Huck Finn Post 3

In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck comes across a very unique family during his journey. The Grangerford family, uneasy to accept Huck at first, finally lets him into their home once realizing he is not a "Shepherdson." He somewhat ignores this comment; eager to spend time in such a different lifestyle. Huck finds the home magnificent, " I hadn't seen no house out in the country before that was so nice and had so much style" (Twain 102). A palace compared to what Huck has seen, the Grangerford's large estate with over one hundred slaves pleases him in undoubted ways. Although it is portrayed as a grand, lavish lifestyle, the Grangerfords are one of the most confusing, contradicting, and comical group of people in the novel. Their spontaneous actions towards others and unintentionally comical elements within their home combine to make an underlying theme of humor at this point. Within their home, since never seeing a house such as this before, Huck finds the decorations and works displayed very genuine and grand. Although he portrays it as this way, these elements of the home are unintentionally comical and somewhat tacky. When it comes to the works of art by their late daughter, Emmeline, her frequent themes of dead people represent Twain's mocking of the Victorian Age and his trying to make it humorous. The family's spontaneous actions towards others combine to show humor with a hint of sadness.

Within the Grangerfords' lifestyle, Twain hints at elements of sadness. Included in this part of life is the explanation of Emmeline's works of art and her death. Although many of her works are unintentionally tacky, they are nevertheless sympathetic and a tribute to those who have died. Huck is moved by her works of poetry and art and represents a caring side to him. "Poor Emmeline made poetry about all the dead people when she was alive, and it didn't seem right that there warn't nobody to make some about her now she was gone; so I tried to sweat out a verse or two myself , but I couldn't seem to make it go somehow" (106). Later on Buck, one of the Grangerfords, explains the ongoing feud between their family and the previously mentioned Shepherdsons. Nobody knows how the feud started, but it has been an ongoing event with several killings. When Buck is killed in a gunfight later on, this event brings out the most sadness of this section. Unlike  the works of art, where the over exaggeration of sadness leads to humor, this point in the book is completely serious and shows the confusion in the Grangerfords' world.

Included in the Grangerfords' world of confusion is the references to "Romeo and Juliet." Their undeniable more fortunate lifestyle connects with the rich families in the play, already a foreshadow to the competitiveness. One of the main allusions is the family feud with the Shepherdsons and how it plays out. "'Him? He never done nothing to me.' 'Well, then, what did you want to kill him for?' 'Why, nothing--only it's on account of the feud'" (109). The unknowingness as to why members of each family are killing each other directly relates to the feud in "Romeo and Juliet." The second main allusion is concept of star-crossed lovers and how Sophia Grangerford and Harney Shepherdson are in love. They end up running off; resulting in the gunfight that kills Buck and another Shepherdson. These allusions show Twain's almost mocking of earlier European literature. All of the elements of the Grangerfords' life represent a contradicting, unique experience for Huck during his eventful journey down the Mississippi.

Huck Finn Post 2

In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, one of the most evident examples of family is the relationship between Huck and Jim. Although not actually related, their friendship and age difference blossoms into a father-son type of relationship throughout the book. At first, back at the widow's house, they do not have much of a relationship; the only encounters they had were when Huck would play pranks on Jim and at occasional times around the house. The gap between them lengthens when Huck is away with his father, and Huck never expects to see the slave again. Although he believes this, their meeting on Jackson's Island starts the beginning of a new and close relationship. Slowly developing, as they share their stories and spend more time together, their time on the island has more friendship-like qualities. Huck even still finds it funny to play pranks on Jim, such as the rattlesnake incident. Once they find out they have to escape, Jim seems to occupy more of a father role. "'Git up and hump yourself, Jim! There ain't a minute to lose. They're after us!' Jim never asked no questions, he never said a word; but the way he worked for the next half an hour showed about how he was scared" (Twain 68). Their sudden departure from Jackson's Island represents Jim's uneasiness but willingness to take a leadership/role model position. The two escape, unsure of what their plan is, but knowing they will have the support of each other. 


