Dialectic Journal Entry the Last (#3)

The trailer for Thor 2 is out. Go watch it.

Chapter 31

p. 195 "'All right, then, I'll go to hell'-and tore it up. It was awful thoughts, and awful words, but they was said. And I let them stay said, and never thought no more about reforming. I shoved the whole thing out of my head; and said I would take up the wickedness again, which was in my line, being brung up to it, and the other warn't. And for a starter, I would go to work and steal Jim out of slavery again; and if I could think up anything worse, I would do that, too: because as long as I was in, and in for good, I might as well go the whole hog."

Comments and Questions

After Huck discovers that the con men have sold Jim, he begins to reminisce about his time with Jim. Finally, after much thought, he decides that Jim is worth the risk Huck will have to take to rescue him. The interesting thing is, Huck exclaims that he will be going to hell, indicating the severity of his decision. By rescuing Jim, Huck will be committing both theft and social suicide, by undertaking an action that forces the perpetrator to admit the equality of slaves and the white Southerners. He has subconsciously declared Jim his equal. How will this affect his interactions with Jim?

Huck believes that he will be going to hell for saving Jim, but he chooses to do so anyway, despite his misgivings. Although Huck is not religious, he believes in the concept of a possible afterlife for those who do bad things in life. He has no parameters by which to judge the severity of his actions, which leads to him mentally condemning himself for each perceived "sin". With his own proclamation of guilt, Huck lets go of his own morality, an act terrifying in itself. As this implies that Huck no longer has moral boundaries, he would, in theory, be able to lie and steal without psychological repercussions as he has had in the past. I’ll try to watch for this, as this seems to be the next step in Huck's natural progression into the baser side of human nature.

Chapter 34

p. 212 "Here was a boy that was respectable, and well brung up, and had a character to lose; and folks at home that had characters; and he was bright and not leather-headed; he was, without and more pride, or rightness, or feeling, than to stoop to this business, and make himself a shame, and his family a shame, and before everybody. I couldn't understand it, no way at all. It was outrageous, and I knowed I ought to just up and tell him so; and so be his true friend, and let him quit the thing right where he was, and save himself, and I did start to tell him; but he shut me up..."

Comments and Questions

By this point in the novel, I would like to point out the fact that the text is drowning in commas. I feel like I am trawling through a mass of comma-linked independent clauses.

In this passage, Huck is trying to understand why Tom, an intelligent, well-bred (relatively), respectable youth would deign to lower himself to the point of rescuing a slave. Huck knows that Tom understands the social consequences of saving a slave perfectly well and has everything to lose if the rescue fails. It's not really that Huck doesn't want Tom's help; it's more like he doesn't want to drag Tom down with him. Huck has come to terms with the fact that his mindset towards slaves (Jim, at least) is different from that of most Southerners, and Tom has not had the experience with slaves that Huck has been privy to. Therefore, logically, there is no reason for Tom's desire for involvement.

Huck is overly familiar with Tom's penchant for romantic and impractical schemes. Perhaps Huck is afraid that Tom's involvement will jeopardize their plan's success. Perhaps he doesn't want the uncertainty of not knowing Tom's motives, which could have Tom leaving Huck and Jim high and dry at a bad time. I'll try to figure this out by the end of the book.

Chapter 36

p. 225 "Jim had plenty of corn-cob pipes and tobacco, so we had a right down good sociable time; and then we crawled out through the hole, and so home to bed, with hands that looked like they'd been chawed. Tom was in high spirits. He said it was the best fun he ever had in his life, and the most intellectural; and said if he only could only see his way to it we would keep it up all the rest of our lives and leave Jim to our children to get out, for he believed Jim would come to like it better and better the more he got used to it."

Comments and Questions

Can I just point out the utter stupidity of relaxing and smoking while conducting a time-sensitive search-and-rescue operation? If I was rescuing a prisoner from an enemy base, I wouldn't take the time to light a cigarette after locating the target, I would be high-tailing it out of there!

And so we get a glimpse of what goes on inside Tom's noggin. Tom is an adrenaline junkie. He doesn't care about freeing Jim as much as he cares about getting that rush. It's clear that he doesn't view Jim as his equal, as Huck does. His suggestion of leaving Jim to his and Huck's children lies in direct contrast with Huck's goal to free Jim. Their opposing goals may cause friction later, as they did in the planning stages. Although Huck favors practicality, Tom plans with a dramatic element in mind, wanting a grand adventure out of the rescue. Let's see how this will work out.

Tom's thrill-seeking nature makes him dangerous. It's not possible to anticipate his actions, as he doesn't have the target's safety in mind, compromising the mission with the possibility of reckless behavior. His relatively pampered and somewhat confining life has left him itching for adventure, like those he reads about in novels. His sheltered upbringing has left Tom unable to separate fantasy from reality, unlike Huck. However, Huck's experiences have left Huck looking for escape in Tom's crazy fantasies, canceling out Huck's usual voice of reason. This isn't going to end well.

