Kevin McAdam
AP English 11/ Mr. George
8/24/09
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay- Describe how Huck Finn can be understood as a societal critique of the antebellum south. How does Twain use many characters along the journey to critique society itself?
Huckleberry Finn’s curious and exploratory characteristics in “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” strongly exemplified society in the 1860s. However, these revolutionary characteristics held by many were overruled by traditionalists who still decided upon the same conventional lifestyle choices that their ancestors did, and discouraged the thought of strange new ideas. Throughout the course of this story, Huck dealt with all kinds of people who held different opinions on change in society, including himself. Some of these societal views included: Americans’ desire for change and exploration of the rest of the United States to satisfy their cravings for discovery, the belief that blacks are inferior to whites, and the lack of trust and honesty in others that is apparent in society, not just between whites and blacks, but between everyone.
The United States went through a drastic series of changes in the 1860s, both political and societal. Abolitionist theories were being recognized by the government, and slavery was starting to dissolve across the land. Tensions rose between the northern states which were free from slavery and the southern states which were thriving economically from the benefits of slavery. Also, many adventurous people on the hunt to explore the United States for gold set off away from home towards the west coast. All of these changes affected Huck’s journey in one way or another. Like much of the United States, Huck was stuck at a crossroads in his life. He had to make the difficult decision of whether to stick with his father’s traditional methods of living, or follow the new trend of bold and daring lifestyle that was starting up. In several ways, Huck chose to follow the untraditional lifestyle. He began to change his racial views towards blacks, especially when he met up with Jim after they both ran away. If Huck had followed his father’s traditional ways, he would have turned Jim in on the spot. However, if Huck had followed his father’s orders, he never would have run away. Huck was also much like those revolutionaries that decided to set off into the world as, although Huck did not go to California in search of gold, he did set off from his home to start a new life that was better than the one he had with his father. Huck devised a scheme to escape his father and set off on his own journey: “I judged I’d hide her good, and then, stead of taking to the woods when I run off, I’d go down the river about fifty mile and camp in one place for good, and not have such a rough time tramping on foot,” (Twain 41). Nothing could stop Huck from becoming his own free person and living his life the way he wanted. The revolutionary ideas that swept the nation had almost completely enveloped Huck, but there were just some traditional aspects of life passed down to him by his father and society that he could not change about himself.
There is one facet of society that separated much of the country in the 1860s, and was a pinnacle aspect that distinguished whether someone was a traditionalist or one of the revolutionaries. That facet of society was slavery. As stated earlier, Huck was much like the rest of the country in that he was confused about which was the correct way to think about black people and slavery. In fact, there were many instances throughout the story in which Huck displayed his confusion. In his mind, Huck thought slavery was acceptable because that is what he had always been told growing up. Huck thought God was mad at him and he was committing a sin for helping Jim. Huck believed he would feel better if he wrote a letter to Miss Watson turning Jim in to her, and so he did: “I felt good and all washed clean of sin for the first time I had ever felt so in my life, and I knowed I could pray now,” (227). His societal teachings that white people were better than black people had set in his mind so deep that they could never be erased. On the other hand, Huck’s actions presented to the readers another side of him that knew slavery was immoral. For example, after Huck wrote the letter to Miss Watson, he tore it up. Huck’s reasoning behind tearing up the letter was also important. Huck remembered all of the good times he and Jim had had together on their journey and he would feel very guilty betraying him at this point. This illustrate that Huck had not only shared a raft with Jim going down the river, but had developed a strong bond and friendship with him that broke the barrier between black and white, at least between the two of them: “And I got to thinking over our trip down the river; and I see Jim before me, all the time, in the day, and in the night-time, sometimes moonlight, sometimes storms, and we a floating along, talking, and singing, and laughing,” (227). Huck’s view towards black people definitely lightened up a bit towards the end of the story, but nonetheless, the distrust between whites and blacks would never fully go away as it still exists today.
