Last Chapter

In the last chapter we find out that Jim has been free ever since that his owner had died. Tom also reveals to us that Huck's dad had passed away and that he wouldn't be able to see him ever again. I really liked the ending of the book. I thought that it was good that Huck and Jim were free and that they are able to move on with their lives. Huck decides to go West and start a new life for himself. If it weren't for Jim's freedom and Huck not going back home I would've had completely different thoughts about the book. Overall I enjoyed it a lot and it was a very interesting read.

Why does Huck tear up the note to Miss Watson? What change does this mark within him?

There are two main reasons that Huck decides to tear up the note to Miss Watson. At first Huck wants to write the letter to Ms Watson because he is feeling bad and guilty about taking her slave Jim away from her and keeping him safe. In the letter Huck would explain everything to Ms Watson and if he had sent it on he wouldve gotten in big trouble by her and Ms Watson would not trust him anymore. Sending the letter to her could've also made Ms Watson want to sell Jim down river. The main reason that Huck tears up the note/letter to Ms Watson though is because in a way Huck has created a relationship with Jim and he would also feel guilty if he wrote all those things to Ms Watson. Not only would Huck get in trouble but so would Jim. At the end it just didn't seem like a good idea to Huck anymore. Tearing up the letter showed a side to Huck that has been developing throughout the novel. Huck is becoming more mature and he is understanding things better. He is understanding that choosing the easy to solving problems isn't always the best way in the end. This shows a side to Huck's character that is positive and continually growing.

How does Huck ruin the Duke and King’s plan? Why does he do it?

Huck ruins the Duke and King's plan in several ways. The first thing that Huck did to ruin their plan was by taking their money that they had hidden under their bed. After that people come in when Huck is trying to hide the money he then decides to place it near Peter Wilk's coffin. Unfortunately though before he has time to get the money back the coffin is buried and the money is lost. Because of everything that had happened Huck decided to speak to Mary Jane and explain to her everything that had happened to them (from meeting the Duck and King to speaker to her). Huck in a way ruins the Duke and King's plan because he cares for the men and he doesn't want anyone to get hurt.

At the end of Ch. 23 Jim tells a story about his daughter. What is significant in that story and what does it reveal about Jim?

The story is about Jim's ornery daughter who had scarlet fever for a few years. During that time things were difficult for her and she eventually became deaf. She was therefore not able to respond to others as easily and it was hard for her to understand certain things. This whole process made Jim very sad and one morning Huck wakes up and Jim was thinking about what had happened again and he explained everything to Huck. Jim was in tears and very sad and Huck must've felt sorry for him.

The most shocking part about the story is when Jim tried talking to her daughter and she did not respond and ignored him. She couldn't help it though. This shows a different side to Jim that we haven't seen much in the novel so far. Jim is more sensible to things than what we thought he was. This also shows the affection and care that he still has towards his family. Even though he is living a good life now some of his family still isn't and his emotions for them will never leave.

What do you make of the Duke and the King? Is it wise for Huck and Jim to go along with them?

I believe that the Duke and the King aren't good people at all and Huck and Jim shouldn't trust them at all. It isn't wise at all for Huck and Jim to go along with the Duke and the King. Huck and Jim are just being tricked by them. The Duke and the King want the 200$ and they are counting on Jim to get that. The Duke and the King are going South to Cairo and they decided to travel during the day at first, but then decided to travel at night, mainly so that they can tie up Jim and get their reward. Overall, the Duke and the King can't be trusted at all and it was a big mistake for both Huck and Jim to go with them. Jim may seriously get hurt and bad things could happen to the both of them very shortly.

In what ways are Buck and Huck similar?

First off their names is the first thing that jumps out to everyone as they are only different by one letter. Huck's and Buck's personality, general lifestyle and mind spirit is also quite similar. They are both two extremely adventurous individuals with a violent mind. They are attracted by doing dangerous things and getting involved into different adventures. Buck and Huck are also similar to one another because they have things in common such as that both of them are raised in a very nice household. But although they have all these nice things for them they rather be out in the wild. Huck and Buck are somewhat forced to live in a wealthy well behaved civilized society but its not what they want; for the both of them. They are different then the average person who lives in the same kind of life as them. They want an adventure and they want to explore.

