Compare and Contrast Huckleberry Finn and to Kill a Mockingbird

9/12/2012 American Studies II Comparing and Contrasting: To Kill a Mockingbird and Huckleberry Finn In the books, The Adventures Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird, the authors demonstrate several themes: the coexistence of good and evil, the importance of moral education, the existence of social inequality, racism and slavery, intellectual and moral education, and the hypocrisy of â€Å"civilized† society.The common themes throughout the two books depict; that although the settings are nearly a century apart, society has not changed as drastically as believed. Racism, a main theme throughout both books reveals itself in many ways. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn takes place during the 1830’s – 1840’s, in Missouri, a slave state. During this time period, slavery was a controversial issue; and amongst the main causes for the civil war. In Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck learns to bond with a slave, Jim. Throughout the course of the novel, Ji m and Huck become close friends and he realizes that he cares for him.Huck disregards most common opinions throughout society, he is associated with this slave who is supposedly ‘less than human. ’ Jim, the slave, is an intellectual human being despite the fact that he is treated as a lesser life form. Whereas, in to Kill a Mockingbird, racism is illustrated in depth through a trial in which a negro man is accused of a rape, to which he is thoroughly proved his innocence. Despite the evidence agreeing with the defendant, the racist jury simply convicts the defendant â€Å"guilty†. To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the 1930’s, during the Great Depression in Alabama.A former slave state, and a southern state, the town of Maycomb was swarmed with racist and prejudice people. â€Å"The one place where a man ought to get a square deal is in a courtroom, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have a way of carrying their resentments right into a jury box. As you grow older, you'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don't you forget it – whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash. (Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird p295) We are all born innocent, and then we are exposed to the evils of the world. Progressively, we begin to conform to fit society’s measures. We do good things, and we do bad things. We are only human. Throughout these books, exists a coexistence of good and evil. People may have good intentions for some things, and feel quite differently in others. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the book displays the change Jem and Scout Finch make from their childhood innocence. From the beginning of the novel, the characters develop in many ways; mentally and physically.They have been raised by the ideal moral backbone, their father, Atticus. Despite the fact, they are not alwa ys prepared to see the world’s evils right before their eyes. During the course of the trial, Jem and Scout watch closely anticipating the result and hoping for the best. Yet, when they see the truth and the racism of the town before their eyes, they don’t know how to handle it. Jem has lost faith in humanity, and feels hopeless. Yet, Scout manages to see that people can be both good and bad. In humanity, good and evil coexists. â€Å"When they finally saw him, why he hadn’t done any of those things . . Atticus, he was real nice. . . .† His hands were under my chin, pulling up the cover, tucking it around me. â€Å"Most people are, Scout, when you finally see them. † He turned out the light and went into Jem’s room. He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning. † (Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, p284) As the story progresses, Scout starts to see things in a new way. Her perspective starts to change an d she is able to see people for who they are and who they aren’t. Scout sees human evil, but she also realizes that people aren’t perfect and make mistakes.Scout sees that there is good in people, and that there is also bad in people. Despite the fact that she is a lot younger, she grasps the situation better than her older brother who seems to fall apart at the concept of human evil. The Mockingbird had become something symbolic in the story. The mockingbird represents innocence and portrays itself through several different characters in the story; such as Scout Finch or Boo Radley. Despite their innocence however, they can be injured with their contact with evil. In the story, it’s explained how Boo Radley’s innocence is tainted because of his abusive father.Thus the extended metaphor or symbolism would explain that killing a mockingbird is tainting innocence. When Scout inquires her, Miss Maudie explains, â€Å"Mockingbirds don’t do one thing b ut . . . sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird. † This also links the connection of Scout and Jem both having the last name finch, which is another name for a particularly small (and also harmless) bird. In Huckleberry Finn, Huck comes from the lower levels of white society, having a father who is a drunk who disappears constantly.Widow Douglas adopts him and attempts to reform him, although she has difficulties. Huck does not accept the ways of society, and often tells Widow that he would rather go live in hell for a change of scenery. The Widow tries to teach him how to read and tries to make him religious. Although the Widow’s efforts do finally teach Huck how to read, he is still skeptical of the world around him. He does not agree with rules, and feels like he should create his own. Life is an adventure filled with new things and new ways to do them. To the world, Huck is but an infant crawling and learning how to t ake his first own steps.Huck realizes his friendship with Jim has made him content, and that the outside world is harsh. Every time Huck and Jim find themselves on land, they see the world for what it is and it’s cons and tricks. They see the lies that people weave, the hatred, the conflicts. When Huck and Jim are together on the raft, they feel like they escape from the world and its problems. Everything seems to float away and they can enjoy the simple pleasures. They choose to isolate themselves and feel as if they are living an idealistic dream or are a part of a Utopian society.They do not need much to be satisfied, just a few basic needs and to be away from the hypocritical society. â€Å"I hadn’t had a bite to eat since yesterday, so Jim he got out some corn-dodgers and buttermilk, and pork and cabbage and greens—there ain’t nothing in the world so good when it’s cooked right—and whilst I eat my supper we talked and had a good time. . . .We said there warn’t no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don’t. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft. †(Huckleberry Finn, page 119)Everything is a learning experience for Huck, who is still youthful and very open minded. He comes to see how people in society interact and what their certain views on things are. He learns of how things can contradict each other or become hypocritical. Huck witnesses lots of lying and schemes, many of them by the duke and the dauphin. However, he also pulls a few white lies of his own. Trying to save Jim and himself, he cons a few people. It’s then that he realizes that telling a lie, dependent upon the situation can actually be a good thing.This demonstrates the thin line between the right and wrong of things and how society uses them. â€Å"But I reckon I got to light out for the territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she’s goin g to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can’t stand it. I been there before. † (Huckleberry Finn, page 190) Huck realizes that although he has come to like Aunt Sally, she is a part of society that he chooses to be left out of. He feels comfort in being a recluse, and does not want to integrate himself in the society he disagrees with. Religion, and the supposedly â€Å"correct morals† that he would be forced upon don’t interest him.He also feels that he could get a better education from his own experience than from what he is being taught and forced. Huck feels ready to accept the challenge of his own life and take his own responsibility. So when Aunt Sally wishes to adopt him, he chooses to hit the road and set off on his own adventures. Throughout the novels, both Huck and Scout have this sense of independence and free thinking to them. Despite their obvious differences in upbringing, they share at the root the same thinking. They believe in independence a nd seeing for themselves what life is like.They do not want to believe in what â€Å"all adults† think is correct and force them to believe. They are both young and innocent and want to determine what is right and wrong in the world by themselves. Scout, is a little more guided with the help of Atticus; however she still makes many decisions by herself on her views of people. She is able to truly open her eyes and see what the world is made of. In conclusion, though Huck takes different approaches on his life and sets off on his own completely new adventures, he isn’t that different from Scout. They both have their own opinions which differ drastically from the rest of the society.

