Huck Finn: Feuds, Firearms and innocence

1. Huck Finn: Feuds, Firearms and innocence Chapters 17-18

2. Guided Imagery • You need a piece of paper and a pen. Put away everything else. • You may close your eyes—but do not go to sleep!!! • Listen carefully and be prepared to respond

3. The River is… • An escape • Transportation • A highway to freedom! • Peaceful times • A connection Turn to chapter 18 and read along as we listen

4. Huck is now on his own and he encounters—DEATH! and lots of it! • Emmeline Grangerford (100-104)—she writes about death. Why? • If you hear about death constantly can you become numb to it? • How is this a part of Twain’s satire? • Message: • Death is serious • Emmeline cares about the order of speakers at the funeral • Emmeline takes pride in her poetry • Huck feels a connection and believes she was very sad and depressed

5. Grangerfords and Shepherdsons: Twain’s Satire Turns Dark • Targets the cult of Southern aristocracy and the traditions of dueling and feuding. • Thoughts on death—pg 107 It’s okay to kill if you’re in a feud! • What is Twain’s tone toward the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons? • Negative—disdainful: seen through Huck’s observation: pg. 109 church sermons • Huck calls Col. Grangerford a gentlemen—what is ironic about this? • He goes around shooting at others all day long

6. Huck and Buck • What do you notice about the names? • Huck becomes very attached to Buck—sees something of himself in Buck • Compare Buck and Tom: • proper behavior “It’s done because its done” no other reason. Warning against the dangers of blind following Huck sees no honor or tradition in it; he just sees dead young men. First death—Buck dies

7. The Land is… • Society’s playground • Chaotic • Adventure • Confusing • Painful • Mixed up • Backward

8. Huck Finn Introducing the King and the Duke Chapters 19-23

9. Does Twain believe there such a thing as “too far” from society? • A-YES • B-NO

10. The Duke & The Dauphin (King) Conmen and Satire • Professional conmen- What do they do to make money? • Trick people • Duke: selling fake products that don’t work (toothpaste that take tartar and enamel off your teeth) • King: running a temperance revival and charging money each night while drinking on the sly • Huck does not believe their story. So why does he let them stay? • He wants to avoid conflict

11. The king himself • The king is basically and idiot. BUT he is smarter than the churchgoers! • What is Twain saying about religious fanatics? • Overkill and gullible • What is he saying about the average man? • Easily manipulated

12. Follow along as we read chapter 21-23 

13. Sherburn and Boggs: Southern Bravery? • Second death: Boggs • Colonel Sherburn: speech is a violent criticism of the myth of Southern Bravery—compare to Grangerford episode (criticism of Southern Honor) • Sherburn compares these people to the KKK when he says “You didn’t bring a man with you?”—mob mentality • Twain is making the point that it is better to act on your own and not through mob mentality.

14. “Royal Nonesuch” • The sign “Ladies and Children Not Permitted suggests what? • Scandal • Who comes to the shows? • All the townsmen • Why does it attract a large crowd? • An element of danger and “badness” • What is Twain saying about human beings through this Satire? • We are easily manipulated to want what we shouldn’t • The men who have been conned decide to let the other men in the town be conned before the run the King and the Duke out! What does this say about society’s morality? • We don’t want to be alone in our stupidity • It’s okay to get revenge • It’s okay to con if you have been conned

15. JIM IS HUMANIZED! • Jim weeps about the loss of his family and shares with Huck and event from his past—slapping his daughter for not closing the door only to realize she was deaf. Huck realizes he is a human being with real emotions.