Discuss the ways in which any two writers deal with the historical realities of slavery. Melville and Mark Twain

Tamsin Christofides Tjc9 EN557 19th Century American Literature Dr Stafania Ciocia Discuss the ways in which any two writers deal with the historical realities of slavery Slavery was first brought to the Southern United States in 1619, with the invention of the Cotton Gin in 1793 there was a huge demand for slaves from many countries including the Caribbean and Africa to work on plantations. At its peak roughly forty percent of the Southern population were slaves and it was not unknown to have a fifty percent mortality rate during the journey to 'The New World'. According to American laws at the time slaves were treated as property by their owners and could be bought and sold as easily and carelessly as livestock. Slaves were sometimes allowed to marry and marriage was often imposed on them, this was not recognised by the state, however, and slave owners were free to split up couples and families as they pleased simply by selling them on to new owners. Children born into slavery were raised until they were Twelve at which time they were sent to the fields to work from sunup to sundown; this would continue until they died or were set free. Slaves were treated badly, beatings, rape and murder were not uncommon but unlike free Americans they had few rights and little to no access to education, healthcare or justice. During this period in history there was a great deal

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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American Fiction, The American Adolescent

American Adolescents and the extent to which Huck and Holden embody American principles. A Critical Comparison between extracts from the Catcher in the Rye and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn According to J Hector St. John de Crevecoeur, 'The American is a new man, who acts upon new principles; he must therefore entertain new ideas and form new opinions' (1782:44). It is this idea of ingeniousness and the need to shape one's own destiny that is of great prominence in American Fiction. However, the implications of this attitude differ vastly, when they are applied to American youths as opposed to the American 'man' as described by Crevecoeur. A major issue explored in both The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Catcher in the Rye is that of youth rebellion in American society, and whether socio-political resistance is something to be embraced or deeply feared. Through the eyes of adolescents, American writers have been able to put numerous social criticisms into words, with a level of honesty that is startling and direct. The extract from Chapter 19 of 1Huckleberry Finn shows some strong similarities to the extract from Chapter 14 of Salinger's 2The Catcher in the Rye. The respective protagonists, Huckleberry Finn and Holden Caulfield are products of highly contrasting time periods, as well as diverging cultures, yet there are distinctive parallels to be drawn

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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As significações do rio em The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn de Mark Twain.

As significações do rio em The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn de Mark Twain Ana Margarida Fernandes 3ºAno Inglês/Alemão 2003/2004 "It is Huck who gives the book style. The River gives the book its form" (T.S.Eliot) Em Huckleberry Finn, o cenário exerce grande influência sobre o carácter de Huck. A infância/adolescência de Huck coincidiu com um período de mudança nos EUA. O rio Mississippi funcionou, no século XIX, como a maior "auto-estrada" entre os estados americanos. Os rios eram extremamente valiosos em termos de transporte, comunicação, mas, a partir de 1840, os caminhos-de-ferro começaram a ligar cidades importantes, que não se encontravam ligadas pelo rio, aumentando gradualmente a sua importância. O rio representa uma forma de vida, um ponto fundamental na estabilidade de uma sociedade, uma identidade. Assim, as histórias de Tom Sawyer e Huckleberry Finn são também as histórias de uma cultura que existou ao longo das margens deste grande rio. Durante as suas aventuras no rio, Huck e Jim aperceberam-se de que, por causa do seu débil estatuto económico, se encontravam dependentes do rio para sobreviver. Essa dependência fez crescer, nomeadamente em Huck, um sentimento de respeito e lealdade para com o rio, e, a maneira como ele fala do rio, mostra claramente os seus sentimentos e agradecimentos a ele. Para eles, o rio é um lugar de

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Analysis of themes, structure, and social change in Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"

Analysis of themes, structure, and social change in Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" By Jimmy Jackson The Late 19th century was an era in which writers began to challenge the traditions, ideas and stereotypes of society. It was a time when people began to take the time to question the age- old traditions and work towards change. Written in pre -Civil War America, Mark Twain was a champion of this individual thought in his novel The Adventures of huckleberry Finn. He Remarkably creates a character Huck who transcends the expectations of society on his escape to the river. Twain begins by presenting Huck as an individual who stands up against his social conscience. The reader is left to praise him for this, and is extremely disappointed in the end when Huck falls back into the role of an obedient, 'small' person, overshadowed by the nonsense of Tom Sawyer. Twain has this fascinating and yet maddening way of exposing the truth only to conceal it once again. The role of the novel seems to fall back into the stereotypes in which the ignorant society sees things. Huck looses his idiosyncrasy; Jim loses his humanity and 'strong head.' He becomes the "nigger" again. This is all obvious yet what is not too clear to see is that the relationship between Jim and Huck is the same as Huck and Toms. The reader sees that Jim is a humane, intelligent capable human being,

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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How does Mark Twain convey his ideas about right and wrong in the telling of Huckleberry Finn?

Huckleberry Finn 'But that's always the way; it don't make no difference whether you do right or wrong, a person's conscience ain't got no sense, and just goes for him anyway... It takes up more room than all the rest of a person's insides, and yet ain't no good, nohow. Tom Sawyer he says the same.' How does Mark Twain convey his ideas about right and wrong in the telling of Huckleberry Finn? The novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is very much a collection of Twain's moralistic principles and ideas. This book is not only a correlation of all that Twain saw wrong with society but a total mockery of Southern values. Southern values, which included the unquestionable principle of slavery - the right to own people and treat them as possessions just because of the colour of their skin. The narrator of the novel - Huckleberry Finn - is the platform Twain uses to express his ideas, and examine the bigotry manifested within the book. The conflict in Huck's mind between right and wrong is both a question of morality and what society has taught him to follow and believe. There are many instances in the novel in which Huck expresses internal debates with himself and these are very clearly examples of Twain voicing his opinion on certain subjects. One recurring theme within these internal debates is the issue of slavery. Huck is at odds with himself over how wrong it is to be

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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One of the most striking elements of this passage, and indeed throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is the conversational nature of the narrative.

