Humor, Allusion, and Sadness Found in the Feud

      The Grangerford - Shepherdson feud is very similar to the famous novel of Romeo and Juliet written by  Shakespeare. There are many elements that add life to this feud. One of those elements would be the literary technique of allusion. The whole fight is very close to Romeo and Juliet when one compares the backgrounds of both. The two stories involve two members of the opposing families to fall in love and create even more tension. Another more specific example of allusion besides the overall situation is the artwork of Emmeline who was a member of the Grangerford family that had passed away. " She warn't particular; she could write about anything you choose to give her to write about just so it was sadful"( Twain 105). She was very artistic. Emilia drew many pictures and wrote poems and the main subject was usually death. Twain puts great emphasis on how much Emmeline focuses on death. In a way it is an allusion to the Renaissance period where Gothic art was very popular and death was a main topic portrayed. 

      In addition to allusion, sadness was also a main component to the Grangerford -Shepherdson feud. When Huck thought he lost Jim who was the only person he was really close to he was devastated. Huck was left without anyone so the Grangerfords took him in when they came across him. He became very close to them and felt like he fit in. They treated him well and he was beginning to love each one of them. When he heard from Buck about the feud he was surprised they still fought it even though it was costing so many lives from both sides. When Huck came down one morning everyone was gone in the house because fighting broke out. "I cried a little when I was covering up Buck's face, for he was mighty good to me"(Twain 117). Huck had to witness so many deaths that day from the two families fighting with one and other. Buck got shot so Huck felt it was his duty to cover his face out of respect. It was very sad for Huck to see those that he grew close to die right in front of him.

      Another element that Mark Twain added to the feud was humor. In a way he was using satire to make fun of the novel of Romeo and Juliet. "Oh, yes, pa knows, I recokon, and some of the other old people; but they don't know now what the row was about in the first place"(Twain 110). This quote can be used as an example of the humor in the feud between the two families. Buck was explaining the relationship of his family and the Shepherdsons to Huck. Naturally Huck would be asking Buck questions since he had never herd of a feud before. One of the questions asked by Huck was how the whole feud came to be in the first place. Buck tried answering but he didn't know the answer. In fact, he didn't even know for sure if his parents knew the exact reason why the feud was going on. In a way it is very funny and almost somewhat ironic because there is so much hatred and lives being lost over a feud that no one even knows the reason for. Mark Twain incorporates allusion, sadness, and humor all into the feud between the Gangerfords and Shepherdsons.

Relationship Between Huck and Jim

                Huckleberry Finn and Jim have a very unique relationship for being two people of a different race. Jim is black and Huck is white, normally people of these races usually didn’t associate with one and other unless it involved the white treating the black poorly or giving them orders. That was not the case in their situation. Jim and Huck had a relationship that in a way resembled the relationship of a father and son. Huck did have a father that was a good role model so it made it easier for him to look up to Jim as a father figure on their travels together. When Huck was alone on the island after he escaped he was very sad and lonely as soon as he came across Jim his spirit was immediately lifted. Once he saw someone he knew he was instantly reassured and felt safe again. “Well, I did. I said I wouldn’t, and I’ll stick to it. Honest injun, I will” (Twain 50). This is what Huck said to Jim after Jim told him that he ran away from the widow. Huck promised not to tell a soul. They had an honest relationship and felt the ability to tell each other anything. Huck even told Jim about how he escaped his father and faked his own death. The two of them felt completely comfortable telling each other secrets as important as these because they knew the other was trustworthy.

