Monday

 Today we need to look at chapter 27 and discuss the following objectives

Learning OBJECTIVES:

By the end of the novel students will be able to

1)    Define realism, satire, dialect, antihero, unreliable narrator, irony (situational, dramatic, and verbal), episodic plot, romanticism, dramatic foils, hyperbole, motif, picaresque novel, parable, sarcasm, simile, metaphor, oxymoron, allegory, euphemism, bildungroman

2)    Pick out examples of symbols, irony and dialect

3)    Example the meaning of at least one major symbol

4)    Discuss how Huck is both an unreliable narrator and an antihero

5)    Discuss how Huckleberry Finn, the novel, fits both a bildungsroman and picaresque novel

6)    Give examples of and discuss the following motifs in the book: superstition, parodies of previous literature (romantic novels and Shakespeare), the adopting of personas (or reinventing self), childhood games, religion, lies and cons, death, and perhaps one or two others that I will bring up in class

7)    Be out to pick out and example five – ten allusions

8)    Outline the plot according to the six elements

9)    Break up the book into three sections or three movements (and briefly explain each movement)

10) Break up the book into 9 episodes

11) Give a list of characters in the book with a brief description of each and their general purpose in the novel

12) Compare and Contrast Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer

13) Discuss the idea of and the historical reference of Family Feuds

14) Discuss the different types of conflict found in Huckleberry Finn

15) Discuss how Mark Twain uses allusions to back up his major themes and develop his characters

16)   Keep a list of Huckleberry Finns stories and pranks

17) Discuss how Huckleberry Finn is honest in dishonest world

18) Briefly explain the following themes: Racism and Slavery, Intellectual and Moral Education, The hypocrisy of society (appearance vs. reality), conflict between the individual and society, the quest for freedom (both freedom away from society and freedom within society), superstition vs religion, death and rebirth, coming of age and the hero’s journey, the concept of family, the role of the outsider, the nature and the significance of the following traits: gullibility, ignorance, and naivety, tolerance vs. prejudice.  

THEMES:

 

Major Themes: Mark Twain described the major theme of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as an irony: "A sound heart and a deformed conscience come into collision and conscience suffers defeat." We can define the "deformed conscience" as a conscience influenced by the laws of society and a sense of duty toward those laws. The laws of society at the time of Huck's journey considered people of African descent as property and, therefore, less than human. Huck's struggle with his "deformed conscience" represents a major conflict in the novel. Furthermore, the novel is rich in common themes, themes that we will discover in many other pieces of literature.

1. The conflict between the individual and society - Huck's struggle with his "deformed conscience"
2. The conflict between the emotional and the rational
3. Appearance vs. reality - hypocrisy and "phoniness"
4. Superstition - as a method of explaining and understanding
5. Tolerance vs. prejudice
6. Dehumanization - dehumanizing human beings to oppress them
7. Death and rebirth
8. Coming of age - the hero's journey
9. The role of the outsider
10. The nature and significance of the following human traits: gullibility, ignorance and naivete

Other significant themes include: the feeling of loneliness and isolation; the quest for freedom; romantic vs. real; implied vs. literal; the role of women; the concept of family.  

NOTES:

Picarsque Novel: Usually a satirical novel which depicts in realistic detail the adventures of a roguish hero of low social class who survives by his or her wits in a corrupt society.

Bildungsroman: A novel whose principal subject is the moral, psychological and intellectual development of a youthful main character.

Episodic Plot: A structure that features distinct episodes or a series of stories linked together by the same character. Huck Finn can be broken up into 8 or 9 episodes.

Romanticism:
Work of literature that deal with imagination, that represent ideals of life, these works often include fantastic adventure stories, spiritual connections with nature, gothic stories of the fantastic. Authors include: Sir Walter Scott, Fenimore Cooper, Poe.

Realism:
Works of literature that depict life and people as they really appear. Hence Realistic.
Themes include corruption of society as a whole, racism.

Anithero:
A protagonist who doesn't fit the traditional description of a hero.

Persona:
An assumed identity or character.

