot move.

A thick trunk with many rings of life
Has seen it all,
Survived it all,

Has never changed,

Has lived forever.

The Cherry Orchard

Provided shade for the slaves,

Made young Lyubov happy with her flowers.

Reminds old Lyubov of the past.

And now the old mother must be cut.

She who has become a history book.

Her pages never to be read.

Never to be understood.

Literally

Meeting The Characters

Chekhov shows versus tells us what each character's role is in the play.

Below are the character's names, and a quotation which shows what kind of people they are.

Lopahin (a.k.a Yermolay Alexeyevitch): "I'm a rich man, but for all my money, come to think a peasant I was, and a peasant I am." (64) Lopahin seems to come from a poor background. Although he is currently rich, money hasn't changed his peasant ways.

Dunyasha: "You're a spoilt soft creature Dunyasha. And dressed like a lady too, and your hair done up. That's not the thing. One must know one's place." (64) We can infer Dunyasha has been a maid for many years. She may sometimes "forget what her place is," and make comments or actions a maid isn't supposed to have.

Lyubov Andreyevna (a.k.a Madame Ranevsky): In the past, when Lopahin had been hit by his father, Lyubov had helped him and said: "don't cry little peasant, it will be well in time for your birthday." (64) . She seems to be a kind, easy going woman. Later in the text, her brother mentions she "flings away her money." (p 77) From both quotations we can infer Lyubov likes helping others and believes everything will be solved in the future.

Epihodov: "Every day some misfortune befalls me. I don't complain. I'm used to it, and I wear a smiling face."(64) Ironically, as Epihodov says this, he complains. He doesn't seem to be the luckiest guy around.

Firs: "(sternly to Dunyasha) Girl! Where's the cream?" (69) Although he's a valet, he acts as if he was rich as he gives orders to the maid.

Anya: "I haven't slept all the journey, I was so anxious and worried!" (66) She worries more than her mother and acts like an adult.

Charlotta Ivanovna: "If I let you kiss my hand, you'll be wanting to kiss my elbow, and then my shoulder." (74) Very pre-cautious with men.

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Varya: "Just the same as ever, like a nun" (66) Her family pressures her to marry Lopahin. When her sister mentions it to her, she responds: "It's like a dream (in another tone) You have a new brooch like a bee." (68) As we can see, Varya didn't give much importance to the marriage topic. She seemed more interested in her sister's brooch.

Gaev (a.k.a Leonid Andreyevitch): "Everyone loves you and respects you... but, uncle dear, you must be silent... simply be silent." (78) Anya advices her uncle to be more prudent. Apparently, he talks too much about things that are better kept silent.

Semyonov-Pishtchik: "I never lose hope [...] something else will turn up again, if not today, tomorrow." (75) This landowner seems to be a very positive, hopeful man.

Other characters mentioned throughout the first Act:

Yasha: Lyubov's valet

Pyotr Seregeyevitch (a.k.a Petya): Grisha's tutor before he died. Lyubov mentions he grew old and ugly.

Gaevs aunt: Lady Catherine-like

Efimyushka, Polya, Yevstigney and Karp: old servants

Lyubov's husband died six years ago, and her seven year old son drowned a month later.

Things that must be mentioned:

Cherry blossoms as symbol: Regardless of the harsh climate, the cherry blossoms are still blooming. They were there in Lyubovs childhood. "Oh, my orchard! After the dark gloomy autum, and the cold winter; you are young again, and full of hapiness, the heavenly angels have never left you..." ( 75, 76) They symbolize hope. Although Lyubov's going through a hard time, the cherry orchard finds a way to "be young again, full of happiness".

The bookcase has a similar effect on Gaev as the cherry orchard does on his sister.

The cherry orchard must be sold to pay debts. The orchard has managed to create a great impact on the reader. Although we've just read one act, it makes me anxious to think they have to sell the cherry orchard.

Jim-like: Dunyasha cries because she broke a saucer. Vayra comforts her saying it brings good luck.

The characters are constantly asking for God and Jesus' help, but they don't seem to make the business their own. They just wait around for help that's probably not coming.

Appreciating African American Culture

The oldest records for human history are roughly five thousand years old. But in the ten years of social studies classes we take, we mostly see events that have occurred within a thousand years from today. Of course there are some events that weigh more than others. Historical events that have influenced the place where you live or that have occurred more recently are at the top of the priority list. Slavery is definitely one of those priority events. I can't think of a school year where we haven't discussed slavery, and there's only so much you can learn about one subject. But one subtopic I'll never get enough of is the influence African Americans had on American culture. I like this subject in particular because it's a form of hope. It demonstrates that something good can come out of something tragic.

I had to look at some videos on youtube before I understood what the blackface minstrelsy was about. I vaguely pictured white men making fun of black men's traditions and ways of being but I found something rather different. From my perspective, African American culture was being valued. The fact that white men took the time to learn African American songs and played them for entertainment shows interest on African American culture. Slaves were viewed as inferior human beings. Therefore, there culture and way of life was considered inferior too. But as I saw the youtube videos on black minstrelsy, I realized this wasn't the case. I think that when you consider something inferior, you feel ashamed of being a part of it. The popularity the minstrel shows gained demonstrates how willing Americans were in participating in African American culture. Whether the black minstrel shows valued or humiliated African Americans, they certainly gave importance to African American culture.

I'm With You, Dr. Chruchwell

If today a white person describes a black man as a "nigger", this term is considered pejorative and frowned upon. But if a black person says it to another black person, the degrading connotation is lost and "nigger" just becomes one more word in the slang dictionary.

The word "nigger" in Mark Twain's novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is supported by such a rich historical background, that censoring it would be like ignoring reality. As Dr. Sarah Churchwell mentions, "Twain's books are not just literary documents but historical documents, and that word is totemic because it encodes all of the violence of slavery." The book isn't even racist. If anything, the novel criticizes slavery through Huck's moral transformation.

Dr. Gribben states that "modern-day readers" (nice generalization) are repulsed by such "abusive racial insults" and observes that such a repulsion has caused "important works of literature to fall of curriculum lists worldwide." What these "modern-day readers and teachers who refuse to teach TAHF don't understand is that YOU ARE NOT BEING RACIST BY READING THE WORD NIGGER. Twain isn't even a racist for writing it! As Dr. Sarah Churchwell replies, "The fault lies with the teaching, not the book." If you can teach the Bible as a work of literature and not a religious piece, then you can teach Twain's novel as a historical related fiction where the word "nigger" just adds credibility to the story.

Some people lack an open mind. As Churchwell states, "the whole point of literature is to expose us to different ideas and different eras, and they won't always be nice and benign."I think that people like Dr. Gibben just don't know how to respond to racism. They're so scared of being racists themselves that without realizing it, they already are. Why do some people feel confident in describing others as skinny, fat, pale or brunett but shudder so much before saying "that black man"? Racism is a virus that feeds on pain. Dr. Gibben argues the word "nigger" "appears to gain rather than lose its impact" and states this as a reason to omitting the word from Twain's novel. But the amount of fear and attention this word gets is precisely what makes it grow so much. As long as we make "nigger" such a big deal, racism will remain.

So congratulations Dr. Gibben. Instead of contributing towards equality, you've just made the word "nigger" more racist than what it already was. And while you're at it, you might as well censor my blog too.