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How does Mark Twain use satire for social commentary in Huckleberry Finn?

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How does Mark Twain use satire for social commentary in Huckleberry Finn?

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Mark Twain’s use of satire derides the people of “civilized” society back in the 19th century.  Twain first introduces this contrast in the juxtaposition of Pap, Huck’s father, and the assumed upper class.  Depicting Pap wearing rags, alcoholic, and a deadbeat father.  Not only is he an alcoholic, but Pap’s “uncivilized” nature is explicitly shown through his status as the “town drunk”.  The fact that everybody in upper class society can ridicule the lower class father of Huck reflects the social climate in that era’s society.  Twain also uses satire in regards to religion; Huck doesn’t feel threatened with the concept of heaven and hell and doesn’t care if he goes to the “bad place”.  The combination of religious and civil society ridicule contributes to the social commentary resulting from Huckleberry Finn both in Twain’s lifetime and now.

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What characterizes the narrator’s voice in Huckleberry Finn?

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What characterizes the narrator’s voice in Huckleberry Finn?

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The most notable language choice in Huckleberry Finn is the decision to replicate the characters’ accents and/or English dialects in the writing.  Particularly because the book is narrated in the first person, and therefore each sentence is filtered through Huck’s own particular way of thinking and his own language choices.  There are, however, moments where Twain clarifies a point or adds a detail, and his language slips away from Huck’s vernacular and into something more educated.  For example, on page 59, Huck tells us, “On that side it was a good many miles wide; but on the Missouri side it was the same old distance across - a half a mile - because the Missouri shore was just a wall of high bluffs.”  While this does contain several turns of phrase that Huck often uses, it is slightly more formal than his normal diction, and this pattern continues whenever Twain makes similar observations about background information or the details of Huck’s surroundings.

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How do the characters’ dialects reflect their social status?

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How do the characters’ dialects reflect their social status?

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Huck’s manner of speaking is very different from most modern English dialects - though perhaps not in the deep South - but it is also quite different from the speech of the people of colour in the book.  This contrast is clearest when Huck and Jim begin travelling together, and their accents are juxtaposed within the same few lines.  For example, on page 90, Huck and Jim are having a discussion about King Solomon, and their dialogue is closely intermixed as the argument continues.  Huck says, “But hang it, Jim, you’ve clean missed the point - blame it, you’ve missed it a thousand mile.” and Jim responds, “Who?  Me? Go ‘long.  Doan’ talk to me ‘bout yo’ pints.  I reck’n I knows sense when I sees it; en dey ain’ no sense in sich doin’s as dat…”

Jim’s manner of speaking isn’t necessarily less educated than Huck’s, but his accent is distinctly different.  For example, the sheer quantity of apostrophes in the written form of his accent shows that his speech is peppered with elisions and deletions - most of which can be attributed to his social class and the setting.  The Southern predisposition for non-rhotic speech and gliding vowels is clear in Jim’s case, though because he is a slave, he may also be missing teeth, which would also affect his speech.  The general state of an individual’s health is often highly dependent on social class, and may heavily affect their diction.

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How does Twain’s use of contranyms showcase Huck’s perspective on the world around him?

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How does Twain’s use of contranyms showcase Huck’s perspective on the world around him?

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At the very beginning of the book, Huck explains to the reader that, “the Widow Douglas, she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me; but it was rough living in the house all the time, considering how dismal regular and decent the widow was in all her ways; and so when I couldn’t stand it no longer, I lit out.”  Huck’s ‘sivilize’ is, of course, the word ‘civilize’, but his use of the word is actually quite contrary to what it would normally mean.  To most people, civilization means safety and comfort, but to Huck, the constraints of being ‘sivilized’ are dismal and boring.  Throughout the beginning of the book, many people try to tell Huck how to act more ‘sivilized’ through various means - lectures, moralizing, reading the Bible, going to school, etc - but Huck isn’t amenable to their definition of civilized.  Assuming that ‘civilize’ and ‘sivilize’ can be categorized as the same word and that the spelling is merely a reflection of Huck’s pronunciation, Twain’s use of the word has actually turned it into something of a contronym.  Huck uses the word, and it means ‘boring, uptight, constraining, and unhappy’, while the Widow Douglas, and others, use it to mean ‘polite, well-mannered, God-fearing, and happy’.  While these definitions are not exactly contrary to each other, the important difference is that Huck believes that being ‘sivilized’ will make him unhappy, while others believe that it will make him happy.

