Huck Discussion Questions XL - Chapter the Last

1. These chapters show just how good of a person and friend Jim is. He risks his own safety and freedom to help Tom, who only ever did him wrong. After he learns that he was free to begin with, he can't be anything but happy, and isn't even mad at Tom. He is shown here to be more a person than the majority of the people in this book, which goes along with the theme of dehumanization. Jim is faithful, trustworthy, loyal, helpful, kindhearted, and unselfish.

2. Because of the Doctor's speech about how helpful and trustworthy Jim was, the people decide not to hang Jim and be a little nicer to him. This was very nice of the Doctor, and shows that not all members of society think in the same way. He showed the people that Jim had proven himself to be more than just a slave, and that they should treat him better.

3. The bullet signifies the consequences of romanticism, and its "death" essentially in the novel. It is a trophy of Twain and his realism against the world and its romanticism. That Tom kept it shows how some people never learn and still keep their old ways.

4. Huck is going to the territories, west of the Mississippi, because he doesn't want to be sivilized again. Huck has learned the evils of society and has decided to, in a sense, leave the world behind in search of his own world, away from society.

5. Huck Finn adheres to the realistic tradition of writing throughout almost the entire book. Even when it is highly unlikely that Huck finds himself at Aunt Sally's house and that Tom is there too, Twain uses this to strengthen the idea of realism even more and point out the flaws of romanticism. Huck is a good narrator because he is not too biased and is learning at the same time as the audience. His internal struggle with his deformed conscious gives the book a good conflict. He is also humorous and makes the story entertaining. Huck is truthful, and doesn't romaticize or over-exaggerate things. Sometimes Huck doesn't necessarily understand what is going on during some scenes because he is so naive, but it is still shown what happened and is perhaps represented through a different viewpoint, like when Huck saw the circus show. Having another character narrate the story would completely change the entire point of the novel, as no one else has a mind like Huck's and thinks like he does. The story wouldn't have as powerful an argument against society. An omniscient narrator would ruin the point as well, as everyone's (even society's) points would be presented, and it would make the story less personal.

Huck Discussion XXXVI - XXXIX - Written Assignment

Tom Sawyer, in every way, symbolizes romaticism, and Twain's hate of it. Tom embraces a romantic viewpoint rather than a realistic one in all situations. He prefers to play make-believe, than actually do something constructive and meaningful, and turns everything into an adventure or joke. In his mind, everything must be by the book, the books being of course classic romantic tales like "Arabian Nights" and "Don Quixote". Having to adhere to these examples usually makes Tom's games and plans over-the-top and overly complicated and dramatized.

Twain's use of Tom Sawyer to make fun of romanticism is blatanly evident in chapters 36 through 39. Tom and Huck are trying to free Jim, which would be an easy enough task, were it not for Tom. Tom insists that everything must be just like it is portrayed in storybooks like "The Count of Monte Cristo". He even goes as far as to make a ladder made out of sheets and a rope baked into a pie to sneak in to Jim, who is located on the first floor. Instead of just walking out the front door with Jim, an easily accomplished task, Tom has them try to dig under the cabin with case-knives. Even after the hole is dug, and Jim is able to get out, Tom has them perform other "vital" tasks. Jim is made to scratch messages asking for help to "the outside world" on tin plates and keep a diary in blood on a shirt, even though he can't write. The boys also wrangle up some snakes, spiders, and rats for him to tame in his long stay in captivity. In order to give Jim some hope, he is told to tend to a flower, but only water it using his tears, as this is how the real prisoners do it, according to Tom. 

All these "necessary" accessories are entirely unpractical. Jim was stuck in the cabin for much, much longer than he should have been because of Tom's setbacks. Even when preparations are complete for Jim to escape, Tom makes that even more romanticized. He writes anonymous letters telling the family about an oncoming Indian plan to steal their runaway slave, making their escape more difficult. In the process of actually freeing Jim, Tom gets shot in the leg, a scene I'm sure Mr. Twain enjoyed writing. This point shows the ultimate downfall of romanticism and how it never actually works out in the real world. Later, it is revelaed that Jim was free anyway due to Miss Watson's death, and that Tom was aware of that fact the whole time. Twain uses this to make romanticism into even more of a villain. To Tom, all of this was a game; he was just using Huck and Jim, who just wanted Jim's freedom. Jim's life and freedom are endangered by Tom's actions, and Tom doesn't care.

If Tom's schemes are so ridiculous, why do Huck and Jim go along with them? To Jim and Huck, Tom is an educated, respected, member of society, who knows better than they do. They don't want to break any regulations on prisoners and escaping from prison that are described in the books. Tom also has a gang of boys that considers him their leader. Tom is so popular because his games are fun and entertaining, though useless. His fantastical adventures are more appealing than the real world. Twain is making a point about how people get so caught up in the dramatic, unrealistic, idealized, and romantic, that they forget about the real world, and can't differentiate between a fake adventure and a real, dangerous scenario (as seen in the scene on the Walter Scott), a cardinal sin in Twain's mind.

Huck Discussion Questions XXXI - XXXV

2. Huck saying that he'll go to hell is ironic because he wanted to go to hell anyway. Earlier in the book he said that hell would be more fun than heaven anyway.

3. The description of the country as being lonesome is symbolic of Huck's loneliness without Jim. The setting also symbolizes society, as it is the conventional description of a small Southern plantation, and Huck's return to it.

4. According to Huck, Providence always puts the right words in his mouth, so he never plans out what he's going to tell people. Miss Watson wouldn't agree with Huck. She would say that God would never help Huck lie, or deceive people, especially not in order to free a runaway slave.

5. Huck says that nobody got hurt, it just killed a nigger, which is ironic because Huck is implying that black people aren't people, but he is using that story to help free Jim, a runaway slave. It is also ironic because Huck has made it so far, but as soon as he comes back into society, he has to pretend to have the same mindset as everyone else.

