Diction In Huckleberry Finn

Words: 1458

Pages: 6

Open Document

Consider the diction in Huck’s description of the first two pictures. How do we know that Huck is not fully aware of the connotations of the language of his description? What are the comparisons that he makes in his descriptions? How are they inappropriate for the tone of the pictures? What are the clichés? This paragraph offers deeper insight into how naive Huck is and it reminds the readers about his young age, because it can easily be forgotten that he is just a young boy when he is so independent. As Huck looks at all of the pictures in the Grangerford’s house, he does not understand why the family keeps them hung. They were all painted by Emmeline, the deceased daughter of Col. Grangerford, and the pictures, all of which were composed shortly before her death, are about death, funerals, and suicide. In the first few sentences of the paragraph, it appears Huck is too naive to understand how the dark and deep feelings expressed in the paintings, making the situation ironic when he uses …show more content…
The “bulges like a cabbage,”(106) comparison also shows how naive Huck is because using vegetables, which are very simple items, is the best metaphor he could create in order to communicate his message. It is also ironic because most children learn as they grow not to play with or joke about their food, yet he is doing so, showing his young age. He also uses warm words to describe the dark pictures, demonstrated when he says, “these were all nice pictures, I reckon,”(106) demonstrating that he does not understand the depth and sadness of each painting. By calling them, “nice,”(106) he is missing the point Emmeline was trying to make about the heartache of death, and he is being subconsciously disrespectful by calling them, “nice.”(106) Both the paintings, as well as Huck’s reaction to the paintings, help communicate Twain’s point of Huck’s inability to

Essay about Detailed Literature Study

| | | | | | | | | | Adventures of Huckleberry Finn | | | LiteraryPeriod Country…

Words 1286 - Pages 6

Huck Finn Research Paper

The Complexities Behind Huckleberry Finn The United States of America was built on the tears of Natives and the blood of slaves. The founding fathers of America proclaimed that the country would prosper under the ideals of freedom and equality, however, they failed to mention the Declaration of Independence only applied to white men. People colored in melanin were thought to be naturally inferior to the white men. Ignorance instilled to the white population that skin color defined the value of…

Words 2373 - Pages 10

Huckleberry Finn Argumentative Essay

acts are taken to the next level, from torture to even murder. Yet people still find entertainment in the eternal agony of another, and some will even endorse more violent actions. Such atrocities are prevalent in the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, where criminal acts, such as murder and assault, are not only endorsed, but also turned into forms of entertainment. In The Adventures…

Words 801 - Pages 4

Huck Finn Realism

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is Mark Twains most prominent piece of writing displaying realism. William Dean Howell, considered to be the father of realism and an inspiration to Twain declared “let fiction cease to lie about life... let it not put on fine literary airs; let it speak the dialect, the language, that most Americans know the language of unaffected people everywhere…”(Wagg). Twain used The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to portray the world as it really was by revealing how a child’s…

Words 513 - Pages 3

Essay about Realism and Naturalism in American Literature

Katelynn Craig English 3883 Dr. Charles DeShong 15 March 2013 Realism in Huckleberry Finn Between the end of the civil war in 1865 to about 1910, two styles of literature dominated American literature: realism and naturalism. Realism presents the world as it really is. One of the well known writers of realism, William Dean Howell’s, wrote “realism in nothing more and nothing less than the truthful treatment of material.” Realism in literature tends to be the plain and direct account of whatever…

Words 1077 - Pages 5

Should The Word 'Nigger' Be Seen As Inappropriate In Our Culture

seen as inappropriate in our culture presently after its use and meaning throughout the era of slavery? The famous author Mark Twain of the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written 125 years ago has sparked controversy amongst the country as the word is found to be unnecessary by some, but crucial to others. Huckleberry Finn, a white teenager in the years of slavery objects to societies standards of being deemed as civilized. He becomes very well acquainted with a slave named Jim, who…

Words 642 - Pages 3

Huck Finn essay

characterization essay Throughout the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the author, Mark Twain introduces the reader with the character Jim, a black runaway slave. He is Hucks (main character) companion as they travel down the river, Jim in search of freedom of course. Although Jim comes off as a naïve person whom is nothing, but superstitious, those superstitions conceal a deep knowledge of the natural world. Mark Twain uses diction, imagery, details, and improper syntax to characterize Jim…

Words 875 - Pages 4

Huckleberry Finn Essay

fine horses” (108). In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain uses word choice to describe the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons. These families are seen as high and powerful amongst the rest of the common people. In the novel, Mark Twain, uses diction to illustrate Hucks admiration of the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons as well as to further challenge his ideas about slavery. In this passage, Twain used diction to describe two families, the Grangerfords and Shepherdons…

Words 475 - Pages 2

Was Huck Black Character Analysis

incongruity, without violating his "painstaking" efforts to have his character speak inaccurately (as well as accurately rendered) dialect." Shelley also backs up her claim by saying that "The cadences and rhythms of Jimmy's speech, his syntax and diction, his topics of conversation, attitudes, limitations, and his ability to hold our interest and our trust bear a striking resemblance to those qualities of speech and character that we have come to identify indelibly with Huck." (Fishkin 16). Shelley…

Words 962 - Pages 4

American Lit Essay

Taking a Bet on Twain’s Rhetorical Strategies Mark Twain, well known for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, published his successful short story in 1865 originally titled “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”. In Twain’s short story he plays around with the narration by using low diction due to the narrator’s southern style of speech. Not only is Twain’s dialogue and narration intriguing to his readers but also his use of rhetorical strategies such as symbolism, allegory, and dramatic…

Words 980 - Pages 4