...street for cursing his name. After which the mob forms to lynch Sherburn and he gives his speech on cowardice. I believe this plays a very important role in the Authors main theme of the moral pubescence of the time. Generally speaking during this period in American history there was no law and order, for the most part crime was handled by the general public and it was usually handled by masked man lynching someone at night mainly out of fear for themselves because if they were to do it during the day everyone would see them and they could be killed for doing it, I think Twain is trying to convey to the reader that most people were scared. During this time there was no organized police force to help people; hence a lot of crimes went unpunished. In this passage Sherburn states, “Why don't your juries hang murderers? Because they're afraid the man's friends will shoot them in the back, in the dark” (Twain, 165). Sherburn refers to the lack of law and to the crowds own cowardice. This time of lawless society was accurately depicted in An Introduction to Policing, by J.S.Dempsey in his first chapter on early policing. “An 1840 New York newspaper reported: Destructive rascality stalks at large in our streets and public places, at all times of day and night, with none to make it afraid; mobs assemble deliberately. . . . In a word, lawless violence and fury have full dominion over us” (Dempsey, 10). Furthermore, the 19th Centuries were well influenced by the Judeo-Christian...
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...SAY IT AIN’T SO, HUCK: A SECOND LOOK AT MARK TWAIN’S “MASTERPIECE” Jane Smiley’s analysis gives a very controversial view on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn due to its subdued thoughts upon what is known to many as classical American literature. Her essay concerns other author’s inspections about the issues upon slavery, and how differently they are represented in other works of literature. Smiley makes her point known that although Huck Finn is what most view as a great novel; she disagrees and states that Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin is more useful as a tool to learn about the problems dealing with slavery. From the beginning to the end of the essay, Smiley’s initial intention to bringing Mark Twain’s novel into to spot light changes. Her essay that was supposed to support Mark Twain moves more interest upon Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and seems to have replaced the luster of Huck Finn completely. She also is under the impression that the character Jim, the runaway slave also Huck’s companion in all of their misadventures was treated so poorly that the the novel as a whole doesn’t stand as an attack on racism at all. Perhaps, she must of read a different book than I, or she maybe had a few too many glasses of wine whilst reading and became over sensitive to the situation. I wish she would have given examples on how Huck’s actions should have played out towards Jim that would make her feel like the novel did suffice. The fact that Huck had several opportunities...
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...Course Number and Title: American Literature 1 Number of Credits: 3 Instructor Name: Sos Bagramyan Email Address: sbagramyan@aua.am Telephone Number: 51 27 69 Office Location: Paramaz Avedisian Building, 132W Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 8am-9am Term/Year: Spring 2015 ENGL 120 – American Literature 1 This survey course introduces students to American literature from the beginning of European contact to the present, focusing on major authors and different literary genres. It examines the historical influences on the evolution of this body of literature and the construction of a distinct and complex American identity. Through close reading, class discussion and their own research and writing, students will explore how themes such as gender, race, class, spirituality, economics, and the environment play a role in the formation and evolution of the American experience Three hours of instructor-led class time per week. Required Materials: All readings are located in PDF format on our course’s Moodle page. Academic Integrity: All graded assignments must completed individually. Plagiarism is a serious offense, and any attempt to pass off another person's ideas and writings as your own will result in severe disciplinary measures, possibly expulsion from the university. This also applies to your Informal Responses, which should reflect your own understanding of the material and not simply repeat what I or your classmates have already said. Students are required...
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...“Life does not consist mainly – or even largely – of facts and happenings. It consists mainly of the storm of thoughts that is forever blowing through one’s head” states Mark Twain in his autobiography (Twain, Wit 78). Twain certainly had a “storm of thoughts,” but he was able to eloquently and succinctly put those thoughts onto paper. Because he wrote a combination of fiction and nonfiction, it is difficult to categorize Mark Twain as an author. According to Neil Schmitz, Mark Twain was, “a southern humorist gone over, not just a deserter, a dissenter, but a literary scalawag, a southern writer in unionist discourse and narrative” (91). Most people recognize Twain’s brief, witty, straightforward proverbs that are often quoted today. He also wrote many novels, a few nonfiction books, a plethora of short stories, and essays. Mark Twain uses a variety of rhetorical devices including carefully chosen, colorful language, satirical tone, and unique symbolism to entertain and to enlighten his readers about the moral dilemmas and the beauty of the America he knew. According to Ernest Hemingway, all of American literature comes from one great book, Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain, Huck Finn vii). Although this statement may seem hyperbolic, it does indicate the important place Mark Twain holds in American literature. Early Nineteenth century American writers tended to try to write like English writers with flowery, ostentatious language (Schmitz 100). Twain’s...
