Chris Rudewicz

Ms. Harper

English 10, Period A

23 October 2013

Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a Timeless, American Novel

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, is a story of adventure in the perspective of a young man with the nickname Huck, which is short for Huckleberry.

A picture of young Mark Twain, the author of the masterpiece The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Huck, afraid of his often drunken father, Pap, plans to run away from home with the help of his friend Tom Sawyer. Jim, a black slave who lives with Huck and his family, overheard his owner talk about selling him which would cause him to move away from his family. Huck and Jim escape from their old home together and embark on an journey along the Mississippi River on a raft. After running into some shady con-men, encountering Tom Sawyer’s real family and learning that Pap has died, Huck and Tom’s adventure along with Jim’s escape for freedom become much more complicated than they could have ever imagined.

The Mississippi River

This book was very interesting and caught my attention by the end of the first chapter. There were many plot twists that always kept me wondering what would happen next. I love how Twain really develops each character so that the reader can see their personalities and empathize with them. This is a very hard book to put down because once you are thrown into the crazy exploit, it really puts you into the moment and the adventurous world of Huck takes over your imagination. I highly recommend this book to anyone of any age, it is a must read.

With the style that Twain writes with, it almost feels like you are reading Huck’s personal journal of his wild adventure. Twain writing from the perspective of Huck talking about his father’s abuse, “But by-and-by pap got too handy with his hick'ry, and I could't stand it. I was all over with welts. He got to going away so much, too, and locking me in. Once he locked me in and was gone three days. It was dreadful lonesome” (Twain 6). Yes, there are some grammar and spelling mistakes, but these errors are letting the reader grasp a tone of voice that Huck would speak in and how he would pronounce certain words, being from the South. I find this accent in Twain’s writing very interesting and I believe that it adds another piece or dimension in the reader’s envisionment of Huckleberry Finn and the character’s development. Another example of this accent in Twain's writing, “‘Quick, Jim, it ain't no time for fooling around and moaning; there's a gang of murderers in yonder, and if we don't hunt up their boat and set her drifting down the river so these fellows can't get away from the wreck, there's one of 'em going to be in a bad fix’” (Twain 77). The story is easy to follow while maintaining excitement and adding surprise twists in the plot, and Twain does a great job developing personalities and emotion.

A drawing of Huckleberry Finn.

Some may say that the novel is racist and is not appropriate for younger people to read. In my opinion, this novel is an accurate depiction of how things were in the South during this time period and that readers must accept the society for what it was back then. Yes, the book does use the ‘n’ word from time to time, but remember, this book is written from Huck’s perspective and voice so why change the genuine tone that adds to the entertainment?

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published over 120 years ago, which really puts into perspective how great of a novel it is. This thrilling journey around the Mississippi will always be one of my favorite stories, and I believe that every person must read this book at least once during their lives. This timeless classic by Mark Twain is a true masterpiece of American literature and is a wild adventure that everyone should take a part in.

Twain, Mark. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Random House,  1996. Print.

Malcom Gladwell and IAT Test Response

What stood out to me in the chapter was the true story of Warren Harding and how that story relates to the IAT testing. I find it very interesting how he actually became president although he was not the smartest, or the best leader in the running. A take away message that one can draw from this chapter is that a first impression may not always be the right one. Even though first impressions go a long way, you cannot always trust them and getting to know the person is always a good idea before you judge them.

This chapter should be taken under consideration for our discussion on leadership. It can contribute to the discussion because it is a good example of why people have first impressions and it includes the fact that many people act upon these impressions. Undoing an unconscious bias must be pretty close to impossible because our choices do not effect what our unconscious thinks. Some other leadership qualities other than physical appearance are how a person talks or how smart they are (IQ test scores or GPA in college/high school).

After taking the Asian-American test, the results said that I view European-Americans as more 'American' than Asian-Americans. I was not aware of my unconscious bias, and yes, it did surprise me. Being Asian-American myself, I did not know that this bias would have existed within my mind. I also took the race test between Black people and White people and I was surprised by the results of that test also. I do not prefer one or another, yet for some reason my subconscious prefers White people over Black people according to the results of my testing. I was surprised because I treat all people equally yet my mind has seen and interpreted images in the world that say White people are 'better' or more easily linked to 'good' things rather than Black people.