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"Mister, is that town Cairo?"
"Cairo? no. You must he a blame' fool"
(page 104)
- going towards the south, deeper into slavery
- physical moving into conflict, foreshadows direction of story

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"I ain't agoing to tall all that happened - it would make me sick again if I was to do that. I wished I hadn't ever come ashore that night, to see such things. I ain't ever going to get shut of them - lots of times I dream about them"
(127)
- Buck is parallel to Huck; names sound similar, similar age. Buck is wealthy, Huck is poor. Buck is dead, Huck is alive.
- Huck shows behaviors of dissociation and PTSD

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What are the effects the Duke and Dauphine have on Huck?

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What are the effects the Duke and Dauphine have on Huck?

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- recurring theme of characters exaggeration affecting Huck, (like Tom), as they try to con Huck and Jim

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How does Huck’s use of possessive pronouns demonstrate his attitude towards people of colour/slaves?

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How does Huck’s use of possessive pronouns demonstrate his attitude towards people of colour/slaves?

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Throughout the story, Huck frequently uses possessive pronouns to refer to people of colour - specifically slaves, as all the people of colour he interacts with are slaves.  For example, on page 124, he says “Why didn’t you tell my Jack to fetch me here sooner, Jim?”.  He is clearly referring to the slave named Jack as his property - albeit loaned property - while talking to an escaped slave, at that.  On the same page, however, Huck uses a collective possessive pronoun to refer to the raft - “You mean our old raft warn’t smashed all to flinders?” - which is an acknowledgement of Jim’s personhood, though Huck might not realize it.  He has come to know Jim as a person, not as property, and therefore is comfortable elevating him to a state where they can share possession of something.  Despite this, Huck still has significant qualms about Jim’s desire to attain permanent freedom.  Huck’s moral dilemma revolves primarily around the fact that he feels as though he has essentially stolen a possession from the Widow Douglas.  He has trouble balancing the idea of Jim as a person and Jim as property in his mind.  Huck also becomes highly uncomfortable when Jim talks about freeing his wife and children, because he sees it as theft from people who haven’t done wrong by him.  While he is struggling to resolve competing ideas of Jim as a person and Jim as a slave, he doesn’t know Jim’s wife and children at all, so to him they are merely other people’s possessions.

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How do Jim’s language choices reflect his understanding of his place in society?  How do they reflect his understanding of social classes in general?

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How do Jim’s language choices reflect his understanding of his place in society?  How do they reflect his understanding of social classes in general?

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Jim’s choice of language shows his understanding of his place in society, as well as the places of others in society.  It also shows that he understands that what matters to this society is a person’s skin colour, above nearly all else.  On page 124, he says “Dat Jack’s a good n*gger, en pooty smart.”  This sentence is interesting because Jim says ‘good n*gger’, not ‘good man’ or ‘good person’.  First and foremost, Jack is a n*gger, even to someone who shares his skin colour and many of his life experiences.  This reduction of a person to their skin colour, and subsequent comparison of all traits based on that first quality is one of the primary characteristics of society in Huckleberry Finn and Jim’s language choices show that he understands this.

Additionally, Jim’s choice of words is particularly interesting when he demonstrates this understanding of society to save the raft from being taken by several of the Sheperdsons’ slaves.  He tells Huck that, “I ups en settles de trouble by tellin’ ‘um she don’t b’long to none uv um, but to you en me; en I ast ‘m if gey gwyne to grab a young white genlman’s property, en git a hid’n for it?” [124]  Here, Jim is using their (his and the slaves’) shared place in society to his advantage, and he is also using Huck - or the concept of Huck, as part of a demographic - as a threat.  The true impact of Jim’s choice of words is show immediately when the slaves back away from the raft and don’t attempt to take it again - simply because it belonged to a young white man.

