Pride and Prejudice 9: ch 14-18

“Mr. Darcy has not authorized me to make his communication public […] The general prejudice against Mr. Darcy is so violent, that it would be the death of half the good people in Meryton, to attempt to place him in an amiable light […] Wickham will soon be gone; and therefore it will not signify to any body here what he really is. Some time hence it will be all found out, and then we may laugh at their stupidity in not knowing it before.  At present I will say nothing about it” (221).  

• Elizabeth shares the information that she has learned from Darcy with Jane.  She tells Jane about what she has learned about Wickham.  They choose not to tell the people about Wickham’s faults because he is leaving soon and they think that the rest of the people will figure it out for themselves.  Prejudice against Mr. Darcy is also shown in this quote.  Mr. Darcy brought this information about and it would be hard for the people to accept it due to the prejudice they still hold against him.  It is a sticky situation that the girls are faced with and it will be interesting to see how it will play out as the story goes on.  It will also be interesting to see if Elizabeth confronts Wickham about the news.
  

Why do Elizabeth and Jane choose not to bring Wickham’s faults to the public?

A.) They do not want to hurt his reputation

B.) Elizabeth still has feelings for him

C.) They are not sure if the accusations are true

D.) Darcy did not give his permission

E.) We do not know

Pride and Prejudice 8: ch 11-13

"Had I been in love, I could not have been more wretchedly blind.  But vanity, not love, has been my folly.  Pleased with preference of one, and offended by the neglect of the other, on the very beginning of our acquaintance, I have courted prepossession and ignorance, and driven reason away where either were concerned.  Till this moment, I never knew myself" (205). 

• Elizabeth has realized her faults through this quote.  She has been blinded by her first impressions of people.  She has also been blinded by her pride and prejudices towards people.  We now see where the two titles of the books came from.  First impressions are valued too much in this society and the people never really take a chance on getting to understand those who have a bad first impression.  On the other hand if a person has a good first impression they are thought to be a good person and their character is not questioned.  This is perfectly illustrated with Elizabeth’s feelings toward Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham.  Her first impressions of the two individuals created a prejudice that blinded her and it was not until now that she has realized her mistake.  She must not make an effort to try and make things right, but it will not be easy.
  

Mr. Darcy’s proposal and letter were

I- Heartfelt

II- Full of Pride

III- Thoughtful and showing his true feelings

A.) I

B.) II

C.) III

D.) I &III

E.) II & III

Pride and Prejudice 6: ch 2-5

“how can I promise to be wiser than so many of my fellow-creatures […] All I can promise you, therefore, is not to be in a hurry.  I will not be in a hurry to believe myself his first object. […] they parted- a wonderful instance of advice being given on such a point without being resented” (145).

• This quote takes place after Mrs. Gardiner, Elizabeth’s aunt, warns Elizabeth not to marry or fall in love with Mr. Wickham.  Mrs. Gardiner believes Wickham is a “most interesting young man” (144), but he is unsuitable for marriage because he is not wealthy.  She even speaks about the fact that if he had the money that he deserves, from the deceased Mr. Darcy, that Elizabeth “could do no better” (144).  Elizabeth’s response to these statements is weak, most likely because she may be in the process of falling in love with him.  Elizabeth promises that she shall try to keep him from falling in love with him, but she never says anything about trying to keep herself from falling in love with him.  I think that at the current moment that Elizabeth does have feelings for him, but she does not want to admit it.  It will be interesting to see how their relationship plays out.  
  

Mrs. Gardiner thinks that Elizabeth should not fall in love with Wickham because he

A.) has bad manners

B.) made a bad first impression on her

C.) is not wealthy enough

D.) has too much pride

Pride and Prejudice 5: ch 21-1

“I hope you will be satisfied with what I have done. I am not romantic, you know. I never was. I ask only a comfortable home; and, considering Mr. Collin’s character, connection, and situation in life, I am convinced that my chance of happiness with him is as fair as most people can boast on entering the marriage state” (125). 

