Twain also said things that could be considered disparaging - although usually with some degree of jest - about Italians, French, Portuguese, Irish, etc.
I have native American, Portuguese, and Irish blood, and these things he wrote don't bother me, but ... that's me, I guess. - B. Clay Shannon
From: "Richey, Ms. Carolyn L" <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Tuesday, January 3, 2017 2:29 PM
Subject: Re: Reasons to quit (using the "N" word)
This is a side note to the original post regarding the comment that none of=
Twain's writings addresses the Nature vs. Nurture debate so prevalent in t=
he 19th century and after. In Pudd'nhead Wilson, he most definitely addres=
ses the nature/nurture discussion through Roxy's switching of the master's =
son and her own son. Her son is raised to be a despicable character and th=
e master's son was so damaged by his "nurturance" as a slave that when all =
was set right, he could not leave the kitchen. =20
Also, regarding the original topic of the N word, watch the old Disney movi=
e of Huck Finn where they substitute slave for the N word and the whole ide=
a of slavery seems like a romp in the park.
Carolyn Leutzinger Richey
Tarleton State University
Department of English and Languages
Office: OAG334
Box T-0-300
254-968-9511
[log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Twain Forum [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Scott Holmes
Sent: Tuesday, January 03, 2017 3:10 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Reasons to quit (using the "N" word)
Purely a technicality but Twain was in fact a racist in that he recognized =
distinctions between groups/populations of peoples and accepted both qualit=
ative and quantitative distinctions between them.
He may or may not have come to accept Native Americans as fully human but f=
or most of his writings they were on a par with African bushmen - also a ma=
ssively unfair and racist judgment call on his part. =C2=A0Twain was an Ori=
entalist, the accepted sociological theory of the day. It's unclear if his =
distinctions were made from a biological perspective or cultural. =C2=A0I c=
an't recall anything about the nature/nurture debate in Twain's writings.
--
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of
in your philosophy.
http://bscottholmes.com
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