Focus on the Relevant

"...never mind the fact that this American classic (written in 1884) depicts the spiritual kinship achieved between a white boy and a runaway slave, never mind the fact that the "n*****" Jim emerges as the novel's most honorable, decent character. "

By focusing on the center, one does not get
lost in the vast landscape

Many of us, including me, forget to focus on the main purpose of a work. Instead, we worry about the irrelevant details that carry little significance to the piece. As Kakutani mentions above, the relationship between Huck and Jim is one of the most important lessons from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, yet many critics focus solely on the words used to create this message. To some extent, I do this as well. Sometimes, I fail to recognize the main idea of a passage or article, which makes the knowledge that I gain from reading it useless. While focusing on the main idea of a literary work is important, many people fail to realize is that this concept can be applied to all aspects of our lives.

Meeting someone for the first time can be an enjoyable experience only if one ignores the other person's flaws. In terms of appearance, nobody looks perfect, and by ignoring looks we can focus on the more important features that make someone significant, such as personality. Often, we meet someone with a "potty mouth" – someone who can't even say a sentence without swearing at least once. And often, these people use racial slurs unacceptable today. Now, while such words should never be used, the person saying them may not actually have cruel intentions.

Which brings me back to Kakutani's argument in "The Word Police". Censoring hundreds of possibly irritating words (not racial slurs) is not going to solve the real issues of prejudice in this world. So, in other words, let us make an effort to identify the underlying issues in society instead of labeling the irrelevant as significant.