Adventures of - PowerPoint Presentation

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Adventures ofHuckleberry Finn

Mark TwainSlide2

Mark Twain or Samuel Clemens?Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910)Grew up in Hannibal, Missouri on the bank of the Mississippi RiverAt age 22 (1857-61) he trained to be a steamboat pilot

Volunteered for the Confederate Army then quit (1861)Traveled west (Nevada) to find gold; worked as a journalist in SF (1861-64)

1876:

The Adventures of Tom SawyerSlide3

Mark TwainPublished 3 humorous articles under the name “Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass”Clemens took the pseudonym “Mark Twain” in 1863“Mark Twain” is a riverboat term indicating 12 feet or 2 fathoms of water

The name may have also originated from Clemens’ habit of ordering 2 drinks in saloons; “Mark Two/Twain”Slide4

Twain was the first modern celebrityHis popularity was such that he created mass/popular culture with his literature

In the summer of 1903 The Ladies Home Journal, decided to send photographer Thomas E. Marr to take pictures of Three Famous Authors

at their summer homes. Mark Twain, at his in-laws' Quarry Farm in Elmira, New York, was one. Slide5

Twain endorsed various products with his nameSlide6

Champion of the Common ManHe was critical of the rich & the disparity between the rich & poor that existed in The Gilded AgeTwain championed the cause of the underdog & spoke for the common manSlide7

Despite his popularity, he declared bankruptcy because of bad investmentsIn 1894, he traveled around the world on a lecture tour to pay off his debtsTwain’s greatest public triumph came amidst great personal tragedy (his daughter & wife died within years of each other)Slide8

In 1906 he began wearing his trademark white suit exclusivelyBy 1907 Twain was an American institution; in the same year he was awarded an honorary degree from Oxford University (his formal education ended at 11 yrs old)The final 5 years of his life he spent alone, lonely and drinkingSlide9

Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest. Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society. I have never taken any exercise except sleeping and resting.

I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.

It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.

Mark Twain QuotationsSlide10

Adventures of Huckleberry FinnSlide11

The Adventures of Tom SawyerMark Twain’s first official novel.Published in 1876It became a classic in American literature by 1910The character of Tom Sawyer is based on a childhood friend of Twain’sSlide12

“All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn. It’s the best book we’ve had. All American writing comes from that.There was nothing before.

There has been nothing since.” – Ernest Hemingway

Hemingway is referring to the role of language in the novel and the prose style used by Twain.Slide13

Huck doesn’t talk like Ahab; he doesn’t talk like Hester or Arthur Dimmesdale.Huck Finn marks a change in American prose styleNot literary language, but the language of experienceWritten language = EnglishSpoken language = AmericanSlide14

The Language of the NovelHuck’s language is pared down, stripped of ornamentationsTwain captured the terse rhythms of spoken language “The difference between the right word and almost the right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug.” – Mark TwainSlide15

Huck’s language is a boy’s languageInseparable from his characterDialect = character + experienceBefore the “fall” (adulthood); Huck reports with an innocent eye, a sense of awe; he is trustworthy, reliable narrator

With his pen name, Samuel Clemens is twice removed as a narratorSamuel Clemens>Mark Twain>Huck Finn

This allows him to do things and say things which he otherwise would not be able to do as a writer.

First-Person NarrationSlide16

“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 which he stretched, but mainly he told the truth.”

- Huck FinnSlide17

Although similar in content, the following two passages illustrate the difference in dialect and prose style betweenThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry FinnSlide18

“…a gray squirrel and a big fellow of the “fox” kind came skurrying along, sitting up at intervals to inspect and chatter at the boys, for the wild things had probably never seen a human being before and scarcely knew whether to be afraid or not. All Nature was wide awake and stirring, now; long lances of sunlight pierced down through the dense foliage far and near, and a few butterflies came fluttering upon the scene.”- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Chapter XIVSlide19