Chapter 38

p. 233 "'...on the scutcheon we'll have a bend or in the dexter base, a saltire murrey in the fess, with a dog, couchant, for common charge, and under his foot a chain embattle, for slavery, with a chevron vert in a chief engrailed, and three invected lines on a field azure, with nombril points rampant on a dancetta indented; crest, a runaway nigger, sable, with his bundle over his shoulder on a bar sinister: and a couple of gules for supporters, which is you and me; motto, Maggiore fretta, minore atto. Got it out of a book-means, the more haste, the less speed.''"

Comments and Questions

In order to mirror the sentences of his fictional characters, Tom insists that Jim carve lamentations of his captivity onto the wall, along with a coat of arms (Tower of London, anyone?). He then launches into a complex description of the desired image, cobbling together ideas from his readings. His speech is peppered with obscure references to different devices used in coats of arms, arranged to mirror the circumstances. The description seems elegant and wonderfully complicated to Huck and Jim. Huck then inquires to the meanings of such terms. It quickly becomes obvious that Tom has no idea what most of the terms mean. The suggested motto, Maggiore fretta, minore atto, according to the footnotes of my edition of the novel, actually means "the more haste, the less action." This incident only serves to provide evidence to Tom's image as a romantic fool. Toms seems to provide comic relief in his own vaguely innocent play. His goals and mindset provide foil to Huck's own in a sometimes humorous way, presenting Tom as an idealistic idiot. However, Tom is actually very intelligent and enjoys puzzles and the like. His idealism turns it into idiocy at times.

Chapter 40

p. 247 "'Now, old Jim, you're a free man again, and I bet you won't ever be a slave no more.' 'En a mighty good job it wuz too, Huck. It 'uz planned beautiful, en it 'uz done beautiful; en dey ain't nobody kin git up a plan dat's mo' mixed-up en splendid den what dat one wuz.' We was all as glad as we could be, but Tom was the gladdest of all, because he had a bullet in the calf of his leg. When me and Jim heard that, we didn't feel so brash as what we did before. It was hurting him considerble, and bleeding; so we laid him in the wigwam and tore up one of the duke's shirts for to bandage him..."

Comments and Questions

It's all fun and games until someone is shot in the leg.

So Jim and Huck are celebrating the success of their rescue mission, OPERATION: CANDLESTICK. Huck comments that Jim is free again, indicating that his definition of free is different from the normal. Jim is no longer captive, but he is still a slave under the law. Huck now completely disregards the law, having found it incompatible with his morals. However, he has also discarded his own morality (lying, stealing) due to his circumstances and seems to be fine with doing such things. Huck has seemingly detached himself from society.

Tom signed up for a grand adventure, one where the hero always triumphs over evil and gets away with no consequences, physical or otherwise. His injury becomes a reality check for all of them, with Huck and Jim returning to reality and Tom getting a bullet lodged in his calf. Unfortunately, the little sympathy the reader has for him is killed by Tom's confession that Jim has been free all along and he led Huck and Jim on so that he could have an adventure. I kind of wanted to punch Tom after reading that. But, you know. He's also fictional.

Chapter 43 (Chapter the Last)

p. 263 "...so there ain't nothing more to write about, and I am rotten glad of it, because if I'd a knowed what a trouble it was to make a book I wouldn't a tackled it and ain't agoing  to no more. But I reckon I got to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she's going to adopt me and sivilize me and I can't stand it. I been there before. THE END. YOURS TRULY, HUCK FINN."

Comments and Questions

So, this is the end. Very exciting and all that.

Huck concludes his narrative by smashing another gaping hole in the fourth wall. He makes a rather nonchalant comment about making of the book, throwing out a mundane complaint that helps the reader relate to him, just like in the beginning of the novel. It's almost like a farewell, as we get the sense that Huck is happy to have finished telling his story to someone who might listen. I think Twain might be trying to convey Huck's relief, easing the reader away from the excitement of the last few chapters. Huck then hints at his next adventure, giving us a feeling that his story's not really over. Aunt Sally's offer of adoption and Huck's refusal allows the reader to reflect on Huck's complete detachment from society, and his physical and mental departure.

THE END. YOURS TRULY, YASMEEN MUSTHAFA 

Sherlock Season Three Teaser Trailer (Unrelated to Assignment)

I have no life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llGXWICGsD4

26 seconds for the new season of Sherlock, coming out this winter!

Dialectic Journal II

Benedict Cumberbatch was on Top Gear (BBC America) tonight at 8:00 p.m. 