For all our lives, people will never forget the fact that black people were once enslaved and put through severe physical and mental anguish by white people. There will always be distrust between the white race and the black race in this world. This distrust is very apparent in the story. Being held as a slave by white people for such a long time, Jim taught himself to believe that all white people are bad and to never trust one of them. The same is true in Huck’s case. When the two of them met up with one another on Jackson’s Island, they tried to put away that distrust, or at least conceal it to make it look to the other that they meant no harm. However, when the duke, dauphin, and Huck went into the town and left Jim alone in the canoe, Jim ran off trying to get free of the other white men because he believed that they were not looking out for his best interests and thought they would turn him in: “Jim was gone! I set up a shout- and then another- and then another one; and run this way and that in the woods, whooping and screeching; but it warn’t no use- old Jim was gone,” (225). Jim ran away because he did not have trust in the men he was with. He may have been correct in his assumption because, after all, two of the men he was with, the duke and the dauphin, were trying to make a living by lying to people and scamming them out of their money. Jim had every right to not trust the men he was with because of the color of their skin compared to his, their backgrounds, and the fact that society at that time was full of liars and cheaters all after money, just as it is today.
Huck Finn played such an important role in “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” as he displayed the many views of society at the time and the confusion surrounding them. These intricate views included: Americans’ desire for change and exploration of the rest of the United States to satisfy their cravings for discovery, the belief that blacks are inferior to whites, and the lack of trust and honesty in others that is apparent in society, not just between whites and blacks, but between everyone. At the time of this story, America was just arriving at a new era of change that affected everyone in one way or another. Huck Finn’s character simply displayed how this big change in the world affected societal views on the world from then on.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Kevin McAdam
AP English 11/ Mr. George
7/30/09
The Great Gatsby Essay: Shelia Graham writes: “I think Scott (Fitzgerald) wanted me, through my reading, to understand and perhaps share some of his basic tenets about existence: that as he so often told me, there was no such thing as happiness. …As he explains, “…the sense that life is essentially a cheat and its conditions are those of defeat and redeeming things are not ‘happiness and pleasure’ but the deeper satisfactions of the struggle.” Write an essay in which you analyze the way in which Fitzgerald develops this idea in The Great Gatsby.
Jay Gatsby’s dynamic lifestyle in “The Great Gatsby” was proclaimed by many to be very illustrious, but in reality, as was a theme throughout the novel, life was not always as great as it seemed. Every joyful and successful moment throughout the story was simply a small deterrent from an overall displeasing and defeating life for the book’s characters such as Gatsby and Wilson. Certain instances in which a negative shadow was cast upon optimistic periods were people using Gatsby exclusively for his entertainment capabilities instead of being his true friends, Daisy not being united with Gatsby even though Gatsby has proclaimed his love for her, and Wilson extracted revenge upon Gatsby in response to the death of his wife.
Before he met Gatsby, Nick considered Jay to seemingly be atop the social world because of the many parties held at his house next door. His belief in Gatsby’s social status was also encouraged by all of the marvelous stories he had heard about Gatsby’s interesting past. A picture was painted in Nick’s mind that Gatsby was someone that had a million friends and was idolized by everyone. This provided Nick with nervous feelings upon meeting him for the first time. Gatsby’s powerful reputation was incorrect as many, if not all, of the guests at his parties had never met him or were not even friends of his. Suddenly, the entire belief that Gatsby had such an amazing life with so many friends was rejected. In fact, Nick’s observations provided evidence to prove the opposite. Gatsby was a wealthy man with many fine possessions, but very few friends. Even after Gatsby’s sudden death, there was practically no one to show up at his funeral: “I found myself on Gatsby’s side, and alone. …I was responsible, because no one else was interested…” (Fitzgerald 172). Nick’s fervent attempts to gain interest in Gatsby’s death were futile as those whom Nick believed cared about Gatsby most were reluctant to agonize upon hearing the news. During Gatsby’s life, honest and true opinions of him were impossible to obtain from the guests at his immense parties. In the cemetery during his funeral, the scarcity of mourners accurately displayed how Gatsby’s life may have seemed wonderful, but in the end, the camaraderie shown by his guests was eventually proved to be a sham. Gatsby’s social life was certainly not as awe-inspiring as it had seemed to Nick, but his attempt to be with the one he loved turned out just as poorly. Gatsby’s attempt to achieve true happiness came during the time he was with his love, Daisy, but it appeared as if fortune was not in their favor as Tom Buchanan would never give up his wife to the ill-fated Oxford man. All his life, Gatsby only had one true love, and that person was Daisy. Gatsby had spent so many nights alone with a feeling of emptiness inside that no one but Daisy could fill. His longing for companionship with Daisy still remained even with all of the festive parties thrown at his house. It had seemed that the two of them were destined to be with each other once again. However, destiny was overmatched by law as Daisy already had a husband. Nevertheless, Gatsby and Daisy still found time to sneak away and be together up until the defining moment when the two of them had to profess their love of one another before Tom: “‘Your wife doesn’t love you,’ said Gatsby quietly. ‘She’s never loved you. She loves me.’” (137). Daisy’s confession was much more hesitant than Gatsby’s: “‘Why, - how could I love him- possibly?’... ‘I never loved him,’” (139). The clash between Tom and Gatsby actually pushed Daisy more to Tom’s side. Unfortunately, for Gatsby and Daisy, after the argument with Tom, any chance of the two of them being together was thrashed because of Tom’s reluctance to lose his wife to anyone, especially, to someone he detested as much as Gatsby. It was exhibited in “The Great Gatsby” that any faint moment of true happiness for Gatsby was thwarted away by the brutal and unforgiving world.
