Huck's runaway was actually predictable, because he didn't seem to like that place at all. It was clever for Huck to slaughter the pig to create a fake murder scene though.
Does Widow Douglas actually care for Huck for the sake of caring, or maybe possibly because he possessed a large amount of money?
It was interesting for Jim and Huck to meet on the island, and it is a symbolism for the start of their adventure (as seen on the image on the right).
Huck faking his death was quite clever, and he happened to meet with Jim. Many people go out to find his body, and he feels sad that people who care for him think he's dead. Why is it Huck doesn't seem to care that Jim is a runaway slave? Why do they like to talk about superstition so much?
After reading these two chapters, Huck has finally run away from his pap. Huck runs and hides on an island, and there he meets Jim. I think that since they are both on an island with nobody else on it and that they both don't want to go back to their former enviornment, the both of them are going to be together for a long time. Freed from injustice, they both smoke as much as they want on the paradise island.
Huck and Jim seem to be very close friends, sharing many habits, like superstitious behavior. It is quite amazing how he staged the fake death so well, and also saddening to see how the widow is desperately trying to search for Huck.
he killed the pig! x-O poor piggyy. yeah but it was interesting how huck was able to fake his own death so well. and Jim's speech is really hard to decipher :/
Tereasa: I think the widow Douglas has two motives - one, she's a religious Christian, and I guess it's the Christian thing to do, but I think deep down, it's probably just the greed taking him in. In the start of the book it says she takes him in after he gets six thousand dollars - why would she suddenly want to become so good and neighbourly? James: I guess Huck's young, and he hasn't brought up to hate blacks (Huck's dad probably doesn't care for them much, but then again, he doesn't seem to care for anything but whiskey much). Plus Huck's just really desperate for some company, it says he was getting all 'lonesome' out there by himself. I guess Jim's very ignorant and uneducated (not saying superstition is ignorance but sometimes there are more rational explanations for things)
It says in the book. page 47 "you see, they was firing cannon over hte water, trying to make my carcass come out" and page 48 "well then i happened to think how they always put quicksilver in loaves of bread and float them off, because they always go right to the drownded carcass and stop there."
Huck escaped, killed a pig and fake his own death. He stole a canoe, a gun and filled the canoe with food, ammunition and matches. He made two trials to confuse people, to stop them from coming after him. He was hiding on Jackson's Island and woke up only to find the whole town looking for him. He spends the next few days looking for food and met Jim, Miss Watson's slave.
After reading chapter 7 and 8, I thought that Huck is a rather smart kid and knows how to fake deaths and hunt. I think we can see much of how the black people were treated from what Jim said. They were treated as property, Miss Watson was going to sell Jim to New Orleans for 800 dollars. We can also see that he is rather stupid. He fell for the scam and it seemed that every black believed it. I think another factor is that they are superstitious, Jim thinks that he has a hairy arm and a hairy breast then he would be rich, so he went for the scam.
These two chapters show that Huck is a brave person who fights powerfully for his life. Huck's escape from Pap demonstrate his ability to live alone on Jackson's Island. Huck does not need anyone's help to survive, but he is not completely happy because he sometimes gets lonely. I think Huck chooses to stay with Jim because as a young boy who has lived outside of society for quite some time, he does not get influenced by the prejudice from the adult society.
Question: Will Jim and Huck begin to trust eachother or not?
James: Why is it Huck doesn't seem to care that Jim is a runaway slave? i think it's because he has lived outside of main stream society most of his childhood so he still lacks the prejudice of the older folks in his town.
On page 50, when Jim is explaining his reason for running away, he says that “she (miss Watson) didn’t want to, but she could git eight hun’d dollars for me, en it ‘uz sich a big stack o’ money she couldn’ resis’.” I have a feeling that the trader was lying to Miss Watson about the sum of money she would receive. How is it possible for a slave trader to spend so much money of just one slave? I know that at that time, slaves were really common- at least in the south- so there was no need to pay so much money. Therefore, I think that Miss Watson was being swindled out of her money.
I think that within these three chapters, an awful lot of superstition was introduced, (mainly for the effect of wit). For example, it was very intersting how the searching party believed they can find Huck's body if they use cannon and loaves of bread.
I find it very interesting how everybody thinks that Huck was dead. I can totally imagine people seeing me and go “I SEE KIMBERLY’S GHOST!!!” Jim says something like that to Huck when he sees him on the island. I find it hard to believe how Jim escaped, because usually there are guards or something to make sure that the slaves don’t run away. Jim says that he overheard Miss Watson discussing about selling him for $800 to a slave trader to take him to New Orleans. He didn’t want to be separated from his family, so he ran off. The thing is that he is on this little island by himself, without his family, which is basically the same thing as being sold and not being with his family. It is still difficult to read Jim’s dialects, but it is easier than before! To Tereasa: I think Widow Douglas actually cares for him, because she tries to teach him the manners and tells him to behave and everything. To him, she is a very mean and strict person who adopted him, but it seems to me that she was actually trying very hard.
Jenny: Will Jim and Huck begin to trust eachother or not? I think they will, because they're both people who have run away from their "masters." Jim literally runs away from his master, and Huck basically did the same. He had felt imprisoned living with Pap and probably threatened because of his drinking problems. They have similar backgrounds, so they'll definitely stick together now that they've found each other.
Like James, I'm wondering what do cannon balls and bread have anything to do with finding a corpse?
Chapter 7 and 8 were really interesting. When Huck left his father, he left an axe for him, which meant that Huck still had a considerate heart. I was surprised when I found out that Huck was so considerate for his father, even though his father was totally an insane person who tried to kill him. Another thing that was pretty interesting was Huck's ability to survive alone, like making fire or fishing. I begin to view Huck as a clever, sharp boy rather than obtuse. On the other hand,I think Jim's escape was rather a miracle. In those times, usually a black can't escape that easily. However, Jim did not know how to make food for himself, which proves that Jim isn't smarter that Huck. Now, the good thing is that they have each other and can rely on each other for warmth and company. Last, I still see that they are superstitious. Jim is the one who's telling all the superstitions. They sound really crazy and odd to me.I think the reason that Jim keeps on knowing these things is because it's the only thing that he can cling on to; its his only hope. For example he says he has hairy arms and breasts which means he'll become rich. It may be fake or true, but he just wishes to become rich.
