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Post by Mr. Thomas on Dec 16, 2013 13:16:25 GMT -5
The duke and king arrive.
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Post by johnmarano on Dec 16, 2013 16:33:23 GMT -5
John Marano
Mr. Thomas
English 11
16 December 2013
E. I want to point out that I really find Huck’s reactions to the new “members” of his canoe quite amusing. The two men are con men, but along his journey Huck became quite the con man himself, especially seen when he disguises his identity in numerous different occasions. What really amuses me is how Huck shows his intelligence by not revealing that he KNOWS they are liars. I think this was so clever because he was looking out for him and Jim. He didn’t know what they were capable of so he doesn’t want to “anger” them in the way I see it. I am definitely a fan of his reaction towards the decision to keep his mouth shut because he was ensuring the safety of him and Jim and he was thinking outside the box.
C. I find it kind of strange that the “duke and dauphin” are questioning Jim. Why are they questioning if he is hiding something? They are hiding something to. It makes no sense to me. Also why is the dauphin treating Jim so badly? Is it because he is black? Or does he just want to make money? It makes no sense considering Jim and Huck did them a huge favor.
I. In class today, Foti and I got into a heated debate (kidding), but I guess we were both wrong. Foti said how he is just a kid who adores the comfort from the previous family so leaving Jim wasn’t a problem. I said that it was wrong of him to leave Jim because they were in this great escape together. In this reading, when the duke and dauphin are questioning Jim, he makes up a quick lie to save his friend. I guess this still shows how he is warm-hearted (Foti’s point) because he still cares.
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Post by frankclarke on Dec 16, 2013 19:37:50 GMT -5
Frank Clarke
Mr. Thomas
English 11
16 December 2013
I. Bringing it back to our social norm discussion today, we see on page 118 Huck says “we was always naked, day and night,..” In today’s world, if you sit around naked with your black friend, day in and day out, you’d probably get arrested and scolded by society. Unfortunately we have deemed our God-given genitalia too disturbing to be unleashed, in a public scene. However, this is a social norm of today. Back then, Huck could’ve gotten naked all day long with no worry about whom or what may see. Today, it’s a completely different story. We again see these two parallels into dramatically different societies.
E. We see a pretty dramatic change in tone during chapter 19. We see Huck and Jim constantly looking over their shoulders, and only traveling during the nighttime to avoid skiffs. Now we see them in complete relaxation, with no worries in the world. They enjoy each others silence (greatest relationship ever is when you can enjoy each others silence!!!) They just sit and listen; yet there is nothing to listen too. Only when Huck sees the two men does he rethink.
A. “I thought I was a goner, for whenever anybody was after anybody I judged it was me- or maybe Jim.” In relation to the rest of the story, this is key. We see Huck totally relaxing, loving every second of life right now, and hears these two men coming towards him and his heart drops. Even if these men are a Duke and a King (ha!!!) it’s still the idea that someone may still be looking for Huck that scares him. It’s key to remember that he is on the run and people may be looking for this guy!!
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Post by Sgarlato on Dec 16, 2013 20:06:40 GMT -5
Stephen Sgarlato
Mr. Thomas
English 11
12/16/13
I. To answer John Marano’s question I would say that I think the “dauphin and duke” are questioning Jim to defend themselves. They are obviously hiding something and they start to question Jim to cover and make it look like they have nothing to hide. This is risky but seems to work. I also think they treat Jim so badly because he is black .Remember that this was during the middle of slavery and everyone most people were racist.
D. I like the part where Huck and Jim meet the two men down the river. They turn out to be con artists but I feel like it fits the story correctly. They keep meeting crazy people and this just adds to craziness of their expedition.
C. I do not know why the duke takes away Jim and Huck’s beds. Like I know that duke and dauphin are suspicious of them but what is taking away their beds have to do with anything. This is a great scene to the story because it adds suspicion and we don’t know what is going to happen to this group of people later on in the story
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Post by danokeefe15 on Dec 16, 2013 21:03:31 GMT -5
Danny O'Keefe
Mr. Thomas
English 11
16 December 2013
C. What confused me in Chapters 19 and 20 was when the Huck and Jim meet the two men and the try to play it off like they are royalty and all that. How dumb can someone be, do they actually think that Huck and Jim fell for it. When they first met they were running away and they looked all beaten up and in need of help. If they really were important people they wouldn't be wearing the clothes that they had on and they wouldn't be in the situation that they both were in.
E. I found Huck knowing that the two men were lying and him playing along with it to be very amusing. It shows how far he has come and how different he is now from the beginning of the book. It shows how intelligent he is and how he has matured. The reason why is because he is tricking and fooling people that are con artists, for a thirteen year old boy to play the same game as two con artists and kind of win is pretty impressive.
B. I found these chapters to be very important because it shows how much Huck and Jim enjoy each other. It shows that they mean something to each other and that with the little that they have they still enjoy themselves and that they depend on each other on their journey.
