Chapter 1 - The land is dying or dead, and it is extremely difficult to grow crops
Chapter 2
1. a. Tom Joad is released from prison
b. Tom asks a trucker to give him a ride back to his farm
c. The trucker asks if his family has been kicked off the land
Chapter 3
1. a. A turtle is walking across the highway and is missed by one, but intentionally ran over by another driver
b. the turtle eventually flips back over and continues on
Chapter 4
1. a. Tom picks up a turtle and meets the old preacher who baptized him, Jim Casy
b. Jim Casy admits that he gave up preaching because of girls who he would corrupt
2. a. Tom talked bout why he was sent to prison
b. he was intoxicated and fighting back
3. a. The preacher asks if he can go along with Tom, who agrees
b. Once they reach the farm no one is to be seen
Chapter 5
1. a. Banks begin evicting people
b. The homes and farmhouses are destroyed by large vehicles
c. It is suggested the people migrate to California to seek out work
d. The drivers are neighbors who are struggling to make a living as well
Chapter 6
1. a. After realizing the farmhouse was abandoned, Muley Graves approaches Tom and Casy
b. Muley reluctantly tells them that his family went to live with his uncle
c. They sleep in a cave and hide from police
Chapter 7
1. a. The people are often scammed when buying required parts for cars
Chapter 8
1. a. Joad's parents meet Joad but do not at first recognize him
b. They fear he broke out illegally and tell the story of pretty boy floyd.
c. Al and Rose of Sharon are introduced
Chapter 9
1. a. The farmers must sell everything they own to migrate west
b. No matter what it is they must get rid of it, and for a cheap price
Chapter 10
1. a. The family is about to leave but Grandpa refuses
b. The family unknowingly gives him sleeping medicine and load him into the truck
c. They say goodbye to Muley Graves
Chapter 11
a. There is a large line of migrant farmers' cars driving down the road
b. Joad is worried and concerned about the well-being and safety of the other cars
c. No one particularly treats the people well
Chapter 12
a. The Joad family stops at a gas station with yellow pumps
b. Their dog is hit by a car which scares Rose of Sharon
c. Rose of Sharon fears that her child may end up the same way
Chapter 13
a. The family argues with a clerk who refuses give gas to beggars
b. grandma and grandpa both become sick
Chapter 14
a. Californians don't understand what has happened to Oklahoma
b. Every ditch is a camp and occupied by the people
c. The people are discriminated against
Chapter 15
a. one of two waitresses refuse to lower the price of bed on the road
b. The other waitress convinces her to lower the price of a loaf of bread
c. She then agrees to give the children two pieces of candy for a rather low price
Chapter 16
a. Ma is reluctant to split the family up
b. The people in the family meet a man returning from California
c. The man and his son tell that the handbills are lies, but the Joads may have a different experience
Chapter 17
a. The Joads decide to move on and see for themselves how California is
b. They encounter another roadside camp that is very poor quality
Chapter 18
a. The Joads find Weedpatch with dances and proper facilities owned by government and ran by a committee
b. A sheriff warns them that there will soon be officers prepared to enter the town fearing that they will create their own laws and begin an uprising
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Friday, March 21, 2014
Countee Cullen Incident Paragraph
In Incident, Countee Cullen describes his vacation to Baltimore as something that he could have greatly enjoyed, but can only remember one thing. The one event he remembers occuring is a boy about his whit, as he describes in the poem, who the reader can assume is white, because the other boy lashes out a racial slur at Countee. The poem makes good use of literary devices by rhyming throughout and allowing the reader to interpret many details in few sentences.
The theme that Cullen elects to use is how racism is upsetting and harsh for a young child to have to deal with. He says that he was happy, head-filled with glee, but then
once another child called him that racial slur, his trip in its entirety is completely ruined. The poem is truly African-American because Cullen shares of the hardships blacks were forced to be oppressed by and how society looking down on him, particularly as a child, was something unbearable to him.
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Prufcock Questions
1.) He talks about women and men's social wanting of them.
2.) he grows old of it
3.) that he is tired of social conformity
4.) woman keep entering and
Leaving a room talking about michaelangelo with his paintings in it, and Prufcock chooses not to care. But instead enjoy simplicities and only worry about things like rolling up his pant legs.
5.) the yellow fog is like an animal that uncomfortably follows him around
6.) he chooses to live relaxed and care-free
He chooses to enjoy the luxuries of life
He has heard many things that bring important meaning to him
At the end, everyone dies, so
Why not live happily.