6. Realism vs. romanticism because Tom Sawyer is such a big proponent of romanticism. Also, Huck vs. society, as Tom symbolizes society as well.

7. Huck wants to save Jim because they're family and he doesn't want Jim to be put back into slavery. Huck actually cares about Jim, and feels it is his responsibility to help Jim to freedom. Tom wants to save Jim so that he can have his own little romantic adventure like he reads in his storybooks, not to actually help Jim. Jim's situation is merely a stage to Tom.

8. This shows that Huck is a kindhearted and compassionate person. He doesn't like to see people in bad situations, regardless of how rotten the people were. He is sensitive to others and puts himself in their shoes. It also shows his naivety that he didn't expect people of such cruelty in the first place.

9. Tom's stealing everything anyway! Although, it's not really stealing because they're all his aunts things anyway. Tom says that they can only steal things that a prisoner would need, like tin plates to write on, a shirt to keep a journal on, and sheets to make into a ladder, which is ironic in itself, because no prisoner needs those things, and it is unnecessary to steal them. At least Huck actually ate the watermelon because he was hungry.

10. Huck lets Tom take control because he thinks that Tom is smarter than he is. He knows that Tom has an education and that he doesn't, and believes that that therefore makes Tom superior in the ways of thinking. Huck also doesn't want to cause any trouble between the both of them.

Huck Finn Mini-Quiz Thingy

1. In chapter 26, Huck must decide whether or not to foil the king and duke's plan and take their money from them, risking his safety. In chapter 31, Huck has to make a decision on whether or not to let Jim be put back into slavery, and actually turn him in back to Miss Watson. Both decisions show Huck's maturing character, how he has grown since the beginning of the book, as both decisions deal with other people rather than himself. The decision about Jim also shows how Huck has grown away from the ways of society. In the end, Huck decides to take the money in order to help Mary Jane and the rest of her family, as well as show the truth to the townspeople, and to not send the letter to Miss Watson, and try to get Jim free again.

The opposing forces in each of Huck's decisions is Huck himself, because they are internal conflicts.

It is ironic that Huck is stealing for a good cause. What is ironic about Huck saying, "All right then, I'll go to hell," is that he didn't care about whether or not he went to hell to begin with. In the beginning of the book, he even said he'd rather go to hell, because it sounded more fun than heaven.

2. Writing the letter made Huck feel sinless because according to society and the principles he grew up with, he had done the right thing. Earlier, Huck said he couldn't pray a lie, meaning he couldn't pray before he wrote the letter because he would kneel and pray, but the words that would come out of his mouth would be lies, because deep down he knew really didn't want to/wouldn't do the things he would pray about. Huck wasn't able to pray that he wanted to be better, because in his mind he wasn't that bad, and really he didn't want to send Jim back into slavery. He felt better about the state of his soul after writing the letter because he had actually proven to himself that he could/would do it. He had the paper right in front of him and all he had to do was send it.

3. After writing the letter, Huck thought about all the times he had with Jim, and all the things Jim had done for him, how Jim had never done him ny wrong, and how he had a duty to Jim to only do right by him, as Jim had said Huck was his only and best friend. Huck tore up the paper because he realized that he and Jim were like family, and that he needed to be there for Jim as Jim was to him. Huck broke away from society in this final act of defiance in order to save someone he loved, and didn't care about the consequences.

Huck Questions XXVIII - XXX

1. It's not your average funeral scene. The undertaker goes down into the cellar to either shut-up a dog, or kill a rat in the middle of the service, and is revered as a great man for that little task. Twain doesn't give much mention on the dead man, or the sermon itself, and interrupts the whole scene with that, which may have seemed disrespectful to some people. The crticism is not justified, Twain is just making another point about society.

2. Huck is saying that this is one of the few times when it is better to be honest than lie. He is considering telling Mary Jane the truth, and thus taking any blame off himself, while making Mary Jane feel better.

3. Huck lies to help others, but still ensure his own well-being.

4. Jim isn't seen in these chapters as much because Twain is trying to show more of Huck's coming of age and his personal growth. He is also trying to make different points against society than simply arguing against slavery.

5.  It shows that Hines is greedy, easily distracted, and cares for money more than anything else. He is a symbol of society. 

6. Huck likes Mary Jane a lot, and doesn't want to see her get caught up in the whole mess. He is also afraid she would unknowingly give away his plan. Huck is showing more concern for Mary Jane than he is himself, as her being there would aid in keeping him safe from the townspeople, showing that Huck actually does have morals.

7. This backs up the themes of gullibility and appearance vs. reality. Huck is saying that anyone could clearly see which man was the liar, but the townspeople can't tell because they have already believed the king to be who he says he is and are convinced that they all must be right. They are already "prejudiced".

8. The truth. (Ha, that looks/sounds so dramatic.) As well as reasoning and good judgement.

9. The duke and king are still villains. Based not only on their various misdeeds of the past, but also the event that just happened in Chapter 30, when they threatened Huck, fought with each other, and then got all drunk. The two conmen are simlilar to Pap, and represent society, and therefore must be villains.

Huck Discussion Questions XXIV - XXVII

1. The appearance of Jim as a sick Arab shows the theme of dehumanization. The new clothes the king and duke get represent the theme of appearance vs. reality and gullibility.

2. The prior schemes played by the duke and king were less personal, less apt to emotionally ruin people, and were played on less innocent and kind people than the townspeople of Peter Wilks (compared to the inhabitants of the Arkansas town and their way of life). Huck is naive and hasn't experienced such charades as the one the duke and king play on the Wilks family, he still gives the human race some credit. Huck probably also feels that it is disrespectful to the dead, as superstitious as he is.

3. They're young and innocent, have just experienced a death, and live in a small town.

4. Joanna eating in the kitchen and being called "harelip" and how she is treated is significant because it backs up the theme of dehumanization, and how it is not just directed towards African Americans.

