Tuesday 31 January 2012
William Marshall The Epitome Of Chivalry
The Peoples Princess
Diana Frances Spencer was born on July 1, 1961 in Sandringham, Norfolk. Her parents, John and Frances Spencer, were hoping for a boy to carry on the Spencer name. It took them nearly a week to come up with a name for the baby girl. Eighteen months earlier, her mother had giver birth to a baby boy, but he was so sick that he only survived for ten hours. Lady Frances, twenty three at the time, was sent to many specialists to find out the reason why she could not have a little boy. Three years after Diana was born, Lady Frances gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Charles. Diana had been christened in Sandringham Church with well-to-do commoners for godparents. Charles, on the other hand, was christened in Westminster Abbey with the Queen of England as his godparent. As a child, Diana spent most of her time playing outside. Close to her home were many woods, horse stables, and they owned a heated swimming pool. The woods were filled with rabbits, foxes, deer, and other animals. As she grew older, she also grew a great love for animals. She also had a love for children. At age eighteen, she became a teachers assistant. She taught dance, drawing, and painting to kindergarten students. When she was six years old, her mother left her father for another man. She went between her mother's townhouse and her father's country estates. Both parents got re-married, so she had two step-parents to please. Because of Diana's royal background, she earned an invitation to Prince Charles's thirtieth birthday party. This is were the two met for the first time. There were hundreds of people at the party, but Charles couldn't take his eyes off of Diana. A few months later, the two became a couple. "The news about Charles and Diana's love soon spread. The shy young teacher's aide quickly became famous. Everyone wanted to know if the Prince had finally found his Princess. "The answer came in February 1981. Prince Charles asked Lady Diana to be his wife. Blushing with happiness, Diana accepted. The fairy tale had begun-and Diana's life would never be the same."1 During their engagement, Diana frequently visited Buckingham Palace, and the Queen of England for royal training. She practiced walking down the aisle, how to dress like a princess, and how to sit for hours while her portrait is was painted. She also had to get used to be photographed wherever she went. The royal wedding took place on July 24, 1981 at Saint Paul's Cathedral. The wedding was viewed by over 750 million people around the world. After the wedding, the couple took a cruise along the Mediterranean Sea on the royal yacht, Britannia. They were the only passengers on board, but there were 276 officers on board, ready to wait on their every need. After the cruise, they continued their honeymoon at the Windsor family's Scottish estate, Balmoral Castle. On June 21, 1982 at Saint Mary's Hospital in Paddington London, Prince William Arthur Phillip Louis, the future King of England. Two years later, Henry (Harry) Charles Albert David was born. He was called the "spare" because he would only become king if his brother William couldn't. After the birth of her two boys, Diana made it a point to expose her sons to life outside the palace. She and her boys road roller coasters, shot rapids, and ate at fast food restaurants. Diana insisted that William and Harry attend regular schools. She took them with her when she visited AIDS patients and the homeless. Her reason for doing this was to show the boys that there was life outside of royalty. Princess Diana once told reporters, "I think the biggest disease this worl suffers from…is the disease of people feeling unloved. I can give love…and I'm very happy to do that. I want to do that."2 Giving love is exactly what Princess Diana did. At one point, she was president of 6 of the 27 charities that she was involved in. As years passed, her schedule became very hectic. Although she was extremely busy, she made time to stay physically fit. She visited the gym, played tennis, or swam nearly everyday. Once Diana had Christies auction off 79 gowns that she had collected during her fifteen years as the Wife of Windsor. All the proceeds of the auction went to charity. She made many personal sacrifices from charities. She learned sign language so that she could communicate with the deaf association and she wrote personal notes to the families of hospital patients that she had met. She raised awareness of social issues such as AIDS, poverty, drug use problems, and homelessness. "Being a princess isn't all it's cracked up to be3," Diana once said. The strain of royal life triggered a fatal eating disorder, Bulimia Nervosa. In the mid 1980's, Prince Charles began to see his old love , Camilla Parker Bowles. The fairy tale life of Princess Diana was falling apart. In December, 1992, Prime Minister John Major announced to Parliament that Charles and Diana were separating. The divorce of Prince Charles and Princess Diana was finalized on August 28, 1996. When the divorce was finalized, she officially lost her title "Her Royal Highness." After the divorce, she began to struggle just as any newly single woman would. "For the first time in her life, Diana had the chance to be mistress of her own fate."4 Over the last few years of her life, Diana had grown estranged from her own family, her sisters Jane and Sarah, and her brother Charles. "None of her family was regarded as important in her life. In January, her longtime private secretary, Patrick Jephson, along with her chauffeur, quit. After her divorce, Diana found a new love. Diana had fallen for Dodi Fayed. Dodi is a multi-millionaire, who's father owned the famous Herrods department store. Diana no longer tried to hide from the cameras. She was very open with her new relationship. Prince William and Prince Harry did not mind their mother's new life. They said that they were happy as long as she was happy. The day was August 31, 1997. Diana and Dodi's last day together was reportedly romantic. They ate dinner at the two-star restaurant in the Ritz Hotel, which is also owned by Dodi's father. Then they were to spend the rest of the evening at a private villa across the Seine River, but they never made it there. After leaving the restaurant, Diana and Dodi got into their car, not knowing that the driver had been drinking. The car went speeding into the Place de l'Alma underpass in Central Paris shortly after midnight. The car lost control and smashed into the median. Ambulances were called at 12:35 a.m. (Paris time). The police arrived in four minutes, but the first ambulance didn't arrive for eleven minutes. By the time that the ambulance arrived, the driver of the car, and Dodi Fayed were already dead. It was determined later that they both had blood alcohol levels of at least three ties the legal limit. Princess Diana was found in the rear passenger seat with her arm around Dodi. The paramedics and fireman took nearly an hour cutting Diana out of the wrecked car. At first, her vital signs were stable and she appeared to have just a broken arm, some cuts and bruises, and a concussion. After placing her in the ambulance, the paramedics began CPR. "Suddenly, Diana's heart stopped beating, again. For the next two hours, surgeons literally held her heart in their hands as they performed open-heart surgery and other emergency treatments, including a massive blood transfusion."5 The doctors used cardio-electric shock to try to get her heart beating again. But, it didn't work. The Princess suffered a major heart attack. "After two hours (of massaging her heart), Dr. Riou softly sighed, 'C'est fini, (it's over).' The battle has been lost."6 The world was shocked to hear the news of the tragic death of the Princess. The whole worlds hearts went out to the two young boys that she had left behind. "She was their mother, The one who , unlike Charles, game them their kisses and cuddles."7 She took them to parks in London, and played commando games with them at video arcades. They met motor-racing heroes together, and listened to the Spice Girls. "She once let Harry eat chocolate until he was sick, and traded sly jokes with them. She was their pal, not just their mother."8 "In the days following her death, thousands of flowers and notes were left at the gates of Buckingham Palace. It seemed the entire world was weeping for its lost princess."9 On Sunday August third, Princess Diana's body was taken by BAe 146 aircraft of the Royal Squadron back to London. Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes accompanied the princess's coffin on it's return journey. The Princess's funeral was held on Saturday, September 6 in Westminster Abbey. "There were no outburst;s of emotion, no cruel words for the royal family, no anger at the media, who even in this hour of worship, swarmed in with questions and whirring cameras."10 I stand before you today the representative of a family in grief, in a country in mourning before a world in shock. We are all united not only in our desire to pay our respects to Diana but rather in our need to do so. For such was her extraordinary appeal that the tens of millions of people taking part in this service all over the world via television and radio who never actually met her, feel that they, too, lost someone close to them in the early hours of Sunday morning. It is a more remarkable tribute to Diana than I can ever hope to offer her today. Diana was the very essence of compassion, of duty, of style, of beauty. All over the world she was a symbol of selfless humanity, a standard-bearer for the rights of the truly downtrodden, a truly British girl who transcended nationality, someone with a natural nobility who was classless, who proved in the last year that she needed no royal title to continue to generate her particular brand of magic. Today is our chance to say ``thank you'' for the way you brightened our lives, even though God granted you but half a life. We will all feel cheated that you were taken from us so young, and yet we must learn to be grateful that you came along at all. Only now you are gone do we truly appreciate what we are now without, and we want you to know that life without you is very, very difficult. We have all despaired at our loss over the past week, and only the strength of the message you gave us through your years of giving has afforded us the strength to move forward. There is a temptation to rush to canonize your memory. There is no need to do so. You stand tall enough as a human being of unique qualities not to need to be seen as a saint. Indeed, to sanctify your memory would be to miss out on the very core of your being, your wonderfully mischievous sense of humor with the laugh that bent you double, your joy for life transmitted wherever you took your smile, and the sparkle in those unforgettable eyes, your boundless energy which you could barely contain. But your greatest gift was your intuition, and it was a gift you used wisely. This is what underpinned all your wonderful attributes. And if we look to analyze what it was about you that had such a wide appeal, we find it in your instinctive feel for what was really important in all our lives. Without your God-given sensitivity, we would be immersed in greater ignorance at the anguish of AIDS and HIV sufferers, the plight of the homeless, the isolation of lepers, the random destruction of land mines. Diana explained to me once that it was her innermost feelings of suffering that made it possible for her to connect with her constituency of the rejected. And here we come to another truth about her. For all the status, the glamour, the applause, Diana remained throughout a very insecure person at heart, almost childlike in her desire to do good for others so she could release herself from deep feelings of unworthiness, of which her eating disorders were merely a symptom. The world sensed this part of her character and cherished her for her vulnerability, whilst admiring her for her honesty. The last time I saw Diana was on July the first, her birthday, in London, when typically she was not taking time to celebrate her special day with friends but was guest of honor at a charity fund-raising evening. She sparkled, of course, but I would rather cherish the days I spent with her in March when she came to visit me and my children in our home in South Africa. I am proud of the fact that apart from when she was on public display meeting President Mandela, we managed to contrive to stop the ever-present paparazzi from getting a single picture of her. That meant a lot to her. These are days I will always treasure. It was as if we'd been transported back to our childhood, when we spent such an enormous amount of time together, the two youngest in the family. Fundamentally she hadn't changed at all from the big sister who mothered me as a baby, fought with me at school, and endured those long train journeys between our parents' homes with me at weekends. It is a tribute to her level-headedness and strength that despite the most bizarre life imaginable after her childhood, she remained intact, true to herself. There is no doubt that she was looking for a new direction in her life at this time. She talked endlessly of getting away from England, mainly because of the treatment she received at the hands of the newspapers. I don't think she ever understood why her genuinely good intentions were sneered at by the media, why there appeared to be a permanent quest on their behalf to bring her down. It is baffling. My own, and only, explanation is that genuine goodness is threatening to those at the opposite end of the moral spectrum. It is a point to remember that of all the ironies about Diana, perhaps the greatest is this: That a girl given the name of the ancient goddess of hunting was, in the end, the most hunted person of the modern age. She would want us today to pledge ourselves to protecting her beloved boys, William and Harry, from a similar fate. And I do this here, Diana, on your behalf. We will not allow them to suffer the anguish that used regularly to drive you to tearful despair. Beyond that, on behalf of your mother and sisters, I pledge that we, your blood family, will do all we can to continue the imaginative and loving way in which you were steering these two exceptional young men, so that their souls are not simply immersed by duty and tradition but can sing openly as you planned. We fully respect the heritage into which they have both been born, and will always respect and encourage them in their royal role. But we, like you, recognize the need for them to experience as many different aspects of life as possible, to arm them spiritually and emotionally for the years ahead. I know you would have expected nothing less from us. William and Harry, we all care desperately for you today. We are all chewed up with sadness at the loss of a woman who wasn't even our mother. How great your suffering is we cannot even imagine. I would like to end by thanking God for the small mercies he has shown us at this dreadful time; for taking Diana at her most beautiful and radiant and when she had so much joy in her private life. Above all, we give thanks for the life of a woman I am so proud to be able to call my sister: the unique, the complex, the extraordinary and irreplaceable Diana, whose beauty, both internal and external, will never be extinguished from our minds."
