the Grangerfords

In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck comes across a family called the Grangerfords. This family has elements of humor, sadness, and allusions to the play Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare. It is like Romeo and Juliet because of the tale of the two young people in love, Sophia Grangerford and Harney Sheparsdson. They are likened to Romeo and Juliet because they are caught in the middle of the two warring families, their argument originating from an ordeal no one can quite remember. “[Sophia] ran off to get married to dat  young Harney Sheperdson…. De fambly found’ it out ‘bout half an hour ago… and I tell you dey warn’t no time los’. Sich another hurryin’ up guns and hosses you never see” (Twain 114)! This illustrates the clear connection between the two storylines. Romeo and Juliet were battling against their families to be together, and so were Sophia and Harney. The following bloodbath that ensues is also similar to Romeo and Juliet, where Tybalt was killed in the crossfire. While all of these allusions are being made, though, traces of humor can be found.

The Grangerford family also had plenty of humor in it. A prime example of their humor was the irony with which they’re portrayed. While Huck sees them as these really nice, gentle people, they actually go around killing their neighbors. “Col. Grangerford was a gentleman, you see. He was a gentleman all over; and so was his family” (106).Clearly, they’re not nice people as they condone the killing of their neighbors, yet Huck only really sees them in a positive light. He doesn’t even really bat an eye when he finds out about the feud. The irony, while being a bit sadistic, is funny. Along with humor and allusions to Romeo and Juliet, plenty of sadness can also be found in the Gangerford household.

The Grangerfords certainly have had their share of sorrow. One of the daughters, Emmeline died at fifteen. She was a brilliant artist and poet, although named her paintings rather similarly. “These was all nice pictures…. Everybody was sorry she died, because she has laid out a lot more of these pictures to do…” (104). The family was never the same after Emmeline had died. Also, there was no one to write poems for those who had died.  Her family mourned for her all the time. The Grangerford family is a fine example of comedy, sorrow, and allusions.

Huck Finn post 2 - Jim and Huck's relationship

                Jim and Huck have almost paternalistic feelings towards each other. Jim’s interest in Huck is clearly displayed by his concern over him after he thought he had disappeared in the fog, “when I got all wore out wid work, en wid de callin’ for you, en went to sleep, my heart wuz mos’ broke bekase you wuz los’… en when I wake up en find you back ag’in, all safe end soun’, de tears come, en I coul ‘a’ got down on my knees en kiss yo’ foot” (Twain 89). This shows how strongly Jim feels about Huck’s safety. He was extremely upset when he thought something had happened to Huck. Huck also reacts in a similar way to a child in response to Jim’s outburst about how his prank was mean spirited. He acted enormously sorry, and even thought, “It made me feel so mean I could almost kissed his foot to get him to take it back” (89). Both of them act like one would in a father-son relationship, Jim in the paternal and Huck in the child’s point of view.  The opposite could also be said, though, in the thought that Huck sometimes acts fatherly to Jim.

                Huck has some parental tendencies around Jim. He tries to teach him things and protect him. An example of this is when the men on the boat want to go and make sure Jim isn’t a runaway slave, and Huck invents a story about his family being sick with small pox. Huck does everything in his power to make sure Jim remains safe. He tries to teach him about stories and such, for example when he’s telling him about kings, “So I went talking about other kings… I told him about Louis the sixteenth that got his head cut off in France long time ago; and about his little boy the dolphin, that would ‘a’ been king , but they took and shut him up in a jail, and some say he died there” (82). This is a bonding moment for Jim and Huck, further illustrating the familial relationship they share. Huck cares deeply about Jim and Jim in turn cares about Huck, both in a way almost like a father loves a son. Jim is worried about Huck and Huck tries to protect Jim and maybe teach him a bit while they’re at it.  

Huck Finn - what I think of Huck so far

            While reading the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck comes across as a very static character. What some readers may not be able to see, though, is that while being rather simple and uneducated, Huck is actually a smart person.

            Huck could be considered simple because of the way he has previously lived his life and his uneducated state. For instance, when Tom tells him about genies, he automatically believes him and sets out to find a lamp of his own to get a genie from. “I got an old tin lamp and an iron ring, and went out in the woods and rubbed and rubbed till I sweat like an Injun, calculating to build a palace and sell it…”(Twain, 23). This illustrates his uncomplicated perspective on life, and how gullible he truly is. While living with the widow, he also takes a straightforward approach, and allows her to instruct him to do whatever he wants, which suggests a simple constitution. He’s also shown as a content second in command to Tom, which is another indicator of someone not so bright. Huck is portrayed as a rather dumb character in the first couple of chapters, as is shown by his ignorance of education and religion. He can’t read, and he doesn’t really know anything about Christian ways of life. After he’s taught, though, he is shown to be quite smart. My impression of him is that while he definitely isn’t book smart, he has a kind of resourcefulness that can’t be taught.