Apparently, when he jumped off the building, Mycroft was waiting in a helicopter dressed as a woman with an inflatable skirt...

Chapter 16

p. 85 "Then I thought a minute, and says to myself, hold on,-s'pose you'd a done right and give Jim up; would you felt better than what you do now? No, says I, I'd feel bad-I'd feel just the same way I do now. Well, then, says I, what's the use you learning to do right and ain't no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same? I was stuck. I couldn't answer that. So I reckoned I wouldn't bother no more about it, but after this always do whichever come handiest at the time.

Comments and Questions

Huckleberry Finn and Jim are floating down the river on a raft when slave-hunters show up, wanting to search the boat. Huck then decides to lie about Jim's identity to avoid Jim's capture, conning forty dollars out of the men. This incident is remarkable in that Huck has already expressed his low opinion of liars, and still breaks his own self-imposed moral code to protect Jim. The interesting thing is that there was a cultural aversion to lying at the time, but Huck has been isolated from society for a good part of his life, not long enough for those values to be properly instilled in him. Huck's dislike of lies stems solely from his own sense of right and wrong and prior experience. His time with the widow probably cemented those values. However, out on the river, Jim and Huck are cut off from the rest of society for the most part, and Huck is starting to let go of those values. In any Southern town, his actions-lying, interacting with a slave as almost-equals, aiding a runaway slave, stealing-would be condemned. But on the river, Huck is able to act based upon his own ideals and values. Now that Huck has taken the first step towards deceit, how far will he continue to go to further his own agenda?

Chapter 18

p. 107 "We said there warn't no home 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."

Comments and Questions

After escaping the Shakespearean feud between the Grangerford and Shepardson families, Huck reunites with Jim and their raft to set off again down the river. Huck is still reeling from the aftermath of the families' fatal gunfight, details of which are never fully explained. His initial admiration of the wealthy Grangerfords has been replaced by disgust at their actions. While being "civilized", the families continue to engage in increasingly irrational and violent interactions with one another. The wording of Huck’s words reveals a continuing pattern of understatement in Huck's narrative. He uses what would be seen as euphemisms, but are really indicators of Huck's acceptance of the brutality of reality. As he downplayed his own abuse at the hands of his father, he downplays the horror of the feud, refusing to examine his own emotional state and sticking with the facts. Perhaps this is how Huck deals with the events he is narrating; rather than trying to garner sympathy for himself, he allows the reader to draw their own conclusions. I kind of want to give Huck a hug right now. Poor kid.

Chapter 19

p. 115 "...I never said nothing, never let on; kept it to myself; it's the best way; then you don't have no quarrels, and don't get into no trouble. If they wanted us to call them kings and dukes, I hadn't no objections, 'long as it would keep the peace in the family; and it warn't no use to tell Jim, so I didn't tell him. If I never learnt nothing else out of pap, I learnt that the best way to get along with his kind of people is to let them have their own way."

Comments and Questions

Huck's just a poor, abused child. He knows that these con men have the power to turn Jim in, and Huck is willing to let go of his own pride and keep quiet for Jim's sake. In addition, his father probably beat that concept into him-Mr. Finn seemed to feed off of Huck's submission to him. Huck sees this group as his family, with Jim as a father-figure. And due to Huck's memories of his own home life and abusive father, he seems to seek to avoid conflict, a view probably aided by his observance of the Grangerford-Sheparson feud. He doesn't have the ability to talk himself out of sticky situations, and so avoids them at any cost.

The passage is arranged like a long run-on sentence, creating a feeling of haste, or panic. Huck sounds defensive, as if he feels like he needs to justify his actions to other people. He seems to accept judgment, and bares his soul to the reader; Huck seems to be waiting for someone to tell him he's wrong. Obviously, his father's oppression of his ideas and opinions has resulted in some deep-seated insecurity that manifests itself in Huck's constant experimentation: what he can get away with and what he can't. I'll look for more concrete evidence on this subject.

Chapter 22

p. 134 "'The pitifulest thing out there is a mob;  that's what an army  is-a mob; they don't fight with courage that's born in them, but with the courage that's borrowed from their mass, and from their officers. But a mob without any man at the head of it, is beneath pitifulness...If any real lynching's going to be done, it will be done in the dark, Southern fashion; and when they come they'll bring their masks, and fetch a man along. Now leave-and take your half-a-man with you.'"