Huck and Jim, fleeing from their normal lives for freedom, realize they have more and more in common with each other. Even though their perceptions of freedom are different, their equal amount of drive for it brings them together. They both were extremely lonely in their previous situations, and them finding companionship brings them even closer. Both realize that even though they only have each other, it is completely fine because they have established such great of a relationship and they truly care for each other. Both Jim and Huck seem to have discovered a sense of acceptance and respectfulness between each other, something unique in most father-son-type relationships. "'Pooty soon I'll be a-shout'n' for joy, en I'll say, it's all on accounts o' Huck; I's a free man, en I couldn't ever ben free ef it hadn't ben for Huck: Huck done it. Jim won't ever forgit you, Huck; you's de bes' fren' Jim's ever had....'" (92). Although Jim describes Huck as a best friend, he is unknowingly interacting with him as if he were his son; assuming leadership he is not used to. His actions toward Huck foreshadow that if he is reunited with his children later on, he will be an excellent, dedicated father. These interactions also show that Huck, even though being with someone who is considered socially lower in status, treats Jim with undoubted respect; if he had a proper father figure, he could have the potential of an excellent son. This relationship between a runaway slave and a runaway boy represents a unique collaboration that will unlikely be split.

Huck Finn Post 1

Through the first ten chapters of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, much can be noted about Huck. Being brought up in a different way compared to most seems to reflect how he handles certain situations. With the absence of a mother, his father being an irresponsible drunk, and at first having to live with a widow and her sister, he can seem like a rebel in some cases. He is not entirely a troublemaker; it seems as if certain people in his life influence him at certain times, such as his father or Tom Sawyer. Without the pressures of responsibility, Huck allows himself to be a person who acts based on his surroundings. In the widow's house, he is educated and to some degree respectable, but he is very lonely. "Then I set down...tried to think of something cheerful, but it warn't no use. I felt so lonesome I most wished I was dead" (Twain 13). When he is with his father, he is forced to act like his dad, be illiterate, and subject to being beaten. His different lifestyles demonstrated show that people are trying to shape him into different personalities, but for the most part, all he wants is freedom.

In the first chapters of the novel, Huck seems like a tough, difficult to change boy. His actions with Tom Sawyer show he would like to thrive on a life of crime. As the story progresses, though, it can be revealed that he is mostly innocent and is a type of person who doesn't exactly know what he wants. "All I wanted was to go somewheres; all I wanted was a change, I warn't particular" (12). Huck puts on the impression that he has his interests, but they can be lost and unsure of within a short period of time. Determined to leave, his ideas of faking his own death and leaving for Jackson's Island represent his underlying cleverness. After escaping his life of confusion and loneliness and being off on his own, all of these personalities blend together to form a carefree, interesting kid who celebrates the freedom from all pressures. "...the island. I was boss of it; it all belonged to me, so to say, and I wanted to know all about it..." (46). So far, Huck Finn is an arousing character that seems to have already established new traits just over the course of ten chapters.

Could a Transcendentalist Society Work in Today's World?

In a transcendentalist world, every element and perspective must combine and work together in a way that benefits the society. If not, it will lack balance, and therefore lose its transcendentalist aspects. Concepts of accepting everyone, living simply, and minimal government are all major in this type of world; either viewed as beneficial or harmful. They reinforce the main point of the individual, working in a way to (hopefully) bring one to the best state of mind possible. Harmony also ties in with the balance; without it, the society fails to work properly. Everything working together is the main goal, but is not necessarily possible. Although some might believe a transcendentalist society would work easily in today’s world, increasing reliance on technology and mass production, lack of governmental help, and the failure to accept everyone are why this type of living could never be possible today.

Physically, a transcendental society could work. Isolation on an island could easily be achieved with the money and resources, and setting everything up would be the same as building a town or resort. With its physical image, the society had already fulfilled part of the living-away-from-the-outside-world aspect. Attracting people from around the world could be easy with advertising and transportation, allowing anyone and everyone to come as they are. The society, in essence, would run just like any other, only with more individualistic values. Along with its physical image, the high importance on education could keep everything stable. Its benefits would lead to greater rates of employment and literacy, stopping economic and poverty issues from emerging. Without these issues, the society would be constant and set in a positive mindset. Although the society could stay stable to some degree, underlying tensions and flaws could spark issues, causing its downfall.