            Huck learns quickly, as is illustrated by his picking up and quickly adapting to the ways of the widow. While being originally illustrated as a dull character, he quickly shows himself to be quite sharp. A good example of his intelligence is in the cabin with his father, when he hatches a plan for escape. “I got under the table and raised the blanket, and went to work to saw a section of the big bottom log out – big enough to let me through” (Twain, 33). Under normal circumstances, no eleven year old would have been able to come up with a solution like that. Not to mention, the way he managed to come into possession of a canoe and hide it from his father with no suspicion being aroused. Again, a child would never be expected to be that resourceful, and yet Huck, who everyone has passed off as an idiot, has. On multiple occasions. He may not be book smart, but Huck Finn is one of the most intelligent characters in the novel, at least so far.

Burself Essay

Burself would be an island nation, surrounded by an ocean, and totally isolated. Surviving in such an atmosphere would be difficult enough, and with the added effects of strict regulations and rules, many would say living in such a society would be impossible. In fact, though, the added benefits of having such an eco friendly environment, the presence of rules that are beneficial to the whole community, and the free healthcare and educational systems would attract potential citizens, and allow the society to flourish.

Some people would disagree with the statement that Burself could actually be a functioning civilization; rationalizing it with arguments like: the free healthcare and educational systems are unrealistic, the demerit system would eliminate people too quickly, and people wouldn’t want to live in a society with such strict rules. In fact, the taxes imposed on citizens fund the educational and healthcare systems so they can be totally free. Allowing for donations from private citizens, they could easily function without any cost to a person in need of healthcare or education. The demerit system is designed to remove those not fit for such a small community. The fact that the number is so low, and kicking people out is so final, shows the perfectionism of the society, and was created to keep those who don’t break any rules safe. The strict rules are also actually quite helpful. While breaking them does result in a rather harsh consequence, all of the rules (such as no hunting for sport, no cars, no putting others down, no corruption, and no holding others back) only create positive results and feelings in the society. While there is a convincing argument that Burself could never function as a modern society, most of the flaws can actually be interpreted as positive aspects.

The eco friendly habits of Burself are a major reason that it would be a successful modern civilization. People would flock to the island society solely because of it; the green energy used in basically everything promotes self worth and sets up a healthy future for the kids of Burself. While hard to keep up, the water surrounding the island would be immensely useful. Using hydropower, the island can be powered by water for almost everything. The citizens of Burself would have moved their largely in part to the eco-friendly behavior, and so wouldn’t mind paying heavier taxes in order to keep the tools for making energy running. Energy produced from the eco friendly hydropower plants could be used in a variety of ways helpful to Burself, but a lot of it is used powering hospitals and schools.

The free health care and educational systems are major factors to the success of Burself. The fact that the healthcare is free encourages people to go to their doctor more frequently and keep themselves healthy. New citizens will want to move to the community as well, because the free healthcare and schooling is a great part of Burself.  Free education encourages people to study what they want to. In college, people are more likely to try different classes and find what they want to do. While also pushing up taxes, the citizens will find that it is an acceptable price to pay, and the community’s health and happiness. Because it also encourages people to move and stay in Burself, the free healthcare and educational systems are huge contributors to just how successful Burself would be.

As formerly mentioned, the rules of the society are really what would help Burself survive in a modern climate. While transcendentalist ideas seem to be outdated, the rules reinterpret them in a contemporary way. The rules that outlaw hunting and cars, while controversial, probably are the ones that would protect the society the most. Citizens who could not follow those rules simply wouldn’t move to Burself. They make Burself different enough so that people who agree with their beliefs have somewhere to go, but not so different from normal society that less extreme people would feel out of place. The rules of Burself give the island a purpose, and that purpose is what keeps the island going.

In modern society, Burself would be a flourishing community because of the eco friendly habits, the free healthcare and educational systems, and the strong rules that hold the islands together. While it’s true that there would definitely be some conflicts along the way, Burself truly would be able to survive in a modern climate.