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How does Twain contrast the unusual with the quotidien in Huckleberry Finn?  The extraordinary and the ordinary?  The holy and the commonplace?  The abhorrent and the admirable?

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How does Twain contrast the unusual with the quotidien in Huckleberry Finn?  The extraordinary and the ordinary?  The holy and the commonplace?  The abhorrent and the admirable?

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Perhaps one of Twain’s most interesting comments about religion in Huckleberry Finn isn’t very religious at all.  It runs, “... and there warn’t anybody at the church, except maybe a hog or two, for there warn’t any lock on the door, and hogs likes a puncheon floor in summer-time because it’s cool.  If you notice, most folks don’t go to church only when they’ve got to; but a hog is different” [122].  Through Huck, we can see a strange contrast between people and animals - while people go to church to save their immortal souls, hogs go because the floor is cool in hot weather.  One goes for fear and one for pleasure, and while Huck certainly doesn’t go to church for pleasure, his philosophy in life is closer to that of the hogs than of the sort of god-fearing people who go to church every Sunday.  Huck continuously disregards religious notions and, much like the hogs, expresses more concern for practical, day-to-day matters than spiritual matters such as the afterlife.

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(Yousra) What does Huckleberry Finn’s language reflect about American society from the perspective of race? How does Huck Finn’s personality and behavior contrast with the societal expectations of boys his age during that time period? What values are most prominent in the book thus far?How do individual characters in the book (the Aunt, Pap, etc.) have varying perspectives on values and societal expectations?

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(Yousra) What does Huckleberry Finn’s language reflect about American society from the perspective of race? How does Huck Finn’s personality and behavior contrast with the societal expectations of boys his age during that time period? What values are most prominent in the book thus far?How do individual characters in the book (the Aunt, Pap, etc.) have varying perspectives on values and societal expectations?

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Throughout the novel, Huckleberry Finn, as well as other characters, speak in a Southern dialect commonly associated with people that lived in the setting in which this novel takes place in. This language is most prevalent when used against African-Americans, and it’s done so in order to emphasize the treatment in which many African American endured especially during the 19th century. During this time in particular, it was extremely common for societies located in areas that were designated to allow slavery to treat African Americans in a very cruel manner, which explains why Jim is treated in such so inhumanely by other characters. Twain’s purpose in doing this is to make the negative attitudes that Southerners had of African Americans very evident in his book, as well as to shed light on this aspect of society that existed during this period. In chapter 6, Pap says the following: “Thinks I, what is this country a-coming to? It was ‘lection day, and I was just about to go and vote, myself, if I warn’t too drunk to get there; but when they told me there was a State in this country where they’d let that n***** vote, I drawed out. I says I’ll never vote agin.” Not only is Pap clearly stating his perspective on this social issue, he also uses derogatory language to refer to black people, which is also a common occurrence throughout the book. Going back to what was previously said, it’s really there to emphasize the way people in Southern culture (in this period) perceived African Americans given the historical context.

Huckleberry Finn being young, uneducated, and unaware of proper etiquette and expectations that are imposed on boys like him at that time makes him very different as a person when compared to the common crowd. Naturally, Finn is going to be unalike other members in his society due to his uncommon upbringing. As a result, he pursues certain decisions that would be seen as absurd to other white people, like helping Jim escape from slavery. Overall, the takeaway from his actions is to show that Finn is very different, and his character does not reflect the general ideals of people in that setting.

Respect, status, and conformity are all significant values in Southern society. Finn’s rebellious nature and lack of willingness to abide by typical societal expectations reflects the rashness of his character, emphasizing how opposing his actions are to the other characters in the book. Finn, however, is not the only person whose actions do not abide by the typical expectations of society– his father, Pap, being an alcoholic and an absent father, is also looked down upon. Meanwhile, those of higher status (who also happen to be slave owners), are respected, outlining what’s deemed positive and negative in Southern society. Of course, not every character is perfect, however, through their reactions and opinions on particular issues and topics, we as readers can see what the overall norm is.