The Life of Mark Twainpersonal book analysisreview of liter
The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn
I
"You don't know about me, without you have read a book by the name of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," but that ain't no matter. that book was made by Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly. There were things which he streched, but mainly he told the truth. That ain' nothing. I never seen anybody but lied, one time or another, without it was Aunt Polly, or the widow, or maybr Mary. Aunt Polly-Tom's Aunt Polly, she is-and Mary, and the Widow Douglas, is all told bout in that book-which is mostly a true book; with some, as I said before."(Twain 1)
Any way I am here to tell you somethings bout this man that has write all these things bout our adventures. So listen an maybe you might even learn a little something bout this man. Now let me think....oh ya, now I recall it.
I reckon it was a warm November ju's like any other, the 30th to be exact. But that ain't how Sam's Pa spoke of it. He had to go maki'n big, fancy speeches and things of that sort at the party. But after all that mubl'in we had a purdy good time. As a matter of fact as I recall that day it was almost pur'fect. If it warn't for me drunk Pa gettin arrested by the Sheriff that morn, it woudda' been real pur'fect. Course I reckon a boy's gota have a good time at his best friend's bert'day party.
I was at Sam's house. Course I warn't de only one dare. His Pa, Judge Clemens and Ma, Miss Jane Lampton, till she married of course, was dare and I reckon his whole 'tire family must da been at dat house, can't barely remember it was only his fourth birthday back in 1839 (Howard 1). Ya, me and Sam been friends ever since he moved here, best friends too, he was born an lived in Florida, Missouri prior to now. He moved here at the start of this year. See lots of people don't give me much thought cause me bein uneducated and havin a Pa like I do an all. That all changed though, Sam was the type dat even liked the niggers, so I be surprised if he thought of me differently than any other (Paine 4).
Sam's family had'nt got that much money either but his Pa sure was one of them educated types. He was a lawyer and a judge and people looked up to him for jus dat (Howard 5). Actually, speakin of money I had some myself, bout 6,000 dollars. Ya, I was rich ever since Tom and I had gotten them bandits. Tell ya the truth, money did'nt really mean much to me anyways cause I liked livin simple an all. But some people spend all their time day dreamin bout the stuff. Sam's Pa and Sam certainly had somethin in common then cause Judge Clemens is always thinkin of all these ways to be prosper. And Sam jus day dream bout what ever he could think of (Howard 11). Guess I would do the same if I was forced to sit in a school house some days myself. Now your probably thinkin why I said "most" in sted of all weekdays, well Sam did'nt care for his schoolin much and often played hooky (Paine 14). Ya see, cause of Sam's funny personality he was often switched. Ol'e Mrs. Elizabeth Horr could never forget that mam's name. Ya see dat was Sam's teacher, he did'nt think of her as that though. In Sam's mind Mrs. Elizabeth was a jail keeper (Eaton 27). So we use ta go in sit at the port. Hannibal, Mississippi was where we lived, an it was a big river town (Encarta 1994). Sam loved them steam boats, he could sit dare an look it em all day, and he usually did. Course me bein his best of friends was always there wit em, did'nt care for em much myself so Sam would always make up stories, and adventures to says we was doin, when all we was really doin was lookin at boats, and missin school of course.
Sam had many of brothers and sisters. I reckon he was never the lonely type cause he had many of siblins. There was Pamela, who was eight years older than ourselves. She was well schooled and all, I reckon she even liked it! (Howard 5). Orion was eight years older too. Then there was Benjamin, never got to know him well cause he died at only ten and there was the little brother, Henry (Paine 16).
Anyways, our schoolin continued, dull as ever. Well before we known it we had ourselves out that school. So Sam was not really sure bout what he wanted to do with em'self, so to make some money he followed his brother, Orion (Encarta). Ya see Orion had ju's bought himself a local printin press. The only article prior to the Hannible Press was the Courier so now Hannible had itself two papers (Howard 115). Now durin this time Sam had been workin for a Mr. Ament, another local printer, for round two years. So Sam worked under his older brother bein the printer for the paper (115). Well it was most unfortunate that they seems to be carryin some bad luck on their shoulders from the beginn'in. The press caught on fire, it was only a small one but them fire fighters did'nt help the problem much when they doused the water all over the equipment. Anyways that there was the least of their problems. Back around that time an epidemic struck the Mississippi. Cholera struck hard and devastated many of people. Now cause people could'nt work they had to make trades for goods, and barterin did't do much good for Sam and Orion (117). But they were no quitters, they stuck to it and Sam started gettin bored of write'in the same ol'e things so he turned a little creative. Sam bein born funny, started slippin jokes in the paper and made up names to call himself (119). Well Orion wanted a proper, ol'e fashioned kinda paper. This caused for some quarrel'in in between the two and I reckon Sam could'n stand for it no longer, so he grab himself his belongings and left for St. Louis to visit his sister Elizabeth and find himself a job. He did't plan on stay'in there for long though. Sam only wanted to make enough money to go to New York (Paine 52).
Well Sam's plans did not exactly go as he reckoned they would. He had many print'in jobs cross the whole country. Dur'in this time Sam met a fella named Burruogh. He was in to literature and was a well read man. He had quite the influence on Sam and turned him on to read'in. Eventually, Sam returned back in St. Louis and worked for the Evening News. Well by this time it was spring and Orion got himself a wife and moved to Iowa. Sam came to visit his brother in Iowa and found Henry, his younger brother, now 17, there too.
Well life was like ol'e times for a while. The three brothers lived together in Orion's house. This is the period of time when Sam was turned on to music. It happened after a music teacher, who lived on the floor below, was flat out sick and tired of be'in the focus of Sam's noise and pranks that they would play on him. He would come upstairs to reprimand them. Sam would usually reply with one of his regular wise cracks but one day Sam tried som'in a bit out the ordinary. In an attempt to be funny he was overly polite to the teacher. To his surprise, the man was nice back and before you could blink your own eye Sam was a musician (60).
He was bout 20 years of age now and was quite the ladie's man. But don't think for a second that Sam was close to a gentleman. The ladie's along with everybody else liked Sam for his outgo'in personality. Although he was a partier dur'in the sun's hours at night you could predict that the only place he would be found was in his bed, propped up by a pillow, smok'in his pipe and read'in a book (61). Life was good for the boys and not a day passed without a laugh.
Unfortunately good things can only last so long. Orion's paper was not mak'in him enough to cover his expenses. After much struggl'in he wrote home in distraught to his mama, who was now liv'in with Pamela. The note told of an adventure that Orion would go on in the Amazon (62). His interest was sparked after read'in a book by Lynch and Henderson. The book told of the riches that could be found there in the mines of the rain forest. Now if you have'nt gotten the idea that Sam was the adventurous type, you have'nt been listen'in proper, cause thats what he lived for! If you think that Sam would miss a chance to not only ride on a steam boat to South America but also go on an adventure in the Amazon you are beyond fix'in (64). Anyway it took him round a year to raise enough money to go to the Amazon but he finally had it and set forth on the Paul Jones down the Mississippi to New Orleans. Sam reckoned the voyage would take bout a week of time but his foresee'in was more than just a bit off (70).
