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Post by Mr. Thomas on Dec 5, 2013 18:03:54 GMT -5
In which we meet "Mr. Finn."
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Post by johnrice on Dec 5, 2013 20:30:20 GMT -5
John Rice
Mr. Thomas
English 11
December 5th
D. Chapter's 4-6 were very insightful in the life of Huckleberry Finn. He is a very interesting character put under extremely difficult circumstances. Within these chapter I was partially confused with a certain passage from the book. Towards the end of chapter 4 Ms. Watson's slave or servant Jim has some sort of hairball. Jim's hairball suddenly begins to talk to Jim, and it is resembles the characteristics of an oracle. It is a peculiar way for an oracle to present itself but I believe the hairball intended for the message to relay back to Huckleberry. The hairball was interestingly supporting Huckleberry Finn when he said " You gwyne to have considerable trouble in yo life, en considerable joy, Sometimes you gwyne git hurt, en sometines you gwyne to git sick, but every time yous gwyne to git well again" (pg 17). This oracle is supporting Huckleberry Finn, and soon after Huckleberry's estranged father shows up to his room.
A. I really do not like Huckleberry Finns father. I feel like Huck would be worse off if his father were actually a large part of his life. On a related note, I just started the series Friday Night Lights on Netflix. The star quarterback live alone with his aging grandmother in a small Texas town. His father came home from Iraq and was unaccustomed to the life his son lived. Matt Serecons father came home his life went into dismay. He played horrible on the field, and didn't get along with his father at all. I think the point I am trying to make is that sometimes when a father figure has been absent for so long in a child's life they can not come back and try to build a relationship again. They grow too far apart and become incompatible with each other's lives.
I couldn't believe in Chapter 6, how Huckleberry Finns father, Pap sued Judge Thatcher for Hucks fortune. First off, that is Huckleberry Finns fortune and that is all. Secondly, he is trying to gain this fortune for the wrong reasons. He is probably going to blow all of the money on alcohol and other miscellaneous things. I despise Pap becasue he is not a good father, and always just looks out for his self interest.
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Post by eointunney on Dec 5, 2013 20:31:35 GMT -5
Eoin Tunney
Mr. Thomas
English 11
5 December 2013
E. The one thing that really surprised me was that his father was an extremely angry and jealous person. I think that most fathers who failed at being a father figure to their children would be thankful that someone like the widow was taking care of Huck so well. She changed Huck’s life and even made him go to school. I was surprised to see that Huck’s father was angry, but I feel that he is more jealous of Huck. Also I think pap may be acting like this because he feels embarrassed that he failed as a father.
A. After reading these three chapters, I felt that pap was extremely similar to the character Thomas Putnam from The Crucible, simply because they are both really greedy. Thomas Putnam used the witchcraft conspiracies in order to buy peoples land. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck’s father pap is extremely greedy and only comes to Huck so he can get his money.
C. One thing that I couldn’t understand was the fact that the new judge never heard anything about Huck’s father before. I would think that a new judge would have to get to know who the troublemakers in the town are. Also when Judge Thatcher and the widow go to court to try to get custody of Huck I thought it was extremely bad timing that a new judge was put in place.
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Post by johnmarano on Dec 5, 2013 20:44:08 GMT -5
John Marano
Mr. Thomas
English 11
5 December 2013
A. I am absolutely loving this story, whether it has meaning to is or not, it is a great source of entertainment for me. I particularly LOVED at the end of chapter 4- beginning of chapter 5, when Huck bumps into his father. This was such a shock to me. We finally meet Mr. Finn. I want to compare it to something that could possibly easily happen. In this day in age we tend to try and avoid people who cause us harm, it is our natural instinct. Specifically, we try and stay away from abusive people who have no positive influence on our lives. It is so ironic how people who we rather not see pop up in our lives when we really do not want any interaction. It kind of reminds me of the Masque of the Red Death, and how no matter how hard Prince tried to avoid things, everything caught up to him. This is a great comparison because Huck is finally settling down in school and adapting to his family and now this curveball is being thrown at him.