In this type of world, one of the most prominent beliefs is accepting anyone and everyone to join. Almost any transcendentalist society would include values of allowing anyone to come as they are and embracing what makes them an individual. With this acceptance, unfortunately, comes a hidden fault. If the world accepted all different personalities to come live, it would mean including those who are critical and judgmental. Not including those types of people would defeat the purpose of the society—welcoming all no matter what. Wherever one travels or goes to, there will always be the types of people who believe non-conformists are unsatisfactory or unworthy. Therefore, the never-ending cycle of putting people down and being bullied for one’s beliefs is inevitable; even in a transcendentalist society.  

Along with acceptance, a main belief in transcendental associations is minimal government intervention. With this, specific rules and punishments are set to avoid conflict and contact with the government. While too much government interference brings negativity to a society, not enough can also cause disagreements and problems. When rules are violated, the low amount of law enforcement would most of the time not even find out about the crime, defeating the purpose of the specific, sometimes strict rules. If the crime was caught, the punishment would not necessarily be enforced, given that citizens are supposed to know the consequences and obey them. Additionally, some of the laws require community service and participating in the green movement. While this is very beneficial to the society, it is not always one’s interest. Transcendentalist societies are all about pursuing what one wants, and making laws pertaining to only certain views or interests creates barriers. A society of this type should most likely have no rules so that it is open to the views of any person, but no law could cause conflict and craziness.

One of the most prized and cherished beliefs of transcendentalism is living simply without distractions. This includes modifying one’s life in a way that excludes many of the technological advances of today and includes many nature-based beliefs. Things like computers, phones, other communication devices, and mass-produced goods would be frowned upon. Unfortunately, today’s technological world interests a large population, so the views of living simply could discourage many from living in a transcendentalist society. The technology has found a way to blend itself into society; in many cases, people would refuse to give up their devices and rituals rather than go live in this type of world. In other words, the acceptance of everyone and all their beliefs goes against living simply, since it is not always one’s belief. Enforcing living simply without distractions leads to more rules, bringing up another barrier to the cycle of transcendentalism. In a world where technology attracts many to places and events, the views of excluding technology and the fast-paced world could stop many from being content with their lives.

Transcendentalism is complex way of life; it has many requirements despite the broad belief of accepting the individual and one’s own views. With so many different personalities and beliefs and ways of life present in today’s world, it would be difficult to integrate all of them into one society. Conflict would be inevitable in this society, just like it would be in any other. The society would only work if every person was accepting of everyone else, dedicated to living simply, followed all rules, and was precise with every other concept of transcendentalism; something very hard to achieve. Even if every person achieved this state of mind, it would not even be a transcendentalist society anymore; it would be more of a utopian society where everyone is alike. This takes away from the entire concept of transcendentalism: the individual. Although a transcendentalist world would seem entirely perfect to some, the inevitable conflicts and personalities would lead to its downfall at some point in its existence. 

Dead Poets Society Post

Within the movie Dead Poets Society, there is the ongoing tension between expecting to conform and going against those expectations. At Welton, the private, all male, conservative boarding school is the definitive place of conformity. The faculty look and dress exactly alike, talk alike, and teach alike. Although there are many different subjects offered, all classes are similar with their textbook-exact learning. The fact that everything is the same shows the reputation it tries to uphold as a preparatory school. All students have expectations-from parents, teachers, administrators, and other students-ones that can either motivate or crush the student. They include participating in activities only others approve of, getting superb grades, going on to pursue education at only certain, usually Ivy League schools, and becoming only an approved profession. With the rigorous expectations, being oneself is the hardest trait one could obtain at this school. Going against the conformity of the school poses various dangers toward the student, including reprimanding from parents and staff, the threat of expulsion, and the reputation they hold at the school. 

When the new English teacher, Mr. Keating, is hired for Welton, he brings an entire new element to the school. He encourages the boys to "Carpe Diem" and to uphold their beliefs, no matter what anyone says or thinks. His ideas of non-conformity teach valuable life lessons and later encourage the boys to be themselves in certain situations. Unfortunately, this encouraged behavior launched him and the students into disaster. One of the boys pursues his love for acting, but he is forced by his father to quit and do what the father expects. The intense amount of pressure put on the boy for not conforming to his father's beliefs led him to commit suicide. Additionally, certain boys were reprimanded for going out and creating their "Dead Poets Society." Later on, Mr. Keating is forced to resign for his teaching methods and what he taught his students. The fact the school was so unwilling to accept nonconformity and threatened students who embraced it shows the anti-transcendentalist mindset of the school, and how it endangered anyone who wished to be their self.