Horace Bixby was cap'tn of the boat. I reckon his day started off jus as any other, that is until he met Sam of course. It all happened when Horace spotted that a man, now 21 years of age, had been star'in at him for hours. When Horace's shift was over he left the pilot house. As soon as he opened that door Sam was in his face ask'in questions bout his job and how liked it. Their conversations and friendliness kept for the rest of the trip. But at the end Sam left it jus like all the other passengers.
Sam noticed an ol'e dock hand lean'in up against a pole. Sam was down right puzzled when the man laughed at Sam's question. He replied "There have never been no steamers sail'in to the Amazon round here!" It was then and there when Sam realized that the Mississippi was his river and that pilot'in it had been his biggest dream. So Sam went search'in for Bixby and found em too. He asked him if he could be a cub on the boat and Bixby had no problem with it cause Sam had been so friendly and all. So Sam worked the river for four years and ventually became himself a cap'tn (Howard 122). Word got around that Sam was one of the best cap'tns on that river. Mr. Bixby was proud and Sam loved that river more than life it'self and planed to spend it on the Mississippi (133). I'm sure he woulda done it till he was able to but someth'in came up.
One night there was a horrible accident. There was a ship who's had them selves a boiler explosion. Henry was on that boat and went to swim to a nearby shore. But Henry heard scream'in and went back to save people. He never made it and drowned. This was not the only thing that made Sam depressed these days (Paine 91).
Unfortunately when Sam turned 26 years of age boats were halted go'in up and down the river cause of the war. Ya see the Yankees has been on us bout how slaves are immoral and all, and them plantation owners would'n got no notes if it warn't for their niggers (133). So as anyone coulda guessed the country broke out into an all out brawl over the matter. Course this meant dat any man worthy of any respect at all was go'in to fight for em selves and their good ol'e south, so for a short period of time he did but Sam thought that slavery was wrong. He felt for it so strong that he woulda joined emself en the Yank's side but he would be fightin his friends and neighbors (Howard 134).
By this time Orion's print'in business had failed. But Orion's second cousin was a rich boy. He was able to fix up Orion with a proper job. Nevada was a new territory and it needed itself a Territorial Secretary. This job was much like be'in a governor and was considered a real honor. There was one problem left to resolve. It would take Orion all of one-hundred and fifty dollars. Well that was no problem that Sam could'nt solve cause he had himself three-hundred dollars right in his own pocket. Now if I am do'in my math proper this would mean that two people would have themselves a ticket to Nevada. Well I must to done it right cause they did jus' that. Sam's plan to make money would be to mine silver (135). Well Sam's luck at min'in was not very prosper. He barely made enough to survive the winter. But although times were tough he was always able to make his colleagues and himself laugh dur'in the worst of times. Dur'in this period Sam would write humorous letters to Orion. Well Orion knew of his li'l brothers problems. In an attempt to help him he showed Sam's letters to the local paper. The owner of the Territorial Enterprise found exactly what he wanted (137). It was August when Sam started writ'in for the paper. But prior to writ'in a stitch Sam wanted to create a name for himself that would stick. He thought long and hard, think'in how great life used to be on the Mississippi. Suddenly his eyes took on a glare and his face was perplexed. He had a big smile on his face and through his smil'in mouth came the words "Mark Twain". It was a river term that told the cap'tn how deep the water was (15). Well Sam though he had good ideas bout write'in so he set off to be a free lance writer. To make money in between he mined for gold. One day while sitt'in on a rock next to the mountain side he heard some men talk'in of frog races. This took Sam's mind to the past, his uncle use to have a pet frog. So he started write'in what came to mind and before he coulda known it himself he had a completed story in front of his eyes (142).
Sam sent his story to a local newspaper. Well The Bullfrog Of Calaveras County was the talk of the town! Before he known it himself Sam stories were be'in published all over the country (143).
I reckon it was late May of 1864 when Sam left for the West coast. Twain's reason for leav'in Nevada for California was because of a duel. The duel was really somewhat of a publicity stunt. It was arranged in between Sam and a rival paper to the Call, the paper that Sam was write'in for (Paine 137). When Sam got there he found the city filled wit beautiful flowers and roll'in green hills. Sam found the location perfect for his write'in. He was relaxed here and could concentrate (Eaton 143). Sam's job was to venture out into the city's night life. It was filled with shows and entertainment! Sam's job was to report and critique the shows he attended, he loved it at first but soon got sick of all the lights and glamour (145). But Sam kept at it. He had one reason for wak'in up every day. You see Sam joined a literary group, it was his moment of sunshine dur'in an otherwise dismal day (146). But Sam could barely take the his monotonous job for another day, he was bout to quit when BOOM. Now I have never been to the West myself but Sam told me out there they have these happen'ins they call earthquakes. It must be strange to be in one. Everything shakes and whole build'ins can fall down! Anyways for Sam this earthquake brought bout much to write about. For many days he made reports bout what happened to people and their homes and things of the sort. But eventually California got themselves some carpenters to fix everyth'in and that was the end of that topic (146).
So I reckon you believe how happy Sam was when he got word from Joe Goodman to rejoin the Enterprise. Sam would act as their Western reporter and would free to write bout what ever he chose (147). Well every thing was go'in fine until Sam's friend and roommate Steve Gillis almost killed a barkeeper! He was put in jail for attempted murder. So be'in the kind that Sam was, he posted his friend's bail. Well the word got out that this barkeeper was friends with the Sheriff. This meant that Steve had no chance of gett'in a fair trial. So like any man would, Steve fled to Virginia. Well when he did'nt show up in court they went after Sam's bail money. But no worry, cause Sam got word of it before they found him.
Steve's brother Jim came to town and told Sam that he could stay with him in his cabin in the Tuollumne hills (148). Jim was what was called a "pocket miner". These people were miners that would look for gold in abandoned mines. So Sam learned the trade of pocket min'in. They roamed area which is now Yosemite park scout'in for gold. Sam did this for weeks mak'in enough to survive (149). Eventually Sam's short attention span caught up with him. Like every thing else Sam got sick of min'in and be'in so far away from, well, everything! So he set down his pails and headed back to San Fransico (150).
Upon his return Sam was contracted by the Sacremento Union to write some stories bout the Hawaiian group. Well within moments Sam had himself on a boat to the islands. He would often refer to his time on the islands as one of the best in his whole, ttire life, a "golden memory" as he put so himself . Sam was in his 30s, his prime and was filled with adventure and energy. He traveled all over the island and sent back detailed reports (Paine 148). California and Sam himself were both amazed with the write'in that Mark Twain was creat'in. Sam wanted to refine his skills and better himself. His first step toward his goal was to return to California (150). Sam begun to give lectures, at the start of it they were refined to San Fransisco and then to the state. The results were amazing. I don't think I have ever seen so many of people in one room before! Well cause of these results Sam ventured out to many big cities of the country. Now if you were to pick one place where the most people were would come to see Sam's lectures were would you go? New York, New York of course (160). The lectures that Sam gave in New York were probably what kicked off his pathway to national fame (162).
Dur'in his travels Sam met a man named Charles Langdon. They became good friends. Sam spent Christmas in New York with Charles. It is here where he met Olivia Langdon (Eaton 178). It was love at first sight, I must say she was a mighty fine woman, she was! The two stared at each other through out dinner at the Langdon's house. Olivia found Sam the most interest'in person she had ever met (179). They saw each other again on New Year's Day and became even more friendly with each other, even more than prior (182).
Duty called Sam to Washington, where he would give two speeches. At this point Sam's life took a turn. He realized that he was not meant to be a reporter but an author (183). He started write'in quickly, his goal was to finish a manuscript as soon as possible (184). The result was The Innocent Abroad Sam's first novel. The story told of Sam's trip on the Quaker , a large sailboat, with six other men. He was on the ship to tour Europe and lecture in the some of the big cities (163 Paine).
In the meantime Sam was invited to spend two days with the Langdon family. Everyone was happy to see him. For two days he tried to lure Olivia towards engag'in her in some personal conversation (186 Eaton). Within a short period of time Sam had convinced Olivia into marry'in him (187). February 2, 1870 was the day that Sam finally got married, well I can say it was bout time! He did not want to separate the Langdon family so Sam decided to move nearby to Olivia's home town, Elmira, so Sam and his new wife moved to Buffalo, New York (190).
Almost as soon as the couple moved in they experienced themselves some problems. Olivia's father passed away leav'in her grief stricken. Olivia got herself into a state of depression, mak'in her weak and confined her to her bed. In November the couple had a premature baby boy named Langdon. But instead of bring'in the family joy it worsened them. Because the baby was born early it was weak and sickly, not to good. How could a man possibly concentrate in such a mess? Well he simply could'nt! Sam noticed that ever since they moved to Buffalo his wife and himself were not the happy people they used to be (192).
So when Sam received the invitation to spend the summer at Quarry Farm from Mrs. Crane there was no doubt in his mind to accept. Mrs. Crane was the sister of Olivia's mama. She lived on a farm that had huge views of roll'in green hills which helped to inspire Sam an his write'in (186 Paine). By the end of the summer, Sam had finished his book, Roughing It. It was bout his adventures out in the western territory.
At the summer's end the family chose on mov'in to Hartford, Connecticut, a thriv'in city that was filled with literary publishers and clubs of that sort (Paine 189).