E. I really am growing great hatred for Mr. Finn, even this early in the book. Not only does he appear back in Huck’s life, he disparages him and insults him. He wants to take away his education and everything that he has. He even wants Huck to not follow religion. The man is ridiculous. This is why Huck doesn’t make the best decisions. His father has such a negative influence on him. Huck was never able to form a reasonable conscience because of him and this is why he makes poor decisions. It also disgusts me how he is going to his son for money. Come on, can the man get any worse?
C. This story is GREAT. I wanted to read ahead to see what happens but I couldn’t. What does Huck do? I mean we know he is a little messed up in the mind area, is he going to actually kill his father? Also, why is Huck still waiting around while his father is sleeping?? He should get away. Eh, maybe I’m wrong. Huck knows that Pap will find him.
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Post by connor on Dec 5, 2013 20:47:02 GMT -5
Connor Ryan
Mr. Thomas
English 11
12/5/13
D. A line I really enjoyed was "and it warn't long after that till I was used to being where I was, and liked it-all but the cowhide part"(30). I liked this line because I think it shows us what Huckleberry Finn really is like and what he really enjoys. This is the first place where he wants to stay living even though he hates his dad. He talks about moving into the woods and living by himself where he knows that no one can find him. Also I think that this shows us what's going to happen later on in the book. I think Huckleberry Finn will run away to the woods.
C. I was confused about the whole talking ball Jim has. I do not understand why Huckleberry would listen to such a thing. I also did not understand what Jim tells Huckleberry that the ball says to him on page 23. I had trouble making out the words because they were written and spelled very weird. Is that suppose to show the Jim can not speak proper English because slaves are usually uneducated.
I. It shocked me and is kinda unrealistic that the new judge knows nothing about Pap Finn. When people take new jobs they usually know something about the cases that he is going to have to be the judge of. Also it is shocking how much of an alcoholic Pap Finn is. Every dollar he gets goes straight toward whiskey.
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Post by danokeefe15 on Dec 5, 2013 21:04:43 GMT -5
Danny O'Keefe
Mr. Thomas
English 11
5 December 2013
A. I thought when Huckleberry Finn's father was introduced and when they first encounter each other in the story was very interesting. The reason why is because Huck seems to be a slave of his father, as much as he wants to avoid him and not be apart of him he always will be. The judge treats Huck almost as property of Pap he cares more about Pap's rights and how he "owns" him more than his safety and what is best for Huck.
C. What confused me when reading was why they are letting Pap do what he wants and kind of get away with some things. I thought Huck was an official member of the widows house and that she was his legal guardian. How is it possible for Pap to take the money that Tom and Huck have, and how can he possible get custody of Huckster if he is barely around and constantly is abusing him. I feel like people know what he is up to and that they are doing nothing about it
E. I like the tension that's starting to build up and how everything is playing out. I like to see how far Pap can push Huck before he snaps and does what I think he will do. I'm also curious about what will happen to the money because I feel like that will be an important part of the story and how Tom might react to all of this.
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Post by bourdonm15 on Dec 5, 2013 22:14:39 GMT -5
Matthew Bourdon
Mr. Thomas
English 11
12/5/13
B. Throughout Chapters four through six, we now see why Huck has been so depressed to start the story. Pap, Huck’s father, is insanely violent and hateful towards Huck. “So he watched out for me one day in the spring, and catched me, and took me up the river about three mile in a skiff, and crossed over to the Illinois shore where it was woody and there warn’t no houses” (Page 23). Pap went so far as to kidnap Huck and hold him hostage. This is really sad and depressing and as a reader I really feel so bad for Huck.
C. I don’t understand how is it that if Pap is causing all this trouble why isn’t he stored and locked away in jail forever? It seems to me that Judge Thatcher is not doing his job correctly in protecting Huck. Why does the widow, now caretaker of Huck, let Pap into the house? This is all very confusing to me because if he is a threat and a danger to Huck and more civilians he shouldn’t be roaming the community. “The judge said he could hug him for them words; so he cried, and his wife she cried again; Pap said he has been a man that has always been misunderstood before, and the judge said he believed it.” (Page 22) Judge Thatcher needs to be more assertive instead of being so nice to Pap. Since Pap did wrong, he should pay the price for it.