2.) he grows old of it
3.) that he is tired of social conformity
4.) woman keep entering and
Leaving a room talking about michaelangelo with his paintings in it, and Prufcock chooses not to care. But instead enjoy simplicities and only worry about things like rolling up his pant legs.
5.) the yellow fog is like an animal that uncomfortably follows him around
6.) he chooses to live relaxed and care-free
He chooses to enjoy the luxuries of life
He has heard many things that bring important meaning to him
At the end, everyone dies, so
Why not live happily.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Huckleberry Finn Essay
Donovan Henson
English 12
February 17, 2014
Huckleberry Finn
Essay
In Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain satirizes slavery and the
ignorance of society that pertains to it. At the beginning of the novel, he
does so by describing Ms. Watson, a good Christian woman who tries to teach
Huck important moral lessons, but is a slave owner. Another example of this is
when Huck shares his made-up story about an engine exploding on a boat. The
lady he shares the story with asks if anyone got hurt, but when Huck says only
a slave died, she is at peace and rather comfortable with it because slaves
were not viewed as people in the society at the time.
Twain chose to satirize slavery and
the treatment of slaves because he was greatly opposed to the poor treatment of
them.
Another example of this in the
novel was Huckleberry Finn's moral development throughout the story. At the
beginning, and all the way to the end of the story, Huck views Jim, a runaway
slave as a person. He does however socialize with people as if slaves are not
people.
Twain satirizes society by having he large
group of people wanting to lynch colonel Sherburn after he shoots Boggs, for
something that is not deserving of being shot for.
Then, almost immediately after Boggs is shot, he convinces the crowd
that they should not because they are only doing it because everyone else wants
to.
Monday, February 10, 2014
Huck Study Questions
1. What do we learn about Jim in these chapters?
That he has humanistic qualities just as everyone else, and that he is willing to help someone he cares about regardless of how it affects him.
2. What effect does the Doctor's speech in support of Jim have? How do you feel about that?
It allows Jim bread and water only but halts the rough treatment of him. It however keeps him in chains. Upset that he was not freed.
3. What is the significance of the bullet?
It makes the story realistic
4. Where is Huck going at the end of the novel? What does this imply about his view of the world in which he lives?
West away from society. He disagrees with how society treats one another and how gullible it is.
5. Comment on the style of the novel. Do you feel it represents the Realist tradition as we have discussed it? What aspects of Huck's character make him a good narrator? What problems did you encounter (if any) due to Huck's narration? Speculate on how a different narrator or a third person omniscient narrator would impact the story.
It is significant as far as the moral of the story is. It clearly represents how idiotic society can be and how ridiculous certain views were at the time. Aside from a slight bit of trouble trying to read the dialect produced by Huck, there were no problems. A different narrator would make the story very different and probably more confusing. If Tom was another main character it would however be interesting to learn what is going through Tom's head.
That he has humanistic qualities just as everyone else, and that he is willing to help someone he cares about regardless of how it affects him.
2. What effect does the Doctor's speech in support of Jim have? How do you feel about that?
It allows Jim bread and water only but halts the rough treatment of him. It however keeps him in chains. Upset that he was not freed.
3. What is the significance of the bullet?
It makes the story realistic
4. Where is Huck going at the end of the novel? What does this imply about his view of the world in which he lives?
West away from society. He disagrees with how society treats one another and how gullible it is.
5. Comment on the style of the novel. Do you feel it represents the Realist tradition as we have discussed it? What aspects of Huck's character make him a good narrator? What problems did you encounter (if any) due to Huck's narration? Speculate on how a different narrator or a third person omniscient narrator would impact the story.
It is significant as far as the moral of the story is. It clearly represents how idiotic society can be and how ridiculous certain views were at the time. Aside from a slight bit of trouble trying to read the dialect produced by Huck, there were no problems. A different narrator would make the story very different and probably more confusing. If Tom was another main character it would however be interesting to learn what is going through Tom's head.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Episode 8 Summary
a. Huck meets the Wilk's family
b. The funeral invites the Duke and King who disguise themselves as part of the family
c. They are revealed as frauds after the undertaker states there is no tattoo on his chest
d. Huck goes back across the river hoping to see Mary Jane but is confronted by the duke and king after Huck escaped in the midst of the chaos where a coffin full of 6000 dollar in gold is found
e. The king and duke get drunk at a bar and Huck and Jim use it as a distraction to escape.
