Wolfe CP English 9 A

1) Was Mark Twain Racist? Mark Twain was not racist but yet he often made

jokes about people with different cultures. He endured the horrific events of the American Civil War so he deeply empathized about  slaves.

http://quotations.about.com/od/marktwainquotes/a/twainracist.htm

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been on the news before because of its language. Some libraries through out the US has banned the novel, schools have followed the same. It is said that there is a new version coming out replacing the “n” word with slave. People view this as taking away the value of the story the way Mark Twain had intended it to be.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/latest-word-huck-finn/story?id=12539499#.T1DqC4G31kQ

2) An example of satire in the novel is when Miss Watson was teaching him about religion Huck didn’t quiet understand so in response to that he said

“Here she was a-bothering about Moses, which was no kin to her, and no use to

anybody, being gone, you see…”  also Huck states that if Tom is going to this bad place than he is too. Mark Twain is pretty much making fun of Huck because he does not understand religion or anything to that nature.

3) ” When i got down out of the tree, i crept along down the river back a p[iece, and  and found the two bodies laying in the edge of the water, and tugged at them till I got ashore; then i covered up there faces, and got away as quick as i could.”

In some ways i don’t feel that Huck had to do that, but he did and he later cried about this, personally i think Huck should have just kept walking rather, just so he wouldnt get upset.  Would Huck eventually get over this or not?

1a)  A theme in Huck Finn is racism. In the book Huck meets Miss Watson’s slave, Jim. Huck becomes friends with Jim when he went to Jackson Island, apart of his “murder”. Even though they are said to be friends Huck still uses the “N” word towards him when speaking to the audience. Another example of racism in the book is when they all assume that the black run away slave has killed Huck, so Jim automatically becomes a target. Jim has a lot to worry about because he’s black, he’s placed as the “bad guy” in situations.

b) Pap says that if black men would be aloud to vote he would “never vote again as along as he lived.” which shows racism against black people.

c) This explains that Pap is very racist, in other parts of the book he exspress’s his feelings about other people in general and that he know’s best for him and Huck.

2)Huck admires Tom because, he always has ideas and creative thoughts. In one of the chapters it says “Everybody that wants to join has got to take an oath, and write his name in blood. Everybody was willing. So Tom got out a sheet of paper that he had wrote the oath on, and read it.” Tom also says a speach that he has gotten out of a book and added some of his own words too, Everyone is quiet impressed by this including Huck. Through out Huckleberry constantly brings up Tom saying “I did wish Tom Sawyer was there.” or things like Tom would have thrown in fancy touchs, or he would know what to do type things.

3a) “the nigger run off the night Huck Finn was killed” This is pretty much saying that Jim is an instant suspect and Everyone else believes that excpet Huck.

b) ” It’s a dead man. Yes, indeedy; naked, too. He’s ben shot in de back.” This indicates that there is a actual killer on the loose and that Huck doesnt want to find him.

c) ”There was a cross in the left boot-heel made with big nails, to keep off the devil. I was up in a second and shinning down the hill. I looked over my shoulder every now and then, but I didn’t see nobody.” This passage gets Huck worried because this means Pap is back and town and he doesnt want to see him at all, being feared Huck runs back to the house, and later that night while trying to leave Pap kidnapps him.

4)- I dont understand why they arent putting Pap in the same situation as Jim, disreguard color. But why Isnt Pap an imediate suspect?

-I don’t think Huck understands how serious of a problem Jim is in. He ran away for one, two he is now considered  a killer, and three A lot of people are trying to find him in order to get there $300 reward. I think Huck will push his luck being with Jim and mess up and get them both caught, so will Jim go solo?