Independent+Novel+Study

__Huckleberry Finn__, Mark Twain, Pages 1-40 1. Why did you select this novel? 2. What information did you need to know before reading the novel? 4. What's going on as the story begins?

I think it's pretty obvious why I choose this book. With the name like Huckleberry it's pretty much impossible to get through life without having read it. I also felt like being from the U.S I needed to read it, since I would probably be reading it in high school if I hadn't moved. Huckleberry Finn is also really significant historically for someone from the U.S.. It goes through a time period that is very significant to our history. I also choose this book because it shows a different perspective than many books written in this time period. I think it is important to have knowledge of the time period before reading this book. This book contains a lot of social commentary so it helps to understand what was going on at this time. I think you also need to understand what Mark Twain was trying to say with this book, because without background this book might seem really offensive at first. Huckleberry Finn is book that is constantly being challenged and I think it’s important to know why. At the beginning of the story Huckleberry Finn is living with a widow who is trying to educate him and making him “proper”. A body was found in the river and everyone assumes it was Huckleberry’s dad who is an alcoholic and used to beat him. Even though Huckleberry likes going to school he also misses his old life and sometimes sneaks out to plot with Tom Sawyer and the rest of his friends. One day when Huckleberry comes back to his room he sees his dad, who it turns out isn’t dead. His dad came back because he found out Huckleberry was going to school and has been making some money. Huckleberry’s dad yells at him for thinking he is better than his father and takes the money Huckleberry has telling him to get the rest for him. Huckleberry’s dad then kidnaps him and takes him to a cabin where he returns drunk and regularly beats him. He almost kills Huckleberry once, as hes hallucinating he chases Huckleberry around the cabin with a knife. Huckleberry finally having had enough has decided to escape and run away.

Pages 40-75 3. What has happened before the book began? 5. Who is telling the story? How does this persons perspective affect the story? 7. What is the initial problem faced by the main character?

At the beginning of the story there is actually some talk about what has happened before the story begins. At the beginning of the story Huckleberry Finn is living with a widow. It turns out he is living with her because his father is presumed dead. A body was found in the river, but its face was unrecognizable so they assumed it was Huckleberry’s dad. The widow took him in to make him “respectable”. Huckleberry is the narrator of the story. I think this actually affects the way the book was written more that the atmosphere, Huckleberry hadn’t ever gone to school before so his grammar is not very good. Mark Twain wrote the book the way Huckleberry would actually be telling the story so the words and grammar are sometimes very questionable. I like this because it makes the story seem more real. The first problem Huckleberry faces is with his father. His father essentially kidnaps him and takes him to a cabin. His father is usually drunk and brutal and actually almost kills Huckleberry once. Huckleberry has to figure out how to get away without his father finding him. So he fakes his own murder. Huckleberry gets a pig and slaughters it in the cabin leaving blood everywhere. He then drags a bag with rocks in it to the river and throws it in so it looks like the body was dumped. Then he throws the pig in the river. Finally he throws a bloody axe in the corner of the cabin, and runs away.

Pages:75-120 Is the language in the novel difficult or easy? GIve examples and explain. Comment on the style of the novel. Is it easy or hard to follow the events? <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Describe any new characters that are introduced? What is their purpose?

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The language in this book can be a little hard to follow at times. This is partially because the different dialects and also because of the grammar. Mark Twain wrote this book the way these people would actually be talking which makes it a little hard to read but also adds a certain level of authenticity. For instance the sentence “De bes’ way is to res’ easy en let de ole man take his own way” This isn’t the kind of language I’m used to reading. Sometimes I find myself reading out loud because it helps me understand what their saying more clearly. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The only really “new” character at this point is Jim hes not really new exactly but hes being shown in a different light. All the sudden hes more than just a slave hes a parental figure. First and foremost Jim is there to break the boundaries of time period, but he is also much more than just a black man who escapes with a white kid he is also a character that represents love, compassion and protection.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Pages: 120-200

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">To what age group is the novel aimed? Support your answer with evidence. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">What new things are added to the original problem as the novel progresses? <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">How does the author get you to read on or hold your interest?

<span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium; text-align: left;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I think many people make the mistake of thinking that Huckleberry Finn is aimed a younger kids because of the concept of a kid going on an adventure down the Mississippi. I think that it is actually aimed at an older audience however, anywhere from late high-school to adults. The relationships in Huckleberry Finn are very complex and take a lot of knowledge of the time period to understand. Younger kids may not understand why Huckleberry is so conflicted about being with Jim, or why they are being hunted. There is also the issue of language Huckleberry Finn uses lots of racial slurs and without any context it can be offensive, so it needs to a an age group where teachers are comfortable talking about it. ** <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium; text-align: left;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As the novel progresses Huckleberry starts to feel conflicted about being with Jim making comments like “it scorched me more and more. I tried to makeout to myself that I warn’t to blame, because I didn’t run Jim off from rightful owner”, However when Huck hears Jim refer to him as a friend he no longer has the will to turn him in as he was planning, so in a way their relationship has gotten more complicated. ** <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium; text-align: left;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This novel stays interesting to me mostly because of the characters. The characters Mark Twain created are well rounded as well as endearing. They are not flawless however, but this helps make them realistic. It makes them interesting when you can see the internal conflicts they are facing. **

<span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: medium; text-align: left;">**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Focus Assignment: Character Sketch-Huckleberry Finn **

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Appearance: His appearance is never described in great detail, however it is mentioned that he has torn clothes (usually to big for him). He has a general air of being unkempt about him.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For his time Huckleberry is a very non-judgemental person. This comes from being judged himself. He is the kind of person that is happier when people aren’t interfering with his life. He has friends of course Tom Sawyer and his gang, but in the end he doesnt let people cloud his ideas. He would be happy just living on his own, not going to school. He is a happy kid, even though he has had a hard life. He is also crafty, and is usually the one who comes up with schemes. He improvises well, and can be involved in good conversations (even though he has had relitively little schooling). He is naturally curious about the world, and eager to test the bounds of right and wrong. Throughout the book we see his internal struggles with Jim. He feels somehow that he is responsible that Jim has run away, yet every time he has a chance to turn Jim in he feels it’s the wrong thing to do. Huckleberry has conflicted feelings, because Jim is the first person to really show him love. Sure people have cared fro him before, but they want to change him, to make him a person. Jim is the only person who really loved him for who he was. It is easy to forget Huckleberry is a child sometimes. He speaks with a deep knowledge about people, surprisingly invincible to what people telling him what to believe. He is a child though, when he gets scared he cries. He needs nurturing, he is sometimes oblivious to peoples motives. He responds to love and hides from, hatred. He plays like a child, pretending to be a gang of robbers. He is a well rounded character that makes both good and bad decisions, and represents open mindedness but also the racism of the time.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Glogster <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">[|Huckleberry Finn Poste]