1872 was a year of change for Sam and his family. In March his second child was born Susy Clemens. But three months later Langdon died of a heavy cold (198). Later that year Sam's adventures spanned to England, his mission was to collect information bout their customs for a new book that he planned to start. He returned in November that same year. His plans changed, Sam abandoned his idea and started a new fiction book called The Gilded Age. It was well known and loved by many people, jus like all of his other write'ins of course.
Lov'in England so much, Sam returned there with his family. He stayed himself there for a complete two years. Dur'in this time he had met with many famous authors and lectured all over England (199). On his arrival home Sam started write'in Tom Sawyer. It was bout his child hood :grow'in up on the Mississippi. It was to be one of his most famous books (200). I guess he must 'av been feel'in mighty high spirited cause Sam continued on write'in. He wrote Sketches New and Old which would have been a tremendous seller if it were by any other author, but for Sam it was a relatively "small potatoes" (209).
Sam's next big accomplishment was The Prince and the Pauper , his first play. The story was bout Henry VIII. Sam got the idea after read'in The Prince and the Page, a well known story (219).
By now Sam had himself three children Susy, Clara and Jean (Howard 157). It was at this time when Sam decided to write The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn (Eaton 217). Now Sam wrote many a books but this was by far the most excellent thing that was ever written, and I can't help lik'in the name of it! It sold like a madman, bring'in Sam tons of letters and comments bout his novel.
After write'in many famous books Sam did someth'in he had been long'in for. Sam returned to the Mississippi. There he met up with some ole friends and saw ole sites. For a moment Sam was liv'in his child hood. Everybody he knew had read all of his books and the all the people decorated their town for Sam's return. As Sam stepped off the boat he said "Has Missouri changed the date of the 4th of July?" (Howard 166). The next day Sam was invited to attend the christen'in of a new steam boat. The champagne bottle cracked and the wooden planks that held it in place slipped off the ship reveal'in the name "MARK TWAIN" (168).
Years later Sam laid in his bed. He was now an old man with only Clara left. His whole family had died. He sat in bed remember'in how he had seen Halley's comet when he was little. Now 77 years later Sam saw the comet again on the night of April 21, 1910. This was one of the lasts things he saw. Cause that night Sam passed into a long sleep that still has yet to end (173).
I went on bein' a sheriff in Montana. But this story ain't bout myself, it's bout my friend Sam.
-Tom Blankenship
a.k.a.: Huckleberry Finn
Note: This paper was written in a dialect used by Huck. There are many spelling and grammatical errors but all are intessional (just kidding, bout (r)--). They are there to represent the dialogue of Huck. I have edited it many times to be sure ALL the errors now in the paper are intentional! I have sat through my spell check alerting me that almost every word was spelled wrong just to eliminate unintentional errors.
The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn
II
In the novel The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn the setting has a large influence on Huck's character. The period of time that Huck lived in was a distinct era. The country was changing rapidly. During this period steam engines enabled rivers to be used as mass transportation, an idea that had never been explored until now. Waterways were the first way in which large amounts of goods could be transported efficiently. This drastically changed much of the nation's economy. Huge factories were built in the north and southern plantations tripled their production by using machines. There were many traits of this era that can be seen by looking at the components of Huck's character, his language, actions and thoughts. Some of these traits are sutle and can be easily missed but others are very obvious and powerful. This period of change was the setting of Huck's childhood.
One trait that is indicative of the era is the social class of Huck and Huck's language. It is greatly affected by his social class and setting. The broken English is a sign of Huck's low social class. In addition it also shows that he is from a southern river town. This can be seen from his expressions and accent. The language of the novel also assists the reader to get into the laid back, southern mood of the book. By doing so the story is brought to life. It seems as if someone were to bring you back to the time when the novel and the events in it occurred.
Because of the rules of the time that Huck's character is governed upon, Huck was never educated. During the early 1800s there was no law that required children to go to school, therefore his low intellect has a strong impact on Huck's character. It gives him a "plain and simple" outlook on life, this trait can been seen throughout the book in Huck's character. One specific area it affects is Huck's plans for his future. Huck only thought about what he was going to do for present. Huck had an incapable father. He was thought of as the town drunk, and would often come home intoxicated and abuse Huck. At one point his father locked Huck up in a small room without food or water for days. The setting is important here because if Huck's father were to treat his son in an abusive manner today, he would lose custody of his child. A good example of Huck's unloving relationship was Huck's reaction to his father's death. When notified of his death he was relieved and felt safe! This detail can be used to illustrate the abuse that Huck went through in the beginning of the book, while living with his father. Because of Huck's father's irresponsible actions, Huck ran away at a young age in the hope that someday he would find freedom from his father and society. By running away Huck saved himself from abuse and being taken advantage of. One of the things Huck saved himself from was having 6,000 dollars, that Huck was awarded for the capture of two criminals in Tom Sawyer, being stolen from him by his father.
Huck's separation from his father is also the reason for his free thinking, responsibility and innocence. These times of hardship formed him into a mature person and helped contribute to his independent personality. Without the influence of the setting Huck would have never been able to achieve the freedom that he had by being independent.
When Huck ran away he joined up with Jim, who was also running away, but from something different. Jim was fleeing from slavery, a common practice of the time. Huck's relationship with Jim contributed to Huck's non-prejudice thinking. Another factor that gave Huck a understanding of how the slaves must have felt was the prejudice that he experienced himself , being part of the lower class. Huck was infuriated when people looked down upon him for something that was no fault of his, he was born into the class because of his father's social status. For these reasons Huck always treated Jim as an equal, making Huck ahead of his time. Jim knew that Huck respected him, as a result Jim risked his own life to save Huck.
Huck's independence and lack of education resulted in a mind that was never influenced by adult's beliefs. This allowed Huck to have thoughts based on what he believed in, not traditions that are simply carried on by messengers of the past's beliefs. Although traditions are often good they prevent new ideas from entering people's minds. This made Huck original, this individuality could be seen with his relationship with Jim. During this period of American history slaves were looked down upon, but Huck, being an independent thinker, looked up to Jim for who he was, not for the color of his skin. This was made obvious by their moon lit conversations on the raft. On the raft Huck and Jim talked about their past and future, friends and how they planned to avoid trouble that could result from their next adventure. From the raft conversations the reader was able to see how Jim longed for freedom and had feelings just like everyone else, especially Huck.
As the novel progressed Huck's relationship with Jim grew stronger. In the beginning of the book Huck often called Jim "Nigger Jim." This was not because of any hatred that Huck had towards Jim. It was only a term commonly used to refer to blacks. But by the end of the book Huck would only call Jim by his name. This change in dialogue clearly illustrates how the relationship grew stronger during their adventures. By the end of the novel Huck risked his own life to free Jim in the final escape attempt. This happened when Huck and Tom freed Jim from a holding cell. They were spotted, chased and then shot at by the men who had captured Jim. If the story were to take place in another time, where slavery did not exist, it could have hid Huck's individuality that slavery shed light on.
During the river adventures that Huck and Jim shared Huck realized that because of his economic status he was dependent on the river to survive. This can clearly be seen by looking at the origin of his name "Huckleberry". He was given this name because at a young age he had been eating huckleberries. His dependence made him loyal to the Mississippi River. The personification of the river that Huck uses clearly shows his feelings and thankfulness to the river. The personification also helped show how important the river was to not only Huck but to all of the river towns and
The Art of Rock and Roll by Charles Brown
The book "The Art of Rock and Roll" by Charles T. Brown basically
proposes methods for analyzing music and anyone who reads the books should be
able to develop techniques for listening to music and making legitimate
statements about it. It treats rock and roll as a serious art form and traces
it cultural roots throughout the book.
Chapter one discusses the elements of rock and makes four assumptions.
Assumption one states that rock is a legitimate art form. An art form is
defined as a creative act that springs from the artist's experience as it
reflects or reacts against society. It then states that acculturation, a process
by which a certain people are influenced by a foreign culture, changed the Afro-
Americans from their original culture to one that was a mixture of U.S.
influences and African roots which played a large part in the way rock and roll
sounds today. Brown proves rock is a legitimate art form by talking about its
audience and its lasting power.
Assumption two states that rocks roots are in folk, jazz, and pop
music. Musicians who first started rock and roll must have had something to base
their music on which turned out to be primarily folk, jazz, and pop. They
simple changed the pattern and style of that music and started forming rock.
Assumption three states that it is just as valid to study rock and
roll as European classical music. Rock will prove to be a valid means of
producing competent musicians and that it demands the same type of performance
as in any musical form. Since it is a valid way in which to study music in
general it is just as valid to start with rock as starting anywhere else.
Assumption four states that simple musical analysis of selected
compositions is a primary tool for understanding musical evolution. Through
musical analysis we are able to generalize and say that rock from a certain era
has common characteristics. By doing this we are able to see what influences
lead rock to where it is today.
The chapter then goes on to discuss the elements of music which are
nonverbal communication, melody, rhythm, harmony, lyrics, and performance.
Music is nonverbal in that it communicates through organized sound and is
difficult to translate, the other elements are what make the sound organized and
meaningful. Melody is an organized set of notes consisting of different pitches.
It is basically the up and down motion of the lead singer. Rhythm is those
beat of patterns that underlie most forms of communications. It is made up of
pulsations that follow a consistent pattern. It will sometimes show us the
emotional feel of a song. Harmony is the simultaneous sounding of two or more
notes at the same time. It provides a texture for the total song. Lyrics are
the words used in the song and usually tell us what the song and mood of the
song is about. Performance tells us the purpose, function, and impact of a
certain song.