QUESTION: Why was Huck's father so determined to find Huck's body? Did his father really love him?
Well, these later chapters have a lot of development. Huck fakes his own death by killing a pig, and this story spreads quite far. I also think it was very clever of him to put some of his own hair on the axe so it really looked like he had been killed.
James: I don't know about the cannons, but I think the bread is an offering for his dead spirit.
I think in this chapter, the adventures of Huckleberry Finn truly start. It was clever and smart for Huck to kill the pig to fake for his murderer, and successfully run away from Pap. He meets Jim on the Jackson’s Island and becomes friend with him. He has a real freedom on the Island since there is no body and he can smoke whenever he wants to. But those who care about Huck seem sad about his “death”.
My question is… Huck’s father seems to a very greedy man. Will he get the money from Huck at the end of the story or not?
James: I think the bread symbolizes the food offered for Huck's dead soul.
Again in this chapter, we see Huck's non-innocent side. I dont get how a kid around the age same as me, could do something as "street smart" as faking his own death and as cruel as killing a pig. My question is, what good would faking his own death do? I mean, he cant be seen by ANYONE now. But i have a feeling hes gona meet up with Tom later. Im pretty excited about reading on to see whats going to happen. Like how pap is gonna react, and what Hucks next step is.
Huck finally escaped from his dad. The way he faked his death was adroit. How he made everything seem like he was killed. I think how he killed the pig to make it seem like his own blood was very smart. James: I don't think Huck really cares if Jim is a run away slave, because Huck was lonely on the island with no one to talk to. So when he found out that he had a companion that he could talk to, he didn't mind who it was.
As said before, I think Huck is quite a smart kid. He faked his death and everyone was fooled by it. His father even composed a little group together and set out to find his body. Luckily, on his way, he found Jim, who was his own escaped slave, and for a while, they both lived together and helped each other out.
To Kristin Kiang I think Pap does not really care about Huck. He just 1. does not want to lose such a good investment, or 2. could not accept the fact that his son was dead.
Question: Do you think Huck and Jim will live together and find a solution for their escape together? Or do you think they will depart the next day, and go in their own direction.
Huck must had been desperately wanting to leave his father, to have thought up of a plan like that. Still, I thought he was pretty clever what he did. I think it was very convincing to his Pap that he had died. He was very careful with all the details. In chapter 8, it showed how in the South, the black people were sold like merchandise. Jim had escaped because he had overheard Miss Watson talking to the slave trader about selling him off just because she would get 800 dollars. I think Huck was a bit of a racist, because he was shocked when Jim said he ran away, and he thought it was a bad thing to be called an Abolitionist.
Wow. Huck is definitely street smart.. the way he faked his own death was ingenious. We mentioned in class that he was probably 13 years old or so and for someone like him, who hasn't received any formal education to think of doing something like that is pretty smart. If it were me, I'd just make a run for it and maybe stay at a relative's or a friend's.
I found the part when Jim started with his superstitious beliefs pretty interesting. Especially the part when he said that people with hairy arms and hairy chests will get rich. I thought it was pretty random for him to say that, so my question is, what do you think is the story behind the "hairy people will become rich" belief? How do you think this superstitious belief came to be?
Speaking of JIm, his words are still very hard to understand. There was a part where it was just his dialogue for quite a while and I had to slow down a lot just to understand what he was saying. Does the audio version of the book really have a Southern Negro speak in that accent?
Also, the story of how Jim lost all his money was pretty pathetic. How could he be so gullible? And was 15 dollars really that much during his time? Or was it just a lot for a slave to have?
After reading the two chapters, I thought that Huck was really smart to fake his own death. He made everything so realistic. But what is Huck trying to do? Is it for fun? Or to get away from pap and Widow Douglas and Miss Watson? In chapter eight, it was interesting that Huck and Jim met in the woods. When Huck sees Jim he’s surprised but he doesn’t disrespect Jim. But will Huck start to hate Jim later on, just because he’s a Negro?
I think that Huck is pretty smart for faking his own death. I doubt anyone else would have thought of killing a pig to fake his own death. Huck meets Jim on Jackson's island. They're both running away from situations they were in. Huck ran away from his drunk and abusive pap, and Jim heard that he might get sold, and he didn't want to get seperated from his family. Jim's superstitions are also very interesting to read because, but I still find it hard to understand what Jim is saying. I need to read it at least twive to know what he is talking about. Kevin: I think that they will continue to live together for a while, and maybe have some adventures.
In chapter 7, Huck's street knowledge comes into use. He managed to fake a death and escape from his father. In Chapter 8, a lot of superstition can be found. For example, the shooting of the cannon to make the body float, the use of bread to find a carcass. and the thought that hairy people will become rich. Superstition plays an important role in this chapter. If Huck didn't have the superstition that bread was used to find a carcass, then he would've left the shore in search of food. Therefore, Huck wouldn't have seen the ship pass by and he wouldn't know that he was currently safe around that area.
To James: The use of the cannon and bread are just superstitions of ways to find a dead body.
James: Why do they like to talk about superstition so much? I think it was because of the time period that Huck and Jim were in. Many people in the early nineteenth century believed in that kind of stuff. And maybe it was popular back then.
Tereasa: Does Widow Douglas actually care for Huck for the sake of caring, or maybe possibly because he possessed a large amount of money? I think Widow Douglas actually cared for Huck because she taught him to be proper and many others like that. I think she wants Huck to get the impression of a mother, even though she is strict towards Huck.
KK: Why was Huck's father so determined to find Huck's body? Did his father really love him? I think Huck’s father wanted to find Huck’s body because he wanted to get the money that was Huck’s. I don’t think Huck’s father really loved Huck. Maybe he did, but only a little bit.