Bram Stoker Essay

Within â€Å"Dracula†, Stoker clearly presents the male characters in the book as heroes, without over emphasising this by giving them extraordinarily strong powers. They are portrayed as normal human beings with faults and weaknesses. This can be seen when Van Helsing suffers from hysteria, but despite this still plays an important role in the chase for Dracula, and brings confidence to their quest at desperate times. He describes the â€Å"Band of Brother’s† as those â€Å", who are willing to peril even our own souls for the safety of one we love-for the good of mankind, and for the honour and glory of God†. A similar comparison could be made to fictional characters/super heroes in comics such as Superman. They save the weak and bring down the villain while also leading normal lives. But despite doing this, these super heroes still posses certain vulnerabilities, in the instance of superman, he possesses a weakness to kryptonite. In the same sense, members of the brotherhood have their own weaknesses. Therefore, it is fair to say that there is some presence of a comic book nature in Stokers writings, and the characters in the book represent this. Stoker does well not to make the characteristics of his male heroes all man and butch, like our version of the male hero today. I believe Stoker’s view of the perfect hero, is one that is physically strong but in touch with his feminine side. I believe such a character to be Van Helsing. At the opening of Jonathan Harker’s journal it says, â€Å"God preserve my sanity†, and later Dr. Seward says, â€Å"What does this all mean? I am beginning to wonder if my long habit of life amongst the insane is beginning to tell upon my own brain†. Clearly within the novel, the male characters show signs of tenderness and sensitivity, which would be an imperative trait for a women of the time. Despite this, within the â€Å"Band of Brothers† each individual member have their own personal weakness, and this again parallels to that of a super hero in a comic book, (an ideal present day hero), how everyone has their own weaknesses, and often all have a universal weakness, eg. Breathing, in a comic world. In this case, the universal weakness of the â€Å"Band of the Brothers† is the shared love and protective nature over their women/partners. I believe that the men in the novel feel threatened by Dracula, who is a perfectly attractive, who is physically powerful, and more importantly targeting their women. The men may have felt that this new species may lure their women away from them, since it can be seen that his prey needs some sort of willingness or co-operation for him to act. It is not clear in the novel if Jonathan and Mina have consummated their marriage, since Jonathan was in such a bad state at the time of the wedding, yet later in the play he again shows inadequacies in the bedroom department, and can only watch Mina sucking at the chest of Dracula having been paralysed by the more dominant figure, Dracula. In the novel, personal and universal strengths and weaknesses are present in the â€Å"Band of Brothers†. Since all the characters concerned are human, there is no distinct line between the two, perhaps rather they represent individuality of characters. Due to the group’s enthusiasm, and their keenness to save their beloved from Dracula, they play directly into the hands of Dracula, and this can be seen in London. This shows that the eager and hunger of the man exploits their weakness of not thinking correctly, rushing into things and a little gullibility. Mina is left alone at the house a sitting duck for Dracula to attack, a thoughtless action showing human weakness. However the group show great dedication and understanding to the task in hand as Van Helsing says, â€Å"Our toil must be in silence, and our efforts in secret; for in this enlightened age†¦