Comments and Questions

After murdering a old drunk in broad daylight in front of the drunk's young daughter, Colonel Sherburn returns to his house, followed by a lynch mob made up of the enraged townspeople. Upon their arrival, Sherburn comes out of his house to berate the crowd for their herd mentality in joining the rudderless lynch mob. He criticizes their apparent cowardice in attempting to intimidate him with sheer numbers in a lengthy and eloquent discourse. The irony in being lectured about courage by a man who just killed a defenseless old man just for insulting him is completely lost on the crowd, which dissipates quickly, in shame. As with the Grangerford-Shepardson feud and the cons of the king and duke, this incidence is yet another demonstration of the cruelty of "civilization". Although the townspeople are dressed in nice clothing and are literate and cultured, their animalistic desire for conflict manifests itself in other ways, much like the gossip and backstabbing seen in modern society's social relations. Sherburn's oratorical skill is contrasted with his unprecedented murder of the drunk. Will there be any more incidents to cement this idea?

Chapter 23

p. 142 "He was thinking about his wife and children, away up yonder, and he was low and homesick; because he hadn't ever been away from home before in his life; and I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their'n. It doesn't seem natural, but I reckon it's so. He was often moaning and mourning that way, nights, when he judged I was asleep..."

Comments and Questions

At night, when there is nothing else to distract him, Jim remembers his family, who he left being to avoid being sold off to another owner. He only does this when he thinks Huck and the con men are asleep, and Huck is astounded to find that Jim is capable of the emotions Huck himself can feel. The Southern perception of slaves was that the slaves were lower in social status than even animals, almost objects. This event serves to highlight that although Huck is more open-minded than other "white folks", it is still hard to move past the perception of slaves that infiltrated every aspect of life in the American South. Huck's thought that Jim being homesick wasn't quite natural also contributes to the idea that slaves were naturally inferior, unable to feel. However, Huck ultimately decides that he must have been mistaken before and applies this new knowledge to his interactions with Jim.

Huck uses the word "mourning" to describe Jim's lamentations, calling to mind death. The only family Huck ever really lost was his father, not having known his mother. However, Huck's father's disappearance before the novel's events begin did not seem to have much of a psychological effect on Huck, due to the history of abuse. Therefore, in his mind, Huck equates missing family members to mourning them, as he has had more experiences with death than homesickness, and is more familiar with the appearance of mourning. Grief is a purely human emotion, and the word "mourning" is used after Huck recognizes Jim's ability to feel emotion. Interesting.

Chapter 25

p. 150 "...I never see two men leak the way they done. And mind you, everybody was doing the same; and the place was that damp I never see anything like it...and so everybody broke down and went to sobbing right out loud-the poor girls, too; and every woman, nearly, went up to the girls, without saying a word, and kissed them, solemn, on the forehead, and then put their hand on their head, and looked up towards the sky, with the tears running down, and then busted out and ran sobbing and swabbing, and give the next woman a show. I never see anything so disgusting."

Comments and Questions

Huck does not understand this display at all. He's confused, and more than a little terrified of all these crying people, and is too overwhelmed to properly empathize. He has never encountered anything like this before, given his estrangement from society in general. He has not had the opportunity to grieve, as his mother, although never mentioned, is implied to not have had contact with her son. Huck respects grief; what he cannot stand is the display of the two con men. Their blatant manipulation of obviously grieving people is malicious and Huck is torn between his moral sense and his desire to keep Jim safe.

Huck replaces the word "sobbing" with "swabbing" upon its repeat-is he trying to indicate another dialect of English used by the townspeople? Is the alternate spelling being used for emphasis, or to indicate Huck drawing out the syllables of the word in spoken vernacular? Is Twain trying to indicate the tone and inflections of how Huck views the word? A long-suffering tone might be being used here, but I'm not sure. There is something fishy here. I shall get to the bottom of this!

Chapter 28

p. 169 "'Miss Mary Jane, you can't abear to see people in trouble, and I can't-most always. Tell me about it.' So she done it. And it was the niggers-I just expected it. She said the beautiful trip to England was most about spoiled for her; she didn't know how she was ever going to be happy there, knowing the mothers and the children warn't ever going to see each other no more..."

Comments and Questions:

It's kind of interesting how Huck gets Mary Jane to open up to him. He starts out with her name, to get her attention and create a sense of familiarity. Using a person's name while talking to them creates a feeling of mutual trust, and Huck is attempting to make Mary Jane more comfortable. He then notes her compassion before relating it to his own feelings, forming a common foundation. He then asks her to trust him with her own thoughts. The choice that he offers her allows Mary Jane some control over the situation. When people feel out of control, they tend to control what they can. Huck appears to trust Mary Jane, allowing her to feel comfortable enough to tell him what is bothering her, even though Huck was already pretty sure he knew. Huck's summary of her response is narrated in a way to draw the reader's compassion for Mary Jane despite her previously demonstrated gullibility. She also details the unfairness of her own relative happiness in contrast to the separation of mother and children, a subject that resonates with any audience. The crude phrasing calls to mind the innocence of children, adding to the thought of innocent children being forever separated from their mother. Mark Twain is a genius.