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What are Huck’s motivations in the story? 

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What are Huck’s motivations in the story? 

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Huck is motivated by survival, companionship , and adventure . His terrible treatment of his father, often leaving him in the cabin for days at a time with no food or water, makes survival a clear motive. Huck is trying to escape his father, for the sake of his well being. He creates an elaborate plan to fake his own death, and is successful. However, he must also survive alone in the forest. Huck knows how to survive off the land, eating berries and lighting fires when safe.

When Huck finds Jim in the forest, not only is he glad to have someone else to help him survive, but he is happy to not be “lonesome, now” ( page 52 ). Being emotionally and supportively  abandoned by his father, Huck is strongly motivated by companionship. His relationship with Jim is significant, because it reflects how strong this motive is. Living in 19th century deep south, slavery and racism is dominant. For Huck to confide and live along Jim, even though he has abolitionist values (page 53), reflects just how lonely he is.

Adventure is a popular topic amongst young boys in this time period, with pirate adventures and heists creating the basis for games.  The leader of the group of boys in the neighborhood, Tom Sawyer, is a strong figure and prominent in affecting Huck. Huck views Tom as a role model. In the passage where Jim and Huck find an off-shore steamboat, Huck and Jim argue about whether to loot the ship or stay away from danger.  Huck mentions multiple times how he “wishes Tom were here”, as Tom would love the idea of danger, despite Jim’s warnings.

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What is the psychology of relationships in the story? 

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What is the psychology of relationships in the story? 

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Family

Huck has a complicated relationship with his biological and non biological figures in the story.  His father is always trying to steal his money, is a drunk, and is abusive. He takes Huck to the forest in a cabin, and locks him up in his room depriving him of food. Huck is ashamed of his father, and in the beginning of the story readers are to believe he doesn’t even have family: In the passage mentioning punishments for betraying Tom Sawyer's gang, a member mentioned “ Here’s Huck Finn, he hain’t got no family”(16). Huck was “ready to cry”(16) in this moment, reflecting the rare moment in the story so far when Huck’s emotions are on display. Huck also stands up against his father multiple times; running away from him, going to school,

The closest to a father and mother figure Huck as, is the Widow and Judge Thatcher. They both look out for Huck, and even though he doesn’t realize it, they are watching out for him. The Judge protects Huck’s money, and the Widow takes care of Huck. His naivety towards these

figures help reflect  Huck’s age, and also tells the reader who is trustworthy. In chapter 4, Huck wants to protect his money because he is afraid his father would take it all. He means to give it all to Judge Thatcher, and instead of the Judge exploiting Huck, he manages to legally protect Huck’s money by “[selling] all your property to me”.

Friends

I would categorize Jim as Huck’s friend in the story so far. Huck and trust Jim, because he knows no one would trust Jims word. Also, Jim and Huck both have dependent relationships. Huck relies on Jim for survival and companionship, and Jim relies on Huck not to sell him out. Jim helps Huck survive, with his intuition “Jim said it [the flying birds] was a sign it was going to rain” proving useful.

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[Eliza] “We had the sky, up there, all speckled with stars, and we used to lay on our backs and look up at them, and discuss about whether they was made, or only just happened - Jim he allowed they was made, but I allowed they happened; I judged it would have took too long to make so many.  Jim said the moon could a laid them; well, that looked kind of reasonable, so I didn’t say nothing against it, because I’ve seen a frog lay most as many, so of course it could be done.  We used to watch the stars that fell, too, and see them streak down.  Jim allowed they’d got spoiled and was hove out of the nest.” [Page 131]

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[Eliza] “We had the sky, up there, all speckled with stars, and we used to lay on our backs and look up at them, and discuss about whether they was made, or only just happened - Jim he allowed they was made, but I allowed they happened; I judged it would have took too long to make so many.  Jim said the moon could a laid them; well, that looked kind of reasonable, so I didn’t say nothing against it, because I’ve seen a frog lay most as many, so of course it could be done.  We used to watch the stars that fell, too, and see them streak down.  Jim allowed they’d got spoiled and was hove out of the nest.” [Page 131]

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Thoughts:

In this passage, Jim and Huck are discussing how they think the stars ended up in the sky.  Huck thinks that they just happened, while Jim thinks they were made.  This seems to echo a much larger argument about whether things in life just happen, or whether there is someone out there making it happen.  While Huck thinks it would take too long to make so many stars, he doesn’t actually say who he thinks would be making them.  The closest they get to broaching that question is when Jim suggests that maybe the moon laid the stars and Huck thinks of a frog laying eggs.  Even here, Huck’s perspective is coloured by his relationship with the world and with nature.

