LunaLee Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 This essay from IEW's Excellence in American Literature. The assignment was to write a 750 (minimum) on how Huck's decisions during the journey help him mature and what were 2-3 important things he learned from the journey. She was supposed to use specific quotes and text to support ideas. I know she didn't use quotes & texts, and it took her almost two weeks to come up with this. I know we need to work on writing skills, but I just don't know where to start...What do you all think? The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Huckleberry Finns journey was not only a journey of adventures, but a journey from boyhood to adulthood. Huck was faced with many obstacles which forced him to make the most wise and mature decisions. For a boy of only 14, Huck made many choices in his life that helped him succeed better in life. He also, when put in these difficult positions, would analyze them and make the smartest decision that would not have any negative consequences later on. At the beginning of the book Mart Twain tells us of how Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer came across a treasure which made them both extremely rich. The boys brought the money to Judge Thatcher who held on to their money for them and gave them small amounts at a time. After Huck’s father returned from his drunken disappearance he tried taking all of the money from Huck. Huck then decided that it was in everyone’s best interest to have Judge Thatcher keep all of the money because Huck didn’t really need the money and didn’t feel the money was worth all of the drama with his father. In the end Judge Thatcher had saved the money for Huck even though Huck didn’t want anything to do with it so that way when Huck was older he had some money to help support him. Taking care of yourself is a very difficult task especially if you’re still only a child, but taking care of yourself and other human being is even more difficult. Throughout the book Huck not only had to watch out for himself but for Jim as well. He took on the responsibility of making sure he found enough food for himself and for Jim even though sometimes finding enough food for just him was difficult Huck always managed to find enough for the two of them. He also made sure that Jim also had a safe place to sleep at night and whenever Jim was in trouble or hurt, Huck was the one who had to help Jim and make sure he was okay. During this time period helping a slave was illegal; Huck questioned whether or not turning Jim in was the right thing to do because if caught Huck would be in major trouble. After thinking about it, Huck realized that turning Jim in was not the best idea and he knew that the right thing would just to continue helping Jim. Huck did his best when it came to making the right choices; He knew right from wrong and did his best to make the right decisions. He was faced with trials that challenged his abilities from choosing right from wrong but in the end he ended up choosing the right path. Huck grew up around with people who treating black people negatively but he formed his own opinion and did what he felt was right which was not turning Jim in. Another trying choice Huck had to make was at the beginning of the book where he decided to run away from home. Because his father was an abusive drunk, Huck felt that he was putting himself in danger by staying home but if he ran away we would have a better life and not be subjected to his father’s bad influence. This was a very complicated choice to make for Huck because if he left home, he would be all on his own with no help but he felt that this was better than staying in the hostile home environment. Even though there were many paths that Huck could have chose and would have been good, he chose the ones that he felt would help him later down the road. We all are faced with decisions and choices that force us to really think and view all of our options and then chose the best one. Some of us take the wrong paths and make bad choices which affect us later in life but Huckleberry Finn is a prime example of someone who had to grow up and start making decisions to avoid getting in trouble and ruining life later on. He faced many challenges which often made him question his choices and morals but in the end, he chose to stick to his beliefs and do what he felt he needed to do for himself to help him get far in life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choirfarm Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 This essay from IEW's Excellence in American Literature. The assignment was to write a 750 (minimum) on how Huck's decisions during the journey help him mature and what were 2-3 important things he learned from the journey. She was supposed to use specific quotes and text to support ideas. I know she didn't use quotes & texts, and it took her almost two weeks to come up with this. I know we need to work on writing skills, but I just don't know where to start...What do you all think? The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Huckleberry Finns journey was not only a journey of adventures, but a journey from boyhood to adulthood. Huck was faced with many obstacles which forced him to make the most wise and mature decisions.???? Huck does what he does to survive. He isn't mature at all. For a boy of only 14, Huck made many choices in his life that helped him succeed better in life. He also, when put in these difficult positions, would analyze them and make the smartest decision that would not have any negative consequences later