huckleberry finn

Tone: The tone of Huckleberry Finn is innocent to me. Huckleberry is a young boy that is just now being educated against his personal preference and he doesn’t fully understand the concepts of religion, education and life itself. “Then she told me all about the bad place, and I said I wished I was there. She got all mad then, but I didn’t mean no harm.”

Another example of tone is informal humor. Huckleberry is says and does things throughout the story that were not initially supposed to be. “Hello Jim, have I been asleep? Why didn’t you stir me up?” in this quote Huckleberry is trying to persuade Jim into believing that it was all just a vivid dream.

Mood: The mood of this story is adventurous and dangerous. To me, Huckleberry makes a lot of daring moves throughout his adventures that create suspense and thrill. “Well last I pulled out a piece of my hair and blooded it all up.”

Satire: Religion is one of the most often used of Twain's satire. He speaks through Huck declaring it, at least as it was taught, to be irrelevant to the average person's life, "Here she was a-bothering about Moses, which was no kin to her, and no use to anybody, being gone, you see.”

Irony: Huck joins in the common belief that blacks are less intelligent than whites. Therefore, he seems astonished that Jim has such a "level head". 'Well,' says I, 'you done it, but I didn't think you could. It ain't no slouch of a name to spell-right off without studying.'

Hyperbole: Huck and Jim talk about King Solomon and how he had “about a million wives” when, in reality, he didn’t. “Solomon had one; he had about a million wives."

Paradox: In order for Huck to do the right thing and free Jim he must break the law. Once Jim and Huck pass Cairo, and miss the chance to travel north to freedom. From this point on they are, in fact, moving further and further away from the goal of the original escape and heading towards the place which for Jim is the worst possible place on earth, New Orleans, the heart of the slave trade.

Literary period: The practice of religion in the book gives us a look at the time period that it was before our era. Commonly religion is not practiced at such a rigorous pace that it is in the book. Also the racial factors in the book gives you a time frame. Slavery and harsh racism is still in tact in Huckleberry’s generation. “doan’ hurt me-Don’t!”

Figurative language: onomatopoeia : “I hear a plunkety-plunk, plunkety-plunk, and say to myself, horses are coming..” metaphor: "...he looked that grand and good and pious that you’d say he had walked right out of the ark, and maybe was old Leviticus himself." Simile: "...the lid raises up and the rest of it goes down till it’s below my chin, and then it ain’t rightly a hat at all, but more like my head was shoved up through a jint o’ stove-pipe."

Archetypes:

Huck plays the role of Hero. He is the protagonist who runs away from his hometown in search of a better and laid back life, while helping his friend Jim, a runaway slave of Mrs. Watson’s accomplish his goal of freedom. He begins on a journey with Jim, and comes across scares, thrills and conflicts throughout his adventurous tale.

The Duke and king are the Deceptive. They create false personas, and trick people throughout their travels with Huck. Such as the play and pretending to be the false heirs, which eventually comes to an end.

The river could be the archetype of change and travel into a new. Jim and Huck fall asleep on the raft, and when they wake to a new day, they have changed location and sense, they must get a feel for where they are in the river, how much closer they are to a destination, and if it safe. Dangers on the river also cause a change in attitude and motives.

Essay questions

1. In the novel education is viewed in several different ways. For example, the widow views education as something of upmost importance and as a necessity, but Huck Finn’s dad views it as a disgrace and a sign of disrespect to try and be smarter than your father and peers.
2. The widow also views civilization as important and needed for a happy, and successful life, but Huck wants to do as he pleases and be uncivil. He likes to wear raggedy clothes, not use his table manners, and explores the wilderness with Tom, not caring if Tom is headed for the bad place.
3. Superstition is important in determining the type of luck Huckleberry Finn will favor in. Things like Huck killing the spider is symbolic for bad luck. Or placing the rattlesnake in Jim’s bed also makes Huck vulnerable for misfortune.
4. The river is a symbol of safety. Although they come across a shipwreck that is dangerous with real robbers and murders it gives them the opportunity to escape from the troubles of the shore. Such as Huck being able to escape his father and the cabin.
5. The king and duke are experts in ponzy schemes. Huck does not like what they are doing but they will not leave him alone, so he is forced to endure it. I believe he learns lessons from them by the way they go around scamming people, he finds it is mischievous and wrong. 6. I think the book and Mark Twain are racist. The book is set in that particular time period where is okay to have slaves, but Mark Twain uses derogatory words to describe African Americans and also seemingly down grades them racially by having Huckleberry being astonished by Jims brightness. Huck was made to believe that the “colored” were not as smart as the rest of them. In the end I think the novel comes to show the equality between the two races in a time in which they were thought to be on two very different levels. Jim and Huck create a friendship while taking in diversity and going against morals they were both taught.

VOCABULARY
Chapters 1-3
Dismal-melancholy
Commenced-started
Victuals-provisions or supplies
Ransomed-held until a sum of monies is paid
Lath-strip of wood
Enchantment-magically enhanced or modified

Chapters 4-7
Raspy-harsh
Counterfeit-fake
Temperance-self-restraint
Stanchion-upright beam
Wadding-packing material
Hail-stop

Chapters 8-11
Quicksilver-metallic mercury
Abreast-beside
Brash-energetic
Lolled-lollygagged or the past action of doing nothing
Abolitionist-one who want to abolish slavery
Speculate-to reflect upon or think about

Chapter 12-14
Solemn-grave
Mournful-sad
Rummaging-going through; rifling
Derrick-a jib crane used for lifting cargo
Berth-shelf-like sleeping space

Chapter 15-17
Staving-realistic
Petrified-made of stone
Bygones-stuff from the past
Lamented-mourned for
Pensive-dreamily
Disposition-prevailing tendency

Chapter 18-21
Feud-argument
Ransacked-went through; rifled
Cavorting-to prance or caper
Mesmerism-hypnosis-induced
Encores-in a play or concert, when the audience wants another act
Soliloquy-utterance or discourse
Sublime-good quality

Chapter 22-25
Yawl-small boat used for rowing from or to a larger boat
Sanctified-made holy
Pious-showing a dutiful reverence to God
Afflicted-in pain
Obsequies-funeral rites

Chapters 26-28
Frocks-gowns or dresses
Pallet-a bed made out of pillows and blankets that usually lays on the floor
Shroud-cover

Chapters 29-31
Admirable-excellent
Candid-simple
Prejudiced-against certain groups of people
Warbling-to sing or whistle in trills
Collar-to detain
Fagged-exhaust

Chapters 32-33
Mortification-cause of humiliation or shame
Amputate-surgically remove
Impudent-rude
Distracted-having attention diverted
Waylay-to slay

Chapters 34-39
Distinctions-distinguished; differences
Conveniences-items that simplify work
Confound-to throw into confusion
Coaxing- to tease or gently push towards a certain direction
Insurrection-revolt
Addled-to become confused
Tedious-difficult
Evade-to go around or slip past

Chapters 40-43
Unfurled-to unfold from a furled state
Facilities-thing made to perform a specific purpose
Huffy-easily offended
Sultry-oppressively hot or moist