Satire:
A work of literature that uses irony and hyperbole to attack and mock some aspect of society as a way to promote social change. 

 

 

Episode 1: (Chapters 1- 4) Huck is living with the Widow Douglas, who is teaching him about region and having go to school. Tom Sawyer starts a gang who says there are gonna steal for passing wagons. Tom plays a trick on Jim. Huck is in Tom's gang for a little while but nothing really comes of it and he quits. Huck realizes his dad is back and gives all the money to Judge Thatcher. This episode ends with huck's dad in his room. Huck goes to Jim for advice or a prophet and Jim really doesn't tell him anything important. ends by Pa showing up.

Episode 2: (5- 7) Pa gives Huck a hard time for being eduated and tells him to stop going to school or he'll whip him. Then he questions Huck about the money and Huck says he doesn't have it. Pa says he will get it from Judge Tatcher cause it's his. Then he goes to the Judge and demands for the money. The judge decided he wanted custody of Huck and go to the law. Well there is a new Judge in town who doesn't want to break up a son and dad. Pa then plays off the judge's Gullibilty, saying he would quit drink and is a changed man. The judge gives him a room and new clothes, pa gets drunk and the judge gives up on him. So Pa tries to get the money again, and he also kidnaps Huck. Well they live in a cabin and Pa is careful not to leave anything Huck could use to escape. Huck eventually finds a saw and starts sawing through the floor everytime Pa leaves. One night Pa comes back really drunk and tries to kill Huck. The next day, Huck finds some logs and Pa takes them to the town to sell them. While Pa is way, Huck finishes sawing thorugh, makes it look like he was killed and leaves.
 
Episode 3: (8-11) Huck and Jim on Jackson Island

Episode 4: (12-16) Huck and Jim on the River 

 

 

Episode 5: (The Feud) Huck and Jim are separated and Huck finds refuge with a rich Grangerford family. The family is in a bitter feud with the rival Shepardsons and Huck attempts to stay in the background and not get involved with any of the violence and hatred. After some people die from both sides of the family in a few battles, Huck and Jim become reunited and set out to continue their journey on the raft.
~CHARACTERS~
- George Jackson (Huck's Persona), Bob Grangerford, Tom Grangerford, Betsy Grangerford (Slave), Buck Grangerford, Saul Grangerford, Rachel Grangerford, Mary Ann Jackson (fake sister), Emmeline Grangerford (The Dead One), Colonel Grangerford, Miss Charlotte, Miss Sophia, Harney Shepardson, Bud Grangerford, Baldy Shepardson, Joe Grangerford.
MAJOR THEME: Romanticism vs. Reality. Death vs. Rebirth, Meaning of Family.

 

Episode 6: (Naked On A Raft) Jim and Huck realize how free they are, out of the society where no one has the power to tell them what to do or where to go or how to live. They don't wear clothes because no one is around to judge them or say otherwise. They are at peace, yet they still use caution when they roam around closeby a town, since Jim is a runaway, he doesn't want him to get caught so they make their way by slowly until nightfall hides them. Soon after docking at one point, they run into two men who claim they are long-lost descendants of European royalty.
~CHARACTERS~
- King and Duke.
MAJOR THEME: Meaning of Freedom, Gullibility, Romanticism vs. Reality!

 

Episode 7: (A Bunch Of Scams) The two men, the King and the Duke, are obviously scammers/con-artists and Huck knows it, but doesn't state it out loud to Jim. He avoids any trouble and keeps to himself while him and Jim follow the two men around as they try to fool people out of their money. They start by playing a show at a circus that flops. Then they make a silly show that does amazingly well, but angers the townsfolk at the same time. Angry people start telling other angry people to go, just so the whole town can be fooled and share the rage everyone else has. The four guys get away before any real harm is done to them. They continue to float down the river, trying different schemes on each new town to see which one is the most successful.
~CHARACTERS~
- Old Boggs, Ringmaster, Colonel Sherburn, Buck Harkness, David Garrick, Edward Kean (both personas of the king and duke.),
MAJOR THEME: Gullibility, Human Cruelty, Appearance vs. Reality, Dehumanization.