How do the events in this chapter characterize raftsmen?

The first thing to notice about the raftsmen is that they are middle to lower class people. The upper class usually go on the bigger steam boats and not on the rafts. After that one of the steamboats completely ran into Huck's raft and didn't even stop at all to make sure everything was okay shows that the raftsmen aren't very "important". However the raftsmen are good and responsible people and they try and help others when needed. Huck doesn't like the people on the bigger steamboats and the upper class as much as the raftsmen. Huck likes how they live their life and how they have their own rules. Although the raftsmen are generally characterized lower than everyone else that doesn't mean they are bad people at all.

Why does Huck want to help the men on the wreck? What does this show us about him?

Huck initially wants to get on the wrecked ship to see if he can find anything useful that would cost some money. Huck thinks that he could be rich by finding the captain's things around the ship. As he gets on the ship though he sees two men arguing and threatening each other. Huck now has two things to do as he wants to help the man that is being yelled at and he wants to find some belongings across the ship.

Huck then believes that stealing the ship would be the only way to get away from the murderers. Jim agrees on doing this but Huck later regrets this decision. After leaving with the ship he then decides to go back as he wants to watch out for the people on the ship. This shows that Huck does care for others and that he has a good heart. There is a man in danger on the ship that may get killed and Huck wants to help. Instead of getting the loot he thinks that helping this man is better.

What trick does Huck play on Jim? Why is he tricking him now when he didn’t want to before?

Huck put a dead rattle snake at the bottom of Jim's sleeping bag. What Huck didn't know was that the when a rattle snake dies its mate always coils around the dead partners body. This resulted in Jim being bitten by the snake on his heel and what was supposed to be a funny joke ended up being a serious accident and a dirty trick played on Huck's part. Huck felt extremely bad about the incident though and told Jim he would do anything to make up for his mean trick.

Huck decided to trick Jim this time and not any earlier because he didn't have to worry about anything at all to play this trick. Huck didn't have to worry about the Widow finding out or making too much noise. He also didn't have to worry about Jim finding out and telling on him. All these factors ultimately led to Huck's decision in tricking Jim now opposed to any earlier. This trick was an easy one for Huck to do and he was sure at the time that nothing would bounce back at him and get him in trouble for doing this. This incident caused Huck to believe that he had bad luck now, as well as Jim.

Why do the apprentices dislike Eustace so much? Would you want to work for him?

It was said that about 90% of all the apprentices that worked for Eustace left him before their two "learning" years were up. Overall, the apprentices completely disliked Eustace. They even thought that Eustace treated them as slaves at times. They were very upset on that.

Most of the apprentices that came to Turtle Island didn't have much knowledge on how to live and interact in nature. Some of them had never even been hunting! To Eustace's standards the apprentices couldn't learn fast enough and do what he wanted them to. This eventually led to overall frustration for the apprentices and their respect towards Eustace started diminishing.

I would definitely not want to work for Eustace. First off I am not a nature freak and I wouldn't like his harsh and strict attitude. Eustace wouldn't exactly be the funniest person to be around with and working for him would be depressing. I wouldn't mind eventually coming to visit Turtle Island to see how it is and learn more about Eustace but that would be it.

Why does Eustace want to ride his horse across the country? What is one significant thing that happens to him on the trip?

Eustace wants to ride his horse across the country because he wants to see how far he can push himself and the horses.
After that Eustace was stopped the other day by a family while he was riding his horse was when he realized that he needed an adventure and that leaving out in the country for a while would do him so good.

One significant thing that happens to Eustace while he is on the trip is that he buys Hobo, his prize horse. This horse was very energetic and fast paced just like Eustace and this is one of the main reasons that he decided to buy it. He bought Hobo while he was on the road across the country. Eustace is extremely happy that he now owns Hobo and there is a new side to him that we are starting to see.

How does the increased pressure of running Turtle Island effect Eustace? How is he relating to the people around him?