Huck's fake death was seriously mind blowing. I couldn't believe someone as young as Huck could come up with that good of a plan. This kid really is street smart. I just wish he could have somehow gotten his fortune before he faked his death, though Huck doesn't exactly seem to care much about material possessions as much as one might expect him to. Surprisingly, I am really starting to like his character. Who wouldn't like a kid who is as adventurous and as smart as Huck and seems to just enjoy the ride. Also, I liked the fact that Jim's race doesn't seem to bother Huck at all.
Do you think Jim will actually get the fortune he thinks is awaiting him in the future?
I agree with everyone that Huck Finn’s idea of staging his own murder is an ingenious plan. However, Jim also mentioned how a lot of people thought that Huck “killed” himself. Apparently, Huck has a reputation for being a tricky kid. Also, Jim tells Huck that he escaped when Huck “got killed.” So this proves that Jim isn’t that stupid at all, but he sadly forgot how people thought about things at that time. Although he successfully escaped using Huck’s murder like a diversion, he was unfortunately accused of murdering Huck instead. (Am I going a bit too far?? I think I read over chapter 8) I also realized that Jim was extremely superstitious, and Huck may have gotten a lot of his superstitions from Jim.
I think Huck is one genius. He's definitely a mastermind - the fake death was amazing. It was kind of funny how he seemed to float around for a few days, smoking in the canoe and avoiding everybody.
Jenny: I think that as the novel plays out, Jim and Huck would have developed a pretty strong friendship.
How did Jim get fourteen dollars? I thought he was a slave. Is fourteen dollars a lot? I like how Jim is very optimistic and knows how much he’s worth. I’m guessing to have slaves cost a lot. I think it is funny how Jim used to own a cow and even as it died he used its hide to get some money back. I feel bad for Jim for losing all his money without really spending it.
I think it was a waste of time for Huck to fake his death. He could’ve just ran and still go to the island to hide. If the people who went looking for his dead body couldn’t find him, they won’t find him anyways if they knew Huck was alive.
Tereasa: Since Widow Douglas is a Christian, she feels like she should take care of Huckleberry Finn. I guess it's the Christian way to take care of troubles people. She called him the lost lamb in the beginning chapters. To Widow Douglas, Huck Finn was the odd one out. She sacrificed everything, her time, her money, her strength to help the "lost lamb." She spends all her time with him to attempt to "sivilize" him. I think she understands that the money issue with Huckleberry Finn will come up. But I think she knows deep down that it's wrong to take care of Huck Finn just for the money.
Q: Huck left his father, but still knows what it means to have a father. leaving an axe, does that mean he expect his father to quit drinking and acutually work?
Huck runnin away from home was clearly predicted by most readers. He had had it with his life there and escaped. Huck was very smart in faking his death. He is clearly street smart.
After faking his own death and outsmarting the adults, Huck runs away to an island. He lives off by hunting and scavenging for edible berries. This shows that he is independent and capable of living alone. But is it really worth it? Wouldn’t he rather go back to the Widow’s house and live a comfortable and safe life? Soon Huck begins to feel lonely but, when he finds Jim also living on the island, he is glad to have an companion. What I’ve realized is that they both have something in common: both are run-aways searching for freedom from the society. Where will the pair go next?
Will Jim and Huck begin to trust eachother or not? I think they will, because they're both people who have run away from their "masters." Jim literally runs away from his master, and Huck basically did the same. He had felt imprisoned living with Pap and probably threatened because of his drinking problems. They have similar backgrounds, so they'll definitely stick together now that they've found each other.
I greatly admire Huck’s ingenuity at faking his death. This is the child version of Mission Impossible or James Bond. The adventure Huck finds himself in seems to him like an average day. Is that why we have characters as Mr. Bond? To live out our boredom for us? Anyways, that was just a speculation.
Jim’s talk was very hard to understand—I had to reread parts of it over to figure out the basic meaning. Even though I resided deep in the Southern country, I had never heard a black man talk in such a heavy accent, and I must say that it is quite foreign to me. However, I had not lived in Mississippi, so I can’t be completely sure. Initially, I did question Samuel Clemens’ use of such misspellings—you nearly had to say it out loud! But I gradually learned to respect it and discovered that it had an eloquence of its own in its own aspect—by verbalizing it, you have your nose thrust deeper into the pages, into the heart of the text: a far greater experience.
I think in these chapters a sense of the superstitions appropriate to the time really comes up in the bread, cannon and etc. These chapters also prove Huck Finn to be an extremely intelligent person despite a lack of education. However, I find it surprising that his "pap" actually came looking for him even though he abused and didn't like him. What does this show about his father?
On page 52 Jim reveals to Huck about all the superstitions he knew. I thought it was interesting that many people those days thought up of all these superstitions. Perhaps it shows that they didn’t know as much about how things worked as people today. It was the fear of the unknown that motivated them to think up these superstitions for bad luck.
Even though anarchy reigned during this period, Huck had a positive attitude toward his life. I think that he is clever because he was only fourteen, and he had made the escaping plan himself. Without any helps, he chose his own life. I found the encounter with Jim was interesting. They might start their adventures soon…
Question: In your opinion, do you think that Mark Twain purposely wrote the encounter of Huck and Jim?
In these two chapters, Mark Twain showed the reader the relationship of Jim and Huckleberry. Jim actually trust him a lot, not only telling Huckleberry how he got in the woods but also about his past about the money. In chapter 8, it shows the reader a little bit about Jim, how he is a little bit superstition, for example the part where he told Huckleberry not to catch the birds, because it gives Huckleberry bad luck. Also the part where he says that person who has furry arms will became rich. It shows that he is superstition.
In these two chapters, because of the situations that Huck and Jim are in, they both decide to run away. Huck was really clever faking his own death and Jim escaped because he heard Miss Watson talking to a slave trader. Both Huck and Jim take a step forward searching for their freedom when leaving everything behind and going off to live on the island.
I think these two chapters shows just how smart Huck actually is. He sets up his death so detailed that the entire village falls for it. I also respect how Huck Finn is not really as racist as Widow Douglas and others.
Kathy: No, I don't think so. He's just a kid, he probably doesn't understand that at that time coloreds were treated badly. Also they both have similar situations, and both ran away for the same reason--freedom.
