...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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...The Credibility of Characters in Twain’s Huckleberry Finn The credibility of a novel is defined as the quality of it being believable or trustworthy. This simply means that the novel provides a story which can essentially take place in the real world. If this were to be the case in a novel, then the many aspects of the story would have to be credible. The novel would have to take place in a realistic setting, for example. Also the events that take place in the novel would have to reflect events which can occur in reality. Other aspects that also need to be credible in a novel are the characters. In such a novel the readers need to be able to relate to the characters. An author that does this successfully with the characters is Mark Twain. In one of his more famous novels, Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain gives credibility to the characters by presenting them with major flaws, which helps readers relate to these characters. These characters include Tom, Huck, and Jim. Tom Sawyer has flaws which come to surface early in the novel. “Because it ain’t in the books so—that’s why. Now Ben Rogers, do you want to do things regular, or don’t you?—that’s the idea. Don’t you reckon that the people that made the books knows what’s the correct thing to do?...No, sir, we’ll just go on and ransom them in a regular way” (p. 12). Twain presents Tom as a character who portrays romantic ideals. When he says he wants to go by the book, he reveals that he is taking many of his ideas from...
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...MARK TWAIN AND "THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN" Mark Twain was born on the Missouri frontier and spent his childhood there. His real name is actually Samuel Langhorne Clemens. At the age of 12 he quit school in order to earn his living. At the age of 15 he already wrote his first article and by the time he was 16 he had his first short novel published. In 1857 he was an apprentice steamboat pilot on a boat that left Mississippi and was leading towards New Orleans. His characters were created because of the people and the situations he encountered on this trip. "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is a sequel to "Tom Sawyer". "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is one of the masterpieces of American literature. It was first published in America in January 1885. From all of Mark Twain's novels this one was the only that sold best at its initial appearance. Although it was criticized a lot too. In 1885 it was even banished from the Concord Public Library. The novel presents the things a thirteen year old child goes through when trying to save a black slave from the woman ... ... middle of paper ... ...ws. He discovers that Jim and Pap are suspects to his murder. In this journey Huck and Jim become friends. Although his background makes him not only to apply the rules he knows, but also to invent new ones. He struggles with the ideas about black people that the society has. "Huck represents what anyone is capable of becoming: a thinking, feeling human...
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...Authors often base their stories on their own life experiences and beliefs. In Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, there are many references to Samuel Clemens’s life, tying in how Clemens felt about the everyday issues of his time with the journey and trials of a boy and a slave. Throughout the story, he expresses his views on racism, morality, society, and his own adventures. Samuel Clemens grew up in Missouri, a slave state at the time, and experienced first- hand how slavery worked, later bringing it up in many of his writings. After the death of his father at age 11, Clemens became a printer’s apprentice and started working as a typesetter in 1851 as a contributor of articles and humorous sketches for the Hannibal Journal, a newspaper company owned by his brother, Orion. Clemens later went on to pilot his own steamboat on the Mississippi. It is here that Clemens found his pen name, Mark Twain, from "mark twain," the cry for a measured river depth of two fathoms. This is also where Clemens found the time to write a book titled, Life on the Mississippi, a memoir of his days as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River before the American Civil War. When the Civil War began, Clemens enlisted in a Confederate Unit, which is where he wrote a sketch called, "The Private History of a Campaign That Failed," telling how he and his friends had been Confederate volunteers for two weeks before disbanding their company. Throughout...