Fire in Lord of the Flies

In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding. one of the main elements of the plot is a fire created by the boys. While the fire's foremost purpose Is for rescue, It also represents other underlying symbolistic themes. Order is one ot the tlrst things established once the fire is built. The fire's initial purpose, to get the kids rescued, represents hope. Also, the very being of the fire represents the Idea of life. From the very beginning of the novel, Ralph is determined to keep a signal fire going, in case d ship passes near to the Island.That's all well and good, until the first signal ire the boys light begins burning out of control, and at least one boy is missing, As Piggy tells Jack, â€Å"You got your small fire all right† (2. 210). The fire thus becomes a symbol, paradoxically, of both hope of rescue and of destrucuon. Ironically, it Is because of a fire that Jack lights at the end of the novel†in his attempt to hunt and kill Ralph†that the boys are rescued. And It makes sense.If the boys' world is Justa symbol for the real world, then they're not being rescued at all: they're just going on to a larger scale of violence†to grow up into soldiers getting sent off to war. Hence, rescue equals destruction. The Signal Fire Is a representation of commonsense and rescue from immorality. When the signal tire can no longer be lit, because Jack stole Piggy's specs that light it, its beacon of hope and knowledge is no longer present to guide Ralph who must then be constantly reminded by Piggy about what Is right.The Fire s Relationship Towards Civilization. In Lord of the Flies, the fire is a main symbol through out the story. It represents amount of civilized strength left within the boys. When the fire burns stronger, it means that they are getting closer to society and when the fire Is not burning or Is eak, they too are weakening. The signal fire becomes an indicator of the boys connection to civilization. Throughout the book, t he fire is a key symbol that means not only rescue, but hope and civilization.Even the forest fire In the end of the story, that was meant to destroy, ended up being the boy s key to rescue. In the beginning of this book, one of the most Important parts is when Jack let the fire go outto go hunting. Although hunting Is not necessarily barbaric or a loss of clvlllzatlon, It Is still what leads up to the loss of civili7atiom When Ralph realizes the power of the fire nd admits that if everyone does not do their duty and cooperate in keeping the fire going, all hopes In contacting clvlllzatlon outside are shattered.The tire Is their only chance of survival and if it goes out, their destined to stay on the island forever As long as the fire Is well maintained, the boys show a desire to return to their civilization, but when the tire burns low or goes out, the boys lose sight ot their wish to be rescued, because they have accepted their barbaric lives on the island. Fire in Lord of the Fl ies By SgtBlackScorp In the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, one of the main elements of the plot s a fire created by the boys. While the fire's foremost purpose is for rescue, it also represents other underlying symbolistic themes.Order is one of the first things represents hope. Also, the very being of the fire represents the idea of life. in case a ship passes near to the island. That's all well and good, until the first signal fire the boys light begins burning out of control, and at least one boy is missing. As symbol, paradoxically, of both hope of rescue and of destruction. Ironically, it is because of a fire that Jack lights at the end of the novel†in his attempt o hunt and kill Ralph†that the boys are rescued. And it makes sense.If the boys' world is Just a symbol for the real world, then they're not being rescued at all; they're The Signal Fire is a representation of commonsense and rescue from immorality. When the signal fire can no longer be lit, b ecause Jack stole Piggy's specs that light it, be constantly reminded by Piggy about what is right. means that they are getting closer to society and when the fire is not burning or is not only rescue, but hope and civilization. Even the forest fire in the end of the story, f this book, one of the most important parts is when Jack let the fire go out to go hunting.Although hunting is not necessarily barbaric or a loss of civilization, it is still what leads up to the loss of civilization. When Ralph realizes the power of the fire going, all hopes in contacting civilization outside are shattered. The fire is their only chance of survival and if it goes out, their destined to stay on the island forever. As long as the fire is well maintained, the boys show a desire to return to their civilization, but when the fire burns low or goes out, the boys lose sight of their wish