George Wilson’s exhausting struggle to find his wife’s killer appeared to have ended as a success in the eyes of Wilson, but, in fact, it did not bring him any happiness as his wife was still dead. Any act of vengeance is committed in the belief that getting revenge on those responsible for causing the incident will bring feelings of justice and bliss that will help that person cope with their loss. George was hurt so badly by the loss of his wife that no form of happiness could ever substitute for his sadness, so he turned to vengeance. That logic may have motivated George’s rampage, but that was not the result. After George murdered Gatsby, George’s craving for righteousness seemed complete, but he realized that nothing could ever replace the feelings of adoration that he had for his wife. These terrible feelings inside of George persuaded him to decide that he could not live without his wife and committed suicide: “…the gardener saw Wilson’s body a little way off in the grass,” (170). Even if killing Gatsby did not replace the pain from the loss of his wife, George could wish that at least he served justice to Gatsby for killing Myrtle. However, another bad break came to both George and Gatsby as George murdered the wrong person as it was actually Daisy driving the car, and Gatsby was wrongly murdered. Ill-fortune shocked both men repeatedly throughout the story as once a small quantity of happiness appeared before them, disaster struck and promptly took that happiness away forever.
The belief people have that says life is good is not always true in “The Great Gatsby.” In the story, there are some bright spots that, however, are essentially part of an overall negative environment such as: people using Gatsby exclusively for his entertainment capabilities instead of being his true friends, Daisy not being united with Gatsby even though Gatsby has proclaimed his love for her, and Wilson extracted revenge upon Gatsby in response to the death of his wife. As we see in the novel, and in the case of Jay Gatsby, life is not always fair.
AP English 11/ Mr. George
7/30/09
The Great Gatsby Essay: Shelia Graham writes: “I think Scott (Fitzgerald) wanted me, through my reading, to understand and perhaps share some of his basic tenets about existence: that as he so often told me, there was no such thing as happiness. …As he explains, “…the sense that life is essentially a cheat and its conditions are those of defeat and redeeming things are not ‘happiness and pleasure’ but the deeper satisfactions of the struggle.” Write an essay in which you analyze the way in which Fitzgerald develops this idea in The Great Gatsby.
Jay Gatsby’s dynamic lifestyle in “The Great Gatsby” was proclaimed by many to be very illustrious, but in reality, as was a theme throughout the novel, life was not always as great as it seemed. Every joyful and successful moment throughout the story was simply a small deterrent from an overall displeasing and defeating life for the book’s characters such as Gatsby and Wilson. Certain instances in which a negative shadow was cast upon optimistic periods were people using Gatsby exclusively for his entertainment capabilities instead of being his true friends, Daisy not being united with Gatsby even though Gatsby has proclaimed his love for her, and Wilson extracted revenge upon Gatsby in response to the death of his wife.