Eustace is staying 100% focused on building Turtle Island and that is putting a lot of stress on him. It is also using up a lot of his energy. For the past year Eustace has been working tremendously hard on this project. Small issues though are starting to trouble Eustace such as if the land around the Island will be used for hotels, roads, restaurants...

While Eustace should be excited and happy with what he is currently doing in life he feels somewhat sad and depressed, as he writes in his journal. Although the making of Turtle Island should bring Eustace with joy and happiness its actually causing him a few problems. One of those problems is with his relationship with Valerie. With Eustace being very busy on Turtle Island Valerie became mad because they didn't spend as much time together as they should've. This ultimately led to a break up in their relationship. As the novel is unfolding Eustace is starting to realize how fair he is with others and why he doesn't get the same kind of respect. Eustace is tired of being lied to and he would like to be treated a bit nicer.

At the moment things are quite going the way they should for Eustace. Eustace feels sad, he has lost his relationship with Valerie and he doesn't know for sure if Turtle Island will turn out the way he had hoped for. Maybe its time for Eustace to look at things differently to try and boost his confidence back up again.

Turtle Island

What does actually starting Turtle Island do to Eustace? What does it allow him to do?

Starting Turtle Island finally lets Eustace live his life the way he really wants to. The founding of Turtle Island also enables Eustace to finally talk to his father. It wasn't easy for Eustace to purchase the Island at first though. Eustace simply didn't have enough money so he decided to meet with his father. He asked his father for a loan to let him buy the Island. His father accepted and Eustace was able to pay the loan back. While Turtle Island was being built Eustace also started looking for a girlfriend. Eustace found a girl named Valerie. With not much free time on his hands though Eustace may not be able to fully develop a relationship with this person.

What are your preliminary ideas for your essay? How to those ideas relate to your own life?

My organization for this essay will be goodwill. I picked goodwill because I love how it offers jobs to people who aren't as lucky as us. Goodwill Is North America’s leading nonprofit provider of education, training, and career services for people with disadvantages, such as welfare dependency, homelessness, and lack of education or work experience, as well as those with physical, mental and emotional disabilities. Last year it provided employment and training services to more than 1.1 million individuals.

How does Linda eventually gain her freedom? Why does she have mixed emotions at the end of the novel?

Linda gains her freedom when Mr. Bruce offers to buy her for $300. After Mr. Bruce bought her he immediately freed her. Linda though accepted Mr. Bruce's offer to continue on and serve them. Linda was a nurse for Mr. Bruce's second child. Linda has mixed emotions at the end of the novel for many reasons. The main reason is because her daughter Ellen left Linda to pursue a great education offered to her. At this time Linda was sad because she wanted Ellen to stay and she didn't want to loose her but on the other side she knew that she needed a proper education and that she had to go. Linda's grandmother and uncle also passed away and she wasn't able to be with them at the time. This also gave Linda mixed emotions at the end of the novel.

What is Linda’s experience of the North? Is it what she had hoped for? Think particularly about the train ride.

Linda has heard many positive things about the North. Linda believed that going to the North would allow her to take a better care of her children. She also believed that the quality of life would be much nicer overall. It turns out that for Linda, the North was more than what she expected.

After being stowed away on a boat Mr. Durham tells Linda that they will be taking a train to New York. Linda was extremely happy to be riding in that train with white people around her for once that weren't harming her. After that Mr. Durham told Linda that he couldn't get a hold of first class tickets Linda didn't care at all. For someone that had nothing her entire life being able to travel, to be free and to be surrounded by whites is an extraordinary achievement for Linda. She is now in the North and that is amazing for her. She is a lot happier than before. The South was just horrible for her and for Linda the North is a new life for her.

– Why does William leave Mr. Sands? Do you think his actions were justified or rude?

Mr Sands strongly believes that William left because he wanted his freedom. Mr. Sands told William that he would free him in 5 years anyways. In my opinion William is probably leaving because he doesn't have any trust and confidence in Mr. Sands and doesn't think that he will end up freeing him. This is why he ran away.