Chapter 29

p. 181 "Well, then they sailed in on the general investigation, and there we had it, up and down, hour in, hour out, and nobody never said a word about supper, nor ever seemed to think about it-and so they kept it up, and kept it up: and it was the worst mixed-up thing you ever see. They made the king tell his yarn, and they made the old gentleman tell his'n; and anybody but a lot of prejudiced chuckleheads would a seen that the old gentleman was spinning truth and t'other lies."

Comments and Questions

Huck has never experienced the suspense of a public inquisition, and the wait and supper beforehand probably felt like a rigged game. In informal conflicts, responses and judgements come faster due to the lack of pressure. However, the wait and preparation before the questioning period is designed to increase pressure on the victim, in an attempt to make the victim crack. All Huck sees is a bunch of people, pretending to have a civil dinner, and he doesn't understand why they don't just start interrogating him, instead of letting him stew in his own thoughts. The interrogation afterwards is just as tense, with Huck waiting while his side's mastermind spins a crazy lie that he knows everyone will dismiss as false. The sentence is another run-on, with the tone becoming more frantic with every clause. There is a pattern of seeing Huck's fear and panic manifested in run-on sentences. I think it's safe to say that it is officially a pattern. I wonder if there are any more sentence patterns that I missed.

THEY SAY / I SAY : INTO DARKNESS (The Second Assignment)

Happy Birthday to Benedict!

Oh, wait, wrong Benedict...

They Say / I Say Assignment 2

Part A

    In his article "Don't Blame the Eater," David Zinczenko claims that the availability and convenience of fast-food establishments is fueling today's obesity epidemic, aided by the unintentional negligence of working parents. Due to the expanding pattern of both parents leaving the home for the workplace, Zinczenko explains, children are drawn to the most convenient source of food, fast-food restaurants. Drawing from his own experiences as a child, Zinczenko details his lonely home life to justify his adolescent self's preference of fast-food. Zinczenko's inspirational realization of his lapse in judgement and subsequent turnabout is clearly meant to provide contrast to those who are not as enlightened as he, in an attempt to trace their problems back the fast-food industry itself, blaming the companies for the rise of obesity and its effect on society,

    In my view, however, it is us, not the food chains, that have encouraged this plight. While it is true that fast-food is inexpensive and widely available to the public, the recent  obesity awareness campaigns launched by various health organizations have outlined healthier meal options for all demographics, and fast-food companies such as McDonald's have been pressured into providing nutritional labels on the packaging of their products. Out of necessity, many children have been taught to cook their own nutritional meals by their working parents and are perfectly capable of differentiating between healthy and unhealthy meal choices, although their motivation for such remains questionable. Reheating and preservation technologies have allowed for the marketing of healthy frozen dinners and the retainment of leftover food for later consumption. In addition, even fast-food companies are offering more wholesome meal options to appeal to the health-conscious crowd, such as salads or vegetable wraps. Some may protest that the added cost of buying healthier foods makes those options less appealing than the cheaper fast-food options. Yet I would argue that the extra cost of the more wholesome options is offset by the saved money that would later go towards medical costs stemming from the resulting weight problems. Overall, then, I would conclude that the fault lies in our own inherent laziness and misplaced frugality  rather than the marketing ploys of the fast-food industry.

Part B 

    In his article "Don't Blame the Eater," David Zinczenko blames fast-food companies for facilitating the rise of obesity by misleading their customers about the nutritional values of their products. Using his own less-that-ideal adolescent experiences with fast-food as a background, Zinczenko proceeds to renounce the marketing ploys of the fast-food industry, accusing them of encouraging the spreading obesity epidemic in an attempt to stir up social dissent. The negative cultural stereotypes surrounding obesity serve as the reasons behind Zinczenko's argument, likely stemming from lingering resentment from his social isolation following the onset of adolescent weight problems. Zinczenko's hope is that such lawsuits will lead the public to condemn the fast food industry's intentional endorsement of obesity, a horrible blight on society.

    In my view, however, Zinczenko fails to recognize that while obesity carries many damaging social stereotypes, it is also a serious medical condition, and the chemicals and saturated fat contained in many fast-food products have many other harmful effects on the human body, not just an increase production of body fat. While it is true that fast-food products contain a high amount of calories, they also contain large amounts of trans fat, sugars, and carbohydrates. Consumption of trans fats has been linked to coronary heart disease, certain mental illnesses, depression, and infertility in women. Excess consumption of added sugars can lead to cardiovascular disease and metabolic dysfunction. Such substances also contribute to the development of obesity. Although Zinczenko is correct in that obesity does, in some cases, lead to diabetes, he contributes its negative effects as mostly social. Yet I believe that it is both a harmful cultural stereotype and a legitimate medical condition. Overall, I would conclude that Zinczenko's childhood obesity and lack of lasting health problems shaped his bias towards the superficial aspects of fast-food consumption-an important point to make given that he barely acknowledges the medical aspect of the condition.   