Globilzation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Globilzation - Essay Example Thus economic forces enabled international marketing to get energized and, which in turn, set in the challenging assignment of making commercial sense out of cultures to which wares were marketed. Devetak and Higgott explain how globalization has brought about a weakening of an intra national social bond. They further posit that ongoing process of globalization causes constant disruption in existing social bond. It is their view that "under conditions of globalization, assumptions made about the social bond are changing; .... the article concludes that the prospects for a satisfactory synthesis of a liberal economic theory of globalization, a normative political theory of the global public domain, and a new social bond are remote"(Devetak & Higgott 1999). Again, in a slightly different context, Phillip W.Jones makes a statement which is extremely relevant to the definition of globalization in present context. Jones states that," The logic of globalization contrasts markedly with that of internationalism. The latter, with its intrinsically democratic foundation, looks to a world ordered by structures supportive of that functionalism which is embedded in accountability. Globalization, by contrast, implies few logical imperatives in favor of accountability, but rather looks to the pursuit of interest on the global level through the operation of unfettered capitalism"(Jones,1998).According to Jones view international marketing efforts in new cultural milieu would fall in the category of 'globalization' as defined by him. However multinational corporations take a broader view of their international marketing efforts and venture in new international markets only after completing a thorough study of local cultures. New technological develop ments, improvements in communication, growth in transnational infrastructure and liberalizing of trade and capital flows have enabled entrepreneurs the globe over to deploy and run their capitals chasing markets the globe over. The globalization aligned attitudes of IMF and World Bank are exemplified with clarity by Jean-Claude Trichet, President of the European Central Bank, when he says that," The key aim of today's policy makers has not changed compared to those at the Bretton Woods times - it has been, and still is, global prosperity and stability - but the environment in which we are acting has changed profoundly......Today we are striving for stability of the international financial system in a world of free capital flows with a growing importance of private flows and increasing trade and financial integration"(Trichet, 2004).As Roby says," world-wide output and trade have grown apace with market openings and the rise of efficient global business networks these past 15 years. An entrepreneurial class is energizing once-stagnant command economies" (Roby, 2005). It is at once apparent that this 'entrepreneurial class' is essentially limited in number the globe over and its population effectively determines the contours of globalization. Washington Consensus John Williamson, the person responsible for the phrase Washington Consens

Criminal Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Criminal Law - Essay Example The requirement for a defence of provocation was a sudden and temporary loss of control, which clearly favoured the impulsive and short – tempered individual. In general, the defence of provocation under the common law had been denied to individuals who had not acted spontaneously, consequent to the provocative action or words of the victim. It was also denied to people who were subjected to a sequence of provocative actions that finally caused them to kill their persecutor.2 In addition, a defence of loss of control is admissible, only if certain conditions are satisfied. These have been described in the Coroners and Justice Act 2009.3 One of the most important of these conditions is that the defendant must have lost self – control, due to a qualifying trigger. In R v Clinton,4 these issues were discussed in depth.5 Clinton appealed against his conviction for the murder of his wife. It was held that partial defence of loss of control, in murder cases, could not entirel y exclude sexual infidelity as a trigger for the violent act.6 Clinton had pleaded guilty to manslaughter based on loss of control or of diminished responsibility. A situation of an extremely grave nature that causes the defendant to believe that he has been seriously wronged can be classified as a qualifying trigger.7 However, the applicable statute, namely the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 had not included sexual infidelity as a qualifying trigger. As such, the erstwhile defence of provocation has been annulled and supplanted with a partial defence of loss of control. This was achieved, via the provisions of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009.8 An expansion has been achieved by means of this new defence, as it encompasses instances of loss of control occasioned by anger or outrage, and fear. This change was the outcome of the efforts of the Law Commission in the years 2004 and 2006, and which was finalised by the Government consultation paper of 2008.9 With regard to provocation, t he Coroners and Justice Act 2009, while considering the previous law, engenders a strikingly different approach and attribution of prominence that is the outcome of the deliberations of the Law Commission. However, the suggestions of the Law Commission have not been adopted in their entirety. The principal change recommended by the Law Commission was that the new partial defences relating to anger and fear were to be construed in a manner that required the abandonment of the loss of control. 10 Nevertheless, this recommendation of the Law Commission was not accepted. As such, the Law Commission had made a recommendation that required killing through fear and anger to be viewed from an entirely different perspective.11 This perspective was essentially founded on the notion of rejection of loss of control. Moreover, the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 describes the conditions wherein a qualifying trigger could be present.12 Objective evaluation is essential, in accordance with the requi rements of subsection 55(4) of this Act. At the same time, the prohibitions in subsection (6) of this Act served to complicate the process of objective evaluation. This latter subsection identified several features that were to be explicitly excluded from the class of qualifying triggers.13 In addition, the greatest difficulty was encountered with subsection 55(6)(c) of the

