A few Huck Finn final essays

The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn

By: Mark Twain

Essay By: Nathan O.

While listening to this book “The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn”, the theme that caught my attention the most was the theme of greed never being a good thing. In other words, greed definitely changes you as a person. There were many different people in this book that changed negatively when money was involved.

The two main characters that showed a change in behavior, when money was involved was the Duke and the Dauphin. These two men let fiend for money run their lives. I have personally experienced just how greedy people can become with money.

One example, of this theme in the book is when the Duke and Dauphin try stealing $6000, but were not able to walk away with a penny because they got too greedy. However Huck hid the money in a coffin so that the Duke and Dauphin got caught and ended up with less than what they started off with.

An example in my life, when I was greedy with money was when I started to neglect my homework because I was so concerned with making money, the quickest way i knew how. Money was controlling my life in a very negative way. I was going downhill just as quick as I was making that “fast cash”.

This book taught me to never let money control me or my actions. I have made a positive change in my life over the past 6 months and I would never go back to the lifestyle I had, before, just to make a quick buck. Money is good; but freedom from it is better.

Huckleberry Finn

Essay By: Asia

While reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn I recognized Jim more as a father figure than Huck's own father or any other man in the book. Yes, Jim was a black slave that Huck at first, did not understand or even recognize as a person; grew to have deep sympathy and respect for.

Although other men were present in Huck's life during the whole book none of them were “father figures”, in my opinion, except Jim. Look at it this way the Duke and the Dauphin were both liars, thieves, and cons; Mr. Williams was a racist who thought that it was a just thing to kill a runaway slave or any slave for that matter; and not to mention Huck's real father who was a good for nothing drunk! So, in my opinion, Jim was the best candidate even though he happened to be a black slave.

There are many reasons in the book I could use to defend the statement of Jim being Huck's “true father”. But I think the main reason is because Jim taught Huck things about himself and life that no other male in this book could. For example: one night Jim woke up crying because he could not stop thinking about his daughter. Years before this night, Jim had beaten his daughter because she would not do something he had asked, come to find out she was deaf. He explained to Huck what he was feeling and how much he regretted doing that to his little girl; especially since he might not ever see her again. From this Jim taught Huck the most important thing I think anyone can know; all people feel emotion; all people, no matter what race, age, or sex can all love.

I was glad to see that Huck grew as a person in more ways than one. He grew physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. I truly believe that Jim helped Huck mature in these areas. I mean isn't that what a “true father” does? They help you through your ups and downs and give you lots of love and care. Well, thats exactly what Jim did. He taught and cared for Huck the best way he knew how and it looks like it made Huck a better person in the end.

Sing Hallelujah!

This new gospel musical comedy was written by Jim Hesselman and Bob Payne. SING HALLELUJAH! takes place in Johnsontown, North Carolina and features such songs as "Do Lord", "Onward Christian Soldiers", "Down By The Riverside", "Swing Down Chariot", and "Amazing Grace." As a group we agreed on a few things and disagreed on a few things about this musical. First we agreed that the acting was horrible. We also agreed that the music and the voices were amazing. We disagreed about the strength of the storyline. Some found it easy to relate to and quite funny, while others found it predictable and over-exaggerated.
Historically speaking, Gospel as a form of music is purely American. It has its roots in Classical as well as African Folk Music, but Gospel reaches more people than just about any form of music. The group was suprised at how many of the songs they knew or had heard before. The group ranged from those who attend church regularly to those who have never set foot in a church or worship service of any kind, yet everyone had heard at least 2-3 of the songs before. These songs are part of our common culture as Americans.
When asked to sum up the theme of the play in one sentence it was interesting to hear the different ideas. "Don't judge a book by its cover." "Communities, like families, can build on common ground." "Everyone needs Grace and forgiveness." And "You need friends even when you don't want to admit it." Each person in the group got something a little different from the play.
The main characters all seemed to have Biblical counterparts. The main lady, Victoria was overly judgemental and constantly on the look out for sin just like the Pharisees. One man and one woman, represented the 'rabble' that Jesus spent so much time with. And the young Reverand was the 'Christ-like' character. He always spoke the truth, he went looking for the lost, and he helped people find Grace.
Overall, it was decided that the play was worth seeing. Everyone enjoyed themselves and learned quite a bit. We will all be look forward to the next one!