Comments: With the recommendation of using the AudioBooks, reading "Huck Finn" has become so much easier! Everything is easier to understand and I have no problems with grammar or the complicated accent-style spelling of Jim's words.
Thoughts: I am amused at how Huck was able to construct a genius escape plan like that in such a short time. It was intelligent, creative, and efficient. Everything was properly planed and executed correctly. I mean, seriously, everyone was fooled!
Question: Why does Jim want money so badly? What could he possibly do with it in a society like his? Knowing that time, someone will probably just take it from him sooner or later.
To Matt: I think Huck not telling on Jim was out of pure good intention, plus, Jim is now a runaway, just like Huck is.
I found these 2 chapters very interesting. Huck was able to fake his own death. Also he was able to stop the town from looking for him. I think that Huck is smart in a different kind of way. He is sneaky and street smart. Huck later on meets Jim, miss watsons slave. The author gives Jim a very unique accent that shows the culture of African Americans and the countryside at that time. From these chapters i saw how black people were traded around like products,doesnt seem right. Jim gets scammed in a trade miss watson makes. Overall these 2 chapters was pretty interesting.
I really liked these chapters because they described a fake killing. I enjoy watching shows like csi because of these things. I like to see how they plant evidence that works towards what they want, and in this case, the book describes it well and it also makes sense. Other than that, this part of the book is filled with more action than before and it makes me want to find out what happens next to Huck and Jim on the island.
The different accents also serve to show different upbringings and levels of education. They reflect society and how different people were at different levels of education, suggesting that good education was not evenly distributed.
to adam: to what you said about Huck not needing to fake his own death, I think it was necessary. If they thought he was actually alive, they would search on land and not as much in water, or at least not the way they did. If they had searched comprehensively on land as they would have, Huck would have a higher chance of being discovered.
In these chapters, I’ve notice how Huck could able to think as an adult and able to take care of himself. I like how he hid the boat incase he had a chance of escaping from his pap and the Widow. I’m pretty amazed by his intelligent, like the way he could estimate the time of day the moment he woke up in the morning. He had been living outside pretty long that he’s able to make trap or hidden place for himself. Also on the other hand, the night on the island when pap, Widow, Ms. Watson, and Judge Thatcher had left the island. Huck was kind of scare sleeping in the boat feeling uneasy, but when he found out the man that’s one the island with him was Jim. Huck was relief and doesn’t feel lonely anymore. This tells us that, no matter how Huck think or how he could take care of himself like a real man. No matter what, Huck is still a kid being scare of lonesome and dark sometimes. But I’m still amazed by his risk on ditching his father and those who cares for him, leaving to some where else without any plans set.
I thought that it was really clever for Huck Finn to fake his death. He made his death seem very real, making people think that Huck really died. He outsmarted the adults. His father thought he really died.
Is it a good idea for Huck Finn to escape from Widow Douglas and his father? Will people in town find out that his death was really just a plan? How wil they react?
I thought the part where Finn disguises himself as a girl is hilarious. However, it amazes me that a civilized woman such as the one who helped him would actually pay attention to the nuances and details of Finn's behavior that show him to be a boy and not a girl.
Mark Twain is creative, humorous, and a bit straightforward. There are many aspects of his writing that astonished me. For example, Mark Twain repeats the word “nigger” within the book that brings out the past time. He didn’t conserve his own reputation by restricting his form of writing. Also, I think how Mark Twain portrays Jim is well-done, because Jim stands out with his dialect. Jim’s dialect is very different from ours; therefore, sometimes I have to reread the paragraph again just to understand better what he is talking about. The spelling of many words are also very confusing. Mark Twain also creates superstitious characters, not only Huckleberry Finn but also Jim. Jim believes that if you count the things to cook for dinner, it brings bad luck.
The way Jim talks is even more fascinating than Huck’s because it indirectly shows Jim as a character. Jim tells Huck now that he had ran away from home and is a fugitive living now on his own since he had overheard that the widow was going to sell him for $800. The moment when Huck came out to show himself to Jim was funny because Jim thought he was being haunted by Huck’s ghost. Even though it is fun to read how Jim speaks, it sometimes is hard to understand what he is trying to say. He doesn’t speak clearly most of the time and lots of guessing is still required. Otherwise, it is very fun to read from a different accent.
Ever since I started reading this book, I have predicted that Huck will run away from Pap since he didn't like Pap at all. Pap hasn't been treating him as his son, but just a product so he could get money off of him. It was also really smart how Huck faked his death so that everybody thought he was dead. Since Huck and Jim are living together on the same island, do you think they would start being close friends and start trusting each other?
I think that seeing how Huck runs away from his father shows that he isn't as dumb as we might all think he is. Even though he hasn't gone through a good education cycle, he still has knowledge that many people don't have even though they have gone through a good education. We see that Huck has an amazing innate knowledge and intuition.
We also see more of Jim's character. His speech immediately shows one aspect of his character, which is an uneducated, runaway back slave. We learn about his predicament, and learn more about Huck as well through their interactions.
Huck's idea of faking his death was extremely tricky and smart. It shows that he can think on his feet and that he has a large amount of street smarts. He coincidentally ran into Jim. Many people go out to find his body, and he feels sad that people who care for him think he's dead.
Huck's runaway was actually predictable, because he didn't seem to like that place at all. It was clever for Huck to slaughter the pig to create a fake murder scene though.
ReplyDeleteDoes Widow Douglas actually care for Huck for the sake of caring, or maybe possibly because he possessed a large amount of money?
It was interesting for Jim and Huck to meet on the island, and it is a symbolism for the start of their adventure (as seen on the image on the right).
Huck faking his death was quite clever, and he happened to meet with Jim. Many people go out to find his body, and he feels sad that people who care for him think he's dead.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it Huck doesn't seem to care that Jim is a runaway slave? Why do they like to talk about superstition so much?
this is just a question, why do they use a cannon and loaves of bread to find his body?