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...The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain By Brenda Tarin British Literature 2323 Lois Flanagan January 27, 2009 Tarin ii I. Introduction II. Biographical sketch of author A. Past to present B. Experiences and achievements III Plot analysis A. analysis of plot structure 1. Exposition 2. Complication 3. Crisis 4. Climax 5. Resolution B. Theme of plot IV Critical analysis A. Theme 1. Racism 2. Slavery C. Characters D. Atmosphere E. Conflicts V. Evaluation VI. Review of movie version VII. Conclusion Tarin 1 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Samuel Langhorne Clemens also known as the famous and brilliant Mark Twain, was born in the small town of Florida, Missouri on November 30, 1835 to John Marshall and Jane Lampton Clemens. Clemens was the youngest of the five children, as a child Clemens moved around a lot, he first moved to the small town of Hannibal at the age of four. Here he attended a private school and seemed to finally recover from his poor health at the age of nine. When he was twelve his father died of pneumonia, he suddenly decided to leave, and make money, since his family needed all the help they could get. He quit school and was a printers apprentice, then moved and helped his brother print and edit for a newspaper. In 1858 Clemens became a river pilot...
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...MWA: Huckleberry Finn Author, Title, Setting, Genre The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a satirical, Adventure fiction novel written by Mark Twain. The novel was first published in the United Kingdom in December 1884 and in the United States in February 1885. Though the timing of the publishing takes place some twenty years after the Civil War, the setting within the novel lies sometime between 1830-1840, where slavery is very much alive and thriving in the south, which Twain presents as Huck travels down the Mississippi River along Missouri, Illinois, and Arkansas. Twain aims to show the reader the inhumane and unnecessary racism that existed towards African American during his time. Summary The novel begins by Huckleberry Finn, who goes by Huck for short, giving the reader context as to how he in to his current position. We find out from him that he acquired quite a bit of money at the end of Twain’s previous novel, Tom Sawyer, and is on his way to becoming “civilized” by sisters Widow Douglas and Miss Watson. However, being good friends with Tom Sawyer makes this a difficult feat, as he is always coming up with the next great adventure for Huck, which includes pranking Miss Watson’s slave Jim. Huck’s father had been rumored to be long gone, for the better most would say, yet Huck has a feeling that he is still wandering around so he disposes all of his money over to Judge Thatcher. Huck’s gut feeling proves trustworthy, for Huck’s father “Pap” shows up...
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...Samuel Langhorne Clemens also known as “Mark Twain” was born on November 30, 1835 in Florida but was raised in Hannibal, Missouri. Son of John Marshall Clemens and Jane Lampton Clemens was the seventh child. His brother Orion, Henry, and his sister Pamela managed to survive through their childhood. The other three siblings died before they could reach the age of eleven. Margaret (1830 - 1839) died when Mark was only three and then three years later his brother Benjamin (1832 – 1842) died tragically. Mark’s other brother Pleasant (1828 – 1829) died after six months of being born. When Mark was four years old his family moved to the city Hannibal in Missouri also known as the “slave state” where he was raised. Also Mark noticed the institution of slavery, which was a topic he would use in his writing later in the future. Mark’s father John Marshall Clemens died on March 24, 1847 of pneumonia when he was 11. His father was a local judge and attorney. Soon after his father passed away he became a printers apprentice for a newspaper owned by his brother Orion. He would work on the Hannibal Journal as a typesetter. Later at the age of eighteen he left Hannibal, Missouri to work as a printer in New York City and other states. He also joined the union and studied in public libraries when he could and learning more in the libraries than he could at school. When he was twenty...