• This section is very similar to Mr. Collins’s proposal to Elizabeth.  In Mr. Collins’s proposal to Elizabeth he spoke of things about the marriage that would benefit the two, but he never really spoke of his “love” for Elizabeth.  Charlotte is just happy to be married.  She obviously is not the most attractive girl and she is not very suitable for marriage.  She is happy because Mr. Collins is financially stable for the future and she will benefit from this marriage, even if she does not have real feelings of love for him.  Elizabeth did not agree with Charlotte’s decision: “Charlotte, the wife of Mr. Collins, was a most humiliating picture!” (125). It shows how Elizabeth’s view of marriage is different from many because she views marriage for her feelings for the other person and not how she could financially benefit from it.  
  

Charlotte’s explanation of her marriage to Mr. Collins and Mr. Collins’s proposal to Elizabeth are

A.) similar because they both speak of love of one another 

B.) different because they 

C.) the similar because both lack of personal interest of the other

D.) different because Charlotte speaks of love and Mr. Collins speaks of life

Huck Finn essay

Andy Medina

AP English

Mr. George

Huckleberry Finn Essay

3/23/09

Huck’s upbringing and how it helped him to act outside of the normal in his society

Huckleberry Finn is unlike many boys.  He is twelve years old and lives a different life than many would expect.  Huck Finn is more independent and has a different view on life.  He acts differently because of his upbringing which is different to say the least.  Huck is raised with different ideas and in different places.  Due to his unique upbringing Huck has different characteristics.  He is brought up with contradicting ideas about what he should be, and how he should act in society.  

Huckleberry Finn is raised and develops in a few different settings.  He lived in the woods with his father, in a house with the Widow Douglass and Miss Watson, and on the raft with Jim.  All three areas a much different, and what Huck experiences in each settings defines him as a person.  His views about life are different because of his rearing.  With Pap Huck’s life was much different from what people would consider the norm.  Huck’s time with the Widow Douglass and Miss Watson is quite contrary to his time with Pap.  He is more “civilized” in the sense that he sleeps in a bed, wears clean clothes, and goes to school.  This is a very different experience for Huck since when he was with Pap he had a lot of freedom.  He was not used to this life style and was not very sure if he liked it: “I had stopped cussing, because the widow didn’t like it; but now I took to it again because pap hadn’t no objections. It was pretty good times up in the woods there, take it all around” (Twain 34).  With Pap Huck could do what he liked and he had no real sense of what society saw as correct.  He viewed the world in a manner that was very different from others.  

Huck’s upbringing with the Widow Douglass and Miss Watson was contrary to what Huck had learned with Pap.  Huck was taught many new ideas that seemed alien like to him.  “She said the thing a body could get by praying for it was ‘spiritual gifts.’ This was too many for me, but she told me what she meant-I must help other people, and do everything I could for other people, and look out for them all the time, and never think about myself" (19).  Huck is hearing many new things and most likely he thinks that they are foolish.  These new ideas are much different from what he learned when he was with Pap.  Huck now has had two contradictory views on life, and they must have been confusing to understand which was right and which was wrong.  Huck’s view on the world only will become more difficult for him to understand because the diverse opinions that were being taught to him.

The next setting that Huck was exposed to was life on the raft with Jim.  Life was easy on the raft: “there warn't no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don't. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft" (128).  The raft was a place of freedom for Huck and Jim.  They lived their lives as they wanted to and did things to survive.  They encountered many different situations and people while on the raft, and during these experiences are where the reader is shown many examples of how Huck’s upbringing affects his view on situations in society.  

On the raft Huck was put into many new types of situations that he had to find a way out of.  There were times where they had no food on the raft and were forced to steal, but Huck would leave some other kind of food in its place because he thought it was what the widow would do.  In this type of situation there are examples of two of the forms of Huck’s upbringing.  He stole out of necessity, which is something he would have learned from Pap, and he left something behind in its place because it is something that he thought the Widow Douglass would like.  There are other situations where some event takes place and Huck’s explanation is outside of the norm.  For example there was a time while on the raft Huck found pieces of bread in the water that he could eat.  His answer for why the bread was there was simple: "I reckon the widow or the parson or somebody prayed that this bread would find me […] there's something in it when a body like the widow or the parson prays, but it don't work for me, and I reckon it don't work for only just the right kind"(48).  Huck is still a young, naïve boy, and he has not had the opportunity to learn and develop like others at his age level.  He sees life differently than others, and there are many times where he says things that show how he feels about situations that many people would feel differently about.  