f. Huck decides that his help for Jim is why he cannot be forgiven
g. He then decides that he is comfortable with going to hell if it means saving his friend from slavery.
h. Huck is thought to be the nephew, Tom, of the owner of a home he comes upon where he suspects Jim is being held
i. Tom agrees to help free Jim solely for the purpose of adventure
j. Huck sees that the duke and king are tarred and feathered, and although of their wrong-doings, he still feels bad for them.
i. Instead of stealing the key, Huck let's Tom take control and they free Jim.
j. Tom's plan is somewhat ridiculous but when they plan to steal, Tom still gets angry at Huck for taking a watermelon from their garden when they are stealing a slave back. And makes Huck leave a dime for it.
b. The funeral invites the Duke and King who disguise themselves as part of the family
c. They are revealed as frauds after the undertaker states there is no tattoo on his chest
d. Huck goes back across the river hoping to see Mary Jane but is confronted by the duke and king after Huck escaped in the midst of the chaos where a coffin full of 6000 dollar in gold is found
e. The king and duke get drunk at a bar and Huck and Jim use it as a distraction to escape.
f. Huck decides that his help for Jim is why he cannot be forgiven
g. He then decides that he is comfortable with going to hell if it means saving his friend from slavery.
h. Huck is thought to be the nephew, Tom, of the owner of a home he comes upon where he suspects Jim is being held
i. Tom agrees to help free Jim solely for the purpose of adventure
j. Huck sees that the duke and king are tarred and feathered, and although of their wrong-doings, he still feels bad for them.
i. Instead of stealing the key, Huck let's Tom take control and they free Jim.
j. Tom's plan is somewhat ridiculous but when they plan to steal, Tom still gets angry at Huck for taking a watermelon from their garden when they are stealing a slave back. And makes Huck leave a dime for it.
English (Prince Of Whales) XXI - XXXV
Donovan Henson
Huck Discussion Questions XXI - XXIII
2.) Why does Huck observe but does not participate in the
schemes of the duke and king?
Because Huck however still has morals, and only “lifts” when
he needs to. The duke and king however are just greedy looking to do it for a
type of buzz, rather than to stay alive.
3.) Through the Grangerford episode, Twain was able to
criticize the myth of Southern honor. What myth of Southern life does Twain
satirize in the Sherburn / Boggs incident (which, by the way, was based on a
true incident)? What aspect of human nature does Twain satirize through the
scene in the drugstore?
Southern Gentlemanship. He is insulting it because the
people still are in support of slavery but however think that they are
gentlemen, regardless of the obvious cruelty towards humanity. He insults
gullibility because one man, believed to be honorable, who murders a drunken man,
stops his own lynching by telling a large group of people that they are
cowards.
4.) Compare the circus with the entertainment supplied by
the duke and king
The circus brings on a large audience, and is done by
professionals. Whereas the duke and king are not professional, but their lack
of understanding of the plays is equally comedic to that of the circus.
5..) What does Huck’s reaction to the circus incident tell
us about him? Whom does he think was most deceived?
It shows that he is somewhat gullible and he believes that the ringmaster was not in on the joke.
It shows that he is somewhat gullible and he believes that the ringmaster was not in on the joke.
6.) What is Twain implying about human nature through the
advertising for the “Royal Nunsuch”?
Twain is implying that simply because people are told that
something is not suitable for certain people, people who are allowed will be
more drawn to see it if they are told not to.
7.) “What was the use to tell Jim these warn’t real kings
and dukes? It would’t a done no good; and besides, it was just as I said; you
couldn’t tell them from the real king.” What does Twain imply?
Twain implies that dukes and kings, now matter how they are
treated, are still like everyone else but just treated in different ways.
8.) What is significant about the story of ‘Lizabeth?
Twain uses Jim’s emotions to show, that although Jim is a
slave, he still has feelings and is capable of the same human emotions that
whites are.
Huck Discussion Questions XXIV – XXVII
1.) As we have discussed, clothes can play a symbolic or
thematic role in the novel. Huck even says that he “never knowed how clothes
could change a body before. “ Discuss the thematic role of clothes in these
chapters.
Huck feels changed, because not wearing clothing in the
book, is supposed to represent the major theme of freedom. On the raft, Jim,
away from society, as well as a life Huck would not want to live, represents
the freedom the two find together.
2.) Comment on the last paragraph of Chapter XXIV.