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...Essay Title: Analyse the language of the final chapter of ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ to show what is revealed about characters and themes Huckleberry Finn is an American Novel written by Mark Twain which was published in 1885. It is one of the first books ever to be written in dialect. In this essay, I will be specifically focussing on the final chapter of the novel and will be showing how the language reveals key points about the characters and themes. Throughout the novel, Jim is constantly referred to as a ‘nigger’. However Huckleberry calls him by his real name, Jim. This shows how Huckleberry values Jim more as a person compared to other people. It shows how spending all this time together has made a special connection and bond between them. Jim has been a father figure to Huckleberry as well as a friend for the whole journey and it plays a powerful role in the novel. In the final chapter, it is very clear to see that Tom Sawyer is an imaginative individual who is adventurous, and is obsessed with wild plans taken from the plots of adventure novels. This is shown when Huck says “And then Tom he talked along and talked along, and says le’s all three slide out of here one of these nights and get an outfit, and go for howling adventures amongst the Injuns…” The use of the adjective ‘howling’ when describing the adventures shows how wild Tom is as a person and a character in the novel. He wants to experience the extreme and nothing less. It is obvious to us that...
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...Analysis of Huckleberry Finn Samuel L. Clemens, also known as Mark Twain, was one of the first American writers to truly express realism in his writing. (A&E) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published in 1884 and quickly became a novel of controversy for its intense language. (A&E) The novel is about a young white boy and runaway slave who take on the Mississippi River and experience a wide variety of adventures. Along the way Huck finds himself fighting an internal battle of his morals vs. his conscience. According to Gemma Marshall not only was it a controversially themed book based on race, but a story of a young boy’s battle within himself to join society or follow his heart in the matters of black people. After reading the novel, I found myself drawn to Huck and his internal struggle. I found it to be a novel that can overwhelm you with different emotions that sneak up on you. Huckleberry Finn is about a young white boy named Huck and a runaway slave named Jim who travel on the Mississippi River seeking freedom. You can quickly see Huck’s contempt for a civil life style and his irritations with the “do as I say not as I do” environment he is in. At this point Mark Twains establishes that internal battle between Huck’s morals and his conscience. The book introduces a variety of characters, which throughout the story will affect Huck’s life and this internal struggle. As you are introduced to Jim, the runaway slave, you will quickly see how regardless of...
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...NORTH AMERICAN FICTION BRIEF INTRODUCTION: Before starting our study of American Fiction we must understand what American Literature is in itself and which pieces of writing we can include within this label. It is believed that when a piece is written in North America, more precisely in the USA, it would automatically be given this epithet. But it should be taken into account that this idea is quite broad and doesn’t reflect the real essence of the term. However, there is also another definition that gathers this essence: American Literature is the one that represents the Americanism, the singularity of the USA philosophy and culture. This way, instead of focusing on who the author is, it is focused on the content of the writing. In that which concerns Fiction, the following documents are the ones considered as narrative: Speeches Letters Short Stories Essays Political Documents Sermons Novels Diaries 1 FIRST LITERARY EXPRESSIONS The first documents in which the idea of Americanism is very present are the Sermons. They respond to the strict Protestantism settled in the New Continent after the arrival of the Pilgrim Fathers and Puritans in the Mayflower (1620) and the Arabella (1630). They established a theocratic community whose main and only point of reference was the Bible. That is why the idea of the ‘city upon a hill’ is still very present in American mentality. As we all know...
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...the strive towards openness and acceptance and equality is my history and is my culture so I believe that in that sense my cultural norms are similar but in another sense they are very different because I didn’t come from a time where inequality was acceptable so to come from that mindset and that surrounding you to now switching they have a harder time of choosing what is right and what is wrong which makes their critiques unclear. b. In what ways do you believe that the critics' cultural norms influenced their critiques or analysis? I believe that the critics cultural norms influenced their critiques because they are coming from a time where everything The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is okay to now in a time where it is not so I think that their perception of what is right and wrong can me foggy because of their history and where they were in history at that time. c. In what ways do your cultural norms influence your own critique and cultural analysis of the...