5. Twain shows the gullibility of people and how they are easily persuaded of one thing to be true, and how hard it is to dissuade them of their so-called "truth". Once one person goes along with it, the others follow. People become so wrapped up in what they believe to be true, that they can't see if they're obviously wrong, or just don't want to be proven wrong. Most people say that seeing is believing, but sometimes just seeing isn't enough, because people can put on some pretty good shows.

6. See answer to number 3. Having met the Wilks girls, and the townspeople, Huck is driven even more to foil the plans of the duke and king. He doesn't think it is right or fair to play such tricks on innocent, gullible, people who have just had a loved one die, especially Mary Jane, whom he is quite fond of. The themes of coming of age, gullibility, naivety, ignorance, and appearance vs. reality all play roles in Huck's change in attitude. Perhaps most change-inducing are the themes of coming of age, gullibility, naivety, and Huck's struggle with his conscious. Huck's conscious is winning in this case, and his moral values are coming out.

Chapter 23 'Group' Work

Summary:
The king and duke prepare for their show.
The duke makes a speech praising the show to a full house (of men only).
The curtains are rolled up, and the king prances out all naked and painted, and delivers a hysterical show.
The king performs two encores.
The duke closes the show, mentioning that it will be open for two more nights.
The crowd gets angry, realizing they've been sold.
A man jumps up and calms the crowd down, suggesting everyone advise the rest of the town to watch the show so that the whole town is pranked.
The crowd leaves and does so, bringing another full house the next night.
The king, duke, Huck, and Jim have supper after the second show, and Huck and Jim are made to hide the raft two miles below town.
The people who attend the third show were the same ones that were there the other two nights, and they brought things to throw at the duke and king, like rotten eggs, cabbages, and dead cats.
The duke and Huck escape to the raft and start off down the river, the whole time the king was in the wigwam.
They all have supper and the duke and king laugh about their clever joke on the townspeople.
After the duke and king are asleep, Jim and Huck discuss royalty, allowing Twain to satirize it.
Huck falls asleep, but wakes to Jim mourning about his family.
Jim starts talking to Huck about his family, and Jim tells him about his daughter, 'Lizabeth.

Themes:
Gullibility - as shown by the crowd that attends the duke and king's show.
Romanticism vs. realism - as shown when Huck and Jim are discussing royalty.
The concept of family, the feeling of isolation and loneliness, and Huck's struggle with his deformed conscious - as shown when Huck and Jim are talking about Jim's family.

Symbol: the river - life

Jim - slavery, dehumanization

the duke and king - romanticism

the raft - freedom from society, home

Motifs: Lies and cons, royalty

Personas: none

Episode number: 7

Huck Finn Discussion Questions: Chapter 21 - 23

1. Huck isn't really much into acting, or conning people, it's not his type of fun. I don't think he'd like to get that involved with the duke or king either, seeing as he doesn't want to start any quarrels.

2. Twain satirizes Southern pride, honor, and "bravery", as well as vigilantism and the nature of humans to revel in the excitement of, and enjoy, death. Sherburn shoots Boggs for simply making fun of him, albeit it must have been annoying having to listen to it every month and not be able to get him officially considered a public disturbance. Twain mocks Southern "bravery" and vigilantism, as the mob is a group of cowards made of half-men, only able to stand when they are together and think they have the upperhand, unable to even sentence someone in a court due to fear. Death is like a show to them, they want to be the first to see it, and they want to be able to talk about it. Twain satirizes people's nature to find entertainment in death and pain, as long as they themselves are not confronted with it.

3. The circus and the duke and king's show are very similar. Both play on human nature to laugh at other people's pain or danger, and the want to make others just as miserable as you. The circus show included a man, who was actually part of the circus, that pretended to throw a big fit and then proceed to get himself into danger. This shows man's enjoyment of violence and of others' suffering. The duke and king's show shows more of how us humans like to laugh at people, and like to make other people suffer or get tricked as we do.

4. Huck's reaction to the circus shows us that he is very naive, and though he craves adventures, does not necessarily enjoy them. He was too realistic to realize the joke, and was seriously scared for the man on the horse, showing his compassion. He doesn't understand how people can find enjoyment in such things. Huck thinks that the ringmaster was the most decieved, he doesn't believe the ringmaster knew anything about one of his own men playing a charade like that, and he would hate to be in the ringmaster's shoes.

5. By saying that ladies and children aren't admitted to see the Royal Nonesuch, Twain is implying that people would be more curious towards and attracted to things that may seem wrong, dangerous, dishonest, or elite.

6. Twain is implying that real royalty, or those of high esteem, act the same way, conning their "subjects", playing games of make-believe to entertain themselves, dwelling on the nature of others, lying to the people, and admonishing themselves over others. He is also mocking romaticism and the romantic views of chivalrous kings and kindly dukes.

7. The story of Jim's daughter 'Lizabeth shows Jim's humanity, and how he has a family, and loves, and regrets, just like everyone else does. This scene shows how Huck is beginning to realize these things, that Jim is a human just like him, and how the two are starting to get to know each other and bond.

8.

Chapter 1 -

We meet Huck, the Widow Douglas, and Miss Watson and are introduced to his life in a civilized society.

The three talk about religion: Huck is taught about the dead Moses and heaven.

We are introduced to superstition as a theme: Huck hears spooky noises from outside and kills a spider, giving him bad luck.

Huck sneaks out his window to meet up with Tom Sawyer.

Chapter 2 -

We meet Jim, Miss Watson's slave, who almost catches Tom and Huck.

Tom and Huck take some candles and play a prank on Jim, moving his hat so he believes he was bewitched by witches.

The two boys meet up with Tom's gang and they all take an oath to their new band of highwaymen and ransomers.

Twain's first cut to romanticism is made.

Chapter 3 -

Huck is taught about prayer by miss Watson, which he takes very literally and doesn't understand, showing Twain making another sneer towards religion.

Huck talks about his Pap.

The boys quit playing robbers after about a month.