“I could see the sun out at one or two holes, but mostly it was big trees all about, and gloomy in there amongst them. There was freckled places on the ground where the light sifted down through the leaves, and the freckled places swapped about a little, showing there was a little breeze up there. A couple of squirrels set on a limb and jabbered at me very friendly.”The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Chapter VISlide20

Before the novel was published in 1884, colloquialisms, vulgarities, & slang were barred from the printed pageTwain liberated American literature with Huck Finn, and he did it without apology “They have expelled Huck from their library as ‘trash’ and suitable only for the slums. That will sell 25,000 copies for us.” – Mark Twain

Breaking New GroundSlide21

The NovelSatire: a kind of writing that holds up to ridicule the vices & follies of human beings or society

Picaresque novel: a episodic novel recounting the adventures of a roguish hero

Bildungsroman:

a novel that details the maturation, psychological development & moral education of the main characterSlide22

The Origin of the NovelHuck Finn began as a sequel to Tom Sawyer; it began as a boy’s book, but became something much greater.Twain put the book aside for 5 years, after the first 400 pages of manuscript

In April 1882, he traveled down river to New Orleans; in May he returned up river & in June he picked up the novel again

Twain had been away from the river for 20 years (since before the Civil War)

What he saw in the South was the

horrible failure of freeing the slaveSlide23

The NovelHuck Finn is set before the Civil War and before emancipationHuck must unlearn what he has been taught about slaves

“I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for theirn. It don’t seem natural, but I reckon it’s so.” - HuckAs a boy, Twain was not opposed to slavery; Huck and Twain undergo a similar transformationSlide24

The novel is set in along the Mississippi River in the 1840s.On the west side of the Mississippi River, Missouri was a slave state.

On the east side, Illinois was a free state.

Ohio River

Cairo, IL

Mississippi River

MISSOURI =

SLAVE STATE

ILLINOIS =

FREE

STATESlide25

North to FreedomThe novel takes place prior to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, a Federal law which was written with the intention of enforcing a section of the U. S. Constitution that required the return of runaway slaves.It sought to force the authorities in free states to return fugitive slaves to their masters. Slide26

North to FreedomIn practice, however, the law was rarely enforced because the northern states were against slavery.Therefore, before the law and even after it was passed, slaves in the South would run north for a chance for freedom.Slide27

Slave Hunters Hunting or catching slaves was a profitable business.Slide28

The Mississippi RiverIts estimated length is about 2,320 miles, starting at Lake Itasca Minnesota and reaching to the Gulf of Mexico.The narrowest stretch is about 20-30 feet.It can span up to 4 miles in some places.The deepest section, near New Orleans, is estimated at 200 feet deep.Slide29

“Mark Twain” steamboat at Disneyland

“The Mississippi Queen”Slide30

The Importance of the NovelTwain “put a face on black folks…he took a black person and made them a human being.” “Before this, the term ‘nigger’ referred to a non-person, a product, someone else’s goods.” - Dick GregorySlide31

The Importance of the NovelThe novel is about “race and space”; it made us as Americans radically different from Europeans, despite our similaritiesThe Mississippi River is a symbol of the American frontier and the American spirit of freedom and movementSlide32

ControversyInitially, there was opposition to the novel because of Huck’s vulgarity and his portrayal as and uncivilized boyIn the late 1950s, the novel began to be criticized for its so-called racist elements, including the use of the “N-word” and the portrayal of the slave, Jim’s, character

Opposition to the novel still exists todaySlide33

The N-WordThe word appears approximately 213 times in the novel but is not as derogatory as Twain or Huck would have understood or used it, despite its modern connotations.Many critics feel that Jim, even though a slave called “Nigger Jim,” is the character who shows the most humanity in the book.Slide34

The Noble JimJim is full of faults, ignorance, and superstition, as is Huck.Jim’s character, however, is honorable, loyal, trustworthy, and trusting throughout the book.It is only through Jim that Huck achieves maturity and an accurate understanding of slavery, his own and Jim’s humanity, and man’s failings.Slide35