I. I agree with John R. point about Pap suing Judge Thatcher. He doesn’t deserve the money AT ALL! He is a horrible father to Huck and has no legitimate reasoning for getting the money.
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Post by Sgarlato on Dec 5, 2013 22:50:02 GMT -5
Stephen Sgarlato
Mr. Thomas
English 11
12/5/13
A. The father of Huckleberry Finn just adds to the weird dismay of the book. The father is a mean, greedy man. He adds to the negative aspect of the book. The book so far basically follows the life of a very unlucky child with a bad childhood. He is influenced by bad kids that want him to do bad things and his father is not the best role model.
I. To elaborate on Danny O’Keefe’s question about why Pap can just get custody of Huck I would say it was just what the story had to add. I would say that it just adds to the messed up factor the story takes. There is basically not one negative or messed up thing in the book.
D. A part of the reading I enjoyed was when Huck Finn kind of implied that he was basically going to run away from his terrible life. He hates it and wishes he could just leave it. He hinted that he was going to run away and this would lead into the rest of the story. It was a great part of the story because it gave me, the reader, a nice insight to the rest of the book.
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Post by georgebaroudos on Dec 5, 2013 22:59:40 GMT -5
George Baroudos
Mr. Thomas
English 11
4 December 2013
A – I have always noticed the trend that we cannot help a person who does not want to help himself or herself. Huck’s father does not want to help himself. It is very honorable and respectable of the judge to take Huck’s father in and pamper him. This is out of pure kindness to steer his life into the right direction. Huck’s father has no desire to change. He is to ignorant to change. Someone who has been practicing the same thing their whole entire life will have a difficult time changing because they are scared. Huck’s father is a coward and a lowlife, he is scared because he isn’t man enough.
D – Huck’s father is not a man and it is evident. He clearly states “It don’t make no difference what you want …” (21) and this is how he really feels. In all honesty Huck’s father is out for himself. He is honestly selfish and out for himself. Huck’s father is beyond ignorant and should not be entitled to that money. He is not fit to be a father, he should be imprisoned for raising a child in such a manner. In my eyes treating your son like that is a crime and quite an ugly crime. I really despise this man, Huck is not a bad child but is subject to this abuse and isolation. That cabin is like a prison and Huck’s father is like the warden in a corrupt system.
I – When Jim looks into the hairball it reminded me of the liquor Equaino drank. These are both very odd objects but in many ways are revelations. Both Equaino and Huck are eager to test out these traditions. When we are at our last resort we test out our options. Its rather odd that the hairball described Huck’s life, we will see though!
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Post by rodriguezj15 on Dec 6, 2013 0:38:57 GMT -5
Joel Rodriguez Mr. Thomas English 11 December 5, 2013 The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn 4-6 I. I agree with John when he said that in these chapters Mark Twain gives a deeper insight of Huck’s life. In these chapters you see that Huck is under a lot of pressure, and in the previous chapter you see that he is still a bit immature and is rich. Put two and two together and you get Huck selling his $6,150 for $1 to Judge Thatcher. Also I think the hairball is just Mark Twain just satirizing an oracle, which is cliché in a hero’s journey. E. Mr. Finn is the epitome of an antagonist. He is just evil, even his looks. Huck describes, “There warn’t no color in his face, where his face showed; it was white; not like another man’s white, but a white to make a body sick, a white to make a body’s flesh crawl (pg. 20).” Then Paps disapproves of Huck’s improved lifestyle, tries to take his money, kidnaps him, and tries to kill him. I hate him. C. Is Mark Twain a wannabe transcendentalist? Society always treated Huck Finn horribly. Paps is the best example, but also Judge Thatcher taking his money, Widow Douglas by civilizing him against his will, Miss Watson in being very strict with him, and him being almost kicked out of the gang. All this can add up to a want to escape from corrupted society. Can he being locked in the secluded cabin and escaping from there be his great from society, like we read in “Walden” and “Self-Reliance”? |
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Post by michaelannunziata on Dec 6, 2013 11:55:57 GMT -5
Michael Annunziata
Mr. Thomas
English 11
13, 5, 13
A. One thing that I can make a connection to is when Huck’s father was first introduced. We finally got to meet him as a character in the book, and right when I got to meet him he made a huge first impression on me. With that being said he reminds me of typical children. All typical children think that there dads are like out to get them and that their dads really don’t do anything for them when really he does a lot. But overall I don’t like him at all because of the way he is so sneaky.