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...Truth and Illusion in Huckleberry Finn In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain uses illusion and reality to probe the prejudices and preconceptions that dominate the way most people see the world, themselves, and other people. Huck has an adventurous mind that allows Twain to explore any idea without the shackles of common civility. In this way, Huck's ability to warp the world into an illusion of his own making eases the reader into a perspective that values truth over appearance. When the illusion of one truth is removed, the reader is struck by the ugliness of the world. One of the first examples of Huck's use of illusion occurs in chapter 8. Having faked his death to escape his father, Huck decides to live on a small island in the river. For the first few days, he feels marvelously free. He has plenty of food from the nature around him and he gets to smoke his pipe without anyone chastising him. The island has essentially become an Eden that protects him from the annoyances and threats of society. The dream of living free on the island, however, cannot last. After Huck joins forces with Jim, they realize that they must hide themselves from people who might visit the island. This is the first bit of reality poking its head into their paradise. When Jim and Huck find a houseboat that has been washed down the river, they also find the body of a dead man who has been shot in the back. They flee the scene, fearing the bad luck of encountering such a sight. Thus they are again reminded...
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...Racism In Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn In recent years, there has been increasing discussion ofthe seemingly racist ideas expressed by Mark Twain inHuckleberry Finn. The basis for these has been the depiction of one of the main characters in Huckleberry Finn, Jim, a black slave. Jim, is a "typical" black slave who runs away from his "owner" Miss Watson. At several points in the novel, Jim's character is described to the reader, and some people have looked upon the characterization as racist. However, before one begins to censor a novel it is important to separate the ideas of the author from the ideas' of his characters. It is also important not to take a novel at face value and to "read between the lines" in order to capture the underlying themes of a novel. If one were to do this in relation to Huckleberry Finn, one would, without doubt, realize that it is not racist and is even anti-slavery. On a superficial level Huckleberry Finn might appear to be racist. The first time the reader meets Jim he is given a very negative description of Jim. The reader is told that Jim is illiterate, childlike, not very bright and extremely superstitious. However, it is important...
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...Sang Basic English Department, Dezhou University, Dezhou City, Shandong Province, China Email: dz_syx@126.com Abstract—Huckleberry Finn is one of Mark Twain’s outstanding masterpieces. Superficially, it tells a story about a 13 or 14 year old boy’s adventures with Negro Jim on the Mississippi river. In fact, it reflects the growth process of Huck through adventures. His growth is embodied by his choice on independence, his change of attitude towards Jim, his moral growth, and the different social roles he plays. Huck’s growth is influenced by the inner and outer factors. On the one hand, friendship, nature and society make up the outer environment for Huck’s growth. They have great effect on the development of his growth. On the other hand, his own instinct and his sound heart finally decide the direction of his growth. Index Terms—growth, the influence of Jim, nature and society, instinct, sound heart I. INTRODUCTION Mark Twain is a giant in American literature. He is a great realist and satirist in late 19th century. His delicate familiarity with children’s psychology, his thorough understanding of Americans and American society, his great contribution to American English and his immense witty humor have won great respect and reputation among the people around the world. Of all the works Mark Twain accomplished in his life, the Adventure of Huckleberry Finn is the most successful. This remarkable masterpiece brings the world prestige to him. It is the combination of simplicity...
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...How believable is the deus ex machina (literally, the "god from a machine," a theatrical term referring to a sudden and unexpected solution to a seemingly insoluble problem) through which Jim is freed? Answer: The ending feels very unexpected for the time it plays out in. How is he going to have a normal life? Is it really freedom when slavery was still continuing, is his freedom really freedom? Work? Family? How do you feel about the ending? Answer: The ending and the beginning goes hand in hand, we start of in media res and at the ending it feels like we are back at the same spot. We don’t feel that the ending gave justice to the greatness of the book. As a narrate you feel a bit mislead throughout the book. The end makes us feel like Tom Sawyer is the antagonist in relation to Huck, which perepetia involves going from cute boy to destroyer of lives. How is the book narrated and what consequences does it have? Answer: The book is narrated by Huck, 1st person, intra-diegetic –> homo-diegetic, it’s a story with several stories in it. It starts of in media res, we are thrown in the story. For the most it’s a elipsis story but there is also tracks of prolepsis and analepsis here and there in the story. Thanks to analepsis/prolepsis we get a greater view of the story. When we first meet Jim it’s through a prolepsis, when Huck tells about things that he has found out. ...