Part C

Well, they definitely are different.

Dialectic Journal 1

Chapter 1

p. 5 "You don't know about me, without you have read a book by the name of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", but that ain't no matter. That book was made by Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly. There was things he stretched, but mainly he told the truth. It is nothing."

Comments and Questions

Huckleberry Finn kicks off his narrative with a bang, not by introducing himself, but by informing the reader that they probably don't know him, and that it doesn't matter if they knew him before or not. Right away, emphasis is put on the story, not the narrator. Huck also uses a conversational tone, complete with the slang of his time and location. The then-modern vernacular immediately establishes a connection with the reader, seeking a common ground through language. Throughout the novel, Huck tells his tale as if he were speaking out loud, describing every action as he himself saw it.
Mark Twain then preemptively smashes the fourth wall into splinters, decades before the term even existed. He mentions himself writing the book, implying that Tom and Huck actually had a hand in the book's creation-at least, in the story. "Mainly" is tacked on to the end of the sentence, almost as an afterthought. This draws the reader in, establishing a sense of being in the present, with Huck in front of them, telling his story. Huck then warns the reader to take the coming tale with a grain of salt, recognizing the possibility of Twain's alterations to the tale. Rather than whining about the changes, Huck makes us aware of his supposed trust of Twain. Huck's silence tells us that he trusts Twain not to twist the facts, and makes us wonder what kind of relationship Twain has with Huck. I'll be watching for further forays out from behind the fourth wall.


Chapter 4

p. 18-19 "'I want to give it to you-the six thousand and all.'  He looked surprised. He couldn't seem to make it out. He says: "Why, whatever can you mean, my boy?' I says, "Don't you ask me no questions about it, please. You'll take it, won't you?' He says: 'Well, I'm puzzled. Is something the matter?' 'Please take it,' says I, "and don't ask me nothing-then I won't have to tell no lies.'

Comments and Questions

Huck's abusive, alcoholic father has just swept into town, and Huck is absolutely terrified. At that time, six thousand dollars was a fortune, and Huck knows his father is going to take it from him. For some reason, he thinks that he can't hide it. I'll watch for that later, but I think it's safe to assume that his father will beat it out of him-literally.
After pages of Huck's narration, the crisp and proper speech of the judge provides a sharp contrast to the "uncultured" speech of the boys. I wonder how the judge's speech will match up to that of the other adults. There are obviously two very different social spheres in this town. What designates one from the other?
Huck begs Judge Thatcher not to ask him any questions. The town is tiny, and everyone probably knows about Huck's family situation. Huck is hoping the judge will read between the lines. He explains that he will lie if the judge ask him questions, and at that time, a man's word meant everything. Huck has a low opinion of people who lie, as demonstrated with his opening lines in the first chapter. We'll see how lying plays into the rest of the story, on the next chapter of...THE REAL JOURNALS OF DIALECTIC-LAND.

Chapter 5

p. 21 "...It's so. You can [read]. I had my doubts when you told me. Now looky here; you stop that putting on frills. I won't have it. I'll lay for you, my smarty; and if I catch you around that school I'll tan you good. First you know you'll get religion, too. I never see such a son."

Comments and Questions

In the south, the ability to read seems to be a measure of class and status. Huck knows something his father doesn't, and Mr. Finn is angry. To Mr. Finn, Huck is flaunting his new status. Huck's ability to read has raised his social standing, and Mr. Finn is aiming to bring him crashing down. Mr. Finn expects his son to follow in his footsteps; experience the same hardships he struggled through without a proper education. But now that Huck can read, Mr. Finn holds less power over him. This is demonstrated at the beginning of chapter five, when Huck denies his fear of his father. Reading is a mark of the civilized; if Mr. Finn isn't civilized, well, his son better not be, either. Unfortunately, he also seems to think that violence is the answer.
Mr. Finn uses a vernacular hitting somewhere between Huck's speech and that of Judge Thatcher. I'm not really sure what happened there, but I'll try and keep track.

Chapter 8

p. 45 "'You had five dollars and ten cents left. Did you speculate any more?' 'Yes. You know dat one-laigged nigger dat b'long to old Misto Bradish? well, he sot up the bank, en say anybody dat put in a dollar would git fo' dollars mo' at de en' er de year.'"