D. Mr. Finn is flat out not a person to look up to for many reasons. One of those reasons is because he is so selfish. I mean he came back to Huck just to take his money. How could you do that to the person you are supposed to love the most? His dad is not an inspiring man also because of the way he embarrasses Huck. If I was Huck I would be disgraced of Mr. Finn being my father. That is what I felt about Mr. Finn and why I hate him.
C. One thing that had me puzzled was why Mr. Finn was able to do everything he wanted to do. I know that Huck was threatened to the point where he was scared of his dad beating him up, but I think he has to hold his ground and take it to the authorities.
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Post by scanley73 on Dec 7, 2013 0:13:23 GMT -5
A. The relationship between Huck Finn and his father’s relationship reminds me of the relationship that many people have with their parents. A large number of people today have problematic relationships with their alcoholic fathers or mothers. In fact one of my friends struggled with this issue. I don’t know what it is like first-hand but from my conversations with him I can tell that it is a serious issue that he has had to deal with and it seems like Huck Finn and Pap have a similar relationship.
D. When Huck Finn sees the tracks and recognizes that they belong to his father that alone was impressive. When he has the foresight to give all of his money to Judge Thatcher that is what impressed me the most. The simple fact that he could predict what was going to happen truly show how intelligent Huck Finn really is.
C. One thing that confused me was how the other judge can feel so bad for Pap. He is obviously a scumbag who just use Huck for his own benefit. He is probably the biggest scumbag that I have ever read about in a book. When Huck pulled the gun on him I couldn’t wait to see what is going to happen next. But it should be clear that he isn’t who he makes himself out to be. On his first night there he sneaks out of the house in order to go to Huck. The fact that a judge who should be a good judge of character can mess up this badly boggles my mind.
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Post by matthewsegarra on Dec 9, 2013 19:10:12 GMT -5
Matthew Segarra
Mr. Thomas
English 11
9 December 2013
A. Pap is an antagonist in this story. He is very ungrateful and spiteful. He just drags Huck down and keeps him from achieving his full potential. Huck has very bad influences in his life, his friends and his father are the worst influences for him.
D. I like when Huck realized he has had enough and is going to run away. It adds the adventure element to this story, it makes the story more interesting. It paves the way and will eventually set up a setting in the story(wherever he runs away to).
I. To respond to Danny O'Keefe, Pap gets custody of Huck because he is his father, and there is no one else to take care of him. This is completely unfair, but thats just the way things go in this story.
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Post by etiennem15 on Dec 11, 2013 20:05:07 GMT -5
Marvin Etienne
Mr. Thomas
English 11
5 December 2013
Huck Finn Chapters 4-6
Paps actions in these chapters are beyond disgusting. He comes off as a narcissistic and greedy old drunk who should not even be able to talk to Huck anymore. Being around a person like that would really drive me insane. It's hard to believe that he is Hucks father. Better yet, it's hard to believe that this guy is anyone's father. He only thinks about himself because the only reason he "wants his son back" is so that he can get money from the judge. He thinks Huck is trying to be "better" than him. Most parents would wish the best for their kids, a better life than they had. Yet, this maniac scorns Huck for being able to read.
C. I do not understand why the judges can allow this guy in Huck's life. He is obviously a bad person so why in the world don't they prohibit him from seeing and coming in contact with his son. If I was Huck, I would try to rid of him from my life. I'm not sure how he will go about doing that, but doing so will make his life so much better. I kind of feel sorry for Huck because he has to out up with this guys crap. It's sad to see the way he is treated.
I. John brought up a valid point when he said the Mark Twain is giving us a deeper view of Huck's life. I feel like I'm walking in his shoes.
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