Huck recalls when Tom had them break up a Sunday school picnic because the genies were just disguising the Arabs and elephants and diamonds and such, making them look like a Sunday school picnic, which Huck also takes literally. (Kinda reminds me of Mickey and Brandy's duet.) Twain is mocking romanticism again.

Chapter 4 - And thats when I fell asleep....

Lit. Terms

motif - a recurring subject, theme, idea, etc.

realism - interest in or concern for the actual or real, as distinguished from the abstract, speculative, etc.; the tendency to view or represent things as they really are; a theory of writing in which the ordinary, familiar, or mundane aspects of life are represented in a straightforward or matter-of-fact manner that is presumed to reflect life as it actually is.

romanticism - characterized by a heightened interest in nature, emphasis on the individual's expression of emotion and imagination, departure from the attitudes and forms of classicism, and rebellion against established social rules and conventions.

allegory - a symbolical narrative.

picaresque novel - a popular sub-genre of prose fiction which is usually satirical and depicts in realistic and often humorous detail the adventures of a roguish hero of low social class who lives by his or her wits in a corrupt society.

bildungsroman - a type of novel concerned with the education, development, and maturing of a young protagonist.

situational irony - an outcome that turns out to be very different from what was expected, the difference between what is expected to happen and what actually does

dramatic irony - irony that is inherent in speeches or a situation of a drama and is understood by the audience but not grasped by the characters in the play.

verbal irony - a figure of speech in which what is said is the opposite of what is meant.

satire - the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc.

sarcasm - a sharply ironical taunt; sneering or cutting remark.

episodic plot - a story with a series of events, often unrelated, which can take place over great periods of time and in many locales; the events of an episodic plot are not necessarily causally related.

dramatic foils - characters in literature whose differing characteristics are emphasized by those traits that are opposed in another character.

hyperbole - obvious and intentional exaggeration.

unreliable narrator - a narrator whose credibility has been seriously compromised.

euphemism - the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt.

parable - a short allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lesson.

oxymoron - a figure of speech by which a locution produces an incongruous, seemingly self-contradictory effect.

antihero - a protagonist who lacks the attributes that make a heroic figure, as nobility of mind and spirit, a life or attitude marked by action or purpose, and the like.

dialect - a variety of a language that is distinguished from other varieties of the same language by features of phonology, grammar, and vocabulary, and by its use by a group of speakers who are set off from others geographically or socially.

metaphor - a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance.

simile - a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared.

tone - a particular style or manner, as of writing or speech; mood.

 

Huck Discussion Questions: XV - XX

1. Jim says that the towheads and fog represent people, society, and that the clear river represents the freedom. Huck was lost in the towheads and fog, meaning he was lost in the ways of society, but eventually makes his way to Jim, the realization that he is another person, not just a slave. This backs up the themes of superstition, slavery, and the individual vs. society. it is foreshadow because it shows that they will get into trouble with all kinds of people, but that eventually they will make it to the free states, or Jim's freedom at least.

2. Huck feels guilty after playing such a mean trick on Jim. After fifteen minutes, Huck finally goes and apologizes to Jim, and doesn't feel stupid for it or anything. This is the first big change in Huck. It backs up the whole anti-racist theme of the novel, that society is wrong, that slaves are people too and should be treated as such, and that we should all just look past our exterior differences and learn to live with each other in peace.

3. "Jim said it made him all over trembly..." - Huck begins to feel guilty and free for helping Jim and not turning him in. He sees it as just stealing someone else's property. He is having an internal battle between society, and what he believes to be true.

"Here was this nigger..." - Huck feels guilty for stealing someone's property, especially since Jim plans on stealing his children back, which would be even more property theft, and damage toward a man Huck didn't even know. It is ironic because normally people don't think of their children, or someone else's children, as property that can just be stolen. Huck doesn't think twice about "borrowing" food, but he does when slaves are being stolen, showing that Huck is still a product of society.

"Well, then, says I..." - If Huck tells on Jim, he'll feel bad, but if he doesn't he feel just as bad. He sees no point in doing, right, if wrong is easier and the outcome is just the same.

"Doan' less' talk about it, Huck..." - Jim doesn't blame Huck for them not making it to Cairo. He figures he doesn't have any good luck anyway. This is connected to the theme of superstition.

All of these quotes show Huck's struggle between what society says is right, and what he himself believes to be right.

4. The bounty hunters, which are looking to ruin innocent people's lives, are helpful, give Huck money because they feel sorry for him and his "pap" and want to help them, but can't go near the raft for fear that they would get smallpox. It is also ironic because the very man they're looking for is on that raft, and they just aided him without knowing it, and that they tell Huck not to tell anybody about the smallpox, but they can't go help because they don't want to catch it.

5. It symbolizes society, and industrialization, tearing apart the natural foundation our world was built upon (like all men being created equal, a natural right), and nature itself.

6. Twain didn't like where the first part of Huck Finn was going, so he stopped writing, took a trip down the Mississippi, and had a great realization that led him to begin writing again, especially more about the hypocrisy of society and Huck's conflict.

7. They have a lot of fancy, gaudy decorations, but they're house is clean and orderly, decorated with depressing pictures and poetry. They have pictures of battle on their walls and books on Friendship's Offering and Family Medicine, which is ironic because they're obviously in a feud with another family, the Shepherdsons. They seem to have a romantic view of life and death.

8. Huck's cunning way to get Buck to remind him of his name backs up the theme of gullibility. The way the Grangerfords act, though they are in the middle of a deadly feud, represents the theme of appearance vs. reality. The Grangerford's sense of romanticism represents the conflict between realism and romanticism. The Grangerfords themselves represent society.

9. That he doesn't understand jokes about the Bible, and can't really recognize them, because he doesn't know very much about it, and isn't sure if it is a joke or not. Moses appears throughout the novel as a motif. It also perhaps shows that Huck is a little naive.

