Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Monica Corcoro. Posting 2. Compare and Contrast

Related to Huckleberry Finn, Of Mice and Men contained lots of conflict, but both books had a different way of working out the main problem. In Huckleberry Finn, Huck solves problems by being humble and not asking anything in return. He secretly does one minor action to help solve the rest of the problem; such as when he is attempting to hide the money from the con artists for the Wilks’ money to keep. Once the townspeople realized the money was gone, they immediately expected Duke and Dauphin to be a scam. Although no one knows how the money got where it did, Huck wanted nothing in return for his good deed. In Of Mice and Men, however, they solve their problems by violence most of the time. But I think the violence only started mainly because if Curly being the way he usually was. Because he always wanted to fight with bigger men, it caused everyone else to think and act roughly around one another also. Before Curly came towards Lennie and George, they and everyone around them were being neutral. However, when Curly came and started picking on Lennie, tension built up around everyone—even when Lennie never conversed with Curly before.

These two different writing styles that Twain and Steinbeck have written are very unique and creative in their own way. Both authors approach these storyline encounters very differently. However it still makes both styles enjoyable for the reader. Twain writes Huck as a harmless boy when it comes to conflict. Steinbeck, on the other hand, approaches story conflicts into a more physical stage. One might prefer Twain over Steinbeck or even vice versa, but both writing approaches keep the reader wanting more.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Monica Corcoro. Posting 1. Compare and Contrast

In Huckleberry Finn, although there were some twists to the end, the story came out a happy ending alike what most stories turn out to be; which I find to be very predictable. But in Of Mice and Men, although it was a sad ending, the story ended with a twist—which I think is always good to have in a story. I didn’t expect at all that George would kill Lennie by the end of the novel. I would have thought Curly would be the one to kill him first, considering Lennie was the one to murder his wife.

In Of Mice and Men, I think the main and overall theme of the book was friendship. George and Lennie stayed by each other the whole way through. It looked like nothing could tear them apart from each other because they have been by one another for the longest time. When Curly picked on Lennie, George couldn’t stand to bear tolerating it. George knew Lennie needed support from his best friend, so George did all he could do to help. The same theme can also be applied to Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, but the overall theme that best fits this novel is perseverance. Throughout the adventures he had with Jim and Tom, Huck started to become more humble and started to care for other people more than himself; from people whom he has known for the longest time to people whom he met only for a little while. In chapter 40 when Tom is hurt, Huck goes out of his way to go find a doctor to help him. And when Tom and he go to rescue Jim from being chained, they both persevered to set him free. These books were very enjoyable to read because they both show the commitment and the hardships of being in a friendship.

Monica Corcoro. Posting 8. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Getting to know Tom Sawyer more made me notice that he is not as good of a person as I thought he was, in my opinion. He is more devious than I thought he was as well. I do agree with what Chi Chi had to say about being bothered by the fact Tom didn’t tell Jim and Huck that Jim had been a free slave for quite a while. It is as if Tom only went with Huck to rescue Jim just for the fun of going on another adventure. In the novel Adventures of Tom Sawyer, I found Tom to be a very friendly and understanding boy who, by the end of the book, influenced Huck to become good like him. But it seems in this story; Tom seems to be the one who needs influence from Huck. When Tom gets hit in the leg with a bullet in chapter 40, it is almost like punishment for having to be so selfish of himself during the journey. I enjoy having Tom as one of the main characters in this novel; but his attitude towards certain things, such as slaves or black people, is an inferior characteristic to have.           

Monica Corcoro. Posting 7. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Once again, Tom and Huck are reunited when they try to get Jim back from Silas Phelps. I always liked it when Huck and Tom were together because they are such great friends that they would do anything for each other. Whenever they put their minds together, they always think of a devious, foolproof plan; which I always love reading in books. And whenever they are together, chaos and foolishness always happens, which makes me so happy every time they do. Such as in Chapter 33, Tom pretends to be someone else right in front of his own aunt and uncle, and they do not even realize it’s him (228). I just find it so foolish of them whenever they act like someone else because they know that they will have no intention of giving up their true identity later.