Questions:

What do their respective stances on the origins of the stars say about Huck and Jim?  We already know that Jim has certain superstitions - more than Huck, anyway - and his opinion that the stars were made seems to fit with his personality, so I wonder how this aspect of his personality will affect his actions in future.

Epiphanies:

Because Huck prefers nature over ‘civilization’ he tends to view things through the lens of his preference.  While a more educated or ‘civilized’ person in this era might say that God made the moon and the stars, Huck and Jim are content to debate whether or not the stars were made or just happened, or whether perhaps the moon laid the stars like a frog lays eggs.

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[Eliza] “Well, by-and-by the king he gets up and comes forward a little, and works himself up and slobbers out a speech, all full of tears and flapdoodle about its being a sore trial for him and his poor brother to lose the diseased, and to miss seeing diseased alive, after the long journey of four thousand miles, but its a trial that’s sweetened and sanctified to us by this dear sympathy and these holy tears, and so he thanks them out of his heart and out of his brother’s heart, because out of their mouths they can’t, words being too weak and cold, and all that kind of rot and slush, till it was just sickening; and then he blubbers out a pious goody-goody Amen, and turns himself loose and goes to cry fit to bust.”  [Page 177]

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[Eliza] “Well, by-and-by the king he gets up and comes forward a little, and works himself up and slobbers out a speech, all full of tears and flapdoodle about its being a sore trial for him and his poor brother to lose the diseased, and to miss seeing diseased alive, after the long journey of four thousand miles, but its a trial that’s sweetened and sanctified to us by this dear sympathy and these holy tears, and so he thanks them out of his heart and out of his brother’s heart, because out of their mouths they can’t, words being too weak and cold, and all that kind of rot and slush, till it was just sickening; and then he blubbers out a pious goody-goody Amen, and turns himself loose and goes to cry fit to bust.”  [Page 177]

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Thoughts:

Huck seems particularly disgusted by the king and the duke in this vignette, and it shows in his choice of language.  He mocks the king’s overblown, flowery language, but also shows that the king is really doing a very poor job of imitating the person he’s supposed to be.  The king says ‘diseased’ instead of ‘deceased’ - one of many linguistic mistakes he makes (see ‘funeral orgies’) - in between his insincere but effectively flowery language.

Questions:

I wonder why this particular vignette is when Huck loses patience with the king and the duke.  Was it prompted by the conversation he had with Jim in the previous chapter?  Or was he already tired of them before, but didn’t really start to be disgusted until now?

Epiphanies:

Part of the reason why Huck is now appalled by the king and the duke is because they’ve started impinging on his moral values.  To some extent, Huck values that which is genuine.  He doesn’t mind the king and the duke at first, even though he knows they’re lying, because that’s simply who they are.  He accepts that they’re con artists and doesn’t bother to let them know that he knows that they're lying, because he thinks that people like that should just be left alone to pretend as they will.  However, when the king and the duke start imitating a dead man’s brother, it goes a little too far for Huck’s conscience.  He hates the overblown displays of emotion the king and the duke create and incite, and he dislikes the whole scheme in general.  It offends his sense of morality, and his ideas about how people should behave.

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Huck, clearly, struggles with the abuse of his father. His fathers erratic, aggressive, and illogical actions appear to be directly caused by his severe alcohol addiction, which impacts his behavior detrimentally. I can see that Huck is so accustomed to his father’s actions towards him that he simply attempts to avoid him as much as possible. I wonder, however, whether his father’s claim of him being an “Angel of Death” will emphasize future events in the book based on what I have already heard.