ReplyDeleteAfter reading these two chapters, Huck has finally run away from his pap. Huck runs and hides on an island, and there he meets Jim. I think that since they are both on an island with nobody else on it and that they both don't want to go back to their former enviornment, the both of them are going to be together for a long time. Freed from injustice, they both smoke as much as they want on the paradise island.
ReplyDeleteHuck and Jim seem to be very close friends, sharing many habits, like superstitious behavior. It is quite amazing how he staged the fake death so well, and also saddening to see how the widow is desperately trying to search for Huck.
ReplyDeleteWIll his father get the money at the end or no?
he killed the pig! x-O poor piggyy.
ReplyDeleteyeah but it was interesting how huck was able to fake his own death so well. and Jim's speech is really hard to decipher :/
Tereasa: I think the widow Douglas has two motives - one, she's a religious Christian, and I guess it's the Christian thing to do, but I think deep down, it's probably just the greed taking him in. In the start of the book it says she takes him in after he gets six thousand dollars - why would she suddenly want to become so good and neighbourly?
James: I guess Huck's young, and he hasn't brought up to hate blacks (Huck's dad probably doesn't care for them much, but then again, he doesn't seem to care for anything but whiskey much). Plus Huck's just really desperate for some company, it says he was getting all 'lonesome' out there by himself. I guess Jim's very ignorant and uneducated (not saying superstition is ignorance but sometimes there are more rational explanations for things)
It says in the book. page 47 "you see, they was firing cannon over hte water, trying to make my carcass come out" and page 48 "well then i happened to think how they always put quicksilver in loaves of bread and float them off, because they always go right to the drownded carcass and stop there."
Huck escaped, killed a pig and fake his own death. He stole a canoe, a gun and filled the canoe with food, ammunition and matches. He made two trials to confuse people, to stop them from coming after him.
ReplyDeleteHe was hiding on Jackson's Island and woke up only to find the whole town looking for him. He spends the next few days looking for food and met Jim, Miss Watson's slave.
After reading chapter 7 and 8, I thought that Huck is a rather smart kid and knows how to fake deaths and hunt. I think we can see much of how the black people were treated from what Jim said. They were treated as property, Miss Watson was going to sell Jim to New Orleans for 800 dollars. We can also see that he is rather stupid. He fell for the scam and it seemed that every black believed it. I think another factor is that they are superstitious, Jim thinks that he has a hairy arm and a hairy breast then he would be rich, so he went for the scam.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThese two chapters show that Huck is a brave person who fights powerfully for his life. Huck's escape from Pap demonstrate his ability to live alone on Jackson's Island. Huck does not need anyone's help to survive, but he is not completely happy because he sometimes gets lonely. I think Huck chooses to stay with Jim because as a young boy who has lived outside of society for quite some time, he does not get influenced by the prejudice from the adult society.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: Will Jim and Huck begin to trust eachother or not?
James: Why is it Huck doesn't seem to care that Jim is a runaway slave?
ReplyDeletei think it's because he has lived outside of main stream society most of his childhood so he still lacks the prejudice of the older folks in his town.
On page 50, when Jim is explaining his reason for running away, he says that “she (miss Watson) didn’t want to, but she could git eight hun’d dollars for me, en it ‘uz sich a big stack o’ money she couldn’ resis’.” I have a feeling that the trader was lying to Miss Watson about the sum of money she would receive. How is it possible for a slave trader to spend so much money of just one slave? I know that at that time, slaves were really common- at least in the south- so there was no need to pay so much money. Therefore, I think that Miss Watson was being swindled out of her money.
ReplyDeleteI think that within these three chapters, an awful lot of superstition was introduced, (mainly for the effect of wit). For example, it was very intersting how the searching party believed they can find Huck's body if they use cannon and loaves of bread.
ReplyDeleteI find it very interesting how everybody thinks that Huck was dead. I can totally imagine people seeing me and go “I SEE KIMBERLY’S GHOST!!!” Jim says something like that to Huck when he sees him on the island. I find it hard to believe how Jim escaped, because usually there are guards or something to make sure that the slaves don’t run away. Jim says that he overheard Miss Watson discussing about selling him for $800 to a slave trader to take him to New Orleans. He didn’t want to be separated from his family, so he ran off. The thing is that he is on this little island by himself, without his family, which is basically the same thing as being sold and not being with his family. It is still difficult to read Jim’s dialects, but it is easier than before!
ReplyDeleteTo Tereasa: I think Widow Douglas actually cares for him, because she tries to teach him the manners and tells him to behave and everything. To him, she is a very mean and strict person who adopted him, but it seems to me that she was actually trying very hard.
Jenny: Will Jim and Huck begin to trust eachother or not?
ReplyDeleteI think they will, because they're both people who have run away from their "masters." Jim literally runs away from his master, and Huck basically did the same. He had felt imprisoned living with Pap and probably threatened because of his drinking problems. They have similar backgrounds, so they'll definitely stick together now that they've found each other.
Like James, I'm wondering what do cannon balls and bread have anything to do with finding a corpse?
Chapter 7 and 8 were really interesting. When Huck left his father, he left an axe for him, which meant that Huck still had a considerate heart. I was surprised when I found out that Huck was so considerate for his father, even though his father was totally an insane person who tried to kill him. Another thing that was pretty interesting was Huck's ability to survive alone, like making fire or fishing. I begin to view Huck as a clever, sharp boy rather than obtuse.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand,I think Jim's escape was rather a miracle. In those times, usually a black can't escape that easily. However, Jim did not know how to make food for himself, which proves that Jim isn't smarter that Huck. Now, the good thing is that they have each other and can rely on each other for warmth and company.
Last, I still see that they are superstitious. Jim is the one who's telling all the superstitions. They sound really crazy and odd to me.I think the reason that Jim keeps on knowing these things is because it's the only thing that he can cling on to; its his only hope. For example he says he has hairy arms and breasts which means he'll become rich. It may be fake or true, but he just wishes to become rich.
QUESTION:
Why was Huck's father so determined to find Huck's body? Did his father really love him?
Well, these later chapters have a lot of development. Huck fakes his own death by killing a pig, and this story spreads quite far. I also think it was very clever of him to put some of his own hair on the axe so it really looked like he had been killed.