Every trip is a quest

Literary Tools
These ideas are inspired by How To Read Literature Like A Professor.
I am going to try and cover a different tool each day.
I. Every trip is a Quest (except when it's not)
1. quester
2. a stated place to go
3. a stated reason to go
4. challenges and trials along the way
5. the "real" reason for the trip (self knowledge)

I can think of very few novels or movies that do not revolve around a quest. There are obvious ones like Finding Nemo to less obvious ones like Oedipus Rex.

When deciding whether or not a story is a quest you can compare it to the old knights of the round table going in search of an object, but really discovering their need for humility and forgiveness. A quest can be successful if the character grows and matures by learning about themselves. A quest is only a failure if the self-knowledge is not found. The stated place and reason don't have to be met, but knowledge of self is critical to the success of the quest.

One of my favorite quest stories is Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen. The main quester is Cole. He is given a choice between jail and a deserted island as his stated place to go. He chooses the island the first time because he thinks he can escape. He almost dies in the attempt, but still doesn't acquire the self knowledge needed to finish his quest. It takes him actually hovering on the brink of death in a comma, a lot of physical labor, and the spiritual discoveries about the need for forgiveness and the need for reconciliation before his quest reaches its successful conclusion.

Nice To Eat You (acts of vampires)

Literary Tools
These ideas are inspired by How To Read Literature Like A Professor.

1. Older character represents corrupt worn out values

2. Younger character represents a love for life, innocence and virginity

3. Older character strips away at that innocence, youth, vitality

4. Older character flourishes

5. Younger character is destroyed or dies

It was an eye opening revelation to realize there were vampire stories that had nothing to do with vampires. The book talks a lot about Daisy Miller being a classic vampire story, so I won't go over that one again. My favorite obvious one is The Snow Queen. One that is not so obvious is in Memoirs of a Geisha. Mother and actually the whole “system” are both vampires in the strictest classical sense. They get richer and more powerful as they use and sell the innocence of the girls. Another surprise vampire is Morgause in Mists of Avalon. She “feeds” on young men to keep herself strong, beautiful, and powerful.

Nice to eat you or with you!?!

Literary Tools

These ideas are inspired by How To Read Literature Like A Professor.
I am going to try and cover a different tool each day. Today however, I am going to do two closely related tools.
II. Nice to eat with you (acts of Communion and even communion)

1. Breaking bread together is an act of peace

2. Eating together can show a consuming desire for each other

3. Eating together breaks down social barriers, because it reinforces our sameness

4. A failed meal shows a crack in a relationship, or foreshadows doom

Let's use Beauty and Beast as an example. Their first meal together is a total disaster showing us that neither one of them are as comfortable as they seem. However, as they continue live and to eat together they are breaking down the barriers that keep them apart. They are starting to see how they compliment each other. In the formal dinner scene it is very clear that they desire each other.

My favorite meal scene in a movie is in Home For the Holidays with Holly Hunter. No matter how hard they try, the meal (like the family relationships) never works out smoothly. My favorite meal in a book is in Secret Life Of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. They are having a feast for Ascension Day and everything is wonderful, even magical. It is Communion with the Holy Spirit completely.

Where have I seen her before?

Literary Tools

These ideas are inspired by How To Read Literature Like A Professor.
I am going to try and cover a different tool each day.

4. Where Have I Seen Her Before?

   1. No such thing as a completely original work of literature

   2. Awareness of similarity leads us forward into new meanings

   3. Familiarity brings multiple layers of meaning to a story....

I am going to save Shakespeare's characters and Bible character's for different posts. There are so many from those works they needed they each needed their own chapters. So, the next most common inspiration for authors are fairy tales and Aesop's Fables. Think about Heidi and Beauty and The Beast, could not Grandfather be The Beast and isn't Heidi, Belle..... Both stories are about innocence melting hardened hearts. A lot of coming of age novels can relate back to Pinocchio. Tom Sawyer, for example, has quite a few parallels to Pinocchio's story. One of the strangest connection I had a student make was between Hansel and Gretel and Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Ford and Trillian are lost in a world they know very little about, all the while searching for clues to get back to a home they are not sure exists.

