Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Chapters 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?

16 comments:

MichellePatania said...

Although Huck is literal minded and down-to-earth, he is very clever at using his imagination. When Buck asks Huck about Moses and the candle, Huck is completely bewildered, yet, a few minutes later, he devises a complex story of a former family in Arkansas. I also thought Huck was very adroit in solving his forgotten name predicament by encouraging Buck to prove he could spell his fake name.
The Grangerfords' actions are both hypocritical and satirical. After Buck explains the longstanding rivalry and violent conflict between the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons, everyone goes innocently to chuch and enjoys the sermon about brotherly love. Huck describes Col. Grangerford as such a kind, proper man, yet Huck says he looks slightly pleased when Buck recounts his attempt to kill Harney. The people Huck encounters in these chapters reveal many negative traits of humanity and advance Huck's reasons to return to the river and nature.

Erica Przeniczny said...

The Grangerford episode reminded me of Romeo and Juliet. Both sides of the family are in a constant fued that has been going on forever. Also, many people in the families get killed. The Duke and King are quite the characters! I think that they are liars and I think Huck should bust them. However, maybe they will be helpful to Huck and Jim in future chapters, but I am worried it will be the complete opposite. I think Huck and Jim are going to find trouble in the next few chapters but that is just my prediction!

Derek Sulpizio said...

I agree with Michelle that the Grangerfords and the Sheperdsons live very hypocritical lives. I enjoyed how right after buck got done explaining the never-ending rivalry with the Sheperdons, they go to church and are preached brotherly love. I think that the note that Sophia took out of the Bible and handed to Huck that said "half past two," symbolizes many things. I think that it mainly symbolizes that Huck is working for the lord and he opens up the bible to find his next task. I am only through chapter 19 but I can't wait to see what happens later on down the river.

Joshua Perry said...

The Grangerford episode is wierd. At first I could not figure out what was going on.It's pretty obvious that Twain is satirizing the Civil war as a war between people who were not so different. I am not a very big fan of the "king". He seems to crazy and stuck-up. I think they do make fun of businesses at the time of the novel, because they were known to lie in their advertisements just to get business. I also think that Mr. Boggs dying with a bible over his wounds and that no one can touch the killer is foreshadowing that Huck will either take up religion or face consequences for not accepting religion.

Cynthia Bishara said...

hahah i loved these chapeters! they were sooo intresting compared to the blah that was going on before and still managed to put actual depth into the storyline. im not trusting the duke and king characters. they seem pretty shady to me and seem like they are capable of large scale trickery. its despicible to think that a sane person could go into a revial meeting and claim he was a missionary just to con compassionate people in giving him donations (and who in their right mind would beilve a pirate converting into missonary story in the first place!) anywho, i actually WANT to read this book now that it got intresting.

hilary linzie said...

I begin to like this book more and more as I read. I thought it was kind of weird that Huck stayed at the Grangerford's for so long, not thinking about what happened to Jim and then raft. It's ironic that Buck explains his family's huge family feud with the shepherdsons and then they go to that church sermon about love and togetherness. The names "grangerford" and "shepherdson" make the character's seem less real because they sound made up and kind of fake, instead of just shepherd or granger - I dont know if anyone else noticed that. Twains satirizes society in that when Huck is on land with the Grangerfords, life is dangerous, hectic, proper and prissy, and very neat. This is the opposite of what Huck wants: simplicity, relaxation, and nature. These chapters show Hucks intellectual side, he is good at problem-solving and can persuade people to believe his many lies to get his ways. Duke and the King are hilarious because they copied eachother so they could be pampered by Jim and Huck. Huck is smart in not telling Jim they aren't really the king and duke, it shows he is wise to keep the peace on the boat.

hilary linzie said...