There are issues that Huck has differing views about that many would see as simple to understand, like learning right and wrong: “what's the use you learning to do right, when it's troublesome to do right and ain't no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same?" (104).  Huck’s view on this situation is one from a person who, in his early life, was not taught the difference between right and wrong by societies standards, but he was taught what was right and wrong in order to survive.  Huck’s right and wrong is different from society’s right and wrong.  Another instance where Huck shows his opinion is when he speaks about telling the truth.  "I reckon a body that ups and tells the truth when he is in a tight place, is taking considerable many resks, though I ain't had no experience, […]  and yet here's a case where I'm blest if it don't look to me like the truth is better, and actuly safer, than a lie"(200).  Huck’s experiences have shown him how to act in certain situations, and he has grown as an individual. 

Huck Finn was raised outside of society and was never corrupt by its teachings.  He was exposed to some of societal views as his life went on, but he was always able to view the corruption from the outside since he never truly had a real part in society.  Huck never had to experience the corruption of society for long, and he escaped it because he was not born into it.  He was born outside of society and he could always look in and act outside of the corruption.  

Pride and Prejudice 3: ch 11-16

"She attracted him more than he liked; and Miss Bingly was uncivil to her, and more teasing than usual to himself. He wisely resolved to be particularly careful that no sign of admiration should now escape him" (60). 

• In this section of the reading we see the feelings that Mr. Darcy has for Elizabeth more in the open.  His attraction to Elizabeth is seen by Miss Bingley.  Miss Bingley tried to make Elizabeth seem more and more unsuitable for him, and this made him realize that his feelings for Elizabeth were present.  He figured he must not show his emotions to avoid further suspicion.  He did not want others to think he had feelings for someone who he thought was unsuitable for marriage.  In earlier pages we see interaction between Elizabeth and Miss Bingley.  Miss Bingley, speaking about Darcy‘s pride, says, "Yes, vanity is a weakness indeed. But pride - where there is a real superiority of mind - pride will be always under good regulation" (Austen 57).  She speaks about Darcy’s flaw being his pride.  She may have spoken about faults in Darcy, hoping that Elizabeth would say something of that nature and she could tell Darcy about it.  She wants Darcy to herself, but he has no interest in her.  Why would she talk about his pride?  Pride is not a simple little fault, but she must be too ignorant to realized it, and I’m sure Elizabeth must realize this also
  

In this novel a people are judged by their place in society.  What is another very important thing that is a character is judged by in this novel.

A.) Manners

B.) Expensive clothes

C.) Good looks

D.) None of the Above

Pride and Prejudice 1

“Which do you mean?” and turning round, he looked for a moment at Elizabeth, till catching her eye, he withdrew his own and coldly said, “She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me; and I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me” (13-14).

• Mr. Darcy does not start off on the right foot with Elizabeth.  He looks like a stuck up ass who is very shallow.  He says that Elizabeth is “tolerable, but not enough handsome enough to tempt me” (13).  This is obviously an insult towards Elizabeth and it gives the reader a glimpse of Darcy’s haughty disposition.  His remarks do not make Elizabeth happy, and he says these things after he makes eye contact with her and he knows that there is a possibility that she can hear him.  He makes himself look like a jerk to the townspeople who now feel indifferent towards him.  They were drawn to him because of his place in society, but his manners and iniquities now push people away.  It will be interesting to see how the relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy will grow as the novel goes on.  
  

Darcy’s statement can be described as which vocabulary word?

A.) Affront C.) Amiable

B.) Felicity D.) Precipitate

Huck Finn 5: pg 185-208

“how ornery and tough the fried chickens was” (184). Ornery- ugly and unpleasant in disposition or temper; stubborn; low or vile ; inferior or common; ordinary 

“The lid was shoved along about a foot, showing the dead man’s face down there, with a wet cloth over it, and his shroud on” (192). Shroud-a cloth or sheet in which a corpse is wrapped for burial 

“I felt so ornery and low down and mean, that I says to myself, My mind’s made up; I’ll hive the money for them or bust” (188).