ReplyDeleteJames: I don't know about the cannons, but I think the bread is an offering for his dead spirit.
I think in this chapter, the adventures of Huckleberry Finn truly start. It was clever and smart for Huck to kill the pig to fake for his murderer, and successfully run away from Pap. He meets Jim on the Jackson’s Island and becomes friend with him. He has a real freedom on the Island since there is no body and he can smoke whenever he wants to. But those who care about Huck seem sad about his “death”.
ReplyDeleteMy question is…
Huck’s father seems to a very greedy man. Will he get the money from Huck at the end of the story or not?
James: I think the bread symbolizes the food offered for Huck's dead soul.
Again in this chapter, we see Huck's non-innocent side. I dont get how a kid around the age same as me, could do something as "street smart" as faking his own death and as cruel as killing a pig. My question is, what good would faking his own death do? I mean, he cant be seen by ANYONE now. But i have a feeling hes gona meet up with Tom later. Im pretty excited about reading on to see whats going to happen. Like how pap is gonna react, and what Hucks next step is.
ReplyDeleteHuck finally escaped from his dad. The way he faked his death was adroit. How he made everything seem like he was killed. I think how he killed the pig to make it seem like his own blood was very smart.
ReplyDeleteJames: I don't think Huck really cares if Jim is a run away slave, because Huck was lonely on the island with no one to talk to. So when he found out that he had a companion that he could talk to, he didn't mind who it was.
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ReplyDeleteAs said before, I think Huck is quite a smart kid. He faked his death and everyone was fooled by it. His father even composed a little group together and set out to find his body. Luckily, on his way, he found Jim, who was his own escaped slave, and for a while, they both lived together and helped each other out.
ReplyDeleteTo Kristin Kiang
I think Pap does not really care about Huck. He just 1. does not want to lose such a good investment, or 2. could not accept the fact that his son was dead.
Question: Do you think Huck and Jim will live together and find a solution for their escape together? Or do you think they will depart the next day, and go in their own direction.
Huck must had been desperately wanting to leave his father, to have thought up of a plan like that. Still, I thought he was pretty clever what he did. I think it was very convincing to his Pap that he had died. He was very careful with all the details.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 8, it showed how in the South, the black people were sold like merchandise. Jim had escaped because he had overheard Miss Watson talking to the slave trader about selling him off just because she would get 800 dollars.
I think Huck was a bit of a racist, because he was shocked when Jim said he ran away, and he thought it was a bad thing to be called an Abolitionist.
Wow. Huck is definitely street smart.. the way he faked his own death was ingenious. We mentioned in class that he was probably 13 years old or so and for someone like him, who hasn't received any formal education to think of doing something like that is pretty smart. If it were me, I'd just make a run for it and maybe stay at a relative's or a friend's.
ReplyDeleteI found the part when Jim started with his superstitious beliefs pretty interesting. Especially the part when he said that people with hairy arms and hairy chests will get rich. I thought it was pretty random for him to say that, so my question is, what do you think is the story behind the "hairy people will become rich" belief? How do you think this superstitious belief came to be?
Speaking of JIm, his words are still very hard to understand. There was a part where it was just his dialogue for quite a while and I had to slow down a lot just to understand what he was saying. Does the audio version of the book really have a Southern Negro speak in that accent?
Also, the story of how Jim lost all his money was pretty pathetic. How could he be so gullible? And was 15 dollars really that much during his time? Or was it just a lot for a slave to have?
After reading the two chapters, I thought that Huck was really smart to fake his own death. He made everything so realistic. But what is Huck trying to do? Is it for fun? Or to get away from pap and Widow Douglas and Miss Watson?
ReplyDeleteIn chapter eight, it was interesting that Huck and Jim met in the woods. When Huck sees Jim he’s surprised but he doesn’t disrespect Jim. But will Huck start to hate Jim later on, just because he’s a Negro?
I think that Huck is pretty smart for faking his own death. I doubt anyone else would have thought of killing a pig to fake his own death. Huck meets Jim on Jackson's island. They're both running away from situations they were in. Huck ran away from his drunk and abusive pap, and Jim heard that he might get sold, and he didn't want to get seperated from his family. Jim's superstitions are also very interesting to read because, but I still find it hard to understand what Jim is saying. I need to read it at least twive to know what he is talking about.
ReplyDeleteKevin: I think that they will continue to live together for a while, and maybe have some adventures.
In chapter 7, Huck's street knowledge comes into use. He managed to fake a death and escape from his father.
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter 8, a lot of superstition can be found. For example, the shooting of the cannon to make the body float, the use of bread to find a carcass. and the thought that hairy people will become rich. Superstition plays an important role in this chapter. If Huck didn't have the superstition that bread was used to find a carcass, then he would've left the shore in search of food. Therefore, Huck wouldn't have seen the ship pass by and he wouldn't know that he was currently safe around that area.
To James:
The use of the cannon and bread are just superstitions of ways to find a dead body.
James: Why do they like to talk about superstition so much?
ReplyDeleteI think it was because of the time period that Huck and Jim were in. Many people in the early nineteenth century believed in that kind of stuff. And maybe it was popular back then.
Tereasa: Does Widow Douglas actually care for Huck for the sake of caring, or maybe possibly because he possessed a large amount of money?
I think Widow Douglas actually cared for Huck because she taught him to be proper and many others like that. I think she wants Huck to get the impression of a mother, even though she is strict towards Huck.
KK: Why was Huck's father so determined to find Huck's body? Did his father really love him?
I think Huck’s father wanted to find Huck’s body because he wanted to get the money that was Huck’s. I don’t think Huck’s father really loved Huck. Maybe he did, but only a little bit.
Huck's fake death was seriously mind blowing. I couldn't believe someone as young as Huck could come up with that good of a plan. This kid really is street smart. I just wish he could have somehow gotten his fortune before he faked his death, though Huck doesn't exactly seem to care much about material possessions as much as one might expect him to. Surprisingly, I am really starting to like his character. Who wouldn't like a kid who is as adventurous and as smart as Huck and seems to just enjoy the ride. Also, I liked the fact that Jim's race doesn't seem to bother Huck at all.