Make a connection to Twain’s description of the Arkansas
town.
Why is Huck’s response to the Peter Wilks incident so
strong?
Why does Huck make moral evaluations now?
Huck is now developing morals that were much less prevalent
at the beginning of the story.
3.) What qualities do the Wilks Girls have that allow them
to be fooled so easily?
They are gullible because they hope that someone will come
to save them, but being fooled by the king and the duke that they are related
to them.
4.) Why is it significant that Joanna eats in the kitchen?
She, along with Jim, a black man, both eat afterwards.
What is the significance off her nickname?
Hare-Lip, because she has a cleft palate.
What themes are revealed?
Treatment of citizens of society solely because of the
differences they have. The same way slaves are treated differently on account
of their looks.
5.) What statement about the behavior of people does Twain
make through the Dr. Robinson incident?
That they will do anything to fit in regardless of moral
wrongness.
6.) Previously Huck has refused to hinder the antics of the
king and duke. Now he attempts to foil their scheme. Why?
What themes from the novel can you apply to Huck’s change in
attitude.
Huck Feels that they
have gone too far taking advantage of the Wilk’s girls this time, and decides
that he has had enough.
Huck Discussion Questions – XXVIII – XXX
1.) Twain was heavily criticized for bad taste due to his
description of the funeral toward the end of chapter XXVII. Why do you think he
was criticized, and do you think the criticism is justified.
Because the undertaker is someone who is looked up to in the
chapter, and not often admired at the time. No, I don’t think it was justified
because he is writing a story.
2.) On page 141 Huck says, “…here’s a case where I’m blest
if it don’t look to me like the truth is better, and actuly safer, than a lie.”
Explain
Huck tells the truth to Mary Jane to prevent her from being
lied to anymore.
3.) In these three chapters Huck finds himself having to lie
for various reasons. How do his motives differ?
He now lies to do what he thinks is protecting the people
4.) Why doesn’t Twain involve Jim more in these chapters?
He is disguised as a blue arab. He wants to show that the
real cruelness from society originates from the whites at the time.
5.) Does Huck’s escape from Hines say anything about Hines’
character?
It represents the theme of greed as everyone forgets about
what is currently happening simply because a treasure chest is found shortly
after
6.) How does Huck feel about Mary Jane?
Why does Huck tell her to go away?
Significance
He trusts her and tells her to run away while he thinks of
something. Huck again attaches himself to someone who is not seen as a friend
by society
7.) Discuss the significance of Huck’s statement, “…anybody
but a lot of prejudiced chuckleheads would a seen that the old gentlemen was
spinning truth and t’other one lies.”
The family is romanticized and willing to believe anyone who
fits the description of their uncles is able to take their place.
8.) What does the doctor represent?
Realism, he questions the duke and king as well as their
motives.
9.) By the end of chapter XXX, do you think Twain vindicates
the characters of the duke and king or does he have them remain villains.?
Explain
He has them remain villains as Huck does not support the
lifestyle they chose to lead.
Huck Discussion Questions XXXI – XXXV
1.) Would you say that chapter 31 represents the climax of
the novel? Why or why not?
Yes, because Huck chooses to live a life that will send him
to hell.
2.) Huck says, “Alll right, then, I’ll go to hell.” Explain
the irony in that statement
Huck, although doing something he believes is wrong because
of society, he is actually doing the right thing.
3.) Discuss the symbolism of the imagery at the beginning of
chapter 32.
It represents the theme of home on a farm where Huck once
lived.
4.) Discuss Huck’s understanding of Providence (bottom of
165)? Would Miss Watson agree?
No, because Huck forgets that he is able to be forgiven by
god.
5.) How does Twain use irony in the discussion between Huck
and Mrs. Phelps about the “steamboat accident.”
Learning that only a black person has died, no one really
cares because blacks are only property.
6.) One of the recurring themes becomes apparent when Huck
discovers that the Phelps are expecting Tom Sawyer. Which theme comes to mind
and why?
Theme of Reality
Tom Sawyer somehow is encountered by Huck Finn
7.) Huck and Tom both agree to help Jim escape; however,
their motives are different. Explain
Huck wants his friend back, but Tom however is just seeking
adventure.
8.) “…and as they went by I see they had the king and duke
astraddle of a rail – that is, I knowed it WAS the king and the duke, though
they was all over tar and feathers. …Well it made me sick to see it; and I was
sorry for them poor pitiful rascals. …Human beings CAN be cruel to one another”
(174). Comment. What does this reveal about Huck’s character? How does Huck’s
reaction to the demise of the duke and king relate to Twain’s essay “The Damned
Human Race”?