When in doubt it is from Shakespeare

Literary Tools

These ideas are inspired by How To Read Literature Like A Professor.
I am going to try and cover a different tool each day.

V When in doubt it is from Shakespeare

1. To thine own self be true

2. That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet

3. Get thee to a nunnery!

4. A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse...

5. All the world's a stage, all men and women merely players.....

It has been said that over 70% of modern Western Literature is based on Shakespeare and the Bible. Even teen and children's movies have turned to the bard for inspiration. The movie 10 Things I hate About You is a remake of The Taming of the Shrew. What teen love story is NOT a remake of Romeo and Juliet? And Disney's Lion King is just a very clever version of Hamlet.

Biblical References in Movies and Literature

Literary Tools

These ideas are inspired by How To Read Literature Like A Professor.
I am going to try and cover a different tool each day.

VI. Biblical references

1. gardens

2. serpents

3. plagues

4. floods

5. rainbows

6. parting waters

7. loaves and fishes

8. fish of all kind

9. forty days, seven days, three days

10. betrayal

11. denial

12. slavery and escape

13. fatted calves

14. milk and honey

15. miraculous healing

16. baptisms

While many movies and stories are pulled directly from the Bible, many just use symbols, places, or events to refer you back to the Bible for a deeper understanding. Also, the Bible is so integrated in our cultural awareness that many authors use it subconsciously. The movie Big Fish, really surprised me with how many Biblical references it used. The Matrix is also another movie is full of Biblical references from beginning to end. One of my older students surprised me with the author Chuck Palahniuk. Chuck is dealing with some very twisted characters and Biblical themes. It makes for an interesting, if disturbing, experience.

it is never "just the weather"

Literary Tools

These ideas are inspired by How To Read Literature Like A Professor.
I am going to try and cover a different tool each day.

5. Weather, it is more than just rain or snow.....

   1. Rain that causes floods remind us of Noah

   2. Rain “cleanses” characters

   3. Rain baptizes characters, removing their sins

   4. Rain washes away false ideas and illusions

   5. Rain restores and reminds us of spring and new life

   6. Rain (storms) often cause or foreshadow sickness or death

   7. Rain causes rainbows which remind us of God's promises

   8. Fog means characters are confused, or can't see clearly

   9. Snow is: clean, stark, severe, warm (like blanket), inhospitable, inviting, playful, suffocating, filthy as time passes, death, and nothingness

The weather outside often reflects the mood of a character. It can also give us clues to the actual condition of a relationship or community. The weather can foreshadow, reflect or be a reaction to huge upheavals or changes in the story or character. The storm as Pinocchio is tossed about in the cage reflects all the terror that is going on within his heart. I think the movie Oh Brother Where Art Thou, uses every one of these literary weather tools! Action adventure movies use the rain a lot to baptize or rejuvenate characters. It is usually during a rain storm lovers finally understand one another because the false ideas have been washed away....

Violence is usually a metaphor

Literary Tools
These ideas are inspired by How To Read Literature Like A Professor.
I am going to try and cover a different tool each day.

VI Concerning Violence

1. Violence is usually a metaphor

2. It comes in two types: Character to Character or Sickness and Accidents

3. ALWAYS ASK: What does this type of misfortune represent thematically?; What famous death does it remind me of?; Why did the author choose this form of violence?

I often think violent movies and stories get “short changed” and dismissed because it is hard to look through the violence and understand the deeper message. In the movie Crash for example, I want to throw-up, cry, throw something at the screen or just scream when the officer molests the TV producer's wife. But that violence was chosen by the author for a reason. It has nothing to do with the sexual nature of the molestation. It stands for control, dominance, dehumanizing, demoralizing, and “putting this race” in their place. It tells us that the officer actually feels helpless or powerless, so he must do something so horrific that “proves” his dominance and authority. It also lets us see that the TV producer feels helpless, oppressed, and dominated. It is strange that her molestation has nothing to do with her at all, it is a power struggle being played out between the two men. The two men also represent the extremes of society so it also represents the universal struggle of one group of people who are afraid of loosing control and another group of people who don't know how to safely find their own voice.