Slaves have very difficult lives and sometimes its hard to know what's going through their minds. In this case I don't believe it was rude for William to escape. William might've been scared and he didn't know what to do so he just left. I do think that William should've just stayed the next 5 years with Mr. Sands though. They got along fine and Mr. Sands can be a trusted person. William should've just stayed with Mr. Sands and then he could've gone out into the world (specifically the north) as a free man and everything would've been easier for him. He wouldn't have been caught and beaten! That could've been a better plan.

Interesting Passage

"Slaveholders pride themselves upon being honorable men; but if you were to hear the enormous lies they tell their slaves, you would have small respect for their veracity". (pg.39)

I found this small passage at the start of chapter 8 interesting because it just again shows how badly slaves are treated. The quote also says that slaveholders believe that they are trustworthy and important men but they really are liars and bad people. Most slaveholders treat their slaves poorly to begin with but if they also lie to them I think that that is just horrible.

How does Mr. Sands come to get possession of the children? Why does Linda trust him? Do you feel he’s trustworthy?

Mr. Sands comes to get possession of the children by a trader who buys the children from Dr. Flint. The trader does this while the children are in jail and then he sells them back to Mr. Sands. The trader's offer seemed quite interesting in Dr. Flint's mind and this is why he decided to sell the children. Dr. Flint didn't know though that the trader was going to sell the children to Mr. Sands right after.

Ever since Linda has had a relationship with Mr. Sands he was always nice to her and he promised Linda that he would help her in the future and that he would try and buy the children. The main reason that Mr. Sands didn't buy the children any earlier is because Dr. Flint kept denying it from happening. This is why Linda trusts Mr. Sands. They have always kept a good relationship with each other and all that Mr. Sands wants to do is help. He is the one that got them out of jail after all!

Why does Linda get so upset when her daughter is given a gold necklace to wear? What is she comparing that act to? Do you agree with the comparison?

"When we left the church, my father's old mistress invited me to go home with her. She clasped a gold chain round my baby's neck. I thanked her for this kindness; but I did not like the emblem. I wanted no chain to be fastened on my daughter, not even if its links were of gold. How earnestly I prayed that she might never feel the weight of slavery's chain, whose iron entereth into the soul!" (p.79 Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl)

Linda appreciates the fact that her father's mistress offered Linda's daughter a gold chain but she is also frustrated and mad. Linda doesn't want her daughter to be wearing these big chains because it will remind her of the idea of slavery. For Linda, seeing the chains worn by her daughter would definitely remind Linda of her child enslavement. I can completely understand her point here.

The only thing that I believe Linda did wrong here was that she should've simple accepted the gift and stayed polite. This was somewhat rude on her part and in plus this gift was most likely expensive and she could've made good use of it. Linda is just trying very hard to keep slavery out of her family.

What is love like for a slave? How do the restrictions placed upon slaves effect this emotion?

The feeling of love for a slave is quite different than the one's of a "normal" human being. Slaves have so many restrictions put on them, they are basically considered as property and their emotions don't affect anyone. Even if a slave loved someone that love wouldn't matter much because it would be taken away from them very fast. This is exactly what happened to Linda. Linda loved a free slave but he was unfortunately taken from her by her master Mr. Flint. In my opinion this is an extremely sad thing. Slaves had a horribly difficult life to start out with and in plus they couldn't even find true love.

The restrictions placed upon slaves deeply affects this emotion. I believe it makes the emotion stronger in them though because they can't let it out. Although it is extremely depressing for slaves in general, as well as Linda to not be able to make their love come true.

React to the picture of slavery that Jacobs describes. What makes it powerful? How does she present a broad view while still giving us her individu

The first four chapters of this novel talk about a slave named Linda. Linda though, was no ordinary slave, as she was extremely well treated by her master. Linda was treated as a normal human being as a matter of fact. Linda was actually very happy to serve for her master as they had a close and strong relationship between one another. Sadly for Linda everything changed in her life when her master died. Linda was then sold to another master where she unfortunately didn't quite receive the same luxury that she was given with her previous master. In many ways what makes Jacobs writing powerful when describing the picture of slavery is when he explains the horrible things that Linda's new master makes her do. One of these horrible things for example, that Linda's master makes her do is walk bear foot in the snow when she's just bought a new pair of shoes!