Huck, knowing the duke and king had indeed done wrong, still
feels sorry for them.
9.) Discuss the irony in Tom’s reaction to the stealing of
the watermelon.
Tom has never actually stolen something without leaving
something that replaces the stolen thing.
10.) Why does Huck let Tom take control.
Because he is more confident in situations in Tom than in himself.
Friday, January 24, 2014
Huck Finn Episode 5 6 7 Summary
Episode 5 - Chapter 17 & 18
The Feud
a. The river boat smashes the raft occupied by Huck and Jim
b. They continue on down the stream to find a family caught up in a feud
c. Huck creates the name Gorge Jaxon for himself, and attends church with the family
d. The family brings their guns to church and is constantly hunting each other
e. Huck decides he would be happier away from the feud, and decides to run
f. Huck and Jim Encounter two men who inexplicably are running from something
Episode 6 - Introduction to Duke & King Chapters 19 & 20
a. The men claim to be a king and duke, but cannot speak their foreign languages
b. They have been in America too long they say, but Huck quickly catches on that they are lying about their royalty
c. To avoid any discontent, Huck continues to treat them like royalty although he is aware of their fib
d. They begin acting out plays on the raft, even though they know nothing about them
e. The group talks about a play, naked the whole time on the raft
Episode 7 - Boggs and Arkansas Chapters 21, 22, & 23
a. The group arrives in Arkansas and encounters a group that enjoys torturing animals
b. Boggs, a seemingly rude threat, asks Huck if he is ready to die, but is only kidding.
c. Boggs is intoxicated yelling profanity to the Colonel Shurburn
d. So the Colonel decides he has had enough and shoots Boggs.
e. The group talks about a lynch in broad daylight of the Colonel, who then shares that they only want to do it because they are so succeptible to other people's opinions.
f. Huck sneaks into the circus and watches, which inspires him to create their own play
g. The play says in the flyer that children and women are not admitted.
h. The men who watch the play laugh, but then realized they were sold, and decide to come back the next day.
i. The next day the men come with rotten food to throw, and the group continues on down the raft
The Feud
a. The river boat smashes the raft occupied by Huck and Jim
b. They continue on down the stream to find a family caught up in a feud
c. Huck creates the name Gorge Jaxon for himself, and attends church with the family
d. The family brings their guns to church and is constantly hunting each other
e. Huck decides he would be happier away from the feud, and decides to run
f. Huck and Jim Encounter two men who inexplicably are running from something
Episode 6 - Introduction to Duke & King Chapters 19 & 20
a. The men claim to be a king and duke, but cannot speak their foreign languages
b. They have been in America too long they say, but Huck quickly catches on that they are lying about their royalty
c. To avoid any discontent, Huck continues to treat them like royalty although he is aware of their fib
d. They begin acting out plays on the raft, even though they know nothing about them
e. The group talks about a play, naked the whole time on the raft
Episode 7 - Boggs and Arkansas Chapters 21, 22, & 23
a. The group arrives in Arkansas and encounters a group that enjoys torturing animals
b. Boggs, a seemingly rude threat, asks Huck if he is ready to die, but is only kidding.
c. Boggs is intoxicated yelling profanity to the Colonel Shurburn
d. So the Colonel decides he has had enough and shoots Boggs.
e. The group talks about a lynch in broad daylight of the Colonel, who then shares that they only want to do it because they are so succeptible to other people's opinions.
f. Huck sneaks into the circus and watches, which inspires him to create their own play
g. The play says in the flyer that children and women are not admitted.
h. The men who watch the play laugh, but then realized they were sold, and decide to come back the next day.
i. The next day the men come with rotten food to throw, and the group continues on down the raft
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Huckleberry Finn Questions Continued
13. Huck and Jim's manner of dress on the raft is symbolic. What do clothes represent?
Clothes represent conformity to society which is why Twain depicts Huck and Jim naked
14. Why doesn't Huck expose the Duke and the King (Dauphin) as frauds?
He figures that if they want to be treated that way then so be it to avoid any conflict on the raft.
15. Who is the most shrewd, the King and the Duke or Huck? Why? Give some examples.
Huck, he is quick to catch on the the lies that the king and duke create. He also has at least three stories about the origin of himself and Jim.