Can you find the symbol?

Literary Tools

These ideas are inspired by How To Read Literature Like A Professor.
I am going to try and cover a different tool each day.

7. Is that a symbol?

   1. If you think you have found a symbol, ask yourself what it means to you. Then ask if that fits the story.

   2. Brainstorm and listen to your instincts.

I may come back later and make a list of common symbols, but since just about anything can be a symbol I wanted to avoid an actual “list.” A few obvious examples are doves reoccurring as The Holy Spirit, mirrors as reflections of our souls, water as a passage to deeper understanding or new birth and clocks representing time. Some trickier ones might be snakes that we want to say are bad, but can often mean wisdom or knowledge, mazes or labyrinths can mean confusion or deeper enlightenment, or cages and fences can be for protection or imprisonment.

Authors are sometimes aware of the symbols they use and sometimes they are completely unaware until the work is finished and others have pointed the symbols out to them. Something that may be a symbol to you, and gives the story more meaning because you understand it that way doesn't mean the next person will get it at all. Princess Bride, Brother's Grimm and even Napoleon Dynamite are three examples of this. You either seem to “get it” and all its symbols and layers of meaning or your don't.

Here is short list of stories and movies I think are especially full of symbols: Snow White, Alice in Wonderland, Matrix, Big Fish, Scarlet Letter, The Good Earth, Mists of Avalon, and Moby Dick. What they all have in common is the fact that “what they are about” is very different then “what happens” in the story. To me that is the best use of symbols because they allow you to enjoy the work on so many different levels.

You know you might be seeing a Christ-like character if.....

Literary Tools

These ideas are inspired by How To Read Literature Like A Professor.
I am going to try and cover a different tool each day.

8. Christ figures: You know you might be seeing a Christ-like character if.....

   1. Crucified, wounds in hands and feet

   2. In agony

   3. Self-sacrificing

   4. Good with children

   5. Good with loaves and fishes

   6. Water and wine

   7. Employed as a carpenter

   8. Uses humble modes of transportation

   9. Walks on water (or appears to)

   10. Out stretched arms

   11. Time alone in a wilderness

   12. Tempted by the devil

   13. Friends with “unsavory” characters

   14. Speak in parables

   15. Buried and rose again

   16. Very forgiving

   17. Had/Has disciples

   18. Redeems the unworthy

Some obvious Christ like characters are Beowulf, August in Secret Life of Bees, and King Arthur in most of the legends. Beowulf is willing to sacrifice himself for people he doesn't even know. He is tempted, resists and redeems or saves the people. Add all these together and you get a very strong Christ like character. Next I picked August, because not all Christ like characters are male. She is a strong example of a female Christ. She takes in anyone in need. She feeds huge groups of people. She often speaks in parables. She is forgiving and forgiving and forgiving! She points the way to God. She leads people into better lives. Then we have Arthur, he was written to be a Christ like savior to rally around. Depending on which version of the legend you read he goes through just about everyone of these “Christ-like” traits!

Flights of Fancy

Literary Tools

These ideas are inspired by How To Read Literature Like A Professor.
I am going to try and cover a different tool each day.

9. Flights of Fancy

   1. Flight means freedom

   2. Characters in flight mean: superhero, crazy, fictional (within the reality of the story) or an angel

A great example of this is in A Wrinkle In Time, when Meg flies she is being freed from her earthly constraints. She is free to let go of all the fears and stereotypes that have been holding her back. Sometimes flight is literal, like Superman, sometimes it is a metaphor, like Meg, and sometimes it is so obvious we over look it.