Before he met Gatsby, Nick considered Jay to seemingly be atop the social world because of the many parties held at his house next door. His belief in Gatsby’s social status was also encouraged by all of the marvelous stories he had heard about Gatsby’s interesting past. A picture was painted in Nick’s mind that Gatsby was someone that had a million friends and was idolized by everyone. This provided Nick with nervous feelings upon meeting him for the first time. Gatsby’s powerful reputation was incorrect as many, if not all, of the guests at his parties had never met him or were not even friends of his. Suddenly, the entire belief that Gatsby had such an amazing life with so many friends was rejected. In fact, Nick’s observations provided evidence to prove the opposite. Gatsby was a wealthy man with many fine possessions, but very few friends. Even after Gatsby’s sudden death, there was practically no one to show up at his funeral: “I found myself on Gatsby’s side, and alone. …I was responsible, because no one else was interested…” (Fitzgerald 172). Nick’s fervent attempts to gain interest in Gatsby’s death were futile as those whom Nick believed cared about Gatsby most were reluctant to agonize upon hearing the news. During Gatsby’s life, honest and true opinions of him were impossible to obtain from the guests at his immense parties. In the cemetery during his funeral, the scarcity of mourners accurately displayed how Gatsby’s life may have seemed wonderful, but in the end, the camaraderie shown by his guests was eventually proved to be a sham. Gatsby’s social life was certainly not as awe-inspiring as it had seemed to Nick, but his attempt to be with the one he loved turned out just as poorly. Gatsby’s attempt to achieve true happiness came during the time he was with his love, Daisy, but it appeared as if fortune was not in their favor as Tom Buchanan would never give up his wife to the ill-fated Oxford man. All his life, Gatsby only had one true love, and that person was Daisy. Gatsby had spent so many nights alone with a feeling of emptiness inside that no one but Daisy could fill. His longing for companionship with Daisy still remained even with all of the festive parties thrown at his house. It had seemed that the two of them were destined to be with each other once again. However, destiny was overmatched by law as Daisy already had a husband. Nevertheless, Gatsby and Daisy still found time to sneak away and be together up until the defining moment when the two of them had to profess their love of one another before Tom: “‘Your wife doesn’t love you,’ said Gatsby quietly. ‘She’s never loved you. She loves me.’” (137). Daisy’s confession was much more hesitant than Gatsby’s: “‘Why, - how could I love him- possibly?’... ‘I never loved him,’” (139). The clash between Tom and Gatsby actually pushed Daisy more to Tom’s side. Unfortunately, for Gatsby and Daisy, after the argument with Tom, any chance of the two of them being together was thrashed because of Tom’s reluctance to lose his wife to anyone, especially, to someone he detested as much as Gatsby. It was exhibited in “The Great Gatsby” that any faint moment of true happiness for Gatsby was thwarted away by the brutal and unforgiving world.
George Wilson’s exhausting struggle to find his wife’s killer appeared to have ended as a success in the eyes of Wilson, but, in fact, it did not bring him any happiness as his wife was still dead. Any act of vengeance is committed in the belief that getting revenge on those responsible for causing the incident will bring feelings of justice and bliss that will help that person cope with their loss. George was hurt so badly by the loss of his wife that no form of happiness could ever substitute for his sadness, so he turned to vengeance. That logic may have motivated George’s rampage, but that was not the result. After George murdered Gatsby, George’s craving for righteousness seemed complete, but he realized that nothing could ever replace the feelings of adoration that he had for his wife. These terrible feelings inside of George persuaded him to decide that he could not live without his wife and committed suicide: “…the gardener saw Wilson’s body a little way off in the grass,” (170). Even if killing Gatsby did not replace the pain from the loss of his wife, George could wish that at least he served justice to Gatsby for killing Myrtle. However, another bad break came to both George and Gatsby as George murdered the wrong person as it was actually Daisy driving the car, and Gatsby was wrongly murdered. Ill-fortune shocked both men repeatedly throughout the story as once a small quantity of happiness appeared before them, disaster struck and promptly took that happiness away forever.
The belief people have that says life is good is not always true in “The Great Gatsby.” In the story, there are some bright spots that, however, are essentially part of an overall negative environment such as: people using Gatsby exclusively for his entertainment capabilities instead of being his true friends, Daisy not being united with Gatsby even though Gatsby has proclaimed his love for her, and Wilson extracted revenge upon Gatsby in response to the death of his wife. As we see in the novel, and in the case of Jay Gatsby, life is not always fair.
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