US History 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

US History 3 - Essay Example â€Å"†¦Americans of the twenties sought to adapt to the rise of a new mass culture, mass production, urban world† (738), while â€Å"†¦the New Deal Era radically redefined the nation’s political agenda, the role of the federal government, and the nature of the presidency† (777). The popularity of print media was at its peak in the 1920s, as the circulation graph of magazines like Saturday Evening Post and Readers Digest verify. Though there is an accusation that the lofty elements of classic literature were lost in the periodical articles in these magazines meant for light reading, they have definitely played a vital part in shaping the American sensibility. Though radio and movies were in vogue in the twenties, they reached perfection in the production and reach only in the thirties. The impact of the magazines had decreased to an extent in the New Deal Era, thanks to the innovative means of entertainment and information that audio-visual mass media offered. While the twenties’ moviemakers struggled with ‘vitaphone’ and ‘movietone’ for sound in movies and were content with black and white films, the thirties are known for phenomenal inventions in incorporating sound and color to the movies. However, it is observed that â₠¬Å"the rise of corporate economic power in Hollywood had a subtle but distinct effect on film content, encouraging escapist, predictable formula films most likely to turn a profit, and discouraging riskier work and critical explorations of the darker corners of American society.† (773) The most significant aspect of the Progressive Era is the emergence of the African American community and a celebration of their existence through the Harlem Renaissance. The cultural flowering at Harlem owes it allegiance to the pride and self-confidence the Afr0-Americans gained in the Post-World War I America. Jazz music, which originated form the Afro-American musical tradition, is representative of the breaking free from the white traditional

BRICS Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

BRICS - Research Paper Example In order to identify the potential buyers in the automotive industry of Russia it is necessary to gain in depth knowledge about consumer behavior and their needs and wants for the products offered in the country's automotive industry. As a whole the dealerships are considered to be the primary buyers within the automotive industry in Russia. However the pull exerted by the end users is also important. The switching costs for the dealerships is very high mainly because of the fact that in most cases the automotive manufacturing companies have an exclusive contractual agreement with the dealerships. In a way the dealers are actually forced to sell the models and brands as preferred by the consumers. All these factors suggest that dealerships are the primary buyers in the market and they should be targeted in an effective manner to become successful in capturing the market in Russia. Next it is important to identify the target consumers and their specific needs and requirements to resul t in increased customer satisfaction. According to a research study conducted by Nielsen (2011), the main factors that are considered by the consumers in Russia while buying a car have been shown in the figure - 1. Figure – 1 The main factors of choice of cars by Russian consumers (in %age) Source: (Autobusiness, 2012) As evident from figure - 1, the most important factor considered by the consumers in Russia while purchasing a car is quality and reliability of the product offered to them. Apart from this other key factors considered while selecting a car includes the car price, fuel consumption, safety, design of the car, total cost of ownership (TCO), comfort levels, roadability and the car capacity. Quality of products, reliability and price are in general important factors considered by consumers of all age groups, and gender. However TCO is preferred to design by men as compared to women who prefer design over TCO. As regards the age differences, consumers in the age gro up of 20 to 30 years are more concerned about the design of the cars and they prefer powerful cars. The middle age group (31 to 40 years) consumers are found to be practical in nature and they prefer cars with increased capacity and of lower prices. Quality and reliability are the major factors concerning consumers in the age group of 41 to 60 years (Autobusiness, 2012). The key factors or measures that should be considered while analyzing the automotive market in Russia includes population growth, new passenger registration, household earnings, pattern of growth of the middle class people, and oil consumption pattern in Russia. This study is designed to research on the possibility of General Motors expanding its business in Russia in the field of luxury cars. It is expected that by the end of 2016, Russia would become the largest automotive market in Europe. The Russian automotive market has experienced an unprecedented growth in sales of luxury cars in the recent years. It has bee n estimated that in the first nine months of 2012, 2.18 million luxury cars has been bought by the Russians as compared to 2.36 million bought by the Germans which is the highest recorded figures in the industry. With respect to the rise in oil prices, the elite class people were benefited the most and there has been a rise in the sales of luxury cars in Russia. This rise in sales of luxur