Characters on planes are in flight for a reason much deeper than getting from point A to point B. Authors choose modes of transportation to gives us insight into the character or hints about something the character is supposed to be learning. Characters that fly, are usually freer or are freeing themselves, from something the rest of the characters still need to deal with. Many times it isn't until after the flight the characters even realize they are working on freeing themselves. Flight has much more to do with the heart than the head. My favorite movie that uses flight symbolically is Always.

location, location, location......

Literary Tools

These ideas are inspired by How To Read Literature Like A Professor.

Geography Matters
1. low areas refer to mental depression, confusion, despair, death or the underworld
2. high areas usually refer to clear headed, inspiration, understanding, “seeing clearly”or purity
3. high areas can refer to isolation, fears, loneliness, or impending death
4. overcrowded cities usually refer to death, stagnated life, can't breathe, unpleasantness, mindlessness, or drone like behavior
5. farms and ranches usually refer to free thinkers, rebels, toughness, independence, or ability to breathe

This is one of the easiest of the literary tools because it is such a part of our general vocabulary. For example we say, “We're down in the dumps” or “We've had a mountain top experience” and most people know exactly what we mean. Going back to the story of Heidi, we see the purity of being on the mountain and the corruption of being in the low city. In fairy tales innocent virgins are put in high towers, while evil queens have their lairs in the dungeon.

Utopias are almost always found “in the country.” Examples I can think of are The Village, Lost Horizon, Swiss Family Robinson and Peter Pan. Whereas “living hells” are very crowded, noisy and usually dirty. A few examples, Minority Report, Crash, The Good Earth (fits both categories), 1984 and Brave New World. Then you have the authors who flip our perceptions around like in Lord of the Flies, Logan's Run, and Wizard of Oz.

Sensational Seasons....

Literary Tools

These ideas are inspired by How To Read Literature Like A Professor.

Seasons Matter

1. Winter- death, dying, loneliness, no growth

2. Spring- new life, new possibilities, youth, joy, awakened

3. Summer- full bloom, full of promise, young adulthood, “perfection”

4. Fall- middle age, wisdom, experience, slowness of time, “beauty in the defects”

These I think are easier to understand if you live in a climate that has four separate and distinct seasons. There is a beauty and rhythm to the year that helps put lives in perspective. It is the same for characters. Authors choose for certain things to be revealed during certain seasons for a reason. It adds to the message that is between the lines. The things your supposed to understand without being told.

Think about it in romance novels affairs rarely happen in the middle of winter, but almost always begin in Spring or early Summer. And as we will get to later an affair is not about the sex, but about what the main character is feeling and learning about themselves. In fairytales the prince rarely shows up in the dead of Winter, but a witch often does. There is a reason, so when the author takes time to set up which season of the year it is, ask yourself why....

A few of my favorite novels that use seasons as critical parts of the theme are Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, The Snow Queen, Anne of Green Gables, Touching Spirit Bear and Mists of Avalon. A few movies that come to mind are Snow White, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Serendipity, The Sound of Music and Jacob the Liar.

Marked for Greatness!

Literary Tools

These ideas are inspired by How To Read Literature Like A Professor.
I am going to try and cover a different tool each day.

Marked For Greatness

1. Physical shape tells a lot about the inner character

2. In Shakespeare and most fairytales, ugly means bad, evil character

3. In Greek stories scars show atonement for past sins

4. In modern stories scars show wisdom gained by experience, set a character apart from normal, and create 'a mysterious history' to be unraveled

5. Deformities and scars usually point to a theme the author wants you to see clearly

A few examples of scarred villains in modern films are Scar from The Lion King, Scarface from Scarface, Crater Face from Grease, Freddy from the Nightmare movies and the list could keep going. Since a movie has a very short time to get you to see who is 'good' and who is 'bad' it uses the visual clue of scars or deformities all the time.

Soldiers, cowboys and cops with scars are usually seen as extra capable or brave. Survivors with scars, slaves, concentration camps, abused relationships, or serious accidents seem to immediately get our trust and compassion. However, we are wary of characters with birth defects, tattoos, or burns.

