Huck Finn 5th Blog - Social Responsiblity

    The beginning of chapter 31 shows the social responsibility Huck has although it is not addressed. The Duke and King are going from town to town doing dance classes, lectures, and yellocutions in order to rip off the townspeople and gain money. Since Huck knows about their tricks he has a social responsibility to tell the people the truth about the Duke and King so that the people do not waste their time and money. But the reason why Huck does not do so is because he may get hurt or even lose Jim. Also in chapter 31 Huck has the social responsibility of saving Jim by either writing a letter to Ms. Watson so that Jim is at least taken away to a familiar plantation or to save Jim himself. "And got to thinking over our trip down the river; and I see Jim before me, all the time, in the day, and in the night-time, sometimes moonlight, sometimes storms, and we a floating along, talking, and singing, and laughing."(Twain, 242) Just like in chapter 16 Huck turns away from the idea of turning in Jim because of the friendship and relationship that has developed between them. He can't stand the idea of betraying Jim, he may feel like he is betraying Ms.Watson because she did no harm to him but Huck does not has a real friendship with her because she was more of an authority.
    In chapter 33 Huck has the social responsibility to tell Tom Sawyer what has been going on because he may be the only one that can help him. When Huck asks Tom for help Tom goes against the social standards and says that he is willing to steal Jim. "Well I let go all holts then, like I was shot. It was the most astonishing speech I ever heard--and I'm bound to say Tom Sawyer fell, considerable, in my estimation. Only I couldn't believe it. Tom Sawyer a nigger stealer." (Twain, 254) Tom is a lot like Huck and is willing to break social responsibility just as much as Huck does, but Huck is surprised at Tom because by trying to steal Jim is a serious crime. Also, Tom did not really need much convincing just about as soon as Huck asked for help Tom said yes.

Huck Finn 4th Blog - Social Responsibility

 In the beginning Chapter 23 the duke and king finally set up their play...only to rip off their audience. The audiences realizes that the play ended quicker than it should have so they protest against them by having the other people in the town see the play. By the third night the duke, king, and Huck runaway with the audiences money before they get caught. That night Jim says "But Huck, dese kings o' ourn is regular rapscallion; dat's jist what dey is; dey's regular rapscallions."  Then Huck responds,"Well that's what I'm a-saying; all kings is mostly rapscallions, as fur as I can make out," (Twain, 179) In this story it seems like the nobleman have the social responsibility to be rapscallions since everyone expects them to be mischievous. But if this is the case and since the audience did not know that they were descendants of noblemen they expected them to go along with normal moral social responsibility and not rip them off. If they had known that they were a duke and king this situation would have a different outcome.
     Also in Chapter 23 Jim explains to Huck how he had a family. One day he told his daughter to do a chore but she didn't do what she was told. A part of a parents social responsibility is to discipline their child so Jim responded by hitting his daughter. "...Oh Huck I bust out a-cryin' en grab her up in my arms en say, 'Oh de po' little thing! de Lord God Almighty fogive po' ole Jim, kaze he never gwyne to fogive hisseff as long's he live!" (Twain, 182) Sometimes when a character goes along with social responsibility they regret their decision. Jim wanted to discipline his daughter but what he did not realize was that she was deaf. There was probably a different kind of social responsibility Jim could have gone along with if he had realized that his daughter was deaf and so now he can't forgive himself for hurting her in an unjustified way.

Huck Finn Chapt 15-22 Social Responsibility

   In chapter 16 Huck realizes that Jim is very close to freedom and he starts to question as to whether or not he is doing the right thing when he says "...it made me all over trembly and feverish, too, to hear him, because I begun to get through my head that he was most free-- and who was to blame for it? Why, me," (Twain, 109) Huck faces the social responsibility of whether or not he will turn in Jim. He knows he's breaking the law and that Ms. Watson owned him and she was never mean to Huck she always meant to do good for him so he didn't want to be unkind towards her. However, Jim later says that Huck is his best friend and the only white man to keep a promise for him, this makes Huck hesitant to tell on Jim. Just as he is about to turn him in he isn't able to say his name. Normally the social responsibility in Huck would make him tell on Jim but he also has a responsibility towards Jim and that is because of his relationship with him. Huck realizes that he's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.
     In chapter 18 Sophia Grangerford sends Huck to get her testament because she left it in the church, inside the book contains a letter which he later finds out is from Harney Sheperdson, her lover. This later escalates in the Grangerfords and Sheperdsons to basically kill each other. The Grangerfords had been killed and Huck starts to feel guilt because he thought the blame was on him. "...I judged I ought to told her father about that paper and the curious way she acted, and then maybe he would a locked her up and this awful mess wouldn't ever happened,"(Twain, 138) His social responsibility was to let Sophia's father know about the note he saw but he didn't act upon it because he thought it wouldn't be a big deal.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Social Responsibility - Chapt 6-15