10. Twain is being satirical towards religion, especially religious people, because the Shepherdsons and Grangerfords go to church, taking their guns with them, hear a sermon about brotherly love, discuss how much they enjoyed it, yet then proceed to continue in their death-causing feud. Pigs sleep in the church, and are in it more than the people are.

11. The feud symbolizes society and tradition, how we don't even necessarily have reasons for what we do, and fight just to fight, and cause so much unnecessary death, regardless of whether or not we even remember what we're fighting about. It reminds me of Romeo and Juliet, the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues, and the two not-meant-to-be, young lovers.

12. One would think that Huck and Jim might be glad to be in civilization, with a bed and food, but instead they are happy to be back on the raft, away from everyone else, peaceful and lazy. This represents the enjoyment they take in their separation from society, and thus the troubles that come with it, represented by the feud. It backs up the theme of freedom, as they are truly free on the raft, and the conflict Huck and Jim have with the society they are supposed to conform to.

13. Clothes represent society, and being confined to it, so Jim and Huck's nakedness symbolizes their freedom from society and disattachment from the world.

14. Huck doesn't want to cause any quarrels between any of them. He deals with them as he would his pap.

15. I think that the King and the Duke are more shrewd than Huck. It takes more perceptiveness to come to the conclusion that Jim is a runaway slave, than it does to see that the two con men are obviously not a king and a duke. Huck also has the good judgement to know that they aren't really royalty, and avoid quarrels by not bringing it up though.

16. The satire of the con men presenting Romeo and Juliet is mocking romanticism. Romeo and Juliet is a motif, it appears throughout the story, and represents society and the battle between romanticism and realism.

17.

18.

Huck Discussion Questions: XII - XIV

1. Huck learned from his dad that its not stealing as long as you intend to pay it back at some point in time, but the widow taught him that it is stealing, so Huck finds a happy medium. Huck and Jim decide that they'll only borrow certain things, which turn out to be items they don't want anyway.

2. Huck likes and wishes for a good adventure, while at the same time he is realistic because he figures they could borrow some things from the boat.

3. Walter Scott was the author of "Braveheart", and was hated by Twain for his romanticism. Huck wants an adventure, but it turns out to be not so fun in real life, and certainly not romantic.

4. Huck tries to save the murderers because he figures that if he were a murderer, he wouldn't want to be left on the sinking boat to die. This shows Huck's compassion for others and sense of humanity, but also his naivety.

5. The scene with the boatman is satirical towards humans and our society because the only way Huck convinces the boatman to help who he thinks to be innocent, dying people stranded on a sinking ship, is by playing on the boatman's greediness and guaranteeing him money.

6. Jim figured that if he didn't get saved from the sinking ship, he would drown, but if he did get saved, then the person who saved him would just give him back to Miss Watson for the reward, and that she would sell him to the South.

7. Huck's information about kings and dukes is partially accurate, because they are rich, and some don't do much, and some dress gaudy, but every king or duke has other duties that he muct perform other than just whacking people's heads off and going to war sometimes. They also don't get as much money as they want, and don't normally have harems, especially harems with a million wives.

8. Jim doesn't like Solomon because everyone says he's wise, but Jim doesn't believe it. He thinks Solomon was stupid for having that many wives and children because he would never get any peace, and that chopping the child in half was a dumb idea. The scene is an argument between Huck and Jim, ultimately resulting in Jim's victory, unbeknownst to Huck. It is written entirely in the matter that such a person like Jim or Huck would speak, taking advantage of the many dialects found in the area. 

This was really late, Fielding... Sorry. I did all but question 8 before the DDF trip, but I just forgot to post it.

Discussion Questions Notice - IV

1. Widow Douglas is an old, religious woman who wants to help Huck by giving him a good home and civilizing him. She tells Huck a story about Moses, to which Huck responds with distaste, as he doesn't care much for dead people, especially dead people that no one knows. Huck's response to the story tells us that he is realistic and doesn't care much for the past, but is rather focused on the present.

2. Superstition appears over and over again throughout Huck Finn, and represents a product of society, as well as providing for the theme of superstition vs. religion. An example would be when Huck is laying in bed and interprets the calls of owls, whippowills, and dogs as harbringers of death. Another instance of superstition occurs when Tom moves Jim's hat while he is sleeping, and Jim believes it to be the work of witches. Jim's fortune-telling hairball is a prime example of superstition.

3. To Huck, death is an unknown, which he tries to explain through superstition, and is also a little afraid of. He doesn't have much understanding of an afterlife, or an afterlife as is described to him by Miss Watson, and isn't really concerned with it. Huck says that he doesn't care much for the dead. Huck doesn't take death very seriously. Huck's perspective on death is significant because it shows more of his realistic nature, being more concerned with the things of the present, than what will happen when he is dead, and in his mind, unimportant.

4. I think that the trick Tom and Huck played on Jim, convincing Jim that he had been bewitched by witches that had hung his hat on a tree branch above him, was funny, but mean. It makes Jim look foolish.

5. "Jim was most ruined for a servant..." is significant because it shows how Jim's attitude changed after Tom and Huck's trick and delves more into the issue of slavery and racism. Jim became stuck up because he thought that he had been bewitched by witches and had seen the devil, and nothing is worse than a slave who thinks a little highly of himself.

6. Tom is a romantic, so he took the candles not out of necessity, but because he just wanted to play with them. He left the five cents, more than enough to pay for the candles, because he didn't care that much about the money, or the candles, and figured he should give the owner something in return instead of just stealing. Huck, on the other hand, is a realist. Huck wouldn't have taken the candles unless he needed them in the first place, and even then, he probably wouldn't have left any money. Huck would have considered it borrowing rather than stealing.

7. Tom is a romantic who lives for make-believe adventures and fantastic stories. Huck is a realist, who doesn't have much of a vision of grandeur about the world, and just deals with his personal real-life situations on a day-by-day basis. Tom is comfortable living a civilized life of school, church, and abstinence from smoking, while Huck would rather take care of himself and do whatever he pleases. Tom is an extravagant planner, while Huck is more of a do-er.