ReplyDeleteDo you think Jim will actually get the fortune he thinks is awaiting him in the future?
I agree with everyone that Huck Finn’s idea of staging his own murder is an ingenious plan. However, Jim also mentioned how a lot of people thought that Huck “killed” himself. Apparently, Huck has a reputation for being a tricky kid. Also, Jim tells Huck that he escaped when Huck “got killed.” So this proves that Jim isn’t that stupid at all, but he sadly forgot how people thought about things at that time. Although he successfully escaped using Huck’s murder like a diversion, he was unfortunately accused of murdering Huck instead. (Am I going a bit too far?? I think I read over chapter 8) I also realized that Jim was extremely superstitious, and Huck may have gotten a lot of his superstitions from Jim.
ReplyDeleteI think Huck is one genius. He's definitely a mastermind - the fake death was amazing. It was kind of funny how he seemed to float around for a few days, smoking in the canoe and avoiding everybody.
ReplyDeleteJenny: I think that as the novel plays out, Jim and Huck would have developed a pretty strong friendship.
"If they'd 'a' had some bullets in, I reckon they'd 'a' got the corpse they was after" (46)
ReplyDeleteHilarious.
How did Jim get fourteen dollars? I thought he was a slave. Is fourteen dollars a lot?
ReplyDeleteI like how Jim is very optimistic and knows how much he’s worth. I’m guessing to have slaves cost a lot. I think it is funny how Jim used to own a cow and even as it died he used its hide to get some money back. I feel bad for Jim for losing all his money without really spending it.
I think it was a waste of time for Huck to fake his death. He could’ve just ran and still go to the island to hide. If the people who went looking for his dead body couldn’t find him, they won’t find him anyways if they knew Huck was alive.
Tereasa:
ReplyDeleteSince Widow Douglas is a Christian, she feels like she should take care of Huckleberry Finn. I guess it's the Christian way to take care of troubles people. She called him the lost lamb in the beginning chapters. To Widow Douglas, Huck Finn was the odd one out. She sacrificed everything, her time, her money, her strength to help the "lost lamb." She spends all her time with him to attempt to "sivilize" him. I think she understands that the money issue with Huckleberry Finn will come up. But I think she knows deep down that it's wrong to take care of Huck Finn just for the money.
Q: Huck left his father, but still knows what it means to have a father. leaving an axe, does that mean he expect his father to quit drinking and acutually work?
ReplyDeleteadam: does fourteen dollars seem much to you? and it really is okay if you feel bad for jim, because i kind of felt the same way.
ReplyDeleteHuck runnin away from home was clearly predicted by most readers. He had had it with his life there and escaped. Huck was very smart in faking his death. He is clearly street smart.
ReplyDeleteAfter faking his own death and outsmarting the adults, Huck runs away to an island. He lives off by hunting and scavenging for edible berries. This shows that he is independent and capable of living alone. But is it really worth it? Wouldn’t he rather go back to the Widow’s house and live a comfortable and safe life? Soon Huck begins to feel lonely but, when he finds Jim also living on the island, he is glad to have an companion. What I’ve realized is that they both have something in common: both are run-aways searching for freedom from the society. Where will the pair go next?
ReplyDeleteWill Jim and Huck begin to trust eachother or not?
ReplyDeleteI think they will, because they're both people who have run away from their "masters." Jim literally runs away from his master, and Huck basically did the same. He had felt imprisoned living with Pap and probably threatened because of his drinking problems. They have similar backgrounds, so they'll definitely stick together now that they've found each other.
I greatly admire Huck’s ingenuity at faking his death. This is the child version of Mission Impossible or James Bond. The adventure Huck finds himself in seems to him like an average day. Is that why we have characters as Mr. Bond? To live out our boredom for us? Anyways, that was just a speculation.
ReplyDeleteJim’s talk was very hard to understand—I had to reread parts of it over to figure out the basic meaning. Even though I resided deep in the Southern country, I had never heard a black man talk in such a heavy accent, and I must say that it is quite foreign to me. However, I had not lived in Mississippi, so I can’t be completely sure. Initially, I did question Samuel Clemens’ use of such misspellings—you nearly had to say it out loud! But I gradually learned to respect it and discovered that it had an eloquence of its own in its own aspect—by verbalizing it, you have your nose thrust deeper into the pages, into the heart of the text: a far greater experience.
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ReplyDeleteI think in these chapters a sense of the superstitions appropriate to the time really comes up in the bread, cannon and etc. These chapters also prove Huck Finn to be an extremely intelligent person despite a lack of education. However, I find it surprising that his "pap" actually came looking for him even though he abused and didn't like him. What does this show about his father?
ReplyDeleteTo Adam and Jerry,
ReplyDeletePlease keep in mind that at that time, one dollar went a lot farther than it does now. $14 for any country folk, black or white, is a fortune!
Just think, he bought a cow for ten dollars...
On page 52 Jim reveals to Huck about all the superstitions he knew. I thought it was interesting that many people those days thought up of all these superstitions. Perhaps it shows that they didn’t know as much about how things worked as people today. It was the fear of the unknown that motivated them to think up these superstitions for bad luck.
ReplyDeleteEven though anarchy reigned during this period, Huck had a positive attitude toward his life. I think that he is clever because he was only fourteen, and he had made the escaping plan himself. Without any helps, he chose his own life. I found the encounter with Jim was interesting. They might start their adventures soon…
ReplyDeleteQuestion: In your opinion, do you think that Mark Twain purposely wrote the encounter of Huck and Jim?
In these two chapters, Mark Twain showed the reader the relationship of Jim and Huckleberry. Jim actually trust him a lot, not only telling Huckleberry how he got in the woods but also about his past about the money.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 8, it shows the reader a little bit about Jim, how he is a little bit superstition, for example the part where he told Huckleberry not to catch the birds, because it gives Huckleberry bad luck. Also the part where he says that person who has furry arms will became rich. It shows that he is superstition.