As we continue to read the book, it’s evident that Pap referring to Huck as the “Angel of Death” is intentionally meant to be foreshadowing for the overwhelming amount of deaths surrounding Huck that occur later on in the book. As we see a personal perspective of Pap’s alcoholism, we also note that Huck is someone who is independent and makes an effort to put himself first. This is most recognizable when Huck holds a gun in Pap’s direction as he sleeps in order to protect himself… despite him being his own father and what not. Being a child who is not dependent on any other parent would naturally make it difficult for him to simply get up and avoid the situation all together, so instead, we as readers can see that Huck, as much as he desperately wants to get away, can simply protect himself with his mere abilities and nothing more.

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Religion is prevalent in Huckleberry Finn, and Huck appears to have different opinions on faith compared to other characters in the story. I wonder what the purpose of religion is in the book, and what theme does it purposely emphasize?

In Huck Finn, religion is reflected differently amongst different groups of people. While the majority of the characters are Christians, African American characters tend to have more superstitious beliefs, and are much more expressive when it comes to their faith. Religion also helps develop the foreshadowing throughout the book, and overall, is intended to show how religion prompts others to care for one another— a value that Huck does not really possess. He cares mostly for himself, and simultaneously, does not hold strong religious beliefs, which is very telling through his actions.

Do you see religion as a strong aspect in this book?
What are your thoughts on the stark contrast between superstition and Christian religion?
Do you agree that religion is used to outline Huck’s selfish nature?

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Thoughts
I thought it was odd how contradictory Finn’s thoughts were— he’s selfless enough to help a slave escape, and yet, he constantly thinks about the consequence’s he’s imposed on himself and expresses regret for his actions. He realizes how he might go to hell for his actions, however, it’s evident later that he knows the genuine truth of his deeds.

Questions
What does Huck correlate the values of religion to?What prompts Huck to realize the faults behind these societal systems?What does this overall ordeal say about his character?

Epiphanies
Huck’s ultimate epiphany is that his life is equal to Jim’s. By breaking away from the standards of religion and Southern culture, he realizing that those structures pull him away from realizing that Jim is in fact a human who should possess the same rights as he does. Despite his moment of self-doubt, deep within, it seems as though Huck does understand his genuine perception of morality.

For Discussion:
How do you feel Miss Watson will react to Huck’s letter? Are his presumptions correct?
Morality is a complex thing. What are your thoughts on the decisions Huck makes to relieve himself of his guilt?

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1. How does the time affect the story

2. How does the use of the n-word convey a change in its meaning

3. How is being an abolitionist controversial for the time

4. How does it taking place in     affect the interactions between slaves and white folk

5. Who was the colored man who got a PhD?

The story Huckleberry Finn takes place in the antebellum south, in other words illustrating the time period before the civil war concurred. The use of the n-word is only but because of the time period, to us right now perhaps it’s even absurd how much it’s flung around in the story, but it might have been less intense back then. In truth, it was but its significance in portraying or even being insulting has changed significantly. But, it was still used as a term of inferiority. GIving he’s from the antebellum south there was a lot of tension between if someone was considered an abolitionist of slaves. St. Elmo Brady was the man who they spoke about having gotten an education and been a professor. It’s a very tough time, and it was very easy to place the blame on a person of color. Missouri wasn’t a place necessarily for agriculture, this allowed for a lot of slave and “owner” relationships that were different from other regions but it doesn't mean it wasn’t as severe.

Language is correlated with a lot of things, the language was really watered down between whites and slaves, the drastic difference showed a clear distinct nature between the two. Many boys were expected to be educated, hard-working, and have a moral guideline, he’s different in that his education has been obstructed, and he would’ve never helped Jim escape.

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Boat referred to as she, does it mean anything?

Cairo’s significance at the time?

Huck’s moral guide, how does it reflect the time?

How is Jim’s proposal to buy his wife and two children back, a play on the, “Give a N a an inch, and he’ll take an ell”

Viruses at the time, why’d it stop the men?