            Another aspect that made their relationship seem like one of a father and son was how Jim felt it necessary to protect Huck. When the two of them went into the abandoned house that floated away they came across a dead body. Jim placed a sheet over the dead man to shield him from Huck. Jim didn’t want to expose Huck to something as frightening as that. Jim being the adult in the situation wanted to take responsibility and cover the body so it wouldn’t be a disturbance to Huck since he was so young and shouldn’t have to be exposed to things like that. Huckleberry and Jim also cared for one and other a great amount. “When I got all wore out wid work, en wid de callin’ for you, en went to sleep, my heart wuz mos’ broke bekase you wuz los’, en I didn’ k’yer no’ mo’ what become er me en de raf’. En when I wake up en find you back ag’in, all safe en soun’,de tears come, en I could ‘a’ got down on my knees en kiss yo’ foot, I’s so thankful” (Twain 89). Jim was so upset he didn’t even care what became of him when he thought he would never get the chance to see Huck again. He was so thankful he was crying when Huck came back after the two got separated in the fog. This quote shows how deeply Jim really does care for Huck. The two of them have a very strong and meaningful relationship.

Huckleberry Finn After the First 10 Chapters

Throughout the chapters one through ten of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn many things have been reveled about Huckleberry Finn.  One could consider him to be very intelligent. He is smart in his school work. Huck has learned to read, write, and do math which is very important because he is the very first of his family to be enrolled in school. “ And looky here- you drop that school, you hear”(28)? Once his father hears that Huck is in school he does not support it at all. He is not only smart in school but he is also very intelligent out in the wilderness. When he is trying to escape from his father to go run away to the forest he comes up with a brilliant plan to make it look like he got murdered and his cabin was robbed even though he just ran away and took all of their supplies.

Huck is not only brilliant but he is also full of bravery.  He had the courage to escape his drunken father and live on his own in the woods until he came across Jim. Huck found his own food and made his own place to sleep which take a lot of bravery to accomplish. The first ten chapters also make him out to be very superstitious. Huck tries to avoid anything that could bring him bad luck at all costs. If he happens to run into a situation that could bring him bad luck he becomes very paranoid. “ I didn’t  need anybody to tell me that that was an awful bad sign and would fetch me some bad luck, so I was scared and most shook the clothes off of me”(13).This is what Huckleberry said after he flicked a spider into a candle . The first ten chapters of this novel shows Huck is full of intelligence, bravery, and superstition. 

Agape Survival

Throughout history there have been many societies that have flourished and many that have failed. Agape, the transcendentalism island society would fall under the category of one of the societies that would not only flourish for a period of time but would also remain successful. Some people could think that Agape would not have the ability to survive in today's world but it has the potential for many reasons. Agape is filled with people with good morals, it is filled with good facilities that benefit the public, and the lack of rules would not be demanding, easy to follow, and still prove to still be effective.

            In reality Agape could not sustain life as a society in todays world. A strong and dependable government is what really holds a society together. In order to succeed the government needs to find a happy medium, this means that it cannot act as a dictatorship or be too feeble. Agape lacks a strong government.  The only form of government that Agape has is one mayor that gets elected by the citizens. Having a mayor is good but it is not enough to keep the island community of Agape together. It also only has five core rules because of this there were none that went into specifics on how to deal with certain situations.  For example, Agape is filled with transcendentalists and free thinkers. This means that they would all have their own thoughts and ideas on certain issues and it would not be surprising if many arguments occurred. Since there are only few rules no one would know how to deal with a situation like this. Chaos could outbreak on the island of Agape and could lead to the fall of the civilization. Aside from the weak government there are certain aspects that could actually have the potential to let Agape survive in today's world.

Focusing on good morals and strong beliefs is one of Agapes most prized accomplishments. Agape considers itself to be a transcendentalism society. The civilization supports every ones own individual thoughts and allows them to express themselves freely. They also only accept people with good morals. Since Agape focuses on good morals the town is filled with genuinely good individuals. Agape would never have to worry about corruption among people in high positions like the mayors, business owners, or educators. There is also virtually no crime on the island, and anyone that does break one of the five rules or participates in criminal activity will be punished and learn from their mistake. Crime and corruption is one thing that tears apart societies and ruins them but that is something that Agape would never have to experience.