My favorite marked character is Hester from Scarlet Letter. Her A, marks her, but it also becomes part of her. It allows her to know herself, to be one in mind, body and souls. This self-knowledge is very important in her development of into a mature woman. Without the self-knowledge she would have remained a 'child' or puppet of others.

Blindness matters!

Literary Tools

These ideas are inspired by How To Read Literature Like A Professor.

1. When a character can't see the physical world it means that they can see much more than most about the deeper meaning of life.

2. Often blind characters see into the future or spirit world.

3. Not only are people blind, but a house without windows is blind, an alley can be blind, a horse can wear blinders, and the author may have a character with 'blind' speculation.

All of these “mean” something to the theme of the story. The author is pointing you down the 'right path' if you can 'see' and pick up on these clues. Oedipus blinds himself at the end of the story so that he can see. He went through his whole life running away from his destiny that he could SEE that he had fulfilled it. Often as characters grow older and wiser they loose their physical sense of sight.

In stories with a Seer, the seer is blind because sight gets in the way of really seeing. In most stories with blind characters, the blindness is rarely a handicap. I can think of The Village, Miracle Worker, The Cay, Into The Dark, and one of my favorite poem/stories Knots on a Counting Rope where the blind character is not just capable, but the hero of the story. Leading those who can see to a better understanding of themselves and the world around them.

And More Clues...

Illness
1. Illness gives clues to the character of the person who is sick
2. Illness also give clues to what a character is experiencing, for example:
1. Malaria means gossip, either subject of or participating in
2. Plagues are God's judgments
3. TB and AIDS are wasting away diseases, and show the characters are wasting away or have been forgotten by society
4. STD's and mental illness often go together
5. Paralysis of the body often means the character is or was paralyzed mentally or spiritually before

Rent is the first story I can think of where the character Angel has AIDS and it is directly related to her/him being thrown away by society. Unfortunately, sickness and sin are often mixed together in literature and society. Some authors like Toni Morrison also talk about humans being sick because the world they live in is broken. So, when you see a sick character, look inside them and look at the world they live in. Something caused the illness and what ever it was points to the theme of the story.

Heart disease and Illness are clues.....

Literary Tools
These ideas are inspired by How To Read Literature Like A Professor.

Heart Disease
1. Bad love life
2. Loneliness
3. Cruelty
4. Pedophile
5. Disloyalty
6. Cowardice
7. Lack of determination
8. Character is wrong or making bad choices

To me one of the most obvious cases of heart disease being a major clue to the character's psyche is, Mr. Dimmesdale in Scarlet Letter. He is a coward, disloyal to his vows and Hester, and his body is punishing him for what he won't confess. Or the Grinch, who had to overcome his heart problems to find love.

When characters are shot, stabbed or staked through the heart it is often seen as the only way to kill them. With brave characters it is because of their strength and loyalty we would really believe anything else. Evil characters have hearts of stone, or are cold hearted, so they need to have that part of them destroyed so that they can die.

I think heart disease is easier to use in literature than in movies. You will often see it used with parents who need to make things right before they die, or men who won't express their feelings. I have also seen the idea flipped around and a child born with a heart that was too big, gives new life and love to the family before they die.

Irony trumps everything!

Literary Tools
These ideas are inspired by How To Read Literature Like A Professor.

Irony
1.Irony: difference between what you expect to happen & what actually happens
2.Irony can be: comic, tragic, wry, or perplexing
3.Irony trumps everything else when trying to find a theme or meaning


One of my favorite movies that is all about irony is Raising Arizona. Nothing you expect to happen happens and most of the symbols that we have come to rely on are thrown out the door. For example a law abiding police officer stealing a child, but being furious at her husband for stealing the diapers. I just saw the movie Something's Gotta Give and it was also full of irony. It takes the traditional romantic comedy and turns it on its ear. The lead doesn't end up with the cute young leading lady, but the mature self assured independent woman.

My favorite ironic play is the one mentioned in the book, Waiting for Godot. Heroes with a journey and a clear path that they refuse to take confuses us until we figure out the irony of the situation. In My Fair Lady, Mr Higgins may not see the irony in his situation, but we do. He created a lady, then was upset when she actually acted like one.