The Return of the Comments and Questions Section

Here, the word "speculate" means to invest in something. Jim attempts to make more, but is cheated out of it by another man in the same position. It's interesting how Twain has Huck narrate by phonetics, even though Huck can spell correctly. Jim is speaking in what is now called African American Vernacular, and Twain/Huck is trying to convey that here. It looks primitive, but once you sound it out, it sounds vaguely normal. Hm. That's really cool.
Perhaps Twain is attempting to convey the lack of education of most slaves during this time. He has Jim using the word "nigger", a move that has made this novel very controversial . Despite the obvious racist connotations, why did Twain have Jim refer to himself and the other slaves with such a derogatory term? I'll have to look for more details on Jim's view of his own position.

Chapter 10

p. 51 "He was barefooted, and the snake bit him right on the heel. That all comes of my being such a fool as not to remember that wherever you leave a dead snake its mate always comes there and curls around it. Jim told me to chop off the snake's head and throw it away, and then the body and roast a piece of it. I done it, and he eat it and said it would help cure him. He made me take off the rattles and tie them around his wrist, too. He said that it would help. Then I slid out quiet and throwed the snakes clear away amongst the bushes; for I warn't going to let JIm find out it was all my fault."

Comments and Questions

Huck feels guilty. Jim's gotten hurt, and it's all Huck's fault. They've managed to cross the cultural and social boundaries, out in the wilderness. Away from the "corruption" of society, Huck is able to put aside years of being exposed to "racial superiority" and begin relating to Jim as an equal. Away from society, and organized religion, Huck looks up to Jim, where Jim's knowledge of cooking and witchcraft seem to be keeping them both alive. Huck cares about what Jim thinks, and doesn't want to face the reaction when Jim finds out the bite was Huck's fault.
When Huck describes Jim's orders, he uses his own speech. Is his description of JIm's dialect being used for emphasis? Again, I'll be watching for this.
I think Jim's eating of the snake was linked to the belief if you killed the snake that hurt you, threw away its head, where the fangs were, and ate the body, the snake would cure you in exchange for hurting you.

Chapter 11

p. 54 "'Who done it? We've heard considerable about these going ons, down in Hookerville, but we don't know who 'twas that killed Huck Finn.' 'Well, I reckon there's a right smart chance of people here that'd like to know who killed him. Some thinks old FInn done it himself.' 'No-is that so?' 'Most everybody thought it at first. He'll never know how nigh he come to getting lynched. But before night they changed around and judged it was done by a runaway nigger named Jim.' 'Why he-' I stopped. I reckoned I better keep still."

Comments and Questions

Going back to my earlier comment about the dialects spoken by adults, it seems that most adults around this area speak like Huck's father. Except for the slaves, who speak their own dialect of English pidgin. Can we take a moment to appreciate the name "Hookerville"?
Again, during this time, slaves were viewed by most as property, less than animals. As seen here, the law turns quickly against Jim, the slave, over the abusive alcoholic. There's irony in how lynch mobs were often and later sent against runaway slaves and freed slaves.
It's interesting how Huck doesn't particularly care about his father's situation, but responds with almost instinctual indignation at the accusations against Jim. Jim is Huck's equal, but Huck has already forgotten that Jim is not seen as an equal by white society.
Huck and Jim are already far from Huck's home town. They haven't been on the road very long, but the news has already spread of Huck's "murder" and Jim's escape. This could be foreshadowing a future confrontation between the law and the pair.

Chapter 14

p. 73 "'But hang it, Jim, you've clean missed the point-blame it, you've missed it a thousand mile.' 'Who? Me? Go 'long. Doan' talk to me 'bout yo' pints. I reck'n I knows sense when I sees it; en dey ain' no sense in sich doin's as dat. De 'spute warn't 'bout a half a chile, de 'spute was 'bout a whole chile; en de man dat think he kin settle a 'spute 'bout a whole child wid a half a chile, doan' know enough to come in out'n de rain.'"

Comments and Questions

I believe that Jim would do well to read the They Say / I Say book. He rants like I do. Huck and Jim are pretty much friends now. As you can see, Jim's comfortable enough to argue with Huck, who, out of the wilds, could be his master. It's not really clear what Jim's trying to do here-he seems to be trying to overwhelm Huck with sound alone. There's an obvious air of companionship here, not like the awkwardness from their first few days together. They find acceptance in each other, being able to be themselves without the oppressive constraints of late nineteenth century American society. They are very alike in the way they argue: they seek conclusions that make sense to them without regard to other views. Their conversation flows freely, rather than being stilted. How will their friendship grow from here?

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BreakingTheFourthWall

They Say / I Say: Assignment 1

I had way too much fun writing this. 