16. What does Twain satirize in the plan to present Romeo and Juliet? Discuss Romeo and Juliet as a motif. He uses two men who claim to be a king and duke to act out a play.
17. Discuss the significance of the pirate and the revival meeting. What is Twain satirizing?
How religion is sometimes ridiculous and can convince people to to regretful thinks not considering the consequences.
18. Is Twain making a statement about society through the antics of the King and Duke? Explain.
Yes, he is emphasizing how many people are willing to be evil for their personal good.
Clothes represent conformity to society which is why Twain depicts Huck and Jim naked
14. Why doesn't Huck expose the Duke and the King (Dauphin) as frauds?
He figures that if they want to be treated that way then so be it to avoid any conflict on the raft.
15. Who is the most shrewd, the King and the Duke or Huck? Why? Give some examples.
Huck, he is quick to catch on the the lies that the king and duke create. He also has at least three stories about the origin of himself and Jim.
16. What does Twain satirize in the plan to present Romeo and Juliet? Discuss Romeo and Juliet as a motif. He uses two men who claim to be a king and duke to act out a play.
17. Discuss the significance of the pirate and the revival meeting. What is Twain satirizing?
How religion is sometimes ridiculous and can convince people to to regretful thinks not considering the consequences.
18. Is Twain making a statement about society through the antics of the King and Duke? Explain.
Yes, he is emphasizing how many people are willing to be evil for their personal good.
Monday, January 13, 2014
Huck Finn Study Questions
1. Discuss the
significance of the fog incident and Jim's interpretation of it. "The
lot of towheads was troubles we was going to get into with quarrelsome
people and all kinds of mean folks, but if we minded our business and
didn't talk back and aggravate them, we would pull through and get out
of the fog and into the big clear river, which was the free states, and
wouldn't have no more trouble" (64). Consider the major themes as well
as foreshadowing.
Huck does not think much of it until later on when he realizes he is being cruel to Jim. Huck being cruel and not realizing the harshness of the situation is a foreshadow to him later feeling bad about the things he has done to Jim.
2. How does Huck feel about playing the trick on Jim? Comment: "It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up and humble myself to a nigger; but I done it, and I warn't sorry for it afterwards, neither" (65). How does this statement contribute to the overall meaning of the novel?
Even though Huck had to work himself up to apologize to Jim, he did not actually feel sorry. It symbolizes how black people are viewed as not humans but slaves.
3. Discuss the significance of the following quotes from Chapter XVI:
"Jim said it made him all over trembly and feverish to be so close to freedom. Well, it made me all trembly and feverish, too, to hear him because I begun to get it through my head that he was most free -- and who was to blame for it? Why me. I couldn't get it out of my conscience, no how nor no way." (66).
Huck is illegally helping a slave escape freedom and he cannot clear his conscience because of it.
"Here was this nigger which I as good as helped to run away, coming right out flat-footed and saying he would steal his children -- children that belonged to a man I didn't even know; a man that hadn't ever done me no harm." (67). Explain the irony in this quote as well as the significance.
"Well, then, says I, what's the use you learning to do right, when it's troublesome to do right and ain't no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same?" (69).
What is the point of going to school to get an education when you could do illegal things instead and still make the same amount of money.
"Doan' less' talk about it, Huck. Po' niggers can't have no luck. I awluz 'spected dat rattle-snake skin warn't done wid its work." (70).
Jim thinks that all blacks are unlucky, probably due to slavery, after his encounter with a rattlesnake that bites him.
4. Why do the bounty hunters give Huck money? What is ironic about their reaction to Huck's story?
5. What does the destruction of the "naturally" created raft by the "industrially" created steamboat symbolize?
6. Speculate on why Twain put Huckleberry Finn aside for a few years at the end of XVI?
He personally did not like it and thought it was not within his literal ability.
7. Describe the Grangerford house. What is satirical about the furnishings, art, and poetry? What does this description say about the Grangerfords?
It is decorated with the art of their dead daughter, Emily. That they miss their daughter.
8. The first part of Chapter XVII reveals an example of the theme of Huck playing on Buck's gullibility. Discuss this example as well as other examples of the novel's major themes evident in Chapters XVI & XVII.
Gullibility is throughout the novel mainly by Huck's convincing of strangers that his entire family is dead. He is mocking the gullibility of society by portraying a character that tells ridiculous stories that are often believed.