Music generally reflects the value of society. By using the elements of
music you can begin to make assumptions about how rock and roll reflects its
society. It quickly took on an attitude of rebellion and eventually became a
symbol of independence for youths
Chapter two discusses the listening skill needed to better understand
music. Through listening we can define the social impact of a rock group and its
musical style. This purpose of this chapter is to outline ways in which the
individual can create his or her own system of analysis. The chapter then goes
on describing what you need to do while listening to music to better analyze it.
First you need concentration, you need to change your attitude towards the music
you hear everyday and block out any interference, we must treat it seriously and
analyze it fairly even if we we don't like it. Then you need to dissect what
your hearing. You have to decide what to use for a reference point and listen
to the song more than once. Your first time listening to it you should get a
general idea of what the song is like, what its about, and what it has. After
that you add more information by listening to each part of the music
individually. Lyrics are the easiest to analyze. You must write all the lyrics
down and figure out if there is a verse structure.
The chapter then goes into the different types of Melody. First there
is the Soprano- lead melody. The lead melody is sometimes called the soprano
melody which means the highest melody. Then there is the bass melody, which is
normally played by an instrument rather then sung. It is halfway between
melody and rhythm, or beat. It is usually low sounding, repetitive and
continuos. It is the foundation for the instrumental ensemble. Instruments are
another part of melody. It is the instruments that give rock and roll its
character and beat. The drums provide the beat, the guitars provide continous
rhythm, and the bass guitar plays the bass melody. When analyzing you must also
recognize the Rhythm and Harmony. They both determine the complexity of the
composition and we must become aware of changes in rhythm or harmony because
they indicate changes in the song.
Chapter three discusses the sources of Rock. Slave music was important
because when they were brought to the United states they also brought with them
their music which was blues and later on early jazz. Acculturation began as
soon as their were American-born slaves. They would sing work songs which were
basically chants which later on formed to become blues. As blues developed so
did early forms of Jazz. One of these forms was the cakewalk was the cakewalk
which was a danced step used to make fun of how stiff the white man walked and
later on became the first truly Afro-American dance step. Another form was
Ragtime which was a piano style which has four main themes. Then came along
other piano styles such as stride, dixieland, and the boogie-woogie which was
the first obvious influence for rock and roll.
In the 1930's blues took on a different character because of changes in
society, black musicians developed big bands and blues singers continued to
have great importance which eventually fostered rhythm and blues. Rock and roll
started to develop in the last part of the 1930's mainly because of the start of
the removal of the color line between musicians.
Chapter four discusses early rock. They started to somewhat define the
rock category by saying that rock uses certain rhythmic devices, its lyrics and
jargon came from the jump blues, rhythm and blues, country, or some combination,
many pieces use a blues progression, and the basic style of performance is
continuos shouting by the singer and continuos playing by the instrumentalists.
There were different types of songs that started to show the development of rock.
Shouting, songs in which lyrics were shouted over the band background, was a
predominant style of early rock and the foundation for the careers of famous
rock musicians. Ballad singing is also an important part of early rock and roll,
it is a big band tune from rhythm and blues tradition. Then there was
novelties , which were a third kind of rock song. It was a song with some
gimmick that makes it catchy.
During the 1950's most Americans felt secure, we started to see
ourselves as a world power. We were involved in the cold war and blacks had
started their movements. Because of the cultural situation rock and roll became
a focal point for rebellion. The marketing techniques were very primitive, but
started to turn rock and roll into a multimillion dollar business.
Chapter five discusses Bill Haley and the Comets and how they set a
model for rock and roll. There is not much to be said about this chapter
because Haley wasn't a great musician and others would come after him and do a
better job at music then he did, but he was essentially one of the first groups
to use the elements of music just right to be labeled a rock and roll musician.
Chapter six talks about a person who was far more important in giving
rock and roll its lasting power then Bill Haley and that person was Elvis
Presley. Presley had Musical and personal qualities that far surpassed Haley.
Presley opened up markets for other musicians and served as a symbol for the
development of marketing techniques. He influenced a tremendous number of
musicians.
There were other musicians who came from Memphis and were labeled the
Memphis Mafia. They produced a more marketable combination of records using
ballads and novelties. Country was also influenced by this wave of new rock
musicians and created the Nashville sound. Some rockabilly musicians include
Johnny Cash, who was more influential in folk music as he developed his style,
Buddy Holly, who could have contributed to rock just as much as Presley did if
he had lived longer, Jerry Lee Lewis, who was one of the first rock and roll
piano players, and Carl Perkins.
Chapter seven talks about the broadening of the music style and the
performers who came out of this period. During this time, 1950's, rock had
become legitimized as a category all on its own. By this time there were four
different types of rock and roll: Rhythm and Blues/shouting, crooning, specialty
songs, and novelty/monster songs. Free acculturation also came into play around
this time. Ray Charles is the musician who legitimized this position.
Urbanization of rock and roll from rural to urban blues led to the
circumstances in which rock and roll could be marketed. Rock and Roll began as
a rough form of music. became urban blues form, and then eventually took in
other forms in order to expand its market. Ballads became significant in the
1950's because they expanded the listening audience and in turn gained
acceptance by the public. The first ballads predate the invention of the term
rock an roll.
Chapter eight focuses on soul/mowtown music. This music had great
influence around the 1960's which were times of tumult and confusion. Rock
music had new messages and new means to communicate. Rock around this time
relied heavily on the rhythm section because the style was vocally dominated.
Also around this time Memphis played a more important part because it became a
center for studio recording. Because of the popularity of gospel and soul along
with rhythm and blues, billboard combined the categories into one called soul.
Mowtown was formed by doowop groups and did fairly well. Sixty-seven percent of
the singles that came out of mowtown music hit the top of the charts.
Chapter nine talks about one of the greatest influences on Rock and Roll
which were the Beatles. Their musical style is defined in three periods which
are early beatle, 1962-1964, middle beatles,1965-1966, and late beatles 1967-
1969. The early beatles had the following characteristics: Simple lyrics,
Simple background accompaniment, Rock sound from the 1950's, Simple drumbeat and
rhythmic patters, Simple bass lines, and domination by lead singer or unison
singing. In their early era they just sang songs for that had little or no
meaning and did not have any relationship with each other. The rhythmic
patterns were simple with little riff orientation. The Middle beatles had
different style of singing which can be characterized as poetically more complex
lyrics, Symbolic lyrics, More creative music, Universal point of view, sometimes
critical words, growing dissension among group members, more guitar oriented and
less percussive, folklike, more complicated guitar sounds and electronics, more
subjects in musical lyrics, and better background accompaniment. The beatles
came into their own during this period. The technical era was more complex.
The albums began to show some continuity and there was logic in which the way
the songs were placed. The late beatles music can be characterized by
electronic music, studio music, technically precise music, mystical allusions,
and total communication. The music during this time was both diverse and
homogenous. They were able to make each song and each album tie into each other
successfully. The musical style was interwoven with the message of the singing.
Chapter ten talks about California and what it gave to rock and roll.
California was seen as a kind of utopia around the 1960's so people wanted to go
there, especially southern California. They were really into surfing music,
which created such groups as The Beach Boys, and some were more into nonsurfing
groups, which were such groups as The Doors. Both of these major groups came
out of California around this time. In northern California, cities such as San
Francisco developed themselves as the center of movement, and musically, folk
music turned into a particular kind of rock. The sound that it turned into can
be defined as acid rock or psychedelic rock, which means that it is associated
with LSD, or acid. It became associated with very loud music and use of
electronic amplification. This new development was important to rock because it
united rocks identification with rebellion, something it had lost for a while.
Chapter eleven discusses Folk-rock and how it came about. Folk music is
usually defined as the music of the people, it usually expresses the feelings of
one particular area or group. It has many different aspects. Rock, jazz,
country, and other musical textures were added experimentally, leading to fusion.
Bob Dylan is a musician who played great folk music, he is responsible for
raising the sophistication level of the lyrics. Around this time, 1970's, it
gets harder to generalize about attitudes. This shift in attitudes was
partially caused by the technological explosion. Communications systems became
much more sophisticated, and information was available instantly.
From here on the book goes on to discuss the different forms of rock
that came about. Chapter twelve focuses towards English Rock. English rock has
a distinctive sound for several reasons: Depending on their upbringing, the
musicians sing with a distinctive accent; There is a slight influence of skiffle
in the beginning stages of music from the 1960's; The technology of the
amplified sound is different in that the amplifiers are set to amplify the
harmonic spectrum differently; Musical symbolism tends to be different and draws
from the literary tradition of Europe; The blending of voices tends to be less
emotional. Three groups who popularized English rock in America after the
Beatles were The Rolling Stones, The Who, and Elton John. They capitalized on
the attitudes of the times which were sometimes tasteless and antiestablishment.
The Rolling Stones and The Who eventually have an impact on punk and new wave.
Elton John proves the lasting impact of a pianist and a vocalist.
Chapter thirteen goes onto art and eclectic rock. Art rock is a term
that defines music that either has higher pretentions than standard rock or
imitates another style that has been recognized as art. Eclectic rock is a term
applied to anything considered to be unusual. The chapter presents a mixture of
styles tied together by the experimental quality of the music All of it was
generally a fusion of rock and roll with western or nonwestern art music. Some
musicians that represent this period are The Kinks, Frank Zappa, and Rush just
to name a few.