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...The chapter from which this line comes was, without a doubt, one of the most enjoyable chapters to read. To me, the concept of the three boys showing up in the middle of their own funeral is extremely amusing. Tom originally left the village because he concluded that he was "a forsaken, friendless boy" (Twain 88) whom nobody loved. He decided that if everybody wanted him gone, then he would leave. However, he hoped that "when they found out what they had driven him to, perhaps they would be sorry" (Twain 88). While on the island, Tom hopes that his family wants him back and is sorry for what they did. When Tom learns that he and his friends have been pronounced dead, he knows that his family must miss him, and hearing his aunt grieve when he...
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...Maze 1 Bethany Maze Ms. Woods CP English III December 13, 2012 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain has been considered one of the greatest American novels in history. Unfortunately, no one receives this sort of praise without criticism. This book has been deemed indecent for many younger readers due to its lack of morals and failure to conform to today’s politically correct language. Most of the disapproval comes from the racist comments, words, and general feeling towards one of the main characters, Jim. The big controversy here is whether or not this book should be available for young readers in libraries, and if it should be used as a learning material in classrooms. The book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be taught in classrooms under certain conditions. One of the strongest reasons people believe that younger readers should not be subjected to this book is because of its racial undertones. Twain was writing to portray what happened at this time in history and what the social norms were. In fact if he didn’t include words such as the “N” word in his novel it would not have accurately portrayed the people during that time period. Using these racial terms is a sensitive Maze 2 thing to deal with. Although this book is accurate, younger readers aren’t educated enough to know the consequences of some of the terms used. Michiko Kakutani believed that “to censor or redact books on school reading...
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...Ralph Ellison’s Influential Life and Works Ralph Ellison has become one of the most influential American writers of the twentieth century. His most famous novel, “Invisible Man” has be a great influence on many Americans, and continues to grow in popularity. Ellison found inspiration for the book from his own life, which makes it important to learn more about him, to help see the brilliance behind his National Book Award winning novel. Ellison’s life is the source of much of his inspiration, and analyzing the Invisible Man in depth while comparing the novel to his life can show where his brilliance comes from. Who is Ralph Ellison and where did he come from? He was born in Oklahoma City where he was raised by his mother and father, Alfred Ellison and Ida Millsap. (“Ralph (Waldo) Ellison” 1) His father, Alfred Ellison, passed away when he was thirty-nine leaving the Ida, Ellison, and Herbert, Ellison’s brother, alone to fend for themselves. This brought an immense change on Ellison’s life as this left the family with little money and resources to survive. At 19 years of age Ellison moved away from his home in Oklahoma and enrolled in the Tuskegee Institute, an institute founded by Booker T. Washington, where he studied music for three years. Due to the lack of financial resources, Ellison was never able to graduate from Tuskegee Institute and left after his third year. Hoping to find work and return to school, Ellison moved to New York in 1936 where he continued to live...
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...Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, is perhaps the most distinguished author of American Literature. Next to William Shakespeare, Clemens is arguably the most prominent writer the world has ever seen. In 1818, Jane Lampton found interest in a serious young lawyer named John Clemens. With the Lampton family in heavy debt and Jane only 15 years of age, she soon arried John. The family moved to Gainesboro, Tennessee where Jane gave birth to Orion Clemens. In the summer of 1827 the Clemenses relocated to Virginia where John purchased thousands of acres of land and opened a legal advice store. The lack of success of the store led John to drink heavily. Scared by his addiction, John vowed never to drink again. Even though John now resisted alcohol, he faced other addictions. His concoction of aloe, rhubarb, and a narcotic cost him most of his savings and money soon became tight (Paine 34-35). The family soon grew with the birth of Pamela late in 1827. Their third child,Pleasant Hannibal, did not live past three months, due to illness. In 1830 Margaret was born and the family moved to Pall Mall, a rural county in Tennessee. After Henry's birth in 1832, the value of their farmland greatly depreciated and sent the Clemenses on the road again. Now they would stay with Jane's sister in Florida, Missouri where she ran a successful business with her husband. Clemens was born on November 30, 1835, in the small remote town of Florida, Missouri. Samuel's parents...
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