on. .. no not really.. lots of his choices had negative consequences. He did have street smarts, however. At the beginning of the book Mart Twain tells us of how Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer came across a treasure which made them both extremely rich. The boys brought the money to Judge Thatcher who held on to their money for them and gave them small amounts at a time. After Huck’s father returned from his drunken disappearance he tried taking all of the money from Huck. Huck then decided that it was in everyone’s best interest to have Judge Thatcher keep all of the money because Huck didn’t really need the money and didn’t feel the money was worth all of the drama with his father. In the end Judge Thatcher had saved the money for Huck even though Huck didn’t want anything to do with it so that way when Huck was older he had some money to help support him. Taking care of yourself is a very difficult task especially if you’re still only a child, but taking care of yourself and other human being is even more difficult. Throughout the book Huck not only had to watch out for himself but for Jim as well. He took on the responsibility of making sure he found enough food for himself and for Jim even though sometimes finding enough food for just him was difficult Huck always managed to find enough for the two of them. He also made sure that Jim also had a safe place to sleep at night and whenever Jim was in trouble or hurt, Huck was the one who had to help Jim and make sure he was okay. During this time period helping a slave was illegal; Huck questioned whether or not turning Jim in was the right thing to do because if caught Huck would be in major trouble. After thinking about it, Huck realized that turning Jim in was not the best idea and he knew that the right thing would just to continue helping Jim. Ok, it has been a couple of years, but what I remember is how much more responsible Jim was than Huck. Also, Huck was deliberately cruel to Jim by playing a trick on him. When he sees how hurt Jim is, he starts to realize that Jim is not just a negro, he is a person...he has feelings. Up to that point in the novel, he hasn't. I like the ending of this paragraph. He would be in trouble not just with the law, but spiritually. She could put the most important quote in the whole novel, " All right then, I'll go to hell!" ( have her look up the quote, I'm doing this from memory.) Explain what Huck means by that and how he has changed from someone who blindly follows what society thinks. Huck did his best when it came to making the right choices; He knew right from wrong and did his best to make the right decisions. Uh... no, he didn't. He steals, lies and doesn't see anything wrong with that and there isn't much change by the end.. He was faced with trials that challenged his abilities from choosing right from wrong but in the end he ended up choosing the right path. Huck grew up around with people who treating black people negatively but he formed his own opinion and did what he felt was right which was not turning Jim in. Same point she made above. Move this section up. Another trying choice Huck had to make was at the beginning of the book where he decided to run away from home. Because his father was an abusive drunk, Huck felt that he was putting himself in danger by staying home but if he ran away we would have a better life and not be subjected to his father’s bad influence. This was a very complicated choice to make for Huck because if he left home, he would be all on his own with no help but he felt that this was better than staying in the hostile home environment. I don't know that this was really his choice. He didn't like the civilizing the widow and her sister were trying to do. He liked living on his own. Even though there were many paths that Huck could have chose and would have been good, he chose the ones that he felt would help him later down the road. No, he chose what he did for survival. We all are faced with decisions and choices that force us to really think and view all of our options and then chose the best one. Some of us take the wrong paths and make bad choices which affect us later in life but Huckleberry Finn is a prime example of someone who had to grow up and start making decisions to avoid getting in trouble and ruining life later on. He faced many challenges which often made him question his choices and morals but in the end, he chose to stick to his beliefs and do what he felt he needed to do for himself to help him get far in life. Remember, do not use first person ( us) in a formal literary paper. [/QUOTE] Does she have cliff notes or something like that? It might help her to read Pink Monkey notes online as I think she missed part of the story. Huck has no morals and hasn't had anyone to teach him.. that is part of how he changes. The Judge Thacker example is ok.. Huck chose what would help him survive, not what would help him down the road!! He really wasn't all that nice to Jim at first and didn't really see him as a person. So she could discuss what he learned by playing the trick. Find a quotation in that scene that shows he learned that. She discussed what he learned by not turning him in pretty well. Just add the I'll go to hell quotation. That is one of the few situations where he works against self-preservation. Not too bad for a first analysis. I have more of a problem of her understanding of the novel. Mark Twain makes it VERY clear that Huck has absolutely no idea the difference between right and wrong at the beginning of the novel. She doesn't need to make Huck sound like the perfect boy, he was not!