What’s the significance of the rattlesnake folk lore

New Family

Open quickness to hostility, is that how they act?

How were the family’s mannerisms a reflection of the time period?

Coarse shirt, and roundabout clothes style

The use of riddles. Where was moses when the candles blew out, he was in the dark!

How does country life play into their interaction?

The decoration of the house, how is it a good showing of the family’s values?

Who is Henry Clay, Lafayette, and Washington in this time

What were the beauty standards back then?

Drinking age back then?

Values within feuds, why are feuds a thing?

Guns at church, going to the same church, acceptance of death?

Boat interaction

Duke of bridgewater

King of france

Dauphin, Looy of the seventeenth

I found it interesting they referred to the boats as she, although it may be obvious for some the use of the female term originates from how men like boats, that they be named like goddesses. Why? It’s a form of holy protection, they also name them women who are important in their lives, and over the years have cultivated a use of female terms to describe boats, showing huck’s proximity to bodies of waters. The mentioning of Cairo, is mainly brought up with the fact it’s a free state for illinois, however it seems as if a big part of it is missing that even on landing, Jim wouldn’t be free, slave departure laws would bring him right back to his”owner”. Jim’s moral alignment to rat out Jim is one aligned with the time, that although he still referred to Miss watson as a good person, it’s without a doubt a big push in his moral compass that he still admits that turning Jim in would still feel wrong regardless of that miss watson is a good person. Showing a full display of what southern culture has taught him as correct. The entire section for which the grangerfords and shepherds acted was once based on the romance novels of the time Mark Twain wrote the story, they acted brash and careless with their lives at play on the fact, that many although owning hundreds of slaves and owning large estates for they’re country men they were as dumb as ever with their lives. Jim’s play with using huck as a power to not have the boat taken away was a big show of racism at the time, and Jim and Huck’s reaction to serve the men, were more of the realization that these two men were capable of ratting them out more than anything. The family was incredibly wealthy a showcase on the wealth from slaves, given the time and the great time, the culture at the time was heavily based on horses, balls, dances and much more, presence of calvinism is present foreordination and predestination between the feud of the family, that just because that’s how things are. Finally, the boat scene referenced King Louis XVI who had been in full support of French Support to the Americans, there child had mysteriously disappeared and a conspiracy floated around of his presence in American soil, to avoid the revolutionaries who killed his mother and father. The second person named was the Duke of Bridgewater who otherwise created the first canal in use in England for inland navigation,

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Passage:

Because he was a changed man now, and happy for the first time in his life’ and poor as he was, he was going to start right off and work his way back to the Indian Ocean and put in the rest of his life trying to turn the pirates in the true path; for he could do it better than anybody else, being acquainted with all the pirate crews in that ocean; and though it would take him a long time to get there, without money, he would get there anyway, and every time he convinced a pirate he would say to him, “Don’t you thank me, don’t you give me no credit, it all belongs to them dear people Pokeville camp-meeting, natural brothers and benefactors of the race- and the fear preacher there, the truest friend a pirate ever had!

Thoughts:

I thought this passage was very synonymous with slavery perhaps? The passage was very much sounded like ending slavery, especially with how it had ended with a phrase that Jim said? Truest friend a pirate ever had, I also just enjoyed the realism in this scene, the passage felt like one of those church meetings where everyone is crying, everyone just balls out and starts acting hysterically from the powerful words of the pastor. It’s creepy but interesting at times how these were the influencers of the time,

Questions:

Why is this even shown in the passage?What does it say about slavery?What is the meaning of this passage in the world, what about the culture of the south? What does it portray?Why is it important that he use pirates than anything else? Why did he aim to change them? How does this depict anything about the civil war at the time? Why is it relevant to the Indian Ocean?

Epiphanies:

This passage is the representation of the need to change, the exploitation, and even how easy it is to sway the population with influencers at the time.

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"The Widow Douglas she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me; but it was rough living in the house all the time, considering how dismal regular and decent the widow was in all her ways; and so when I couldn’t stand it no longer I lit out. I got into my old rags and my sugar-hogshead again, and was free and satisfied. But Tom Sawyer he hunted me up and said he was going to start a band of robbers, and I might join if I would go back to the widow and be respectable. So I went back.”