I have said this several times throughout my postings, but I really enjoy how Huck has become so humble and so caring of people around him; especially for Jim. In chapter 31, when Jim has been sold to a farmer, the only thing Huck was thinking about was “How do I get him back?” and “This was entirely my fault.” It made me happy to know that he was thinking of every way possible to help Jim work for Miss Watson again. Huck showed amazing growth of maturity throughout his time spent with Jim. And even when Jim was no longer with him, he knew exactly what to do to get him back.

Monica Corcoro. Posting 6. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

By this time in the novel, I think Huck truly understands the gift of giving and understanding. He no longer just thinks about what is best for him; but what is best for other people. An example would be when in Chapter 21, he tries to hide the money from the con men to help out the Wilks family. He tried his best to keep the con men from finding the money, and tries to help the Wilks contain their fortune.

I find it unbelievable how Duke and Dauphin always keep conning people for their money. And no matter how much they lie, they just cannot stop. As if money was more valuable to them than peoples’ feelings; even if it involves someone’s death. And even how much they get caught for lying and fraud; they always insist that they are telling the truth. I find it the most ridiculous thing I have ever head in a book; which I admire Twain’s writing style for.

A character I enjoyed having in the novel was Mary Jane Wilks because it seemed that she cared for her dad more than any other of her sisters. When Huck was in the funeral house to hide the money, Mary Jane walks in crying. Nearly every daughter or son would care if their parent dies, but it seems to me that she is the only one feeling sad about the loss. And it makes sense that she feels this way, mainly because she is the eldest of the 3 sisters, so she has to take care of her siblings without any more guidance from her father. Such as when my grandparents died, my uncle was the eldest out of 5; so it makes sense why he and Mary Jane would feel more disappointed.

Monica Corcoro. Posting 5. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

At this point in the novel, the story is not just about Huck and Jim anymore; now it’s more about their adventures they have with the 2 con artists who call themselves as Duke and Dauphin. While Duke and Dauphin are performing plays and providing entertainment for people, Huck follows them; but I find it strange that they leave Jim on the boat by himself. Even though they know that Jim is a runaway slave, they shouldn’t keep him tied up on the boat while they have adventures.
It is noticeable that Huck is being a little more different than he was at the beginning of the novel. He is starting to feel more humble and less selfish and mean. As I stated in my previous posts, Huck wanted to pull some tricks on Jim when he did nothing to harm him and Tom from the start. Now that Huck has spent some extra time with Jim, he begins to feel guilt in his decisions. Such as when they steal the robbers’ boat, Huck felt bad for leaving the robbers stranded. “Now I begun to worry about the men—I recon I hadn’t had time to before. I begun to think how dreadful it was, even for murderers, to be in such a fix.” (71). Another example would be when he was about to turn Jim in for being a runaway slave, he felt guilt when Jim told him he was his only friend. I think Huck is starting to think about other people’s feelings instead of just how he feels. I hope he continues to grow in humbleness throughout his adventures.


Thursday, December 22, 2011

Qing Rou Deng. Posting 2. Compare and Contrast

The ending of The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin left me with some questions and some ill feelings. So the question I have is why would Jim not tell Huck that his father is dead? I thought the main point of this trip, for Huck, was to escape his dad. I think if Jim told Huck about his father he could have reclaimed his fortune and live the rest of his life in luxury. Some things that bother about the ending of this book is how Tom didn’t tell Jim and Huck that Jim was free and even though Tom knew Jim was a freed man he still toyed with him like life was a joke. “What I was he’d planned to do if the evasion worked all right and he managed to set a nigger free that was already free before? And he said, what he had planned in his head from the start, if we got Jim out all safe, was for us to run him down the river on the raft and have adventures… (375)”

The ending of Of Mice and Men was sad where Huckleberry Fin had a happy ending with a twist. Unlike Huckleberry Fin the ending of Of Mice and Men was very honest unlike how Huckleberry Fin ended knowing how many things was lie or kept a secret. The ending of Of Mice and Men was honest in the sense that George realizes his duties and acts on them. Since the ending was fore shadowed through the event of the killing of the old dog and because of what happened to George and Lennie in the previous town it seems to me that George already had this kind of idea in mind but did not confront it until Lennie killed Curly’s wife. Overall I felt Of Mice and Men was a better book to read because of the sentimental lessons that it taught and the symbolisms in the book was also a great feature. Monica what did you think about the ending of the two books?