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LunaLee Posted February 22, 2011 Author Share Posted February 22, 2011 :D Uh, yes, comprehension has always been a problem, although she also has a tendency to see things differently then everybody else, so I walk a fine line between helping her understand what she's read, and letting her have her own point of view. We do use SparkNotes however, and talk about the book, but after this essay I decided to have her use a study guide (Progeny Press, Novel Units, etc...) for her readings. I am hoping that this will help with her next essay. Thanks for your input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choirfarm Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 :D Uh, yes, comprehension has always been a problem, although she also has a tendency to see things differently then everybody else, so I walk a fine line between helping her understand what she's read, and letting her have her own point of view. We do use SparkNotes however, and talk about the book, but after this essay I decided to have her use a study guide (Progeny Press, Novel Units, etc...) for her readings. I am hoping that this will help with her next essay. Thanks for your input. It is subtle. You have to read between the lines. I will often read certain sections out loud and ask questions as I go. My boys don't get the subtle parts either without direction. We talked a lot about Huck, the narrator when we read this last year. Honestly, most high schoolers cannot do it. You have to model it and show them how. After several years of this, they are just now finding things on their own. I didn't mean to sound harsh, really.. Just read things with her or at least passages. She will get better. Upper level literature is just hard. Teaching company tapes can help as well. Christine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LunaLee Posted February 22, 2011 Author Share Posted February 22, 2011 Christine, I didn't think you were being harsh. That's why I put this essay out there, I wanted to hear other people's opinions. It helps me gauge where I am as far as what I'm doing to help her and my expectations of what she should be doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caitilin Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I just graded six of these exact essays yesterday! ;) I am teaching/facilitating a class using that same EIL book, so I know the assignment you're working with. I do think that your dd has not really digested the whole story, as choirfarm points out. However, I would disagree that Huck is just as morally questionable at the end of the story as he is at the the beginning; rather, I would say that while he has really grown in his understanding of what it means to be human, he still has a long way to go yet. For instance, while he puts a stop to the king and duke's swindling Mary Jane and her sisters, in spite of the potentially ugly position it will put him in with the K and D, he epically fails to stand up to Tom Sawyer's nonsense in "freeing" Jim. I think, though, that what your dd needs most is some help with her actual writing, more than her comprehension. She did fulfill the assignment on its own terms; but she needs some work on how to tighten up the essay's structure. She needs a clearer thesis, in which she states not only the point she is going to make, but also how she is going to make it, ie. in which specific events does his growing sense of maturity begin to be evident, and why this matters--what does this growth in Huck's character contribute to the larger message of the book? In order to do this well, she will need to include some pertinent quotations from the episodes she has decided to use (and mentioned in the thesis!) to back up her contentions. The other thing that really stands out in this essay is that she is not using the tone and vocabulary appropriate to an academic essay. Her writing is full of cliches, and has a very informal tone. If she improves this in her next essay, she will be able to see more clearly, I suspect, where her essay structure could be improved. It's often easier to tell when your argument falls apart if the overall "feel" of the essay is appropriate. The one thing that has most helped my students this year is the MCT concept I have been harping on at them about, and that is what he calls "micro language." This means the 2-3 key words which you keep coming back to in each paragraph; so for instance, if you want to say that "Huck grows in the virtues of humility and justice," then in each paragraph you need to use those words, humility and justice, to focus the reader's attention on this aspect of Huck's character. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LunaLee Posted February 23, 2011 Author Share Posted February 23, 2011 Thanks Caitilin, I agree with your assessment and greatly appreciate the time you took to respond. I'll take your comments to heart and try to figure out what to do. We aren't really using a writing progam this year and last year she was at ps, so I guess I should try to find something for her. With only a year left or less before she starts taking college classes I feel like I've let her down in her writing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1Togo Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Check out "The Elegant Essay" and "Windows to the World." You can do each one in a semester. The author recommends working through these before EIL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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