Being a resident to Agape should be looked at as a privilege. It has many remarkable aspects that should make anyone desire to live in a place as genuine as this. It provides a very safe environment for its inhabitants. Agape is located on a remote island so not just anyone can live there, each citizens goes through a background check before they get approved to live there. The jail is found deep inside the woods so any criminal that does manage to live here is locked away far from the rest of the population. Aside from Agape being very safe it also offers a variety of schools and careers.  It has a school for kindergarten- ninth grade, tenth grade-twelfth grade, and a college. Agapes schooling program allows one to get the education that they deserve. Agape also has many different careers such as a writer, actor/actress, architect, fashion designer and many more. Agape offers a wide range of jobs that way everyone on the island could find something that would appeal to them. Agape is also a very healthy island community. There is a central hospital so all the ill citizens can be treated and cured. The fitness center, lakes, and wildlife preserves all allow for the general public to engage in physical activity. Agape also provides much of its own food naturally through farming and believes in no pollution to keep the environment as well as Agapes people to remain healthy.

The main reason people would come to Agape is because of the morals the society runs by. It is based on the idea of being an individual and allowing one to be their own person. This means that Agape doesn’t have a lot of rules that citizens must obey. It has a few rules that are all very reasonable. These rules include no monopolies, no pollution, no hazing, no conformity of large groups, and no vandalism. These five rules are very basic and would be simple for the citizens to live by. Many societies like dictatorships or communistic countries loose popularity quickly because the citizens are suffocated with a mass amount of rules. With a minimal amount of rules Agape would stay popular and have a fairly constant amount of people living there.

Agape would be a society that could survive in today's world. Even though there are some aspects of the civilization that are not ideal like the lack of government power there are many that make up for that. Agape is a positive society where the society is filled with good morals and beliefs, beneficial facilities, and a minimal amount of corruption among people in high work positions and criminal activity.

The Consequences of Nonconformity

     Being a nonconformist is encouraged by certain people. Although being an individual may sound like a good idea there are consequences that come with it just like anything else. The movie Dead Poets Society shows the many consequences that nonconformists are faced with. One consequence is that the nonconformist would be thought of as different and not accepted by others. An example of this was in the beginning of the movie how Mr.Keating  was first thought of by his students. Since he appeared to be different and more lively than the other teachers the boys didn't know what to make of him or think. It was easy to tell by their body language that they didn't accept Mr.Keating from the beginning. It took time for them to learn to like him and understand his teaching method.
    
     In addition to being thought of as differently another consequence of being a nonconformist is that issues could occur with family members or friends because of different beliefs or interests. Dead Poets Society expressed this issue as well. Neil Perry and his father Mr.Perry often got into arguments because Neil wanted to do something different than what Mr.Perry wanted for him. By Neil doing this he was being an individual. He decided to take the lead role in a play even though his father forbid it. By Neil doing that an argument between him and his father broke out. Another consequence to nonconformity is being reprimanded for not doing things the traditional way. Mr.Keating was often judged by the headmaster of the school. He would imply that Mr.Keating should teach his class differently in a more traditional way like other English teachers. Throughout the movie he would tell Mr.Keating that he shouldn't tell the boys to be their own person because it wouldn't lead to anything good. The way he ran the school was almost opposite to the way Mr.Keating ran his classroom. Mr.Keating was even fired from the school by the end of the movie. Nonconformity has many consequences and the Dead Poets Society displays a great amount of them.

Modern Day Transcendentalist

     Oprah  Winfrey could be considered a modern day transcendentalist. A simplified definition of a transcendentalist would be a person who is an individual who doesn't feel the need to take part in conformity and does what they want despite what  others may think of them. Oprah Winfrey could be considered one of these people.   

