Huckleberry Finn

Last year we blogged several times about how political correctness had overtaken common sense in the classroom. How book publishers were changing references in historic novels to accommodate the perceived sensibilities of readers who were purportedly offended.

Now comes word that Auburn University Professor Alan Gribben has produced  versions of Mark Twain's literary masterpieces Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer--without the words nigger or injun.

Professor Gribben says he was uncomfortable saying those words when he was teaching the book. Aw. I'm sorry the good professor was uncomfortable. But guess what? When you're teaching there are things that will make you uncomfortable. It goes with the job. If you teach The Diary of Anne Frank are you going to pretend that the Nazis were Harley owners and only wanted to take Anne and her family to the annual Sturgis Rally in South Dakota? If you teach your kids about sex are you going to say that daddy gives mommy a candy bar and a baby grows in her stomach?

Who would dare re-write this guy?

Teaching is tough work. Trust me, I used to do it. It takes a tough person to overcome that discomfort and give a student, a child, a player or anyone else a lesson that will last a lifetime. Huckleberry Finn was the first real book I had ever read. I was 16. It changed my life and made me a lifetime reader and writer. Because for the first time I learned that words had meanings and consequences. If a teacher hides a word from a student, it has no meaning for that student. And if it has no meaning, there are no consequences to using it.

Perhaps Prof. Gribben doesn't have what it takes to stand up in a classroom. Maybe he and his mates ought to find another line of work.

Just thought you might like to know.