Chapter fourteen moves on to Country rock. It is analogous to rock
music after the middle Beatles period in that it uses elements of different
kinds of music. Country rock is a combination of pop, folk, jazz, rock, and
country music. Country rock has a a few distinct elements. A band normally
uses heavy amplification of the guitar instruments, the lyrics are most
uncharacteristic of straight country music, and the musicians look different
from traditional country musicians. One of the most important characteristics
of country rock was the emergence of the songwriter as the narrator and the
expression of southern pride. Some bands that represent country rock are
Alabama, Charlie Daniels Band, the Eagles, the Grateful Dead, and Lynyrd
Skynyrd.
Chapter fifteen moves onto Jazz-rock, funk, and disco. Because there
were many attitudes at the same time in the 1970's, the idea of art forms
merging into something called fusion makes sense. The fusion music of the 70's
has had an enormous commercial impact, and all three types of music were
financially successful. All three movements have strong jazz roots. Jazz-rock
had some significance, it had some very competent musicians and began to make
contributions to the rock technique, rock became more complicated as a result,
the commercial value of rock was made broader, many electronic devices became
commonplace in both jazz and rock, and jazz influences began to further
legitimize rock as a serious form of communication. Funk is a way of defining
the music as having various sexual and social meanings. Funk evolved from soul
and became a way of life within the black community. Funk can be aggressive and
its musical structure combines both softness and harshness. Disco was important
because it provided a central focus for the return of dancing. It is simply
good-time music that is optimistic and without social comment.
Chapter sixteen talks about the emergence of heavy metal. Heavy Metal
is commonly described as being loud music. The elements of heavy metal consist
of heavy use of electronic devices, high volume, a thick cluttered sound where
all musical elements combine to establish the sense of power, and a sound mix
where the vocals are buried within the texture. Classical metal was a period in
which there was a definitive split between British and American styles occurred
and it was at this time that heavy metal became a separate style of rock and
roll. Mainstream metal is a style that is fully developed, evolves into equal
strength in all instruments and vocal aspects of the band unit, and settles into
a very acceptable level of musical competence. Heavy metal became more
mainstream in the 1980's. The terms Thrash/Speed/Death came later on in the
heavy metal period. Thrash was heavy metal instrumental style with neo-punk
lyrics. Speed metal is the evolution of mainstream American heavy metal,
incorporating long melodic phrases and fast tempos. Death metal is a particular
style which is defined by its lyrics with words like death, hell, blood, etc.
Chapter seventeen moves onto punk, new wave, and alternative music.
Punk is a term applied to a child or teenager who acts in a antisocial way.
Punk was a form of rebellion, it turned against all other musical forms of the
1970's. It is considered the third rock evolution following the formation of
rock and roll and the Beatles. The music was as much cultural as it was musical.
It was anarchic, against society, and against everything in the established
order. New wave refers to new music, sometimes meaning contemporary music. New
wave was generally the philosophy of life that manifested itself in certain
kinds of music. Alternative music is music that represents another option to
what is already commercially viable or has been classified. Alternative groups
have a short term following because they either become more mainstream or get
other jobs. It has little lasting impact on rock and roll, but occasionally
will have real impact.
Chapter eighteen is the final chapter and discusses Techno-funk/pop, Rap,
MTV, Dance music, and the future. Techno-funk was the standard way of defining
what was happening. The technology of the time created the means to market rock
which was through videotapes. Techno-funk/pop was more dominant in 1985 than
any other time. Rap is a form of music that features a strong rhythm section,
with the slap bass so important to funk, soul, and reggae. The rapper tells his
message in a punctuated style. Other aspects of rap that are important are the
scratching style, dance steps, mouth beat box, and breaking. Pop rock was
generally called dance music. In terms of attitude it represents a growing
commercial period in rock. MTV had an impact on the relative success of the
various kinds of music as well as the buying habits of younger viewers. Charle T.
Brown concludes the book by stating the basic premises he established throughout
the book which are the following: 1.Rock is a legitimate are form, with its own
technique and its own complexity. 2.Like any art form, it has its highs and lows.
3.We can trace cycles in rock, which seem to correlate with social views. 4.Rock
has had a major influence on society and other art forms. 5.Although it began as
a way for youth to rebel against their parents, rock in now a universal art form
and a means of communication, spanning the gamut of generations all over the
world.
The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn
"You don't know about me, without you have read a book by the name of "
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," but that ain't no matter. that book was made by
Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly. There were things which he
streched, but mainly he told the truth. That ain' nothing. I never seen
anybody but lied, one time or another, without it was Aunt Polly, or the widow,
or maybr Mary. Aunt Polly-Tom's Aunt Polly, she is-and Mary, and the Widow
Douglas, is all told bout in that book-which is mostly a true book; with some,
as I said before."(Twain 1)
Any way I am here to tell you somethings bout this man that has write
all these things bout our adventures. So listen an maybe you might even learn a
little something bout this man. Now let me think....oh ya, now I recall it.
I reckon it was a warm November ju's like any other, the 30th to be
exact. But that ain't how Sam's Pa spoke of it. He had to go maki'n big, fancy
speeches and things of that sort at the party. But after all that mubl'in we
had a purdy good time. As a matter of fact as I recall that day it was almost
pur'fect. If it warn't for me drunk Pa gettin arrested by the Sheriff that morn,
it woudda' been real pur'fect. Course I reckon a boy's gota have a good time
at his best friend's bert'day party.
I was at Sam's house. Course I warn't de only one dare. His Pa, Judge
Clemens and Ma, Miss Jane Lampton, till she married of course, was dare and I
reckon his whole 'tire family must da been at dat house, can't barely remember
it was only his fourth birthday back in 1839 (Howard 1). Ya, me and Sam been
friends ever since he moved here, best friends too, he was born an lived in
Florida, Missouri prior to now. He moved here at the start of this year. See
lots of people don't give me much thought cause me bein uneducated and havin a
Pa like I do an all. That all changed though, Sam was the type dat even liked
the niggers, so I be surprised if he thought of me differently than any other
(Paine 4).
Sam's family had'nt got that much money either but his Pa sure was one
of them educated types. He was a lawyer and a judge and people looked up to him
for jus dat (Howard 5). Actually, speakin of money I had some myself, bout
6,000 dollars. Ya, I was rich ever since Tom and I had gotten them bandits.
Tell ya the truth, money did'nt really mean much to me anyways cause I liked
livin simple an all. But some people spend all their time day dreamin bout the
stuff. Sam's Pa and Sam certainly had somethin in common then cause Judge
Clemens is always thinkin of all these ways to be prosper. And Sam jus day
dream bout what ever he could think of (Howard 11). Guess I would do the same
if I was forced to sit in a school house some days myself. Now your probably
thinkin why I said "most" in sted of all weekdays, well Sam did'nt care for his
schoolin much and often played hooky (Paine 14). Ya see, cause of Sam's funny
personality he was often switched. Ol'e Mrs. Elizabeth Horr could never forget
that mam's name. Ya see dat was Sam's teacher, he did'nt think of her as that
though. In Sam's mind Mrs. Elizabeth was a jail keeper (Eaton 27). So we use
ta go in sit at the port. Hannibal, Mississippi was where we lived, an it was a
big river town (Encarta 1994). Sam loved them steam boats, he could sit dare an
look it em all day, and he usually did. Course me bein his best of friends was
always there wit em, did'nt care for em much myself so Sam would always make up
stories, and adventures to says we was doin, when all we was really doin was
lookin at boats, and missin school of course.
Sam had many of brothers and sisters. I reckon he was never the lonely
type cause he had many of siblins. There was Pamela, who was eight years older
than ourselves. She was well schooled and all, I reckon she even liked it!
(Howard 5). Orion was eight years older too. Then there was Benjamin, never
got to know him well cause he died at only ten and there was the little brother,
Henry (Paine 16).
Anyways, our schoolin continued, dull as ever. Well before we known it
we had ourselves out that school. So Sam was not really sure bout what he
wanted to do with em'self, so to make some money he followed his brother, Orion
(Encarta). Ya see Orion had ju's bought himself a local printin press. The
only article prior to the Hannible Press was the Courier so now Hannible had
itself two papers (Howard 115). Now durin this time Sam had been workin for a
Mr. Ament, another local printer, for round two years. So Sam worked under his
older brother bein the printer for the paper (115). Well it was most
unfortunate that they seems to be carryin some bad luck on their shoulders from
the beginn'in. The press caught on fire, it was only a small one but them fire
fighters did'nt help the problem much when they doused the water all over the
equipment. Anyways that there was the least of their problems. Back around
that time an epidemic struck the Mississippi. Cholera struck hard and
devastated many of people. Now cause people could'nt work they had to make
trades for goods, and barterin did't do much good for Sam and Orion (117). But
they were no quitters, they stuck to it and Sam started gettin bored of write'in
the same ol'e things so he turned a little creative. Sam bein born funny,
started slippin jokes in the paper and made up names to call himself (119).
Well Orion wanted a proper, ol'e fashioned kinda paper. This caused for some
quarrel'in in between the two and I reckon Sam could'n stand for it no longer,
so he grab himself his belongings and left for St. Louis to visit his sister
Elizabeth and find himself a job. He did't plan on stay'in there for long
though. Sam only wanted to make enough money to go to New York (Paine 52).
Well Sam's plans did not exactly go as he reckoned they would. He had
many print'in jobs cross the whole country. Dur'in this time Sam met a fella
named Burruogh. He was in to literature and was a well read man. He had quite
the influence on Sam and turned him on to read'in. Eventually, Sam returned
back in St. Louis and worked for the Evening News. Well by this time it was
spring and Orion got himself a wife and moved to Iowa. Sam came to visit his
brother in Iowa and found Henry, his younger brother, now 17, there too.