9. What does Huck's reaction to "Moses and the candle" indicate? Discuss the meaning of "Moses" as a motif in the novel.
He does not fully understand riddles, and finds simple solutions to other problems
10. What does Twain satirize in his description of the church service and the hogs that sleep under the floor?
Everyone brings their guns to church at which a sermon is given about brotherly love and that people forget true meaning of religion.
11. What does the feud symbolize? Does this remind you of another famous piece of literature? Explain. Through the feud incident, Twain satirizes human traits and behaviors. Discuss.
Hatfield and McCoy's, he is mocking common human behavior and how ridiculous it seemingly can be.
12. "I was powerful glad to get away from the feuds, and so was Jim to get away from the swamp. We said there warn't no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so clamped up and smothery, but a raft don't. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft"(88). Discuss the paradox. Furthermore, this excerpt from the final paragraph of Chapter XVIII is significant in that it pertains to the major themes of the novel. Explain.
It resembles freedom from an oppressive society, on the raft, Huck and Jim both feel as if they are free. The raft for them, resembles freedom
Huck does not think much of it until later on when he realizes he is being cruel to Jim. Huck being cruel and not realizing the harshness of the situation is a foreshadow to him later feeling bad about the things he has done to Jim.
2. How does Huck feel about playing the trick on Jim? Comment: "It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up and humble myself to a nigger; but I done it, and I warn't sorry for it afterwards, neither" (65). How does this statement contribute to the overall meaning of the novel?
Even though Huck had to work himself up to apologize to Jim, he did not actually feel sorry. It symbolizes how black people are viewed as not humans but slaves.
3. Discuss the significance of the following quotes from Chapter XVI:
"Jim said it made him all over trembly and feverish to be so close to freedom. Well, it made me all trembly and feverish, too, to hear him because I begun to get it through my head that he was most free -- and who was to blame for it? Why me. I couldn't get it out of my conscience, no how nor no way." (66).
Huck is illegally helping a slave escape freedom and he cannot clear his conscience because of it.
"Here was this nigger which I as good as helped to run away, coming right out flat-footed and saying he would steal his children -- children that belonged to a man I didn't even know; a man that hadn't ever done me no harm." (67). Explain the irony in this quote as well as the significance.
"Well, then, says I, what's the use you learning to do right, when it's troublesome to do right and ain't no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same?" (69).
What is the point of going to school to get an education when you could do illegal things instead and still make the same amount of money.
"Doan' less' talk about it, Huck. Po' niggers can't have no luck. I awluz 'spected dat rattle-snake skin warn't done wid its work." (70).
Jim thinks that all blacks are unlucky, probably due to slavery, after his encounter with a rattlesnake that bites him.
4. Why do the bounty hunters give Huck money? What is ironic about their reaction to Huck's story?
5. What does the destruction of the "naturally" created raft by the "industrially" created steamboat symbolize?
6. Speculate on why Twain put Huckleberry Finn aside for a few years at the end of XVI?
He personally did not like it and thought it was not within his literal ability.
7. Describe the Grangerford house. What is satirical about the furnishings, art, and poetry? What does this description say about the Grangerfords?
It is decorated with the art of their dead daughter, Emily. That they miss their daughter.
8. The first part of Chapter XVII reveals an example of the theme of Huck playing on Buck's gullibility. Discuss this example as well as other examples of the novel's major themes evident in Chapters XVI & XVII.
Gullibility is throughout the novel mainly by Huck's convincing of strangers that his entire family is dead. He is mocking the gullibility of society by portraying a character that tells ridiculous stories that are often believed.
9. What does Huck's reaction to "Moses and the candle" indicate? Discuss the meaning of "Moses" as a motif in the novel.
He does not fully understand riddles, and finds simple solutions to other problems
10. What does Twain satirize in his description of the church service and the hogs that sleep under the floor?
Everyone brings their guns to church at which a sermon is given about brotherly love and that people forget true meaning of religion.
11. What does the feud symbolize? Does this remind you of another famous piece of literature? Explain. Through the feud incident, Twain satirizes human traits and behaviors. Discuss.
Hatfield and McCoy's, he is mocking common human behavior and how ridiculous it seemingly can be.
12. "I was powerful glad to get away from the feuds, and so was Jim to get away from the swamp. We said there warn't no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so clamped up and smothery, but a raft don't. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft"(88). Discuss the paradox. Furthermore, this excerpt from the final paragraph of Chapter XVIII is significant in that it pertains to the major themes of the novel. Explain.