Sill ControversialDespite these facts, many groups continue to protest the casual use of the N-word and the stereotypical character traits of Jim.Many parent groups disapprove of the use of the word in classroom, claiming it promotes racism and bigotry.The debate continues, with many groups pushing for the word to be removed from the text.Slide36

Nigger the Strange Career of a Troublesome Word by Randall KennedyKennedy is a Harvard Law professor; he writes about one of the most powerful and obscene words ever invented.Slide37
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The “N” WordThe issue at hand today is the “n” word and whether or not it is appropriate to teach a novel that uses the word.“If nigger represented only an insulting slur and was associated only with racial animus, this book would not exist; rather, nigger is fascinating precisely because it has been put to a variety of uses and can radiate a wide array of meaning.”

-Randall KennedySlide39

The Power of the WordBooks have been banned for using the wordIn 1998 an Arizona woman sued the Tempe Union High School District, requesting that they remove The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

and William Faulkner’s short story, “A Rose for Emily”. Her case went all the way to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of AppealsSlide40

The Power of the WordCourt Cases have been overturned because criminal justice officials were somehow connected to the wordIndividuals have sought damages under antidiscrimination law because they were abused by the wordJudges must decide to tell jurors about a witness’s use of the wordSlide41

The “N” WordThe word is a key term in American culture. It is a profoundly hurtful racial slur meant to stigmatize African Americans.It has been an important feature of many of the worst episodes of bigotry in American history. Slide42

The “N” WordIt has accompanied innumerable lynchings, beatings, acts of arson, and other racially motivated attacks upon blacks. It has also been featured in countless jokes and cartoons that both reflect and encourage the disparagement of blacks.

It is the signature phrase of racial prejudice.Slide43

The “N” WordCultural literacy requires detailed knowledge about the oppression of racial minorities. A clear understanding of the word is part of this knowledge. To paper over that term or to constantly obscure it by euphemism is to flinch from coming to grips with racial prejudice that continues to haunt the American social landscape.Slide44

Origin of The “N” WordLeading etymologists believe that the word was derived from an English word "neger" that was itself derived from "Negro", the Spanish word for black. Precisely when the term became a slur is unknown. We do know, however, that by early in the 19th century the word had already become a familiar insult.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/teachers/huck/section1_2.htmlSlide45

The “N” WordIn 1837, in The Condition of the Colored People of the United States; and the Prejudice Exercised Towards Them, Hosea Easton observed

“’nigger’ is an opprobrious term, employed to impose contempt upon [blacks] as an inferior race…The term itself would be perfectly harmless were it used only to distinguish one class from another; but it is not used with that intent…it flows from the fountain of purpose to injure." Slide46

The “N” WordWriting in 1940 in his memoir The Big Sea, Langston Hughes remarked,

"[t]he word nigger to colored people is like a red rag to a bull. Used rightly or wrongly, ironically or seriously, of necessity for the sake of realism, or impishly for the sake of comedy, it doesn’t matter. Negroes do not like it in any book or play whatsoever, be the book or play ever so sympathetic in its treatment of the basic problems of the race. Even though the book or play is written by a Negro, they still do not like it. The word nigger, you see, sums up for us who are colored all the bitter years of insult and struggle in America."Slide47

“All right then, I’ll go to hell.”America’s original sin lies in the fact that slavery was legal at our inception

In this statement, lies the great moral awakening for white Americans.

It suggests that the possibility of redemption exists for the sin of slavery.

Huck rejects slavery and the beliefs of a white, slave-owning society and accepts being seen as an abolitionistSlide48

“All right then, I’ll go to hell.”“the ultimate Christian moment” – David Bradley

It is a totally selfless statement; Huck chooses to do what is best for Jim, rather than what is best for himself.

“Every moral choice that we make; if we decide not to do what we think will save us but what will save someone else—that’s the ultimate Christian moment.” - David Bradley

The novel has been called “a hymn…to the solidarity of the human race.”; the novel gives us hope as a nation that one day we may be able to come to terms with our history with slavery