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...Throughout Twain’s book, the mention of religion is prominent; Twain satirizes religion by specifically discussing different types of Providences and explaining Huckleberry Finn’s personal struggle with beliefs. Different types of Providences are mentioned throughout Twain’s book; varying from the all-forgiving God, to the harsh condemning God, and even mentions Satan as a possible Providence. By describing each Providence indivually and including Finn’s personal opinion regarding each one, Twain suggests that each person sees God in their own specific way; “Sometimes the widow would take me one side and talk about Providence in a way to make a body’s mouth water; but maybe next day Miss Watson would take hold and knock it all down again. I judged I could see that there was two Providences, and a poor chap would stand considerable show with the widow’s Providence, but if Miss Watson’s got him there warn’t no help for him any more” (Twain 11). By describing how each person sees God, Twain satirizes with a deeper question in mind: which God is the real God, if this God even exists. Not only does Twain satirize religion by including how individuals see God, but also by including Huckleberry Finn’s personal struggle in terms of belief. As Finn’s journey continues, his struggle to choose what he beliefs also continues and increases in difficulty....
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...Summary: Chapter 29 The real Harvey Wilks, in an authentic English accent, explains the reasons he and his brother, William, were delayed: their luggage was misdirected, and his mute brother broke his arm, leaving him unable to communicate by signs. Doctor Robinson again declares the duke and the dauphin to be frauds and has the crowd bring the real and the fraudulent Wilks brothers to a tavern for examination. The frauds draw suspicion when they fail to produce the $6,000 from the Wilks inheritance. A lawyer friend of the deceased then asks the duke, the dauphin, and the real Harvey to sign a piece of paper. When the lawyer compares the writing samples to letters he has from the real Harvey, the frauds are exposed. The dauphin, however, refuses to give up and claims that the duke is playing a joke on everyone by disguising his handwriting. Because the real William serves as scribe for the real Harvey and cannot write due to his broken arm, the crowd cannot prove that the real Wilkses are indeed who they say they are. To put an end to the situation, the real Harvey declares he knows of a tattoo on his brother’s chest, asking the undertaker who dressed the body to back him up. But after the dauphin and Harvey each offer a different version of the tattoo’s appearance, the undertaker surprises everyone by telling the crowd he saw no tattoo. The mob cries out for the blood of all four men, but the lawyer instead sends them out to exhume the body and check for the tattoo themselves...
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...Mark Twain: The conscience of a country. When writing, a person’s inner thoughts come to life. It happens whether they mean it to or not. The author might accidentally choose certain words that bring their own feelings to light, or they could come right out and say how they feel. The point is that every author, no matter how good, will project what they believe onto their writing. Mark Twain does this in The adventures of Huckleberry Finn on numerous occasions. In a time of extreme patriotism and narrow-mindedness Twain made the nation rethink their most basic of beliefs. In a bold move, Twain chronicled his beliefs pertaining to religion, slavery, and civilization. Each time his “profanity saving” pen touched paper he acted as the nation’s conscience. Mark Twain, through the use of wit and satire, challenged the most basic of American beliefs for nearly half a century Religion was a common target of Twain. “What put twain off about religion was its bossiness and it’s alignment with corrupt community values…” (Blount 53). In Huckleberry Finn these beliefs are evident in the character of the Widow Douglas. Though she is a professed Christian she takes no stock in the Christian principles of acceptance and focuses instead on the “bossiness” aspect of Religion. The widow was against practices that she took no part in. It could either be that she thought she always did the right thing or possibly that she determined right and wrong. The former of these two options would make her...