It resembles freedom from an oppressive society, on the raft, Huck and Jim both feel as if they are free. The raft for them, resembles freedom
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Huck Finn Episodes Summary
Episode 1: Tom's Gang (chapters 1-4)
a. Huck and Tom want to be a gang
b. They talk about murdering people, but only pretend to
c. They share stories about robbing gypsies who are rich but they actually turn out to be a group of Sunday school children
Episode 2: Huck and Pap (chapters 5-7)
a.Huck escapes his alcoholic abusive father who has basically imprisoned him in a cabin and floats up the river to Jackson island.
b. He then stages his own death hoping his father will not come looking for him.
c. Huck gives money he has acquired to Judge Thatcher to prevent his father from stealing it and spending it on whiskey.
Episode 3: Jackson Islands (chapters 8-11)
a. Huck and Jim run off to the islands seeking Jim's freedom
b. They come across a flooded house with a murdered man inside
c. They then rummage the house and take whatever they please, assuming the dead man will not mind
d. Huck runs off to St. Petersburg
e. Disguised as a girl, Huck encounters a woman who shares that her husband is looking for Jim.
Episode 4: Huck and Jim on the River (chapters 12-16)
a. Huck and Jim continue down the river to encounter a group of gangsters on a boat
b. Two of which have subdued their accomplice who has not paid his fair share of loot
c. They continue on after being cut loose, and Huck boards a different raft that is holding dancing men
d. The men share stories of a haunted barrel that is seemingly following them
e. One man jumps into the water and opens the barrel, finding a small dead infant.
f. Dick Allbright confesses that it is his child and the barrel has followed him ever since he strangled his child not intending to kill it
h. Huck then encounters men who ask who is on the raft
i. Knowing that Jim is on the boat, he shares that it is his father who has small pox
f. The men leave and tell Huck to be on his way
a. Huck and Tom want to be a gang
b. They talk about murdering people, but only pretend to
c. They share stories about robbing gypsies who are rich but they actually turn out to be a group of Sunday school children
Episode 2: Huck and Pap (chapters 5-7)
a.Huck escapes his alcoholic abusive father who has basically imprisoned him in a cabin and floats up the river to Jackson island.
b. He then stages his own death hoping his father will not come looking for him.
c. Huck gives money he has acquired to Judge Thatcher to prevent his father from stealing it and spending it on whiskey.
Episode 3: Jackson Islands (chapters 8-11)
a. Huck and Jim run off to the islands seeking Jim's freedom
b. They come across a flooded house with a murdered man inside
c. They then rummage the house and take whatever they please, assuming the dead man will not mind
d. Huck runs off to St. Petersburg
e. Disguised as a girl, Huck encounters a woman who shares that her husband is looking for Jim.
Episode 4: Huck and Jim on the River (chapters 12-16)
a. Huck and Jim continue down the river to encounter a group of gangsters on a boat
b. Two of which have subdued their accomplice who has not paid his fair share of loot
c. They continue on after being cut loose, and Huck boards a different raft that is holding dancing men
d. The men share stories of a haunted barrel that is seemingly following them
e. One man jumps into the water and opens the barrel, finding a small dead infant.
f. Dick Allbright confesses that it is his child and the barrel has followed him ever since he strangled his child not intending to kill it
h. Huck then encounters men who ask who is on the raft
i. Knowing that Jim is on the boat, he shares that it is his father who has small pox
f. The men leave and tell Huck to be on his way
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Huck Finn Questions
1. What kind of men do Huck and Jim find on the steamboat? Why are the men there?
They find gangsters who rob and murder people. They are there to kill an accomplice who has been taking more than is fair share.
2. What is the name of the boat Huck and Jim land on? Why is this funny?
Hookerville,
3. Discuss the difference between "real" adventures and Tom's adventures?
Tom's adventures involved pretending to rob and murder people, whereas the real ones that they are involved in they are actually witnessing gang work and real murders.
4. What is the plan once they reach Cairo?
To turn Jim in as a runaway.
They find gangsters who rob and murder people. They are there to kill an accomplice who has been taking more than is fair share.
2. What is the name of the boat Huck and Jim land on? Why is this funny?
Hookerville,
3. Discuss the difference between "real" adventures and Tom's adventures?
Tom's adventures involved pretending to rob and murder people, whereas the real ones that they are involved in they are actually witnessing gang work and real murders.
4. What is the plan once they reach Cairo?
To turn Jim in as a runaway.
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