Society sets up standards for Huck and others to follow in order to be considered civilized:

educated, religious, tell the truth, have nice clothing, follow the law, not to smoke.

Huck saw the hypocrisy; so, he joined a gang with Tom Sawyer because he wanted to be far away from society and its expectations.

Huck is already a part of the lowest level of the white society:

poor, has rags as clothes, smokes, and is not educated (absent drunk father)

“Sivilized” society expects him to change his ways because that is what they consider is correct.

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Why is the diction and tone crucial in Twain’s purpose of establishing historical accuracy?

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Why is the diction and tone crucial in Twain’s purpose of establishing historical accuracy?

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In Twain’s use of a regional diction, he highlights the controversy of racism in the south.  In one instance, Huck uses the n-word to refer to Jim, his black friend. Despite his use of the word, Huck cares for Jim and his feelings; this reflects Huck’s lack of comprehension of this derogatory language.

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How does the point of view affect the narrative structure of Huckleberry Finn?

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How does the point of view affect the narrative structure of Huckleberry Finn?

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1. The diction and tone goes hand in hand with the narrator of the story, Huck himself.  The combination of his dialect, Similar to any other narratives told by a child, naivety and other childlike habits are reflected through the structure of Huckleberry Finn.  Huck’s naivety and innocent eyes cause him to misunderstand the implications of racism occuring to and around him, tying back into Mark Twain’s use of satire to criticize the casual nature of racism in the south.  Being able to see through Huck’s eyes presents the reader with a dual perspective narrative: Huck’s thoughts and the realizations of the reader themselves.  Since Huck fails to see the significance of things in society around him, like the use of the derogatory n-word, the reader is left to analyze these societal factors themself.

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How does the contrast of natural settings and open society reflect the younger age group’s attitude toward racism and comfortability in their society?

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How does the contrast of natural settings and open society reflect the younger age group’s attitude toward racism and comfortability in their society?

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1. Although so far the stories have mainly occurred in natural settings like the woods and rivers, Huck and Jim’s southward travel reveals some differences in accepted mentality towards society.  As Huck and Jim move furthey south, they get closer and closer to slave territory, endangering them.  However, Huck’s familiarity with the rivers and woods, even as he moves south, shows his increased comfort level in nature when compared to the societies around him.  Interestingly enough, this is further exemplified through Huck’s diction and tone shifts, from his slangy dialect to an articulate series of descriptions, when appreciating his escape in nature; in describing a sunset, Huck points out that “the mist curl[s] up off the water, and the east reddens up”.  Huck’s attitude towards the setting and atmosphere in natural settings versus racist southern towns reflects the disinterest of children in this era to engage in their society; they’d rather escape to their own world with their own rules!

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"What was the trouble about, Buck?--Land?"
"I reckon maybe--I don't know."
"Well, who done the shooting?--was it a Grangerford or a Shepherdson?"
"Laws, how do I know? it was so long ago."
........ Next sunday we all went to church, about three mile, everybody-a-horseback. The men took theri guns along, so did Buck, and kept them between their knees or stood them handy against the wall. The Shepherdsons done the same. It was pretty much ornery preaching--all about brotherly love, and suchlike tiresomeness; but everybody said it was a good sermon, and they alll talked it over going home, and had such a powerful lot to say about faith, and good works, and gree grace, and preforeordestination, and I don't know what all, that it di seem to me to be one of hte roughest Sundays I had run across yet.

Thoughts
Were they the only people in the town to go to church?
How many generations has this kept on for?
Why continue a legacy for which it no longer makes sense to prolong?
Is this a play on the civil war? Of people fighting each other?
Why'd they allow themselves to be killed?

Q

Why did the pastor act so calm, wasn't having guns at church weird?

E

In the passage before Huck brings up the story o fa man who had so maany children he became heartless. Those and country folk with calvinist ideals believe it's their destiny, in contradiction to their valuing of education, morals, and customs.