                                     http://www.mswritersandmusicians.com/writers/oprah-winfrey.html

     This picture is a picture of Oprah when she was a little girl living in Mississippi.Oprah Winfrey grew up a hard life as a child. She was sexually abused multiple times by both family friends and family members. It is hard enough for someone to remain their own individual person if they are influenced by others. It was even harder for Oprah to stay the same person she was because she was not only influenced by other people she was abused and had to learn to deal with it. For many people when they experience a tragic event such as sexual abuse it changes their personality when they are trying to cope. But Oprah took her experience and decided to help others. She went on to helping hundreds of people and giving many generous gifts and donations.

http://thephotographer4you.com/2010/09/30/cover-of-the-day-oprahs-next-act/

     This picture is a photo of Oprah and it shows how successful she has became throughout her life.  She has her own talk show, magazine, and now television network. Oprah hasnt done this becasue others had influenced her but becasue she herself wants to do it. She had the ability to accomplish all these things because she is a strong individual. Someone who was a conformist would probably would never be able to reach success of such high amounts as Oprah. The reason she is so popular today is because she has an individual personality, thinks in different inventive ways, and wants to help people. Besides Lady Gaga Oprah is a good example of a modern day transcendentalist she has delt with so much, acheived such high success, remained to be an individual, and has resisted influence form others.

Walden Post

     To many people, living in solitude for a complete two years would seem like a waste of time. Henry David Thoreau did exactly this but his time was very well spent. He accomplished all that he wished to do. The main reason some thought of it as a waste of time was because he was misunderstood. Many people like Henry for example still did great things even if they were misunderstood. After hearing Henry Thoreau’s story many would still think that living on Walden pond for two years was a waste of time, but it was not he completed his three main goals and  had a good reason for living there in the first place.

http://shelterseeker.blogspot.com/2008/02/thoreaus-little-house-at-walden-pond.html

     Henry Thoreau moved away from society to a little remote cabin on Walden pond and lived there for a total of two years, two months, and two days. Most wouldn’t consider the amount of what he accomplished to be of value. No one understood his purpose for being there either. "I did not wish to live what was not life,living is so dear"(Henry Thoreau, 383); Henry thought that if you were not enjoying your life then you were not truly living it. For his own personal interest and to fulfill his needs he decided to live at Walden Pond. He was content with his life and enjoyed living there so it shouldn’t be thought of as a waste of time. His family and friends thought that what he was doing was pointless but really it was just misunderstood. Generally, for most people when they have a hard time understanding something or are having trouble it is more common to give up and dismiss it as being unimportant rather than try to understand and think about it deeper. That was the case in Henry Thoreau’s situation. No one really understood the meaning behind him moving and living in isolation. They just thought of him as being odd instead of taking the time to think of the situation from his point of view. He lived there for a purpose, he was overwhelmed by the hectic city life and all the progress that was taking place around him. He just wanted a simple life again. Everyone just thought he was doing absolutely nothing but in reality he was getting to know him self and nature.

http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/OpenSpaces/Pages/ForestPreservation.aspx

     Henry had three main goals of living on Walden Pond. They were to escape the chaos of his home town, get to know himself better, and get acquainted with nature. He felt that the factories, roads, and homes were ruining the forests. To him everything about the city was chaotic and the progress being made was actually not as beneficial as most others thought. His way of escaping it and appreciating the beauty of nature was to live on Walden Pond. This way he got to live in peace and take in all the nature exposed to him. “Why should we live with such hurry and waste of life”(Henry Thoreau, 384)? This quote helps explain his feelings towards nature and life and how he thought that his time was much better spent enjoying life in nature instead of in a city where he didn’t want to be living. Living all on his own meant that he would be left alone with only his thoughts to keep him company. This allowed him to really get to know him self much better. He could work on writing in his journals and think deeply on matters he would not be able to if he lived in the city. By living on Walden Pond he accomplished all the things he went there to do. Since all his goals were accomplished and he had done exactly what he had set out to do there is no way his time living there could have been a waste.
    

http://sayiamgreen.com/blog/2009/09/the-10-most-polluted-cities-in-the-world/

     If Henry had never lived on Walden Pond he would not be known for his work today. His story is the reason his work got published and is part of our curriculum. Thousands of students across the U.S. now know Henry and are reading his works and using his quotes. He did all that he wanted to do at Walden Pond and it is the reason he is known today. His two years, two months, and two days spent on Walden Pond cannot be thought of as a waste of time.