Well life was like ol'e times for a while. The three brothers lived
together in Orion's house. This is the period of time when Sam was turned on to
music. It happened after a music teacher, who lived on the floor below, was
flat out sick and tired of be'in the focus of Sam's noise and pranks that they
would play on him. He would come upstairs to reprimand them. Sam would usually
reply with one of his regular wise cracks but one day Sam tried som'in a bit out
the ordinary. In an attempt to be funny he was overly polite to the teacher.
To his surprise, the man was nice back and before you could blink your own eye
Sam was a musician (60).
He was bout 20 years of age now and was quite the ladie's man. But
don't think for a second that Sam was close to a gentleman. The ladie's along
with everybody else liked Sam for his outgo'in personality. Although he was a
partier dur'in the sun's hours at night you could predict that the only place he
would be found was in his bed, propped up by a pillow, smok'in his pipe and
read'in a book (61). Life was good for the boys and not a day passed without a
laugh.
Unfortunately good things can only last so long. Orion's paper was not
mak'in him enough to cover his expenses. After much struggl'in he wrote home in
distraught to his mama, who was now liv'in with Pamela. The note told of an
adventure that Orion would go on in the Amazon (62). His interest was sparked
after read'in a book by Lynch and Henderson. The book told of the riches that
could be found there in the mines of the rain forest. Now if you have'nt gotten
the idea that Sam was the adventurous type, you have'nt been listen'in proper,
cause thats what he lived for! If you think that Sam would miss a chance to not
only ride on a steam boat to South America but also go on an adventure in the
Amazon you are beyond fix'in (64). Anyway it took him round a year to raise
enough money to go to the Amazon but he finally had it and set forth on the Paul
Jones down the Mississippi to New Orleans. Sam reckoned the voyage would take
bout a week of time but his foresee'in was more than just a bit off (70).
Horace Bixby was cap'tn of the boat. I reckon his day started off jus
as any other, that is until he met Sam of course. It all happened when Horace
spotted that a man, now 21 years of age, had been star'in at him for hours.
When Horace's shift was over he left the pilot house. As soon as he opened that
door Sam was in his face ask'in questions bout his job and how liked it. Their
conversations and friendliness kept for the rest of the trip. But at the end
Sam left it jus like all the other passengers.
Sam noticed an ol'e dock hand lean'in up against a pole. Sam was down
right puzzled when the man laughed at Sam's question. He replied "There have
never been no steamers sail'in to the Amazon round here!" It was then and there
when Sam realized that the Mississippi was his river and that pilot'in it had
been his biggest dream. So Sam went search'in for Bixby and found em too. He
asked him if he could be a cub on the boat and Bixby had no problem with it
cause Sam had been so friendly and all. So Sam worked the river for four years
and ventually became himself a cap'tn (Howard 122). Word got around that Sam
was one of the best cap'tns on that river. Mr. Bixby was proud and Sam loved
that river more than life it'self and planed to spend it on the Mississippi
(133). I'm sure he woulda done it till he was able to but someth'in came up.
One night there was a horrible accident. There was a ship who's had
them selves a boiler explosion. Henry was on that boat and went to swim to a
nearby shore. But Henry heard scream'in and went back to save people. He never
made it and drowned. This was not the only thing that made Sam depressed these
days (Paine 91).
Unfortunately when Sam turned 26 years of age boats were halted go'in up
and down the river cause of the war. Ya see the Yankees has been on us bout how
slaves are immoral and all, and them plantation owners would'n got no notes if
it warn't for their niggers (133). So as anyone coulda guessed the country
broke out into an all out brawl over the matter. Course this meant dat any man
worthy of any respect at all was go'in to fight for em selves and their good ol'
e south, so for a short period of time he did but Sam thought that slavery was
wrong. He felt for it so strong that he woulda joined emself en the Yank's side
but he would be fightin his friends and neighbors (Howard 134).
By this time Orion's print'in business had failed. But Orion's second
cousin was a rich boy. He was able to fix up Orion with a proper job. Nevada
was a new territory and it needed itself a Territorial Secretary. This job was
much like be'in a governor and was considered a real honor. There was one
problem left to resolve. It would take Orion all of one-hundred and fifty
dollars. Well that was no problem that Sam could'nt solve cause he had himself
three-hundred dollars right in his own pocket. Now if I am do'in my math proper
this would mean that two people would have themselves a ticket to Nevada. Well
I must to done it right cause they did jus' that. Sam's plan to make money
would be to mine silver (135). Well Sam's luck at min'in was not very prosper.
He barely made enough to survive the winter. But although times were tough he
was always able to make his colleagues and himself laugh dur'in the worst of
times. Dur'in this period Sam would write humorous letters to Orion. Well
Orion knew of his li'l brothers problems. In an attempt to help him he showed
Sam's letters to the local paper. The owner of the Territorial Enterprise found
exactly what he wanted (137). It was August when Sam started writ'in for the
paper. But prior to writ'in a stitch Sam wanted to create a name for himself
that would stick. He thought long and hard, think'in how great life used to be
on the Mississippi. Suddenly his eyes took on a glare and his face was
perplexed. He had a big smile on his face and through his smil'in mouth came
the words "Mark Twain". It was a river term that told the cap'tn how deep the
water was (15). Well Sam though he had good ideas bout write'in so he set off
to be a free lance writer. To make money in between he mined for gold. One day
while sitt'in on a rock next to the mountain side he heard some men talk'in of
frog races. This took Sam's mind to the past, his uncle use to have a pet frog.
So he started write'in what came to mind and before he coulda known it himself
he had a completed story in front of his eyes (142).
Sam sent his story to a local newspaper. Well The Bullfrog Of
Calaveras County was the talk of the town! Before he known it himself Sam
stories were be'in published all over the country (143).
I reckon it was late May of 1864 when Sam left for the West coast.
Twain's reason for leav'in Nevada for California was because of a duel. The
duel was really somewhat of a publicity stunt. It was arranged in between Sam
and a rival paper to the Call, the paper that Sam was write'in for (Paine 137).
When Sam got there he found the city filled wit beautiful flowers and roll'in
green hills. Sam found the location perfect for his write'in. He was relaxed
here and could concentrate (Eaton 143). Sam's job was to venture out into the
city's night life. It was filled with shows and entertainment! Sam's job was to
report and critique the shows he attended, he loved it at first but soon got
sick of all the lights and glamour (145). But Sam kept at it. He had one
reason for wak'in up every day. You see Sam joined a literary group, it was his
moment of sunshine dur'in an otherwise dismal day (146). But Sam could barely
take the his monotonous job for another day, he was bout to quit when BOOM. Now
I have never been to the West myself but Sam told me out there they have these
happen'ins they call earthquakes. It must be strange to be in one. Everything
shakes and whole build'ins can fall down! Anyways for Sam this earthquake
brought bout much to write about. For many days he made reports bout what
happened to people and their homes and things of the sort. But eventually
California got themselves some carpenters to fix everyth'in and that was the end
of that topic (146).
So I reckon you believe how happy Sam was when he got word from Joe
Goodman to rejoin the Enterprise. Sam would act as their Western reporter and
would free to write bout what ever he chose (147). Well every thing was go'in
fine until Sam's friend and roommate Steve Gillis almost killed a barkeeper! He
was put in jail for attempted murder. So be'in the kind that Sam was, he
posted his friend's bail. Well the word got out that this barkeeper was friends
with the Sheriff. This meant that Steve had no chance of gett'in a fair trial.
So like any man would, Steve fled to Virginia. Well when he did'nt show up in
court they went after Sam's bail money. But no worry, cause Sam got word of it
before they found him.
Steve's brother Jim came to town and told Sam that he could stay with
him in his cabin in the Tuollumne hills (148). Jim was what was called a "
pocket miner". These people were miners that would look for gold in abandoned
mines. So Sam learned the trade of pocket min'in. They roamed area which is
now Yosemite park scout'in for gold. Sam did this for weeks mak'in enough to
survive (149). Eventually Sam's short attention span caught up with him. Like
every thing else Sam got sick of min'in and be'in so far away from, well,
everything! So he set down his pails and headed back to San Fransico (150).
Upon his return Sam was contracted by the Sacremento Union to write some
stories bout the Hawaiian group. Well within moments Sam had himself on a boat
to the islands. He would often refer to his time on the islands as one of the
best in his whole, ttire life, a "golden memory" as he put so himself . Sam was
in his 30s, his prime and was filled with adventure and energy. He traveled all
over the island and sent back detailed reports (Paine 148). California and Sam
himself were both amazed with the write'in that Mark Twain was creat'in. Sam
wanted to refine his skills and better himself. His first step toward his goal
was to return to California (150). Sam begun to give lectures, at the start of
it they were refined to San Fransisco and then to the state. The results were
amazing. I don't think I have ever seen so many of people in one room before!
Well cause of these results Sam ventured out to many big cities of the country.
Now if you were to pick one place where the most people were would come to see
Sam's lectures were would you go? New York, New York of course (160). The
lectures that Sam gave in New York were probably what kicked off his pathway to
national fame (162).
Dur'in his travels Sam met a man named Charles Langdon. They became
good friends. Sam spent Christmas in New York with Charles. It is here where
he met Olivia Langdon (Eaton 178). It was love at first sight, I must say she
was a mighty fine woman, she was! The two stared at each other through out
dinner at the Langdon's house. Olivia found Sam the most interest'in person she
had ever met (179). They saw each other again on New Year's Day and became even
more friendly with each other, even more than prior (182).