The Dangers of Nonconformity

In the movie, “The Dead Poet’s Society,” the main focus is clearly transcendentalism. Whether to be yourself or to be who people around you want you to be. The movie takes a unique standpoint, though, on the dangers of nonconformity. While most movies and books in recent years have focused on the positive attributions of being yourself, Dead Poet’s Society shows that sometimes it’s best to sit back and not stand out. It shows the stares and the inadequate feelings and the being alone that comes with being yourself. It shows how some people refuse to accept how others choose to live their lives. Neil was put in a position where he felt that he had no choice but to kill himself because he spoke out for what he believed in. In modern society, too many people find themselves in situations similar to Neil.

When people act completely as themselves, separate from all opinions and oppositions of those around them, they are basically set up for ridicule. In highschool in particular, kids are not encouraged to be themselves, and sometimes that might just be the right thing to do. While being themselves could make a person happier at that exact moment, if they’re going to be ridiculed for it, wouldn’t it just be easier to wait for a time when they can be themselves free from judgment? Especially in a town like Grosse Pointe. Anyone who is just a little bit different is forced into becoming another carbon copy of everyone else. While this is obviously a terrible thing that should be changed, I know that I, for one, am not going to be the one who decides to ignore what everyone else says. It would just make life so much harder. Situations like Neil’s are terrifying because I can see myself there in less than two years; I honestly have no idea how being myself around my parents could happen.

Being yourself can be dangerous, as is clearly illustrated by the Dead Poet’s Society. What isn’t clear is if being yourself if more important than safety, or if being ridiculed is worth the freedom that comes with nonconformity.

My t-shirt

The only reason I'm functioning right now is an insane amount of caffeine and the fact that I still have to study for ap us math french and science. so. This is gonna be short and sucky and if that is not enough I can rewrite it this weekend but you can blame Lois.

Basically, I didn't get into any conversations about it, really. People kept not being able to read Whovian. So. That was fun. They were just like "wha-vior? whuvia? whoo....... whovian? what?" So. That was a blast.

This guy in Anne Franke said that I matched this girl in his photo class, aka, Shiv. So. That happened.

Um. People asked what editor meant and I just walked away. Because some things are better left unsaid.

The K fell off of the awkward. So I guess I'm just awward. Sad.

My AP US teacher said that it was good that I got a haircut so you could read the d in potter-head.

Really, no one really asked about it. Anyone who cared, I had already talked about my awesome plan for an acrosticks already, so... Yeah. Yup. YUPP.

THE END

Darren Criss- a modern transcendentalist

Out of all the people in the world, there are some who just make you stop. Make you look at them and wonder what makes them so much braver and more special than you to be so… different. Darren Criss, to me, is one of these people.

I’ve been totally and thoroughly in love with him for about two years now. He wrote a freaking musical about Harry Potter; so basically, I would sell me soul to him in a heartbeat. In a world where people are insisting that stage acting is a dying art, he comes out of NOWHERE with this crazy new musical produced by a small group of college kids and basically takes over the internet! And not only is it a musical, it’s a musical about a highly successful book series that could have easily gone wrong and sent a million fangirls into a rage against him. He didn’t give a crap. Nope. He wrote the music for the entire musical, along with four others.

His individualism actually is a bit of a problem now that he’s kind of famous, as is shown by his behavior at the Deathly Hallows premier (which he was invited to because of his Harry Potter-ness). Darren jumped around in front of some cameras (with his friend Joe Walker, who played Lord Voldemort) and made a bit of a fool of himself. Normally, I’d just think that it’s super cute and walk away, but people were getting PISSED. I remember going on tumblr and there was just huge amounts of hate on there. He hasn’t changed, though, and he’s still the goofiest guy ever.

Another reason why Darren Criss is a modern day Transcendentalist is his support of the Trevor Project. The Trevor Project is a huge organization (the biggest in the US, I think) for support for LGBTs. They have help lines and fundraisers and projects going on all the time. Darren Criss went on a three-show mini-tour in support of them last summer. It doesn’t matter that gay rights may not be a totally supported topic, he really tries to help them out and even performed a couple of weeks ago at a big concert for them. Not only that, he plays a gay guy on Glee, when he is (apparently) a very straight person. He said in an interview something along the lines of that it was just another acting job. On other shows, he might have to kiss girls he’s not interested in, and it’s really no different on Glee. I think that’s the coolest thing ever.

Darren is totally different from every other celebrity I’ve ever seen. He’s a musical genius (he taught himself how to play seven instruments), he’s co-written several musicals, he’s openly supportive of LGBT rights, and he’s just one of the goofiest people on earth. Darren Criss truly is a modern transcendentalist.