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Free Things They Carried Essays: Life Lessons With Mr. Watson

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Life Lessons with Mr. Watson It was one of those days. First semester, sophomore year. I had just returned from lunch where I was playing basketball like a maniac. Now I was on the way to my my honors English class where I was most likely going to fall asleep in the first 20 minutes. I sat down, and Mr. Watson, a bulky middle aged English teacher, had a prompt on the board to write a paragraph about the symbolism in the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This book did not have a strong impact on me since the characters remained static throughout the book and the plot was very anticlimactic. I was just about as excited about this class as I was translating the Chinese Scrolls. Jesse, my admirable basketball buddy, felt the same …show more content…

Watson. I walked into the classroom with Cole, and we both joked around with Watson about the seating chart until the 3rd period bell rung. Cole and I took our seats in the back of the classroom and the class began. Watson started by talking about the new book we were reading titled The Things They Carried, a book of war stories contrasting the difference between real and true stories. The difference between real and true removed the emotion I experienced from this book. The author, Tim O’Brien, said that not all of the stories in the book were true, which ruins the purpose of the book. I was almost crying at one point of the novel but I then realized that it didn’t actually happen so my emotion was revoked. Slightly later in the semester our class read another book called Catcher in the Rye. This book had a similar character style to the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in which the main character was a dynamic character who greatly changed throughout the course of the story. I was actually somewhat interested about this author who wrote this book: J.D. Salinger. And as was Mr. Watson. Here is where my real English journey had led

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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an American classic, it was the starting point for all great American Literature. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been awarded all of these honorable titles because of its abnormal and controversial plot line. During the time period when the book was written, it was unacceptable to view African- American’s as anything other than slaves. They were viewed as inferior to whites and were treated like property, they had no rights. The main character of the book, Huck, disagrees and disobeys these norms and pushes the boundaries of society when he becomes friends with a slave from his childhood; Jim.

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1. “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” is a story full of ironic scenes. There are unrealistic scenarios throughout the entire storyline. In one aspect of the story, the reader gets a very vivid and clear depiction of Huck Finn’s father. The description of his father is one that comes with irony as Huck’s father did not want him to be educated.

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The uses of satire, the time period, and friendship reveal Twain’s unprejudiced views achieving its place in the curriculum. The glimpse of history Twain provides with slavery and society is very important to understanding of the novel and its overall messages important to the curriculum. This remarkable narrative has many examples of realism and literature elements important to the learning the history of literature. One of America’s most prominent and informational works of literature ever written Adventures of Huckleberry Finn must stay in the high school curriculum

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Toni Morrison effectively analyzed The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, covering different perspectives and ways to interpret the novel that displays a higher level understanding of a “challenging” text. Good writing and analysis skills are crucial for a variety of different tasks students will have to perform beyond school. Additionally, challenging literature offers a great opportunity for students to learn about censorship. As many books read in schools today are being censored, any opportunity for students to directly learn more about the issue is beneficial. In the article “Schools Can’t Ban Books Because of Complaints, Court Says,” Mark Walsh addresses a woman who wishes to discard of controversial works, such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, that provoke racial harassment in the school system (Source B).

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In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, there are lessons and recurring events in the book that allow it to be viewed in many different ways. This can be done by examining plot points in the book through various literary lenses. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn can be explored and better understood through the feminist and archetypal lenses. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, having taken place in the 1830s, displays minority groups in a negative light or denies them a real role in the development of the novel.

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Authors of classic American literature often utilize a character’s development to establish a worldview or opinion. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Great Gatsby, Mark Twain and F. Scott Fitzgerald use their narrators, Huck Finn and Nick Carraway, to suggest an argument about American society. Seeking adventure, both characters embark on a journey, but their encounters with society leave them appalled. While they each have personal motives for abandoning their past, both end up interacting with different cultures that lead them to a similar decision about society and their futures. Ultimately, they stray from the dominant culture in order to escape the influence of society.

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Every person encompasses their own unique opinion. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huck Finn possesses a conscience that makes him one of the most important and recognizable figures in American literature. However, Claudia Durst Johnson, a critic, believes that because of Huck’s actions the novel “is one of the most radical and darkly bitter books in the American canon. It represents the breaking of federal law as moral. It recommends disobedience and defiance on the part of young people.”

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English classes in some schools throughout the United States do not have The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain on their lists for their reading curriculum. Parents and/or grandparents whose ancestors have lived their lives as slaves refuse to allow their children/grandchildren to read the novel because of the use of the "n" word over 200 times. However, because they only think about that one word, they don't know that the book actually portrays many important themes. Three meaningful subjects are explored in friendship, religion, and heroism that are still relevant today.

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Although there has been an overwhelming amount of debates regarding the teaching of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in high school settings, students should still have the opportunity to experience this novel, even if additions or compromises need to be made, because of the story’s historical significance, underlying portrayal of African American dignity, and overall benefits engendered by Twain’s writing. Many argue that African Americans are undermined throughout the story, but the abundance of dignity underlying Jim’s character and the compromises that can be made in the classroom are often overlooked. The most controversial part of the book for many parents seems to be the fact that “it uses the ‘n’ word more than 200 times -- which they say is damaging to their children” (Beckett, Huck Finn’s Fate to Be Decided).

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For: Huckleberry Finn needs to be taught in schools. The Novel reflects on social issues present in the time it was written which can be related to similar social issues of today. It adds to the historical knowledge for students taking US History 2 which is taught the same year as Huck Finn is. The Novel also serves as an introduction to American literature, reflecting realism, romanticism, regionalism and character development through

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Mark Twain has often been referred to as the “foremost living American writer” and his books have long been on the reading lists of most every school (Phelps, 542). However, since it was published, there has been an abundance of controversies regarding whether Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should continue to be taught in school as well as whether it truly deserves the literary accolades it is often rewarded with. Many believe that due to the book’s “inappropriate” language, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be banned from being taught in schools as it can be viewed as racist and make the students uncomfortable. However, those that believe this are truly missing the point. Mark Twain’s use of language does not take away from the beauty of the narrative, but instead it adds a whole new dimension of life to the characters and

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Even my talkative teacher was reduced to a slack-jawed stare of awe. As my brief embarrassment and their slight shock quickly passed, I was cheered for. I was the reading champion! The hero of literature that would lead our class to victory! I even earned one of Mrs. Fisher’s rarely-given rewards (a Strawberry

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Mark Twain’s Use of Symbolism in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn takes a critical look inside society . Though this novel has been on the top ten list of banned books for quite some time due to its language and subject matter, it is recognized as a masterpiece. As Twain’s masterpiece is riddled with symbolism from the setting to the characters to even the character’s speech – all of which still holds true today. It is all of these numerous symbols that are intended to allow the reader to assimilate the story in a more profound way.

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