Duty called Sam to Washington, where he would give two speeches. At
this point Sam's life took a turn. He realized that he was not meant to be a
reporter but an author (183). He started write'in quickly, his goal was to
finish a manuscript as soon as possible (184). The result was The Innocent
Abroad Sam's first novel. The story told of Sam's trip on the Quaker , a large
sailboat, with six other men. He was on the ship to tour Europe and lecture in
the some of the big cities (163 Paine).
In the meantime Sam was invited to spend two days with the Langdon
family. Everyone was happy to see him. For two days he tried to lure Olivia
towards engag'in her in some personal conversation (186 Eaton). Within a short
period of time Sam had convinced Olivia into marry'in him (187). February 2,
1870 was the day that Sam finally got married, well I can say it was bout time!
He did not want to separate the Langdon family so Sam decided to move nearby to
Olivia's home town, Elmira, so Sam and his new wife moved to Buffalo, New York
(190).
Almost as soon as the couple moved in they experienced themselves some
problems. Olivia's father passed away leav'in her grief stricken. Olivia got
herself into a state of depression, mak'in her weak and confined her to her bed.
In November the couple had a premature baby boy named Langdon. But instead of
bring'in the family joy it worsened them. Because the baby was born early it
was weak and sickly, not to good. How could a man possibly concentrate in such
a mess? Well he simply could'nt! Sam noticed that ever since they moved to
Buffalo his wife and himself were not the happy people they used to be (192).
So when Sam received the invitation to spend the summer at Quarry Farm
from Mrs. Crane there was no doubt in his mind to accept. Mrs. Crane was the
sister of Olivia's mama. She lived on a farm that had huge views of roll'in
green hills which helped to inspire Sam an his write'in (186 Paine). By the
end of the summer, Sam had finished his book, Roughing It. It was bout his
adventures out in the western territory.
At the summer's end the family chose on mov'in to Hartford, Connecticut,
a thriv'in city that was filled with literary publishers and clubs of that sort
(Paine 189).
1872 was a year of change for Sam and his family. In March his second
child was born Susy Clemens. But three months later Langdon died of a heavy
cold (198). Later that year Sam's adventures spanned to England, his mission
was to collect information bout their customs for a new book that he planned to
start. He returned in November that same year. His plans changed, Sam
abandoned his idea and started a new fiction book called The Gilded Age. It was
well known and loved by many people, jus like all of his other write'ins of
course.
Lov'in England so much, Sam returned there with his family. He stayed
himself there for a complete two years. Dur'in this time he had met with many
famous authors and lectured all over England (199). On his arrival home Sam
started write'in Tom Sawyer. It was bout his child hood :grow'in up on the
Mississippi. It was to be one of his most famous books (200). I guess he must '
av been feel'in mighty high spirited cause Sam continued on write'in. He wrote
Sketches New and Old which would have been a tremendous seller if it were by any
other author, but for Sam it was a relatively "small potatoes" (209).
Sam's next big accomplishment was The Prince and the Pauper , his first
play. The story was bout Henry VIII. Sam got the idea after read'in The Prince
and the Page, a well known story (219).
By now Sam had himself three children Susy, Clara and Jean (Howard 157).
It was at this time when Sam decided to write The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn
(Eaton 217). Now Sam wrote many a books but this was by far the most excellent
thing that was ever written, and I can't help lik'in the name of it! It sold
like a madman, bring'in Sam tons of letters and comments bout his novel.
After write'in many famous books Sam did someth'in he had been long'in
for. Sam returned to the Mississippi. There he met up with some ole friends
and saw ole sites. For a moment Sam was liv'in his child hood. Everybody he
knew had read all of his books and the all the people decorated their town for
Sam's return. As Sam stepped off the boat he said "Has Missouri changed the
date of the 4th of July?" (Howard 166). The next day Sam was invited to attend
the christen'in of a new steam boat. The champagne bottle cracked and the
wooden planks that held it in place slipped off the ship reveal'in the name "
MARK TWAIN" (168).
Years later Sam laid in his bed. He was now an old man with only Clara
left. His whole family had died. He sat in bed remember'in how he had seen
Halley's comet when he was little. Now 77 years later Sam saw the comet again
on the night of April 21, 1910. This was one of the lasts things he saw. Cause
that night Sam passed into a long sleep that still has yet to end (173).
I went on bein' a sheriff in Montana. But this story ain't bout myself,
it's bout my friend Sam.
-Tom Blankenship
a.k.a.: Huckleberry Finn
Note: This paper was written in a dialect used by Huck. There are many
spelling and grammatical errors but all are intessional (just kidding, bout ®--).
They are there to represent the dialogue of Huck. I have edited it many times
to be sure ALL the errors now in the paper are intentional! I have sat through
my spell check alerting me that almost every word was spelled wrong just to
eliminate unintentional errors.
The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn II
In the novel The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn the setting has a large
influence on Huck's character. The period of time that Huck lived in was a
distinct era. The country was changing rapidly. During this period steam
engines enabled rivers to be used as mass transportation, an idea that had never
been explored until now. Waterways were the first way in which large amounts of
goods could be transported efficiently. This drastically changed much of the
nation's economy. Huge factories were built in the north and southern
plantations tripled their production by using machines. There were many traits
of this era that can be seen by looking at the components of Huck's character,
his language, actions and thoughts. Some of these traits are sutle and can be
easily missed but others are very obvious and powerful. This period of change
was the setting of Huck's childhood.
One trait that is indicative of the era is the social class of Huck and
Huck's language. It is greatly affected by his social class and setting. The
broken English is a sign of Huck's low social class. In addition it also shows
that he is from a southern river town. This can be seen from his expressions
and accent. The language of the novel also assists the reader to get into the
laid back, southern mood of the book. By doing so the story is brought to life.
It seems as if someone were to bring you back to the time when the novel and the
events in it occurred.
Because of the rules of the time that Huck's character is governed upon,
Huck was never educated. During the early 1800s there was no law that required
children to go to school, therefore his low intellect has a strong impact on
Huck's character. It gives him a "plain and simple" outlook on life, this
trait can been seen throughout the book in Huck's character. One specific area
it affects is Huck's plans for his future. Huck only thought about what he was
going to do for present. Huck had an incapable father. He was thought of as
the town drunk, and would often come home intoxicated and abuse Huck. At one
point his father locked Huck up in a small room without food or water for days.
The setting is important here because if Huck's father were to treat his son in
an abusive manner today, he would lose custody of his child. A good example of
Huck's unloving relationship was Huck's reaction to his father's death. When
notified of his death he was relieved and felt safe! This detail can be used to
illustrate the abuse that Huck went through in the beginning of the book, while
living with his father. Because of Huck's father's irresponsible actions, Huck
ran away at a young age in the hope that someday he would find freedom from his
father and society. By running away Huck saved himself from abuse and being
taken advantage of. One of the things Huck saved himself from was having 6,000
dollars, that Huck was awarded for the capture of two criminals in Tom Sawyer,
being stolen from him by his father.
Huck's separation from his father is also the reason for his free
thinking, responsibility and innocence. These times of hardship formed him into
a mature person and helped contribute to his independent personality. Without
the influence of the setting Huck would have never been able to achieve the
freedom that he had by being independent.
When Huck ran away he joined up with Jim, who was also running away, but
from something different. Jim was fleeing from slavery, a common practice of
the time. Huck's relationship with Jim contributed to Huck's non-prejudice
thinking. Another factor that gave Huck a understanding of how the slaves must
have felt was the prejudice that he experienced himself , being part of the
lower class. Huck was infuriated when people looked down upon him for something
that was no fault of his, he was born into the class because of his father's
social status. For these reasons Huck always treated Jim as an equal, making
Huck ahead of his time. Jim knew that Huck respected him, as a result Jim
risked his own life to save Huck.
Huck's independence and lack of education resulted in a mind that was
never influenced by adult's beliefs. This allowed Huck to have thoughts based
on what he believed in, not traditions that are simply carried on by messengers
of the past's beliefs. Although traditions are often good they prevent new
ideas from entering people's minds. This made Huck original, this
individuality could be seen with his relationship with Jim. During this period
of American history slaves were looked down upon, but Huck, being an
independent thinker, looked up to Jim for who he was, not for the color of his
skin. This was made obvious by their moon lit conversations on the raft. On
the raft Huck and Jim talked about their past and future, friends and how they
planned to avoid trouble that could result from their next adventure. From the
raft conversations the reader was able to see how Jim longed for freedom and had
feelings just like everyone else, especially Huck.
As the novel progressed Huck's relationship with Jim grew stronger. In
the beginning of the book Huck often called Jim "Nigger Jim." This was not
because of any hatred that Huck had towards Jim. It was only a term commonly
used to refer to blacks. But by the end of the book Huck would only call Jim by
his name. This change in dialogue clearly illustrates how the relationship grew
stronger during their adventures. By the end of the novel Huck risked his own
life to free Jim in the final escape attempt. This happened when Huck and Tom
freed Jim from a holding cell. They were spotted, chased and then shot at by
the men who had captured Jim. If the story were to take place in another time,
where slavery did not exist, it could have hid Huck's individuality that slavery
shed light on.
During the river adventures that Huck and Jim shared Huck realized that
because of his economic status he was dependent on the river to survive. This
can clearly be seen by looking at the origin of his name "Huckleberry". He was
given this name because at a young age he had been eating huckleberries. His
dependence made him loyal to the Mississippi River. The personification of the
river that Huck uses clearly shows his feelings and thankfulness to the river.
The personification also helped show how important the river was to not only
Huck but to all of the river towns.