I think literary texts should keep their authentic language, even if it includes offensive terms. As an African living in United state for 4 years now, reading stories like” A Good Man is Hard to Find” gives me a deeper understanding of what Black people were going through during that time in America. Even though some of the words in the text hurt me as a Black person. I feel like they help me connect with the reality of the struggles and injustices faced by Black communities back then. It’s painful, but it also feels important to see the truth of how things were, and recognize the changes that have happened since then.
For me, preserving the original language helps us understand history better—the good and the bad. It shows us the mindset of the people living in that era and helps explain why society was the way it was. Changing or erasing those words might make the story less impactful because it takes away the raw honesty of the time period.
I know not everyone feels the same way, and I respect that. Offensive language can be hard to read, especially for people who’ve experienced racism or discrimination. But I think keeping the authentic language allows us to have meaningful conversations about the past and learn from it. For me, it’s not just about the story—it’s about understanding the history behind it and seeing how far we’ve come
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3 thoughts on “week#9”
Hello Fatim, I agree with the fact that literary texts should keep their authentic language. My humble opinion is that we should not take what’s written in literature personally or as a personal attack. I do get point of you saying that it is indeed extremely unpleasant for some people to read it. Some probably would even say how would I understand that because I’m white. What I am saying is I would not take it personally if a writer of literary text decides to use something like “trailer park white trash” when describing white people, I do not project it to myself. But once again that is just my humble opinion.
Liutciia, you don’t have to apologize for your opinion. You are very respectful in your response here, and this forum encourages the sharing of opinions. I don’t feel that you have to be so humble about it. (But that’s just my humble opinion).
Fatim, you say so many good things in the post; for example, your comments about learning about history by reading uncensored stories from different eras; getting a better understanding of what discriminated people went through, and trying to learn from the past.