I begin to like this book more and more as I read. I thought it was kind of weird that Huck stayed at the Grangerford's for so long, not thinking about what happened to Jim and then raft. It's ironic that Buck explains his family's huge family feud with the shepherdsons and then they go to that church sermon about love and togetherness. The names "grangerford" and "shepherdson" make the character's seem less real because they sound made up and kind of fake, instead of just shepherd or granger - I dont know if anyone else noticed that. Twains satirizes society in that when Huck is on land with the Grangerfords, life is dangerous, hectic, proper and prissy, and very neat. This is the opposite of what Huck wants: simplicity, relaxation, and nature. These chapters show Hucks intellectual side, he is good at problem-solving and can persuade people to believe his many lies to get his ways. Duke and the King are hilarious because they copied eachother so they could be pampered by Jim and Huck. Huck is smart in not telling Jim they aren't really the king and duke, it shows he is wise to keep the peace on the boat.

Anonymous said...

I am glad that the Grangerfords and offered to let Huck stay with them for as long as he likes. I don't understand why the Grangerfords and the Sheperdsons are at odds with one another if neither of the families can remember why they hate each other in the first place. I was also glad that Huck and Jim were reunited again after being separated. I think Huck made a big mistake by letting those two men on his raft because I think that they are just taking advantage of him and Jim.

Kristin Rozanski said...

I am not sure about the duke and the king yet, they seem odd and something is going on. They just happen to show up one day, hop on the raft with Huck and Jim, and treat them like they are servants. Just because they say they are royalty, they expect Huck and Jim to cater to them. They like to mock Jim. They use his presense as a slave to their advantage, to allow for them to travel during the day, and if caught say they are taking Jim back south. Another thing they do that is very callous of them is scamming the towns people at a religious meeting. These two have got something up their sleeves and it will reveal itself soon enough.

abby barger said...

These chapters actually made me laugh bit because of Duke and King.I thought it was so good of Huck to keep the fact that King and Duke were not royal to himself and not tell Jim. It shows that Huck doesn't want to ruin someones confidence or hope. Twain really shows the good side of raft life in these chapters by showing how many problems actually occur on land with all the shootings and comotion. Hopefully Huck realizes what he wants more: simple life or civilization.

Kelsey Palmer said...

I noticed that when Huck was invited to stay with the Grangerfords, he wanted to. It reminded me of back with the widow and Miss Watson how he had a comfortable life there, and kind of liked/got used to the comforts of a bed and things like that, and now he seems to want that again in a comfortable home like the Grangerfords. I'm glad that Huck and Jim found each other again. The duke and dauphin are definitely suspicious people. They are con artists that rip people off, and I don't think that it's a good idea that Huck and Jim are getting mixed up with them. It made me mad when the duke and dauphin conned money out of the townspeople with the play and such. I also feel really bad for Jim. That's sad about his daughter. He shouldn't have beaten her in the first place, but I'm sure he felt much worse when he found out she was deaf. That's really sad that all that has happened.

Owen O'Connor said...

I was glad the Grangerfords let Hck stay with them for as long as he would like but i also thought it was weird that he decided to stay for so long too. He didnt seem to have any worries about Jim being left out alone. I was glad to see they got reunited after being separated. I dont think, with him being a slave and tending to not be that smart, that he would have survived out on his own. When they are together they tend to take care of themselves better and be safer.

Amber Miller said...

I thoguth that the Grangerford episode was very entertaining. I was glad that the Grangerfords accepted Huck. The conflict between the two families seemed very un-called for. It reminded me alot of Romeo and Juliet because in the middle of their families feud, the two people fell in love and ran away together. It was sad that these people fought the way they did and killed eachother. I felt bad for Huck having to witness the death of the Grangerfords.

KellyWhalen said...

I think that the duke and the king are just making fools out of themselves. I don't understand why when Huck figures out they aren't really royalty, he still bows down to them. In my opinion, they don't deserve the special treatment. The duke and king are very clever, however, and supply the group with a lot of money through clever scams.

Beth Blank said...

I dont really like the Duke and the king. i think that they are just bad people who use and scam people to get what they want. I dont really understand why Huck keeps them around even when he knows they are frauds. I think The King and duke are smart because they can basically do anything to get money, which might help Huck later.?

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