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...Huckleberry Finn Essay In Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain Huck a common theme of having no morals/ethics is brought out repeatedly throughout the novel. Examples of this are when Huck thinks about turning Jim in due to the fact that he felt bad for Miss Watson and that she had never done anything wrong to him, when King and Duke do their "royal nonesuch" in each town, and the entire Grangerford episode. To start off, Huck thinks about turning Jim into slave hunters as they near freedom (or so they think) after they have gone many miles and gained a new found trust for one another. This shows morality and ethic problems, because Jim and Huck learn to trust each other and consider each other friends and all Huck can do is think about how helping Jim escape is an unmoral decision, because Jim is property of Miss Watson. only is slavery wrong, but all Huck can do is think about how Miss Watson took care of him and tried her best to raise him; however by helping Jim escape he is showing an ultimate disrespect toward her (in Huck's eyes.) ----------- The example of this from the book is one page 88 when Huck thinks "What had poor Miss Watson done to you, that you could see her nigger go off right under your eyes and never say a single word? What did that poor old woman do to you, that you could treat her so mean?" --------------- The next example of poor ethics and no moral conscious is when the Duke and King run their "royal nonesuch" on the Wilks family in...
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...Jim and Huckleberry Finn’s growth throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn set the stage for Daniel Hoffman’s interpretation in “From Black Magic-and White-in Huckleberry Finn.” Hoffman exhibits that through Jim’s relationship with Huckleberry, the river’s freedom and “in his supernatural power as interpreter of the oracles of nature” (110) Jim steps boldly towards manhood. Jim’s evolution is a result of Twain’s “spiritual maturity.” Mark Twain falsely characterizes superstition as an African faith but, Daniel Hoffman explains that most folk lore in Huckleberry derives from European heritage. Tying your hair into knots with thread to defend against witches who ride their prey is even referenced in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Mr. Hoffman then goes on to ask and answer “Why, then does Mark Twain make such a point of having only Negroes, children and riffraff as the bearers of folk superstitions in the recreated world of his youth?” (109) He clarifies that during the time Huck Finn was composed, Twain was living far from his childhood home. His memory of Uncle Dan’l, who Mark Twain divulges in his autobiography, was the origin of Jim, and his stories are skewed by Twain’s memory. Hoffman also believes that Twain infuses his ideas on “superstition: slaves: boyhood freedom” (109) It Is grouped together due to his experiences of his youth. “The minstrel stereotype, as we have scene, was the only possible starting point for a white author attempting to deal with a Negro character...
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...Throughout his novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain discusses many themes. The most important theme with in this novel is Huck's struggle between society and his own conscience. Twain shows us what is going on inside of the young boy's head many times within this novel. Although Huck battles with society for long periods of time; and on most occasions, his conscience seems to win the fight, helping Huck choose the right thing. In order to understand where Huck was coming from with these conflicts we must understand, the author's feelings on slavery. Mark Twain once said: In those old slave-holding days the whole community was agreed as to one thing--the awful sacredness of slave property. To help steal a horse or a cow was a low crime, but to help a hunted slave, ... or hesitate to promptly to betray him to the slave-catcher when opportunity offered was a much baser crime, and carried with it a stain, a moral smirch which nothing could wipe away. That this sentiment should exist among slave-owners is comprehensible--there were good commercial reasons for it--but that it should exist and did exist among the paupers, the loafers the tag-rag and bobtail of the community,... is not in our remote day realizable. When Twain was growing up, slavery was a part of his world. Slavery was something that you had to deal with, whether you liked it or not. Twain went against society using the characters in his books, to state...
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...Mark Twain's classic novel Huckleberry Finn is a satirical story about a boy who helps a runaway slave. Twain's main character, Huck, goes against society through his use of satirical devices. Twain satirizes the hypocrisy of society through his use of verbal irony, understatements, and incongruities. The most obvious satire comes through Twain's use of verbal irony. In the novel, judge Thatcher says, "keep the family together"(20). Even though he wants to keep Huck and his father together for the right reasons in a normal family, it doesn't work out for Huck because his father is a heavy alcoholic and is obsessed with getting the money that Huck found. But Huck gave it to judge Thatcher, to try and keep his father away. Later in the book,...
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