One of the most striking elements of this passage, and indeed throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is the conversational nature of the narrative. The opening words of this extract, "Miss Watson she kept pecking at me", seem to establish a link between the reader and Huck. This is a very significant factor in the novel's uniqueness. Another theme that is apparent from this extract is nature, or rather Huck's observations and reactions to the natural world around him. In addition, as opposed to the natural world, the supernatural and superstitious world is a theme that becomes apparent from this extract, and also turns out to be a major theme in the novel. Mark Twain's use of Huck as the narrator as well as the protagonist is very significant. One aspect that makes this particularly effective is that the dialect used by Huck is continuous throughout the novel, which not only develops authenticity, but also allows for further insight and background to be relayed to the reader through Huck and not a character-less narrator. For example, chapter 18 opens with Huck informing the reader about Colonel Grangerford and his family, and this I feel certainly benefits from Huck's own choice of words. The description given appears so much more genuine, as we are told not only of physical appearances, but also of Huck's personal opinions of the characters: Col. Grangerford was a

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Why has "Huckleberry Finn been banned in schools and libraries? " Do you think books should be banned?

Why has "Huckleberry Finn been banned in schools and libraries? " Do you think books should be banned? In the book Huckleberry Finn "nigger" is used 213 times. As a result Huck Finn one of the greatest American novels has been put on the market. A reader might think that Twain is a racist. Recently at the district school board meeting the African American parent coalition voiced its concern about what the use of the word nigger in Huck Finn would do to African American students who read the novel. According to the AAPC, African American students will be "emotionally battered" when hearing the word nigger being read out loud in class. The AAPC wants the book banned from use in classroom. In some ways, not much has changed since 1885. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Mark Twain are included in the American Library Association's lists of the ten most frequently challenged books and authors of 1996. Tracing the history a little further back, Attacks on the Freedom to Learn, '96, a report by People for the American Way, lists them among the ten most frequently challenged books and authors of 1982 to 1996. Twain's novels continue to be challenged and banned, but new reasons for opposing them have emerged through the years. Looking back over the debates about Twain's books during the past 112 years provides an interesting perspective on how American culture has changed, how

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Huck and Jim The development of Huck through Jim - In Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,

Huck and Jim The development of Huck through Jim By: Ashik Kabir In Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, many themes arise to the surface of the story. Perhaps one of the more recognizable themes is the one that deals with the development of Huck and especially with his feelings about Jim. Through the eyes of Huck, one must first look at the society that he lived in to understand what America was like during the time of this Twain's story. Next, one must look at the way in which Huck was raised in order to see how Huck developed his own moral beliefs, a set of moral beliefs that were very different from that of the societies. Finally, by analyzing the moral "dilemma" through the relationship that Huck has with Jim, we will be able to see that Huck does indeed develop his attitude towards Jim for the better. From the very beginning of the story, readers are aware of the time in which this book was written (or the period it was written for). The corruption of society morally fit the people's need of that time. For example, Huck lived with his aunt in the beginning of the story. When his father returned to town, he demanded that Huck be returned to him. A court date is set to decide with whom Huck Finn should stay with. The Judge turns the custody back over the Huck's abusive, careless, alcoholic father. Later, when Huck fakes his own death, we see how

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Mark Twain exposes many truths through this novel by satirising the adults and showing their pretentiousness. However when I relate this truth to the modern world I realise Twain wrote the novel ahead of his time. This second half of this novel would be better applied to the modern day. Mark Twain uses satire to expose the truth about the adults; he tells us that they are pretentious, false and dishonest. He attacks the whole pretentiousness and artificial situation that they had created. We see that during a Sunday service in the local chapel the people are all sitting in their Sunday best and are pretending to pay the best attention to the minister. But Tom who is somewhat disinterested in the whole thing and yearns for freedom as he hates being locked up, takes out a pinch bug. He starts messing with this bug but then drops it. The minister's poodle which was in the church suddenly catches an eye of the bug. He walks up and tries to somehow attack it. But he is unsuccessful in the most dramatic way with the pinch bug biting the dog and forcing it to run around in quite a wild fashion due to the extreme pain. The congregation have been watching since the dog first went to the bug, but now they are laughing and have drowned out the minister's sermon. "By this time the whole church was red-faced and suffocating with suppressed

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Racism in Huckleberry Finn.

Yoo 1 Eunice Yoo Mr. Hemphill English Honors November 3, 2003 Racism in Huckleberry Finn Throughout history, there have been heated debates over Mark Twain's novel Huckleberry Finn and the supposedly racist themes in the story. Many schools have even banned the book on the basis of the negative depiction of one of the characters, Jim, a black slave who holds racial stereotypes throughout the story. However, before one begins to censor a novel one should separate the ideas of the author from the ideas of his characters. If one cannot read between the lines and find the true themes of the novel, then obviously the story may come off as racist. Twain satires the malicious views of society such as slavery through irony, which many people misinterpret as racism. Also, the novel takes place twenty years before the Civil War, a time period where racial statements and views resided in everyday life. Hence, if one reads the story a bit more closely one should realize Huckleberry Fin does not revolve around racial ideas but rather the wicked outlooks of society in a pre-Civil War time period. Many people misinterpret the irony and the main point that Mark Twain tries to establish in the story. John Wallace once said, "It's the most grotesque version of racist trash" ever written. Many readers misinterpret racist remarks made by the characters in the novel as reflections of

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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