8. Tom thinks it important that he and his band be called highwaymen rather than burglars because burglars simply steal things, whereas highwaymen stop people on the road and kill and/or ransom them.

9. Miss Watson told Huck that he should pray every day and that he would get whatever he prayed for. Huck tried this for days when in need of fish hooks, but never received any hooks. He asked Miss Watson to try praying for him, but she just called him a fool. Huck sat and thought a while about it, and decided that praying didn't get you whatever you wanted. He went and told the widow and she told him that you could only get spiritual gifts from praying, and that he should do everything he can for other people and never think about himself. Huck thought about this and figured that he wouldn't pay any mind to praying any more as it had no benefits for him. 

10. Tom calls Huck a numskull because Huck never read Don Quixote and doesn't know about the enchantments of magicians and why all the Arabs, elephants, and diamonds appeared to look like a Sunday school class.

11. Huck doesn't believe all of Tom's lies, he can think for himself, and sticks to his realistic viewpoint. Huck doesn't believe Tom about the Arabs and the magic, but has his own opinion and believes that it really was just a Sunday school class. This shows the contrast between Tom and Huck.

12. Huck wants to give all of his money to Judge Thatcher because he knows that his dad is in town, and it wouldn't end well for Huck if his dad found out he was rich and decided to take all of his money to spend on booze.

Vocab. Sentences

sagacious - The sagacious Libra is very compatible with the attention-craving Leo.

voluminous - The southern lady's voluminous hair was reminiscent of the 80s.

arduous - The arduous task of acquiring the world's best banana pancakes was bestowed upon Jack Johnson.

decorous - The decorous young girl was so sweet that the duchess couldn't help but adopt her.

eulogium - I was asked to perform the eulogium for the beetle's funeral.

propriety - The propriety of the fluffy little kitten was a disadvantage, as mellow kittens are not as entertaining as fierce ones.

tempestuous - The tempestuous teenager enjoyed such revelry as punk music, moshing, and coffeehouse-style poetry.

edifice - The White House is an edifice.

elucidate - The bear proceeded to elucidate the reason or his binge eating.

torpid - My father is torpid.

dissipate - Then, suddenly, the sprinkles began to dissipate themselves all over the cupcakes!

disparage - We, as a society, tend to disparage the clams and eat them.

dogmatic - Brandy and John are both annoyingly dogmatic.

egregious - The egregious odor emanating from the rotten pickles was stifling.

alacrity - Spongebob is full of alacrity every morning.

languid - Turtles could be described as languid.

"Young Goodman Brown" Questions

1. The allegory in "Young Goodman Brown" is about the journey that everyone faces at one point or another in their lives. It shows the internal struggle between good and evil and the temptations each person faces.

2. The pink ribbons represent faith, innocence, purity, and overall goodness. When Faith loses her ribbons, it symbolizes the loss of these qualities.
Faith is a symbol of faith. Duh.
The devil's staff is a symbol of evil, treachery, and wickedness.
The forest is symbolic of darkness, evil, and the unknown.

3. I think that the events young Goodman Brown experienced in the woods could be both real and imaginary. The events being real reinforces the story's point, the idea that everyone is evil, even the people that appear to be the "holiest", and that everyone has secrets. Hawthorne also wrote "Young Goodman Brown" about the Salem witch trials, so perhaps he was still a little bitter about them and meant it to be read as real. It is also likely that the events Goodman Brown experienced were an illusion, as the townspeople are completely normal after that night, and Goodman Brown was on a metaphorical quest to discover his own feelings about good and evil, probably not an actual cult ceremony.

4. Goodman Brown, Faith, Goody Cloyse, Deacon Gookin, the devil, the rest of the people at the witch ceremony, the minister, the townspeople.

5. King Philip's War is an allusion to King Philip's War.
The Egyptian Magi and the staff are an allusion to the place in Exodus where Moses goes against the Egyptian Magi, who turn their staffs into snakes, and his staff turns into a snake and eats the other snakes.

6. I liked "Young Goodman Brown". It was interesting and philosophical, it gives you something to think about. Anything about the occult interests me. Hawthorne has good points about the whole conflict between evil and good and how it applies to our lives. He didn't make the symbolism, metaphors, or allusions too hard to figure out either, which is nice.

7. I think that hawthorne is critical of some of the characters in the story. Not necessarily Goodman Brown, but Hawthorne is critical of the townspeople. Goodman Brown is one of the few characters who made a realization, while the townspeople continue leading lives of lies and hypocrisy.

8. I think the theme of "Young Goodman Brown" is that there is always a struggle between good and evil going on, especially internally, and that there is a point in life that everyone reaches where they must face it.

"Self-Reliance" Questions

 1.a.  Every person comes to realize that, "envy is ignorance; that imitation is sucide; that he must take himself for better, for worse," and that, "no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his own toil". Emerson is saying that eventually every person realizes that they need to just be themselves and accept it. They realize that trying to be something you're not or copying others is just stupid, and in a way is killing yourself. People will realize that everything isn't just served to them on a silver platter, but that they have to work for themselves and learn to rely on their own abilities rather than those of others.

1.b. Emerson says that envy is ignorance and the imitation is suicide because he is trying to tell people that they just need to be true to themselves. The phrase "envy is ignorance" means that being jealous of others is just living in cluelessness and having an unawareness of oneself. If you are wasting all your time wishing you were like someone else or wishing you had something that someone else has, you fail to spend time reflecting on yourself and truely trusting your own individuality. You focus more on the trivial things like wanting to look like someone else than you do on relying on your own uniqueness and seeing your own merit, and thats just fooling yourself and living in a state of spiritual, mental, and emotional unconsciousness. "Imitation is suicide" means that trying to be just like someone/everyone else is in a sense killing yourself. Imitation may be flattery, but it is a flattery that flatters only one, and degrades the other. If you try to copy others, you lose your own sense of individuality and the traits that make you you.

