Thursday, October 16, 2008
Ch. 17-23: A Little Land Action
Soooo, what did you make of the Grangerford episode? Did it remind you of anything? What do you think Twain is satirizing in this section? What do you make of the "duke" and "king"? Which of their antics do you find the most absurd, comical, and/or despicable? What function do you think they serve in the plot/narrative structure? How are they examples of satire? This section takes place mostly on land. Keeping in mind the theme of nature vs. civilization, what is Twain implying by the dark events that occur in this episode? Did you notice any examples of irony, parody, allusion, symbol, or possible foreshadowing? What do you think (or hope) will happen next?
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3 comments:
The duke and the king are nothing but psuedo-scam artists. Fools. They don't use actual intelligence to scam people, just convience and charm.
I thought that it was unrealistic the way the townspeople reacted after their shoddy performance. None of them were really angry, which, in reality most would be. Most wouldn't be "embarassed," that they got ripped off, no, they'd be angry and demand their money back.
Like Kirsten said, the king and duke were just scam artists. They do whatever they can to try and steal money from the townspeople. Even though they are both creative and thoughful in coming up with these ideas, it just makes them look like people with poor morals.
Also, this section supports the theme of nature vs. civilization. Since most of it took place on land, the differant life styles and beliefs were once again revealed. Jim stayed with a family who owned slaves, therefore Jim had to hide for protection. By being on land, Huck had to look out for himself and keep from crossing the line of the beliefs of everyone around him. He no longer could be free and show his true emotions.
Twain's basically satirizing how foolish the Grangerford's are. Their gaudy decorations and their over-the-top embellishments make them look like they have absolutely no class, when really they are very wealthy. The way that the Grangerfords and the Sheperdsons constantly fight shows that they are even more barbaric than the poorest people, despite their high social standing.
Whenever Huck and Jim are on the raft and close to nature, they are content, and they rarely encounter misfortune. However, when they are on land, they are followed by grief and troubles. Huck's encounters on land are particularly troubling. He sees Buck and another boy die right before his eyes, and is powerless to do anything. He was very good friends with Buck, and is in grief when the young boy is killed. Huck also sees a man he does not know, named Boggs, shot coldly by Colonel Sherburn. These dark events show the negative effect of civilization and the purifying effect of living in nature. Nature seems to protect Huck and Jim from the bad things in life while they are on the raft, yet when they go on land they are barraged with the troubles of a corrupt society.
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