• This quote shows that Huck is growing.  It is the first time that Huck decides to actively try and stop the duke and dauphin’s plans.  He has decided to tell Mary Jane about the two frauds.  This is a major development in Huck’s character because he would never have done this before.  He tried to stay out of trouble and not say anything about the duke and dauphin’s plans to get money.  He didn’t even tell Jim about the two.  Now we see Huck has grown enough to try and thwart the two frauds.  He is aware of the trouble that he may cause himself, but that does not stop him.  He has decided to do the right thing and tell Mary Jane.  
  

"I reckon a body that ups and tells the truth when he is in a tight place, is taking considerable many resks, though I ain't had no experience, and can't say for certain; but it looks so to me, anyway; and yet here's a case where I'm blest if it don't look to me like the truth is better, and actuly safer, than a lie"(200). 

• Huck may be choosing to tell the truth to cause less trouble, but he is still telling the truth without knowing what the truth may hold.  The truth could break Mary Jane and cause a lot of trouble with the duke and dauphin, but it is safer than a lie.  If Huck lied, he would be stuck in that lie and most likely continue to build more lies around it.  Huck is still trying to stay out of trouble by not lying, but he is doing the right thing by telling the truth.  The duke and dauphin are taking advantage of the poor group of sisters and Huck is doing the right thing by exposing their plans.  Hopefully his decision will end good for him so it doesn’t stop him from telling the truth later in the novel.  
  

Huck and Jim Dialogue

Jim:

Der Huck was.  I seen Huck and some other folk.  Der wer two other men in de canoe wid ‘im.  I seen dem talkin’. Dey wer lafin and it seemed deys wer havin’ fun.  Huck came up to de raft and told me dat der names was Bob and Tom. Dey seemed like nice fold.  Dey both started talking bout deir der lives. Dey both was homeless.  Dey asked Huck fo sum money wen he went walkin by dem in de town.  Huck didn’t have no money so he went and told dem to come stay on de raft wit us.  Dey wer very happy bout Huck doin dat fo em.  Dey sed dey’d help us get anyding dat we needed help wit.  Dey sed dey help get food and help us get down de river.  So I says to myself dat dey was gud folk and dat we sud let dem stay wit us on de raft.  Dey were mighty happy dat me and Huck was ta let dem stay wit us.  Den we started movin down de river and we was havin a great ole time together.  We was singin and talkin and drinkin on de raft.  We was havin such a gud time.  Huck done gud by bringin dese guys on de raft. 

De next day Huck and Bob and Tom went out into de next town cause we didn’t have any food left.  Dey went into de town and dey went round askin fo any food dat folks wud givem.  De town folk wer very kind folk.  Dey gave em sum food and water and even gave em sum money on the count dat Huck was wit dem and he looked so dirty and cause he was yung.  Den Huck and de other guys cam back ta wer I was on de raft. Dey had all de stuff wit em and I was so happy ta see all de stuff dey got from dey folks in de town.  We went back on de raft and started gwyne down de river sum mo so we cud get ta wer we needed ta go so I cud get back my fambly.  I was so happy to see de money cuz I needed mo money to try and buy em back.  I hoped dat dis all wud work.  I was so happy Huck was wit me now.  He wer de only real fren I gots.  He wer de reason I was still tryn ta get back my fambly.

Huck:

Life on the raft is better than life anywhere else I have lived before.  I could live free as a bird and no one was there to tell me to do nothin.  Me and Jim was best of pals.  He didn’t care much for what I did as long as it wasn’t gettin us into no trouble.  Life was mighty easy.  We could sleep all day and stay up all night.  We weren’t gettin into any real trouble.  We got along just fine.  Me and Jim only argued about silly things like the starts and where we reckoned they were from, and things like that, and by and by we got along with out lives.  

