Changing the language changes a classic

Has political correctness reached a new low?
In my opinion, yes.
Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been re-worked, removing certain derogatory language.
While not condoning the use of derogatory language, I also simply cannot condone making changes to a classic.
Publisher NewSouth Books is getting a barrage of criticism for their decision to remove the term, hit with attacks like censorship and literary vandalism.
Arguments for the removal of the language come from educators who are unsure of having language like that in their classrooms. This is a valid argument. A student in an elementary or junior high age range might not have the maturity to handle the serious side of derogatory language like that. But, why change a classic? Why remove language that is in place in a literary classic?
Why not remove the book from the classroom? If the decision is made that the language is not okay for an educational setting I see no harm in removing it from a school’s library. I would do that before ever considering changing a classic novel.
There are millions of books in the world, many with derogatory language in it. Those aren’t up for being reworked to become more politically correct and sensitive for our children’s reading pleasures.
What will be next? Will To Kill a Mockingbird be changed so that Atticus Finch isn’t representing a black man on trial for raping a white woman? Will Boo Radley be the neighbour that’s just “a little different?”
What about Shakespeare? If students can’t handle derogatory language which was used in the day, how can one be expected to read works by Shakespeare outlining death, murders and infidelity?
As a writer, nowhere near the talented Mark Twain or Shakespeare, but still a writer, I would be absolutely mortified if someone suggested changing my work to share with a targeted audience. When writing, one knows what they are doing. Slight changes, even as small as removing two words, can completely change the tone of a piece.
Which, in my opinion, removing the language from Huckleberry Finn will do.
I cannot imagine reading the book with the language left in has caused any real harm to any of the students. If done correctly and explained why the language is not for everyday use then and there when it is stumbled upon, it can act as a lesson, more than something people seem to think will scar their children.
In the end, I cannot support the decision to change the language. Huckleberry Finn is a classic. Any changes made to it will be changes made to history itself.
If the language is too much for class, choose another book. Although, if children are exposed to such language in a classroom setting, perhaps they will be better aware of what using derogatory terms can do instead of picking it up on television, in music, or even in their homes, because let’s be honest, the terms are still very much a part of our language.
Abby Cameron