Transcendentalism Post

Transcendentalists can be described in several different ways. Whether it is unique, different, special, or weird, they do what they think is right for themselves. They ignore the comments from others and live their life in their own mindset. Above all else, they look to themselves, and it will either inspire or disgust others. In the world of modern-day pop culture, Nicole Polizzi, otherwise known as Snooki, is the type of transcendentalist who makes her own decisions and completely disregards others’ responses.

Snooki, who is most known for being on Jersey Shore, can be described as anything but a conformist. Her unique sense of style and behavior has led her to be perceived in many different ways, whether good or bad. Her many different personalities have led her to be a successful TV star, author, and entrepreneur, despite harsh criticism and comments.

Snooki, now age 23, was born in Chile, but then adopted by an Italian family from Marlboro, New York. The influences from her close-knit Italian family led her to be the way she is—a girl with two different sides, one a wild and crazy guidette, the other a shy and fun-loving girl. Her experiences in high school, which included being bullied, inspired her to be who she is today, the girl who does and says what she wants and does not let anything bring her down.  Although she is seen by many as the wild, inappropriate star of Jersey Shore, she has disregarded the comments, knowing her lifestyle on the show is not always the life she lives.

“I still get bullied by tabloids calling me “gross”…at this point I’m just like ‘whatever hater.’ It just gives me more motivation to succeed and prove everyone wrong. I never care what other people, the haters, think. I never let it get the best of me, and I think it’s a great quality every girl should have.”

The success of the star’s life has let her be the strong personality she is today. She claims, “Nobody can get to me at this point.” She also believes that inspiring others to be who they want is the best there is. “You can be any nationality. You have to have that attitude, be strong, independent, and go about your life like it’s your own world.”

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9meCWs8LsSw

Walden Essay

            Two years. Two months. Two days. Simple and to-the-point, Thoreau’s depiction of Walden Pond and the time he spent there illustrate a completely new aspect of life. Stressing the issues of simplicity and solitude brings a new and conservative form of life to the people of his day. Many people during his time were mesmerized over the boom of industrialism, growing cities, and technology, and he was trying to diverge from the traditional path. Although pressured to live the busy life of a common male, Thoreau continually lived the life he wanted to. Through his beneficial experiences and events at Walden Pond, Henry David Thoreau produced new, unique ideas that stressed the individual and pushed for a different, simple life.

           

 An important factor to Thoreau’s stay at Walden Pond was his emerging views of a simplistic lifestyle. Thoreau believed that the necessities of life contained only four things: food, water, shelter, and fuel. Besides these necessities, Walden believed almost everything else was unnecessary. Through his stay he gained greater knowledge of living simply in solitude and sustaining only himself. “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived” (Thoreau 490). Leaving his life to live in a small cabin by himself forced him to live in a simple, meager way, showing him what he believed in the best way possible. His living this way led him to gaining greater knowledge of his lifestyle, beliefs, and reality as a whole. With all of the craziness of the time, Thoreau’s ideas which emerged provided a new alternative to living how everyone else did.  

           

 Another aspect to Thoreau’s writings and lessons is transcendentalism. Thoreau, considered a transcendentalist himself, firmly believed in being who one wants to be and resisting the pressure to be like the common people. Through staying at Walden Pond, he was able to adapt to his own beliefs without the influence of anyone else. He produced a series of beliefs that were new and alien to the time, but became the foundation of originality and uniqueness in America. “It is something to be able to paint a particular picture, or carve a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful; but it is far more glorious to carve and paint the very atmosphere and medium through which we look, which morally we can do” (490). Seeing the population adapt to and transform into whatever the surroundings are inspired Thoreau to promote the individual. His time spent alone added to his success with these beliefs and going against traditional views.

         

   Henry David Thoreau’s time spent at Walden Pond—two years, two months, and two days to be exact—was beneficial in several ways towards society. Although not appreciated until later, people realized of the many common choices and lives they decided to fulfill, taking away from the purpose of the individual. Without Thoreau’s ideas, life in America could have developed in a completely different way; a society more generic compared to others. Whether viewed good or bad, Thoreau’s time spent learning from experience at Walden Pond opened America to new and interesting views.