There were times when we did get into trouble, but we always got out of it.  Like the time when we was on the river and the steamboat was comin right for us and they couldn’t see us in the night.  Jim and I paddled so hard that I thought my arms were gwyne to fall right off.  We almost got run over, but the steamboat missed us.  Course Jim went and said we got into that trouble on the count of the snakeskin, but Jim always went around sayin that when we got into any trouble.  Me and Jim got into and out of loads of trouble together.  We was a good team.  There was another time that we almost got arrested cause some folk thought I was harboring a runaway slave.  I had to try and tell’em that Jim was no slave.  I said he was the closest thing to family I got cause my family was killed by Tom Sawyers gang.  I couldn’t think of no other name of a gang.  I told ‘em that Jim saved me and we had to go down the river to escape the gang and to find us a new place to stay.  

Jim and me was great together.  I hope he gets the money he needs to get his family back.  He is a good fellow so I reckon he will do it.  Maybe I’ll even try prayin for him cause maybe this will be the thing that my prayers will be answered for.  

Huck Finn 5: pg 129-158

“Next you’d see a raft sliding by, away off yonder, and maybe a galoot on it chopping” (130).  Galoot- an awkward, eccentric, or foolish person 

“paddled about a mile up a crick” (130).  Crick- variant of creek

"If I never learnt nothing else out of pap, I learnt that the best way to get along with this kind of people is to let them have their own way" (137). 

• I’m glad that Huck saw through the duke and Dauphin’s lies.  There statements were obviously huge lies.  They thought them up on the fly to try and trick Jim and Huck.  It is very convenient that two people were running away from a mob and belonged to such royalty together, and it is even more convenient that Huck found them both.  Huck doesn’t want any issues so he does not call them out on their lies.  He learned this from dealing with his father.  If Huck knew his father was wrong he would not call him out on it because he would get in trouble and probably get beat.  He sees similarities between his father and the two new men.  It is possible that Pap had some qualities that were similar, most likely lying.  Huck does not want any trouble and does not want extra attention brought onto him and Jim so he will let the lies go as long as it does not interfere with him too much.  It is important to note that these men are liars, Pap was maybe a liar, and Huck is a compulsive liar who lies to get his way out of trouble.  
  

“dat’s all right, den.  I doan’ mine one er two kings, but dat’s enough.  Dis one’s powerful drunk, an de duke ain’ much better” (146).

• In this quote we see how Jim is naïve.  He is not stupid however.  He is just uneducated.  He does not realize what the duke and king is saying are lies.  He thinks they are looking out for him and Huck, but they are doing what is best for them.  The first time a decision has to be made by the king or duke and it does not benefit them, they will pick the other option, no matter what the consequence will be for Jim or Huck.  Huck realizes the duke and king’s lies, but Jim does not realize this.  In his life Jim has never encountered any types of kings, or any stories of kings.  Huck has probably heard stories of kings.  Huck can see through their lies.  Jim has never heard these stories and Huck has not told him about the lies so he stays in the dark, and it will take a lot for him to find out about their lies.  
  

Huck Finn 4: pg 88-129

"There was four or five men cavorting around on their horses" (126). Cavort- jump or dance around excitedly

"she was leaning pensive on a tombstone on her right elbow, under a weeping willow, and her other hand hanging down her side holding a white handkerchief and a reticule" (113).  Reticule - a small purse or bag, originally of network but later of silk, rayon, etc.

“what's the use you learning to do right, when it's troublesome to do right and ain't no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same?" (104).

• Huck has seemed to be confusion about right and wrong so far in the story.  He is seeing right and wrong in different.  He sees it in the view of right and wrong in law, and acts that are morally right and wrong.  He feels that he has to turn in Jim because he is a runaway slave and is someone else’s property, but he feels differently when Jim tells Huck that he is the only one who he can trust.  Huck is confused, but does the right thing, by moral standards, by not turning Jim in.  Huck’s decision making bothers him so much that he decides that the next time a decision comes up he is going to do what is easiest.  Hopefully this decision does not become a bad one, but most likely it will lead to some trouble Huck might regret.
  

“there warn't no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don't. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft" (128). 

