Uncle Dan Essays - Picaresque Novels, English-language Films

Uncle Dan The odd superstitions touched upon were all prevalent among children and slaves in the West at the period of this story --- that is to say, thirty or forty years ago. Mark Twain Hartford, 1876 Dealing with the role of magic in HF, Daniel Hoffman claims "a subtle emotional complex binds together superstition: slaves: boyhood freedom in Mark Twain's mind."1We know how Twain felt about boyhood freedom - his nostalgia for it lead him to some of his finest writing, and it lends its charm to his most enduring works, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. How Twain felt toward slaves is more ambiguous. In his autobiography Twain wrote of "Uncle Dan'l", the man on whom the character Jim was based, that his "sympathies were wide and warm" and that his "heart was honest and simple and knew no guile" (Autob., 2.) To the time spent on his uncle's farm in Florida, Missouri Twain credited his "strong liking for his [Uncle Dan'l's] race and...appreciation of certain of its fine qualities" (Autob., 3.) To the late-twentieth-century reader, of course, Twain's treatment of blacks is extremely problematic. Jim's character presents many difficulties -- are we to think of Jim as the man who longs for his family even as he valiantly runs away from them or the fool who gains celebrity among the slaves for a story he invents and believes? How could Twain allow Jim to assert his human dignity on the raft, then subject him to a series of gross humiliations at the Phelps farm? Definitive answers to these questions are impossible. However they and the fact that they must remain unresolved affect all conclusions we draw about Twain and his black characters. In considering superstition, the third part of this triangular relationship, we are again left with questions about Twain's feelings. In Form and Fable in American Fiction, Daniel Hoffman writes that "Twain's usual assumption is that white persons of any status higher than trash like Pap have little knowledge of, and no belief in, superstition" 2 Superstition is mainly for slaves and boys. It is important to note that within the framework of Huck Finn, dissociating a thing from white culture is by no means casting it in poor light. In fact when put under the scrutiny of Huck's honest narration, white culture suffers badly. Miss Watson, though "good", is harsh and unkind. The King and Duke think nothing of tricking the Wilks girls out of their inheritance; even the Grangerfords, who are "quality", partake in a vicious and deadly feud. The brutalities that Huck witnesses - Buck's killing, Boggs' murder - are committed by whites. Although Pap has superstitions, folk beliefs in the story belong to Huck and Jim, the characters we most trust. While incidents like Jim begging mercy from the "ghost" Huck and Nat and the witch pie are clearly intended to make the reader laugh at the ignorance of the believers, are we not somehow left in the end with the idea that the zealous followers of superstition are somehow safer than their Christian counterparts? In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer "a boy of German parentage" memorizes eight or ten thousand bible verses but goes mad from the effort. In Huck Finn the Shepherdsons and Grangerfords go to church with their guns. On the other side, the slaves "come from all around" to see the five cent piece which they and Jim believe was given to him by the devil. We as readers know that the slaves have been duped by their own superstition and by Tom's mischief, but are we convinced that they are worse off than the people at the camp meeting who donate a total of $87.75 to that scoundrel, the King, for his mission in the Indian Ocean? Bibliography 1. Daniel G. Hoffman, "Jim's Magic: Black or White?". American Literature XXXII March 1960, pp. 47-54. back to text 2. Daniel G. Hoffman, Form and Fable in American Fiction. Oxford University Press. New York, 1965.

Test of the Declaration of Independence essays

Test of the Declaration of Independence essays The Tests of the Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776, one of Americas shining jewel. Created by the philoshophy of great minds, such as John Locke, and Jean Jacques Rousseau. How did it all play out in Americas history? The test of time had shown the Declaration its full potential. Events such as the Civil War, and Reconstruction had tested the documents will. These events though had a huge affect on the Declaration of Independence. Harsh events though had only made the country stronger though. Democracy has many forms. Some believed in a pure democracy where the people run the government. Jean Jacque Rousseau had thought of such things. He believed that the people had the power to control themselves and the government. Others however thought that a republic democracy was the way to go. John Locke was such a man, that he believed that the people should choose to whom should be in charge. He however believed that people had a natural right, and that right is the right of freedom life and property. Locke says that all rules and laws must answer to the natural rights. From the Declaration of Independence spawned the Constitution. The Constitution had givin people the natural rights that Mr. Locke had spoken of. The Constitution had touched on many topics about the troubles that the British rule had on. It gave people power and rights that they could have only dreamed of having. The freedom of speech, the right of a fair trial, such rights were unheard of at that time. These were the natural rights that people had, and that people should live on. However the test of how well the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution would work came in the form of a Civil War. The events that lead up to it contridicted the both of the documents. Such as the slave trade, treating the slaves so poorly, as if they were property instead of actual people. Though not ev ...

Improving Math Skills Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Improving Math Skills - Research Paper Example At their grade level, they are expected to memorize basic math facts. However, it seems they cannot recall such basic information and have to rely on finger counting or touch math. In order to help them, I had to research on available strategies to implement on them during extra sessions outside class hours so their academic daily routine will not be disrupted. This action research paper attempts to help students with learning disabilities in math using the program, Mastering Math Facts (Otter Creek Institute, 2003), a math drill program aimed at improving recall of basic math operational facts. To state the problem simply, This study was conducted with five students from three different fourth grade classrooms who each have been diagnosed with learning disabilities in Math. Due to time constraints since the study was done towards the end of the schoolyear, and the students’ difficulty to move on to the next levels because of their learning disability, the expected completion of the program was not met. Also, all of the data was collected in the resource classroom when the students were pulled out of their regular classes. Implementing this program in the regular classroom by the classroom teacher to all students might improve reliability. Although the first trials have been promising, leading one to accept that the program, Mastering Math Facts, is an effective strategy to improve math skills in basic math operations, results are not generalizable to the population of students with learning disabilities. This action research study is an ambitious attempt to help students in need. Having learning disabilities in math is an impediment for students who need to go through the tedious and progressive math program throughout their school lives. For regular students, math concepts can only go more complicated as they master basic concepts and skills. How much more for students with learning