In these two chapters, because of the situations that Huck and Jim are in, they both decide to run away. Huck was really clever faking his own death and Jim escaped because he heard Miss Watson talking to a slave trader. Both Huck and Jim take a step forward searching for their freedom when leaving everything behind and going off to live on the island.
ReplyDeleteI think these two chapters shows just how smart Huck actually is. He sets up his death so detailed that the entire village falls for it. I also respect how Huck Finn is not really as racist as Widow Douglas and others.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think Huck didn't tell Jim out?
Kathy:
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't think so. He's just a kid, he probably doesn't understand that at that time coloreds were treated badly. Also they both have similar situations, and both ran away for the same reason--freedom.
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ReplyDeleteComments: With the recommendation of using the AudioBooks, reading "Huck Finn" has become so much easier! Everything is easier to understand and I have no problems with grammar or the complicated accent-style spelling of Jim's words.
ReplyDeleteThoughts: I am amused at how Huck was able to construct a genius escape plan like that in such a short time. It was intelligent, creative, and efficient. Everything was properly planed and executed correctly. I mean, seriously, everyone was fooled!
Question: Why does Jim want money so badly? What could he possibly do with it in a society like his? Knowing that time, someone will probably just take it from him sooner or later.
To Matt: I think Huck not telling on Jim was out of pure good intention, plus, Jim is now a runaway, just like Huck is.
I found these 2 chapters very interesting. Huck was able to fake his own death. Also he was able to stop the town from looking for him. I think that Huck is smart in a different kind of way. He is sneaky and street smart. Huck later on meets Jim, miss watsons slave. The author gives Jim a very unique accent that shows the culture of African Americans and the countryside at that time. From these chapters i saw how black people were traded around like products,doesnt seem right. Jim gets scammed in a trade miss watson makes. Overall these 2 chapters was pretty interesting.
ReplyDeleteI really liked these chapters because they described a fake killing. I enjoy watching shows like csi because of these things. I like to see how they plant evidence that works towards what they want, and in this case, the book describes it well and it also makes sense. Other than that, this part of the book is filled with more action than before and it makes me want to find out what happens next to Huck and Jim on the island.
ReplyDeleteThe different accents also serve to show different upbringings and levels of education. They reflect society and how different people were at different levels of education, suggesting that good education was not evenly distributed.
to adam: to what you said about Huck not needing to fake his own death, I think it was necessary. If they thought he was actually alive, they would search on land and not as much in water, or at least not the way they did. If they had searched comprehensively on land as they would have, Huck would have a higher chance of being discovered.
In these chapters, I’ve notice how Huck could able to think as an adult and able to take care of himself. I like how he hid the boat incase he had a chance of escaping from his pap and the Widow. I’m pretty amazed by his intelligent, like the way he could estimate the time of day the moment he woke up in the morning. He had been living outside pretty long that he’s able to make trap or hidden place for himself. Also on the other hand, the night on the island when pap, Widow, Ms. Watson, and Judge Thatcher had left the island. Huck was kind of scare sleeping in the boat feeling uneasy, but when he found out the man that’s one the island with him was Jim. Huck was relief and doesn’t feel lonely anymore. This tells us that, no matter how Huck think or how he could take care of himself like a real man. No matter what, Huck is still a kid being scare of lonesome and dark sometimes. But I’m still amazed by his risk on ditching his father and those who cares for him, leaving to some where else without any plans set.
ReplyDeleteI thought that it was really clever for Huck Finn to fake his death. He made his death seem very real, making people think that Huck really died. He outsmarted the adults. His father thought he really died.
ReplyDeleteIs it a good idea for Huck Finn to escape from Widow Douglas and his father? Will people in town find out that his death was really just a plan? How wil they react?
I thought the part where Finn disguises himself as a girl is hilarious. However, it amazes me that a civilized woman such as the one who helped him would actually pay attention to the nuances and details of Finn's behavior that show him to be a boy and not a girl.
ReplyDeleteMark Twain is creative, humorous, and a bit straightforward. There are many aspects of his writing that astonished me. For example, Mark Twain repeats the word “nigger” within the book that brings out the past time. He didn’t conserve his own reputation by restricting his form of writing. Also, I think how Mark Twain portrays Jim is well-done, because Jim stands out with his dialect. Jim’s dialect is very different from ours; therefore, sometimes I have to reread the paragraph again just to understand better what he is talking about. The spelling of many words are also very confusing. Mark Twain also creates superstitious characters, not only Huckleberry Finn but also Jim. Jim believes that if you count the things to cook for dinner, it brings bad luck.
ReplyDeleteThe way Jim talks is even more fascinating than Huck’s because it indirectly shows Jim as a character. Jim tells Huck now that he had ran away from home and is a fugitive living now on his own since he had overheard that the widow was going to sell him for $800. The moment when Huck came out to show himself to Jim was funny because Jim thought he was being haunted by Huck’s ghost. Even though it is fun to read how Jim speaks, it sometimes is hard to understand what he is trying to say. He doesn’t speak clearly most of the time and lots of guessing is still required. Otherwise, it is very fun to read from a different accent.
ReplyDeleteEver since I started reading this book, I have predicted that Huck will run away from Pap since he didn't like Pap at all. Pap hasn't been treating him as his son, but just a product so he could get money off of him. It was also really smart how Huck faked his death so that everybody thought he was dead. Since Huck and Jim are living together on the same island, do you think they would start being close friends and start trusting each other?
ReplyDeleteI think that seeing how Huck runs away from his father shows that he isn't as dumb as we might all think he is. Even though he hasn't gone through a good education cycle, he still has knowledge that many people don't have even though they have gone through a good education. We see that Huck has an amazing innate knowledge and intuition.
ReplyDeleteWe also see more of Jim's character. His speech immediately shows one aspect of his character, which is an uneducated, runaway back slave. We learn about his predicament, and learn more about Huck as well through their interactions.
Huck's idea of faking his death was extremely tricky and smart. It shows that he can think on his feet and that he has a large amount of street smarts. He coincidentally ran into Jim. Many people go out to find his body, and he feels sad that people who care for him think he's dead.
ReplyDelete