• Huck has moved from place to place and has really never had a permanent home.  He was beaten by Paps, he ran away from Miss Watson’s house, and then he escaped the feud between the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons.  He has never really felt at home or free. On the rat he feels free with Jim.  They live simple lives without rules, and Huck is very comfortable with that.  At Miss Watson’s he did not like the rules, but he is free here.  He was beaten by Pap, but he has nothing to fear on the raft.  Huck escaped the Grangerfords’ feud, and left sickened with society.  On the raft he does not have to deal with any of these things and feels free.  Jim also live a free life with Huck.  It is a safe haven for the two of them.  
  

Huck Finn 2: pg 46-88

“I warn't feeling very brash, there warn't much sand in my craw; but I says, this ain’t no time to be fooling around” (50). Brash- impertinent; impudent; tactless

“There was two old dirty calico dresses” (61). Calico- a plain-woven cotton cloth printed with a figured pattern, usually on one side. 

"I reckon the widow or the parson or somebody prayed that this bread would find me, and here it had gone and done it.  So there ain't no doubt but there is something in that thing.  That is, there's something in it when a body like the widow or the parson prays, but it don't work for me, and I reckon it don't work for only just the right kind"(48). 

• Huck is very happy that he has found the bread floating down the river and believes the “right kind” (48) of person must have prayed for it.  He is still torn between good and bad pray, and he thinks pray is not for him.  He believes if a good person prays for something they will get it, and that he would not get what he prays for.  His ideas about prayer are changing because in the beginning of the novel he believes that there is nothing in prayer for him, but now he just thinks he is not the right kind of person.  This idea is better than believing he is the completely wrong type of person for prayer, and he never rules out becoming that type of person.  Huck just needs to realize anyone can pray because he may need to turn to pray during difficult times later in the novel.
  

"Jim knowed all kinds of signs.  He said he knowed most of everything" (56). 

• In this quote we see how Huck views Jim’s knowledge of superstitions.  Jim’s knowledge plays a continuous role in the story.  It is an ongoing theme.  Jim’s superstitions foreshadow events that are going to happen.  So far his superstitions have been correct.  His superstitions about the rattlesnake are a great example.  He told Huck that it was bad luck to touch the skin.  As a joke, Huck put the skin next to Jim and Jim was bit by a rattlesnake.  We should pay close attention to what Jim says throughout the rest of the story because it will most likely foreshadow what is to happen.  
  

Huck Finn 1&2

"I went down the front garden and clumb over the stile, where you go through the high board fence" (25).  Stile- a series of steps by means of which a person may pass over a wall or fence that remains a barrier to sheep or cattle

“The awfulest nabob in the State” (37).  Nabob- any very wealthy, influential, or powerful person 

“She said the thing a body could get by praying for it was “spiritual gifts.” This was too many for me, but she told me what she meant-I must help other people, and do everything I could for other people, and look out for them all the time, and never think about myself" (19). 

• Miss Douglass seems to really care for Huck.  She is trying to teach him to be a good human being.  She is teaching him to be a good person with good morals. She believes that he can change.  She treats him much different from how his father treated him.  She is nice to him and teaches him without physical abuse to be a better person.  Huck is probably confused about how this will help him, but most people at his age would be.  He is slowly changing, and is even now going to school.  Hopefully he will become a much better young boy with better moral values.  
  

“And after supper he talked to him about temperance and such things till the old man cried, and said he’d been a fool, and fooled away his life; but now he was agoing to turn over a new leaf and be a man nobody wouldn’t be ashamed of” (31). 

• Huck’s father says he will change, but I don’t believe him.  His words make the judge and his family cry, but the words are coming from a man who has been greatly troubled throughout his life.  He is an illiterate drunk.  Huck’s entire family was illiterate, and it doesn’t seem like any of them have amounted to anything in their lives.  Huck’s father saying these words are not very convincing since there is no reason for him to change this far into his life.  He is only saying this to escape more trouble, and this is obvious when he leaves the house in the middle of the night, sells his new jacket, gets drunk, and falls and breaks his arm.  I also do not understand why the judge was going to leave Huck under his father’s control.  If these actions do not change his view I don’t know what would.