1. Ever since the infamous publication of Fifty Shades of Gray, Twilight fanfiction-turned-bestselling novel, the subsequent global inquiry into the pop culture phenomenon known as "fanfiction" has exposed what has been dubbed "the dark side of fan bases". Many people now view these unpublished fan works, originally meant to be an expansion on the plots and settings of legally published books, movies, etc., as a perversion of the original message conveyed by this kind of media. However, although some works resemble Fifty Shades of Grey in their twisting of the original subject matter, there is an equal amount, if not more, of quality, thoughtful works that seek to analyze and possibly extend the subject matter in a way that remains true to the original creator's intentions. The truth is, a large majority of well-known fanfiction authors see their work as a way to better their technique and receive feedback. Several of these have published their own original work and have written fanfiction about their own compositions. Through fanfiction, fans can gain a better understanding of the themes and morals behind elements of popular culture and their implications on modern society. Its recycling of basic ideas and concepts reflect the similar usage of rhetoric devices and conventional writing formulas, as detailed in "They Say / I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. In this essay, then, the examination of the fanfiction’s effect on popular culture will show the positive impact of fanfiction on society as a whole.

2. In the Introduction to "They Say / I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein provide templates designed to assist in the creation of organized, logical essays that address popular and/or alternate views on the subject and the author's response to such perspectives. Specifically, Graff and Birkenstein argue that the types of writing templates they offer allow for a collected progression of ideas within an essay while retaining the originality of the author. As the authors themselves put it, "Instead of focusing fully on the abstract principles of writing, then, this book offers model templates that help you put those principles directly into practice...[giving] you an immediate sense of how to engage in the kinds of critical thinking you are required to do at the college level and in the vocational and public sphere beyond." Although some people believe that such templates and recycling of concepts constitute plagiarism, Graff and Birkenstein insist that such structures are generic enough to be reused without legal opposition. In sum, then, their view is that these templates are to be used to develop students' writing skills and technique to the point where they no longer need pre-existing structures to construct a well-rounded argumentative composition.

            I retain mixed feelings about this approach. In my view, the types of templates the authors recommend seem orderly and thought-provoking; however, they are stilted and prosaic. For instance, the templates are open-ended, forcing the student to use critical thinking skills to fill in the blanks. In addition, the template content points the student in the right direction by using familiar transitions. Some might object, though, on the grounds that said transition phrases are overused in every template and the sentence structure is very predictable. Yet, I would argue that these templates are only meant to be a foundation for further growth, and should not be complete to point where the student is merely filling in the blanks. Overall, then, I believe that although it has its flaws, the template system has merit in its ability to allow students to quickly grasp the demonstrated structures-an important point to make given that this is only a teaching tool, rather than a replacement for a course.

Hello!

Dear Reader-

Hello! My name is Yasmeen Musthafa, and welcome to the first phase of my AP Language and Composition summer assignment! It's all very exciting, I know. So, in this blog, I will be regaling you, the reader, with tales of my perusal of the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain. Hopefully, I won't bore you all to death. I'd like to graduate without a criminal record, thank you very much.

And now a little bit about me:

I am a female member of the human race. However, as "Fe" is the chemical symbol for iron, and "male" is a synonym of "man", I am also Iron Man.

I transferred into Uprep from RSA for high school, and this coming year will be my third year at Uprep.

I enjoy math and chemistry. I'm sure all of you are very surprised.

Despite what some of my classmates might think, no, I actually don't have a height complex. I just find it very annoying when tall people make short jokes. I mean, what do you say to people who are genetically predisposed to developing diabetes or cancer? Were you born in June? Because then your zodiac sign must be cancer!  I think not.

I enjoy eating, reading historical fiction, reading in general, writing fiction, and public speaking.

I also enjoy playing harp for hours on end. Screw modesty: I'm really good.

I am allergic to dairy, eggs, nuts, raw tomatoes, grass, and cats.

I am a liver transplant recipient. I was born with biliary artresia, meaning that I was born without bile ducts. I used to have a perfectly functioning liver, but then I took a drainage problem to the abdomen. The tissue started to die, and my skin started to turn a pretty golden yellow color. Apparently, I was complemented on my skin tone during this time. "Oh, what a pretty baby you have there!" "Thanks. She's dying."

But anyway, after some very exciting family drama, a girl with meningitis died and I was lucky enough to receive her liver in transplant. I recently found that I had been calling her "Holly" when her real name was "Halley". I now feel very guilty.

I feel that my strengths lie in my perseverance, adaptability, natural learning and leadership abilities, and protectiveness. I do well under pressure and have a wonderful poker face. Seriously.

My weaknesses are that I'm stubborn, self-centered, egotistical, and condescending to people who I don't see as my equal. And bossy. Let's not forget bossy.

I am anti-social and very introverted. Many of my classmates say that I never shut up. This actually because I feel so uncomfortable with them that I can't stand the silence. I hate large parties and have been known to go temporarily mute afterwards.

Anyway, that's about it. I look forwards to doing whatever I'm supposed to be doing.

Yasmeen