Emerson recommends that we all learn to trust ourselves, our own abilities and individual attributes, and accept that we are who we are and we can't change that, and shouldn't try to change it.

2.a. The virtue that society asks of each of us is conformity. People should strive for self-reliance instead of conformity, however.

2.b. Emerson advocates nonconformity because it is the true way to live, and because conformity does not give us reality. You cannot live in truth, and be untrue to yourself. By noncomformity, Emerson means not conforming to the "rules" laid down by society. He says that people shouldn't do what everyone else does just because everyone else does it, or believe something just because everyone else believes it. Emerson wants us all to figure things out for ourselves and come to our own conclusions on what is wrong or right, or what we should or shouldn't do, or what is true or untrue. He says that "Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of our own mind,", meaning that having your own individual strength and being truthful to yourself and to what you honestly in your heart believe to be right is of the highest importance, not trying to fit in with others.

3.a. Emerson says that being an individual, true to yourself, and living noncomformistly is difficult, but essential for greatness. Living a lie and conforming to society is the far easier path as it is the accepted, expected one, as is just being you when you are only around yourself. The alternative path however, nonconformity, is the harder because it goes directly against society and the world we live in. There will always be people trying to tell you what to do, when to do it, how to do it, and why you should do it. 

3.b. By the "independence of solitude", Emerson means the freedom that comes from not worrying about what everyone else thinks, or being aggravated by the masses of people trying to get you to do what they want you to do.

4.a. Emerson says that "To be great is to be misunderstood," meaning that with not conforming to the society of the time or not listening to the people trying to change who you are, comes greatness. He says that all great people were going against the societal norm, and are now considered great, and that is a good thing to be considered misunderstood by the rest of the world. Emerson states that all great people were discontent with the state of the world, thought and acted for themselves, and were stout and earnest.

4.b. Great people would need to be inconsistent with society and the world in order to achieve greatness. They need to be different than everyone else, rather than the same. They need to think and act differently in order to make an impact. If they were consistent with society and the ways things already are going, then we wouldn't have any new ideas. Emerson believes that it is also important to be consistent however; consistent in being your own individual person and standing up for yourself even if you are shunned. He believes that everyone should consistently speak their own minds, and not whatever anyone else tells them to. 

5.a. I certainly agree that it is better to be self-reliant than rely on others for your own values and principles. You can't even have your own values and principles if they come from someone else because then they aren't your original ideas, they came from what someone else told you. I believe that no one should rely on what anyone else tells them unless they have thought it through and rely on it for the sole fact that it indeed is true to themself. I believe that some people have good things to say, but that something that is good for one person may not, and probably is not, good for another, and so anything should only be followed if it agrees with your own sense of truth. The biggest thing that comes up in my mind when I think about being self-reliant is religion. I say I have no religion for example. I believe what I believe to be true and right, regardless of what a group of people or a book tells me. Being self-reliant is not just going against society, because you can be going against society and still not be true to yourself, it is following what you believe to be true and sticking up for your beliefs. 

If you are self-reliant, you have the pleasure of not caring what other people think, and being able to think for yourself. It causes you to have much less worry and stress when you just think about what you want to or are going to do, without having to think about what other people want you to do or expect of you. You can come up with your own ideas and thoughts without having to see what someone else is doing and simply mimicking it. A self-reliant person thinks and acts for themselves, regardless of whether or not others will accept them for it.

5.b. It really is stupid how much society is conforming rather than nonconforming because the nonconformists have the greatest impact on society. You would think that society would then place nonconformity higher on the list because more people would want to be like the nonconformists. That would go against the whole idea of society and nonconformity though, wouldn't it? Nonconformists have the greatest impacts on society because they are different. They are noticeable. They are talked about, be it good or bad. They stay in people's minds and stick out from the crowd. They are able to change society because to society, they are great, and they are considered great because they are different. They are individuals, and society is not used to individuals. Society, in a sense, conforms to nonconformists. Not all noncomformists however are seen as great. Think about any random danger-loving, trouble-causing, anarchist, druggie, punk teenager. They're nonconformist, are they not? They don't follow the "rules laid out by society, and certainly don't do what they're told. (I mean a punk kid who does what he does because he wants to and because he has realized it to be the truth, for himself anyway. I do not mean one of those annoying, wanna-be kids who try to fit in with the "punk" crowd.) That kid will probably never be seen as great however. What makes a non-conformist great is their appeal to society. Maybe, if that kid one day grows up and becomes a speaker for some rising anarchist political group and changes the whole nation, they will be considered great, but chances are pretty slim for that happening. What makes a noncomformist great is whether or not society follows them. So, in a sense, it is still society that is changing itself, but because it is conformist, it needs something nonconformist to conform to. If that makes sense. I believe I've ranted, and gotten a little off topic, but what I'm trying to say is that nonconformists change society so radically because they are so new, innovative, different, interesting, and unique, and if people like what they see, they'll try to be like that to (Conforming to nonconformism? Isn't that an oxymoron?).

The people that come to mind when I think of nonconformists are Kurt Cobain; The Beatles; The Ramones; My Chemical Romance; Joan Jett; William Wallace; all those old explorer, scientist, philosopher dudes; Martin Luther; Gandhi; Tim Burton; the people who originally campaigned for the American revolution; some people from the Bible, like Noah, Moses, and Jesus; all those hippies and anarchists out there; mass murderers; Rise Against; Weird Al; people who don't wear American Eagle, Abercrombie, Hollister, etc. because they simply don't like it (I don't mean those people who don't wear it just to be nonconformist, because thats like conforming to nonconformism. A person cannot be called a conformist if they wear the clothes that they do because they just like them, not because they are trying to be in the "in" crowd.); whoever directed Donnie Darko; and the like. It is debatable as to whether or not some of those are actual nonconformists, or have had a great impact on our society, but those are the ones that come to mind. They are all certainly different, be it in a "good" way or a "bad" way. 

If you couldn't tell, I really get into this kind of stuff.