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Post by poulong15 on Dec 16, 2013 21:17:42 GMT -5
Gregory Poulon
Mr. Thomas
Englihs-11
December 16, 2013
Chapters 19-20
After reading chapter 19, I began to laugh at a lot of the comments the author makes. The funniest thing is the gullibility of Jim and Huck when they encounter these two men. Both of them have fled from their countries because they were frauds, and they trick Huck and Jim into thinking that they are royalty. You would think this could ever happen because of all the times that Huck has lied to get him out of different situations. There are times in the story, were Huck lies and he false for these stupid guys. This part of the story can be calling for some foreshadowing and maybe this can be a vital role to the outcome. Also, I picked up that Huck has figured out that these two men are not really royalty.
Chapter 20 is kind of a contradiction to chapter 19 in many ways. Now that this foursome is getting to know each other a lot better, they begin to pick up in things. Now the tables are turned, and Huck knowing that these men are not royalty, begins to lie to them and escape the. I find it interesting how Huck, Jim and the “ royalty” go to this religious island so that they can perform Shakespeare. I am confused how all this can tie into one knot, but this is why I’m reading the story and I’m not the one writing it.
In chapter 20 I found it a little odd that these “royalty” can get kisses from girls meanwhile, when described earlier, they have rugged clothes on and nothing to impress a girl. I do not know what the ladies were like back then, but for sure now at days I do not think this would ride with a lot of women.
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Post by eointunney on Dec 16, 2013 21:20:55 GMT -5
Eoin Tunney
Mr. Thomas
English 11
16 December 2013
D. In the beginning of Chapter 19 there was one thing that I was extremely surprised at and I also found it extremely weird. On page 118 Huck says, “we was always naked, day and night,…” Once I saw this, I underlined it and just drew a big question mark on the side of the page. Just thinking about this, I didn’t really see how this could be a normal thing back in their time, because I know if there were two men sitting naked on a boat today there would be a lot of people freaked out. Also its crazy how today this would be a crime while back then this thing could be a normal sight.
E. Chapters 19 and 20 really showed how much smarter Huck is compared to Jim. When the two con artists say they are both royalty, especially one of them calling himself the King of France, Huck was able to tell that these two guys were lying. Its amazing how these guys were able to fool Jim so easily, but I guess since Jim grew up as a slave he wouldn’t know what an actual king is like. Also I found it funny how Jim was trying to make the man proclaiming he was the King of France speak French, but once again the guy tricked Jim.
A. I feel like these two con artists aren’t too different from Huck or even con artists of today. These two men are very similar to Huck because all of them make up fake identities too con people. Also these men don’t seem to be smart con artists because Huck was easily able to discover they were liars, which is similar to Huck’s experience when the woman knew he was lying about his identity. It amazing how con artists throughout so many years haven’t changed in their ways of thinking. All that has changed between con artists of Huck’s time and con artists of today is the amount of money and the many ways of doing it.
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Post by epoccia on Dec 16, 2013 22:46:20 GMT -5
Eddie Poccia
English 11
Mr. Thomas
12/16/13
Chapters 19-20
I think that the king and the duke are similar to Huck because they are all clever and they all think the same way. They are all liars and have the ability to get themselves out of sticky situations. Huck also has a history of pretending to be other people which also relates to the con artists.
I think it is strange that event bought Huck knows that they are not royalty, he still treats the con artists like royalty. I don't think Jim figured out that they were con men and so he actually thinks that they are royalty. I don't know why Huck doesn't just tell Jim and treat them as equals.
I think that Huck and Jim are more friends than father and son. In chapter 20, Huck falls off the raft and Jim laughs at him. This is something that two friends would do and it made me see them more as friends than family.
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Post by scanley73 on Dec 16, 2013 22:57:22 GMT -5
I. In response to Steve’s question about the beds, I think it was a way to try to get in their heads. By taking away their beds they are sleeping on a hard surface and that isn’t easy to sleep on. I agree that it seems odd at first but there is a reason behind it. No one does anything without having a reason. I think that the reason is to get in their heads and possibly gets answers to their suspicions of them.
A. The case where the duke takes away Huck and Jim’s beds reminds me of some of the methods we use to gain information from people of interest. Granted this is nowhere near severe as how we treat captives who we question; when we question people they go through horrific experiences and are starved in order to make them desperate. The removal reminds me of depriving people of basic commodities. This goes to extremely long extents when we torture people for information but it just reminded me of it because the same philosophy of getting answers by depriving people is there.
C. One line that took me by surprise, and I know Eoin already mentioned it but I feel like this can’t go without explanation, was the line where Huck says “we was naked all day and night,” I feel like that was just thrown in there. There was no follow up or explanation for it. Was that a slang term back then for something? This really confused me.
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djmat
New Member
Posts: 39 
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Post by djmat on Dec 16, 2013 23:13:33 GMT -5
Dj Mat
Mr. Thomas
English 11
16 December 2013
B. I gotta say the end of chapter 20 was pretty big I think. King and Duke may be a bit obnoxious but they helped Huck and Him a bit by getting a bill with a bounty on Jim so they can claim they have captured him already. Now they can travel in the morning without being stopped or hassled. I am just concerned that something may go wrong because of that bill and it will end up getting Jim and Huck into trouble. But all in all that bill is pretty important for Huck and Jim at the moment.