Linda is the one who is telling the story therefore putting the reader straight into her mind and emotions throughout the novel. She does a very good job in explaining her life as a slave and how she has to face difficult situations. She also well explains other actions happening in the novel.

In Class Reflection Blog. 09.02.08

I completely agree on the "Level 3" points we discussed in class today. I do strongly believe that money doesn't buy happiness. Many people in this world think that money is everything and that if they have a lot they won't need to worry about a thing. It turns out that that isn't the case and that some very wealthy people aren't happy at all and perhaps even lonely at times. I also agreed on the fact that you can't change the past. Some people spend their whole lives re-living their pasts but what they don't know is that they should be living in the present and looking out for the future. What happens happens and you can't do anything about it. I just thought that these were some small interesting points that were brought up in class that I wanted to reflect on a bit.

Chapter 9 Blog Bachelart

I was kind of surprised at who attended Gatsby's funeral and who didn't. I believe it was extremely rude that Tom and Daisy didn't show up at his funeral. Daisy should've at least done or said something. The only people that came to the funeral where Nick, some of Gatsby's old servants, Owl Eyes, Henry C. Gatzy and of course Gatsby's father. None of the people that Gatsby really cared for came though. This is very sad for Gatsby in my opinion. It shows a complete lack of respect towards him. I do believe though that maybe these people that didn't come didn't because they got tired of Gatsby. They got tired of his lies, of him always showing his wealth and of him manipulating people to get the things that he wants (what he did with Nick at times). What is meant to show us here is that no one cared much about Gatsby at the end of the novel and his death wasn't very important to many. Although you can say it in this way you can also say that it was rude on the others part to have not showed up. Even if Gatsby wasn't the best person in the world he still cared for others to some extent and he should've been rewarded with more people attending his funeral.

Chapter 7-8 Blog Bachelart

These two chapters were definitely full of important events. It's funny because I kind of saw this coming. As Gatsby and Daisy's love grew stronger so did Tom's anger and jealousy. In my opinion there is no way that they could've gotten back together. I also believe that after Gatsby's past mysterious life was revealed it heated up some trouble to come in his direction. At one point the story couldn't continue on like this. There's no way that Gatsby and Daisy could've married each other and that Gatsby's "shady" past could've been unavoided. Even though Gatsby got close to doing this it was only a dream to be realized as he was shot by Wilson while floating in his pool at the end of Chapter 8. I believe that there were hints a bit everywhere that led to this conclusion. I think the main one was when Nick revealed Gatsby's real past to the others. That only threw negative impressions at Gatsby and it made him look bad.

Chapter 6 Blog Bachelart

I believe that Gatsby made up a lie about his heritage and his childhood this whole time to hide his real identity from others. Gatsby is someone who wants everyone to know that he is a rich, powerful and smart businessman but that isn't quite the case. Gatsby was basically a nobody during his early childhood making barely any money and spending his summer fishing and looking for clams. He was lucky to have been picked up by Dan Cody. Nick only tells us the truth about Gatsby now because I think he wanted the people to know the truth about Gatsby. Maybe Nick didn't know the whole truth at the beginning of the book and now that he is starting to realize these things about Gatsby he doesn’t trust him anymore. Telling the truth about him could've reassured Nick.

Chapter 5 Blog Bachelart

When Nick says in this Chapter that Gatsby’s count of enchanted objects has diminished by one he is referring to the flashing green light that he usually looks at across the lake each night. To Gatsby this green light represents Daisy and each night when he observed it, it reminded him of her. Gatsby has lost this enchanted object because he doesn’t have the obligation to look at it anymore. He is now in much better terms with Daisy after having seen her again and the green light simply doesn’t matter to him as much. After not seeing each other for many years it seemed as if Gatbsy and Daisy were quite happy together again.

my first blog!!!!

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