Monday, January 31, 2011

Huckelberry Finn


I think the novel is really out there, not in a bad way, it just gets the word out. It is powerful. It poses questions or religion, society, slavery and isolation. I would say this is a very bold novel and Mark Twain is very brave. He may come across as opinionated, but I believe that he just speaks the truth. I think Huck is Mark twain because they are both bold with their beliefs.
In the beginning of the book Huck says, “Well, I couldn’t see no advantage in going where she was going, so I made up my mind I wouldn’t try for it. But I never said so, because it would only make trouble, and wouldn’t do no good.” This quote here shows a view on religion that heaven is not worth trying for in a boy like Huck’s mindset. He sees no point in acting a certain way to get to heaven. He’d much rather do what he wants and stand up for his own beliefs, not follow someone else’s.
There is another instance where Huck is bold and brave and it is when he and  the widow were talking about how he cant smoke and then Huck says “And she took snuff, too; of course that was all right, because she done it herself.” Here Huck is poking at hypocrisy and questioning her authority because she does one thing and says another.
Huck is not the only bold character. Jim is strong willed and not a follower. In chapeter eight Huck and Jim are talk ing and they start talking about how the widow and Mrs Watsom were going to sell Jim for Eight hundred dollars and he says this “De widder she try to git her to say she wouldn’ do it, but I never waited to hear de res’. I lit out mighty quick, I tell you.” It basically says, they wanted to sell me but I was worth more than that. I didn’t let them sell me, I ran. This quote is a symbol of freedom and a brak from society and its dumb rules.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Hate Emily Dickinson? Well you best change your mind.


Emily Dickinson is much like me. She keeps to herself and doesn’t want to be known. She just wants to be her.  Emily Dickinson only had a few of her poems published in her day and they were posted anonymously. She writes what she wants with absolutely no intent of others seeing it; I adore her for that.
Dickinson’s poems are usually strangely punctuated and randomly capitalized. She could write something so meaningful in only one stanza. She wrote on whatever she could find and whatever came to mind. She didn’t like people new coming into her life- or her house. She kept to herself. I would say her only friend was her pen and she really didn’t mind.
Actually, that’s what she preferred. According to her, society was lame. She felt it is better to be nobody and be you than to be somebody and be like the rest of society. At least, that’s what her poem “I am Nobody, Who are you?” says. She calls society negative things like frogs.
She was private. She lived in the same house her whole life. People say that her poetry was more modern than the other poetry of her time. She was an individual. She lived in the same time period as the fireside poets, but she did not go to their gatherings. I hate to break it to you but She did not have tea with Longfellow.
If Emily and I lived in the same time period I think we would be friends. We do not agree with society and I’d wear the same thing everyday if I could. Apparently she wore white everyday for the last ten years of her life. Yep, sounds just like me.