I. Alright Tunney i think i have figured out the naked thing. In the chapter was describing the beautiful surroundings on the river aka nature. So I can only assume that being naked is sort of Mark Twain's way of showing that Huck is being one with nature. It really does seem a bit pointless because i really can not see how it relates to the time or realism but whatever.
E. So I can not say I am a big fan of King and Duke. They are pretty witty but if I were Huck i would not have let them sleep inside the wigwam. I have to say though i found it funny when they went out to con people and King returns with $87.75 and right after Duke comes back with about nine bucks thinking he scored well only to find out King got a lot more than he did.
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Post by rodriguezj15 on Dec 17, 2013 1:20:17 GMT -5
Joel Rodriguez
Mr. Thomas
English 11
December 16, 2013
The Adventures of Huck Finn 19-20
E. I think the duke and dauphin are important characters in the adventure and Mark Twain uses them to satirize the con artists of the south in those days. We discussed before how Mark Twain likes to make fun of certain people of his time by using characters in his book. For example, Paps represented the racist drunks, Miss Watson represented the strict religious people, and Emeline represented Julie A. Moore. But I think the duke and dauphin are used more than just to be parodies. I believe they are parallel to Jim and Huck. They’re basically in the same situation as Jim and Huck, on the run. Both are couples and would rather team up than do it on their own. But the duke and dauphin are cruel and immoral unlike Jim and Huck who have a heart.
F. Huck’s decision to just go along with the lie was a smart decision. Huck should be given props for noticing that the “duke” and “dauphin” were lying in the first place, but his decision to pretend he didn’t was even smarter. Huck knows what he needs to do to survive and lying is one thing he seems to be an expert at.
G. Now when I’m reading I just imagine this ridiculously long river. On both sides there are just people, hitchhikers, who Huck and Jim meet. All these people to me are all different and teach Huck something about the real world.
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Post by michaelannunziata on Dec 17, 2013 11:59:56 GMT -5
Michael Annunziata
Mr. Thomas
English 11
12/17/13
A. One part of this reading that I can relate too is when Duke takes away Huck and Jim’s beds. It reminds me of the movie Zero Dark Thirty. (The movie about killing Osama Bin Laden) It reminds me of the scene where the spy tortures one of the people who worked for Osama Bin laden. He gets his food taken away if he doesn’t cooperate just like how Duke took Huck and Jims bed away. That’s the connection I can make from the reading to myself.
B. I liked this chapter a lot for many reasons. One of those reasons is because it shows how much Huck and Jim mean to each other. They do everything together and although they may have some hard times, at the end of the day they are still so close and they are still going to be together no matter what. The fact that they can depend on each other throughout all the journeys they have been on just shows how much trust they have in each other and how much they mean to each other. That’s why I found these chapters so important compared to the others.
C. One thing that I was confused with is that Huck and Jim’s relationship pretty much changes every couple of chapters. I really don’t know if Huck wants Jim around or if he needs Jim around but I’m hoping the truth comes out soon because it’s confusing me a lot.
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Post by fotia15 on Dec 17, 2013 18:37:33 GMT -5
A. its funny how Huck is hanging out with these con artist when he is one himself. Huck and Jim are well aware that these people are trying to play them. I feel like huck is definitely set them up with something. I dont know what yet but hes gonna totally mess them up.
e. I Love how jim is back. i dont want to go to into it because it seems like every post i write is about jim, but he definitely is such a major help to huck. Huck really does care for him. They complete each other.
i. I want to thank John for proving im right. They are both entirely warmed hearted towards each other. Their is such a major vibe between the both of them. I do agree with john in sense then huck doesnt need jim, yet at the same time its good to have each other.
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Post by matthewchan on Dec 17, 2013 21:37:59 GMT -5
Matthew Chan
Mr. Thomas
English 11
17 December 2013
C. Do you think Huck and Jim believe in the King and the Duke? As we said earlier, Huck is smart and we continue to see his intellectuality grow throughout the story. I am pretty sure Huck can easily figure out that both are lying. On the other hand, I can see Jim believing them because of where he came from. Many slaves would agree with anything and do not know much about the outside world. Once they hear something great, they will always listen to it and treasure it forever.
I. As Matt Bourdon said in class, I am a bit shocked by the way Huck acts during chapter 20. He witnesses and hears about the King’s plan to bribe the crowd but he doesn’t do anything to stop it even though he knows that it is bad. I thought that he was becoming more of himself and becoming smarter every single time but unfortunately, it doesn’t seem so here. I think he feels scared and worried which we wouldn’t picture from Huck after all he has been through.
E. I find it how stupid people can be. How can a group of people believe a pirate from the Indian Ocean came to the middle of America for money to convert himself and his people? I guess the congregation was having too much fun. Earlier in the book, Ms. Watson was teaching Huck about how God and religion is important and Huck never listened to her and thought it was stupid and a waste of time. Now, I understand why Huck said that in the beginning.
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