Not Necessarily

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Q1: Who is speaking in this passage in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and what incident provokes the speech? Explain in five or more sentences why it is a turning point in the novel. *What is a comparable turning point – a moment of realization or change of heart – in Work: A Story of Experience?

“DAT truck dah is trash ; en trash is what people is dat puts dirt on the head er dey fren’s en makes em ashamed”.

Answer:

The passage listed above was spoken by Jim, who was conversing with Huckleberry Finn. Huck made Jim think that losing him in the fog was just a dream. After Jim realized what Huck had done and that he only cared about making Jim look like a fool, he felt completely broken. This was a turning point for Huck as he understood the pain he had caused Jim and looked at him more than just a runaway slave. He eventually apologized and felt no shame in apologizing to someone of a different race than him. The realization that the words of Rev. Parker brought into Louisa’s life is somewhat comparable to this situation (Alcott).

Q2: In “The Deliverance,” what changes does harper depict in the relationship between enslaved people and slave holders over the course of the poem? How does Chloe evidently feel about her owners at the beginning of the poem, and what point in the poem do those feelings evidently change? (Hint: Look at the whole length of the poem; what topics does Harper focus on at the end of “The Deliverance”?)

Answer:

The relationship between enslaved people and the slave holders had changed over the course of the poem. At the start they were shown as kind and merciful and the Mistress’s son Mister Thomas was always involved in situations with the slaves such as fights. But during the course of the poem Chloe’s feelings changed when Mister Thomas went to fight in the civil war and the Mistress would pray for the South’s victory, while Chloe and the other slaves would pray for their freedom. The end of the poem describes how after gaining freedom, colored women of the house would scoff at their husbands who would sell their votes for rations (Harper).

Q3: In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, what is the decision that causes Huck Finn to say, “All right, then, I’ll go to hell “? What is Mark Twain implying about organized religion as a source of moral guidance? In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, where does Huck find the best moral inspiration?

Answer:

After having a moral conundrum between breaking the trust of old Jim and telling his master where he was or keep Jim’s location secret. But this would make him a sinner according to his religion. Through this Mark Twain shows how organized religion mix up the teachings of religion and culture together. This way they justify their wrongdoings and their questionable morality by being a good follower of the teachings of such religions. For Huck, the best moral inspiration was for him were the actions of old Jim, who after being mistreated by people like huck would still be grateful and protective towards him.

Q4: Can you blame me if I’ve learned to think

Your hate of voice a sham,

When you so coldly crushed me down

And then excused the man

What is the situation depicted in harper’s “A Double Standard”? why has the status of the fictional character speaking in the poem changed so drastically, and why is she so bitter? You can draw on information about a comparable scenario in Work: A Story of Experience in your answer.

Answer:

“The Double Standard” depicts a scenario of a women who has come to know that the man she loved has betrayed her. Over the course of the poem her speaking changed drastically and became so bitter because she’s trying to evaluate and process all the questions in her mind about her part in an unhealthy relationship. Whereas, Christie in Work: A Story of Experience had married David, a person who not only considered her a friend but an equal partner with aligning interests (Harper).

Q5: “We said there warn’t no homes like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don’t. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft.”

What qualities or values does twain associate with Huck and Jim’s raft on the Mississippi? What places or situations contrast with the “free and easy” life on the raft, and what qualities does Twain associate with those “other places”? Give specific examples.

Answer:

The two qualities that Mark Twain associates with Huck and Jim’s raft on the Mississippi are Freedom and rebellion. Freedom to make their own rules and rebel against the values of their society. Their raft is a nod to having a sanctuary that someone can got to get away from all the problems in the world. While, Mark Twain associates other places such as society and schools where they are just told what to believe and follow the rules set by the people in power.

Words Cited:

Alcott, Louisa May. Work : A Story Of Experience. Dancing Unicorn Books, 1875.

Harper, Francis. "A Double Standard By Frances Ellen Watkins Harper". Poetry Foundation, 2019, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/52449/a-double-standard.

Harper, Frances. "Poem: Deliverance By Frances Ellen Watkins Harper". Poetrynook.Com, 2019, https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/deliverance-1. Accessed 23 Apr 2019.