Vocab. Words

callous - The boy's callous fingers suggested that he played the bass guitar.

capricious - The nun's capricious ideas of riding a unicycle through downtown Venice were unexpected for a woman of her occupation.

cajole - The bear proceeded to cajole the deer out from the hedges with some delicious jam.

censure - The devil's censure of "unnecessary" correspondence classes was infuriating.

caustic - The caustic girl hurt the poor one-eyed armadillo's feelings.

capitulate - The lion was forced to capitulate under the pressure of the anvil.

celestial - The celestial bodies glowed like.... well, celestial bodies.

catharsis - Unfortunately, all the paranoid man did during his catharsis was paint scenes of world annihilation via aliens.

carping - The young lady was soon devoid of friends due to her incessant carping.

catalyst - The catalyst of the breaking of the cookie jar was surely not me.

"Speech in the Virginia Convention" Questions

1.a. by having free debates, whether they like the conclusion or not

   b. He has to voice his opinion because it is of a different side than the other men's arguments and all sides should be heard. Henry says that free debates are the only way to find the truth and that each side should be represented. He doesn't want his country to fall into complete and forced control by the British. He knows that just sitting peacefully idle isn't working.

2.a. The British army and navy are growing and invading America, where they could have no possible enemies but the colonists.

   b. He can see that Britain is getting ready for war against them, and so does not believe the lies that the British are telling them.

3.a. He urges the men to listen to him and thus gives them this speech. Henry suggests that the colonials fight for their freedom, for that is the only way that they can be truly free. He tells the men that they should be prepared for war at any time, and not wait because the British could attack at any time, when they are weak and unprepared. Henry says that he will fight to the death for his freedom.

   b. peace

4.a. Some of the colonists want to fight, while others don't care, or want to be under British rule. The British want to gain control of the colonies and are waiting for the right time to strike. They want the talk of peace to continue and so distract the colonists.

   b. If the British put an end to all taxes, withdrew their soldiers, and allowed the colonies to govern themselves, perhaps Henry would have not urged the war so strongly. However, Patrick Henry doesn't sound like he would want to be anybody's "pet nation", so I don't think that any actions of the British would appease Henry's call for liberty.

"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" Questions

1.a. The average person thinks that themselves and nature keep them alive, while Edwards says that it is solely God.
  b. The rock falling through the web represents the sinner's wickedness and how their sin is so heavy that if God were to drop them, they would swiftly fall into hell. The rock breaking the web is like the sinner's wickedness destroying their life and detaching them from what keeps them from falling into hell. Edwards shows them how fragile that web is and that it can collapse at any given time and that their wickedness just increases the weight of the rock. The chaff represents the sinner, being merely nothing, having no significance, and being unwanted. It is easily blown away by the wind, in this case being God.

2.a. the sun, the earth, the air

   b. Edwards uses thundering storm clouds and wind to represent God's anger. Both elements of nature are strong, wrathful, and unstoppable, commanding and altering the world around them.

3.a. Their heart must undergo a great change by the power of God and be born again, dead to sin and newly alive in God.

   b. A bow and arrow are personified and is said to be full of wrath, anger, and justice. It is a scary comparison because it is telling us that God is ready to bring about that justice and send all sinners to hell at any given whim.

4.a. He starts by saying that sinners are mere bugs and tells of how angry and hateful God is at them and then proceeds to say that there is no good reason why they're alive now.

   b. It would be useful in frightening people because it shows them that the only reason they're alive is purely because God hasn't "dropped" them yet and that they can be cast into hell at any time.

The Iroquois Constitution Questions

1.a. the Five Nations confederate lords
b. to discuss the affairs of the Five Nations and create an official constitution
oratory skills were prized by the Iroquois because that is how they communicated, within their own group and with others
2.a. to the confederate lords
Adodarhoh is the chief confederate lord of the Onondaga on whose land the council fire was
lit
b. they are not actually all related to one another I'm sure, but they see each other as part of a greater family who serves the same purpose and consider themselves as relatives
3.a. he gives them four strings of shells tied together
it symbolizes his pledge to honesty, justice, peace, and the constitution
b. a leader should be honest, peaceful, patient, and always do what is good for the people
a leader should not get angry, criticize, or have self-interest
4.a. they sit on globe thistle, use shells as a pledge, crown a lord with sacred deer antlers, compare tree roots to the four corners of direction, and metaphorically and symbolically plant a tree of peace on which sits an eagle of protection
they give thanks to the earth, water, plants, winds, thunder, sun, moon, and great Creator who lives in the heavens before beginning the council
b. the Five Nations had an amazing relationship with nature, respecting and considering it as part of everything and thanking it for the life that it gives
5.a. In my opinion, every leader should have the qualities presented in the Iroquois Constitution. Today, we have too many dishonest leaders who put themselves before the people they are supposed to be leading. In the Iroquois Constitution, every member of the council must be honest, peaceful, patient, and have the self-interest of the people in mind at all times. These attributes are a necessity if we want to be governed without chaos, lies, and war. Our leaders should also care about nature as much as the Iroquois do, maybe not worship nature, but at least care about it and put it up higher on the list of concerns.

Vocab. Words

Conundrum - Jemimah was faced with quite a conundrum in the labyrinth.
Deleterious – Unfortunately, she swallowed the deleterious poison.
Enervate – The poison slowly began to enervate Jemimah’s determination.
Hegemony – The hegemony of the goblin king was known throughout the labyrinth.
Inchoate – The inchoate effects of the poison were still detrimental to Jemimah’s health.
Juxtaposition – The juxtaposition of the two goblins resulted in a quarrel.
Legerdemain – Goblins are masters of legerdemain.
Manifold – The manifold amount of goblins frightened Jemimah.
Obfuscate – The goblin king’s poison began to obfuscate poor Jemimah.
Ribald – The ribald announcement of the goblin king told the whole of the labyrinth of Jemimah’s escape from the labyrinth.