    In chapter 12 Huck and Jim are contemplating on whether or not that there is any harm in borrowing the food that they find or not. Their social responsibility is to not steal because it does not benefit society. "So we talked it over all one night... trying to make up our minds whether to drop the watermelons, or the cantaloupes, or the mushmelons, or what. But towards daylight we got it all settled satisfactory, and concluded to drop crabapples and p'simmons. We warn't feeling just right, before that, but it was all comfortable now." (Twain, 72) Since they're worried about whether or not they are stealing means that they are well aware of their social responsibility. As a result they decided to drop some of the food that they "borrowed" so that they can feel better about themselves and at least be able to feel like they followed some kind of social responsibility.
     "I'm unfavorable to killin' a man as long as you can git around it; it ain't good sense, it ain't good morals. Ain't I right?" (Twain, 76) Again in chapter 12 there is social responsibility but it has to do with the robbers that are on the wrecked steamboat. Two of the robbers, Bill and Jake, are trying to decide whether or not they should kill the third robber, Jim Turner. Bill wanted to kill Turner right away but Jake says that killing him would be unmoral since also may not be able to get away with it. Social responsibility has to do with morals because it is what people would have to follow if they want to achieve some form of social responsibility. By not killing him and letting him drown instead, just like when Huck and Jim dropped some of their food, they are able to feel better about themselves for not killing anybody because at least they followed some kind of social responsibility. It also shows that the robbers are aware of social responsibility because they know that killing Turner would be wrong.

Social Responsibly - Adventures Of Huck Finn Chapt 1-5

Social Responsibility comes into play in the first chapter of Huck Finn when Huck is expected to pray so that he does not go to a "bad place". Miss Watson pushes religion onto Huck and his social responsibility is to follow through with what she says because everyone else prays. "Miss Watson kept pecking at me, and it got tiresome and lonesome. By-and-by they fetched the niggers in and had prayers, and then everybody went off to bed." (Twain, Pg 3). Huck does not really go along with this kind of social responsibility because he does not care that everyone is praying to eventually go to the "good place" one day. He does not care about being in the bad place because if Tom will be there too then at least they will be together. Also instead of following religion Huck follows his own superstitions, like when he kills the spider at the end of chapter one he thinks that it is a bad omen and something bad will happen to him after that.
   Another form of social responsibility that Huck has is based off his education. In Chapter 5 Hucks father says," You're educated, too, they say; you can read and write. You think you're better'n your father, now, don't you, because he can't?" (Twain, Pg 20) Hucks father expects him to be dumber than himself and he continues to say that "he'll take it out of him" and begins to questions him as to why he would meddle with education. Huck does not follow along social responsibility and likes to do what he wants despite what he's "socially" supposed to do according to other characters. Since his father wasn't and had nothing to do he had nothing better to do than to pay more attention in school and show up for classes, regardless of whether his father wants him to become smarter or not.

Scarlet Letter Vokis

Hester Prynne

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"No man is so near to him as you. You tread behind his every footstep. You are beside him, sleeping and waking. You search his thoughts. You burrow and rankle in his heart! Your clutch is on his life, and you cause him to die daily a living death; and still he knows you not." (Hawthorne 167)

Arthur Dimmesdale

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"I, whose footsteps, as you suppose, leave a gleam along my earthly track, whereby the pilgrims that shall come after me may be guided to the regions of the blest--I who have laid the hand of baptism upon your children--I, who have breathed the parting prayer over your dying friends, to whom the Amen sounded faintly from a world which they had quitted-- I, your pastor, whom you so reverence and trust, am utterly a pollution and a lie!" (Hawthorne 140)

Pearl

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"Ask yonder old man whom thou hast been talking with! It may be he can tell. But in good earnest now, Mother dear, what does this scarlet letter mean?-- and why dost thou wear it on thy bosom?-- and why does the minister keep his hand over his heart?"( Hawthorne 175)


Roger Chillingworth

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"I had spent the better part of the night at the bedside of the worshipful Governor Winthrop, doing what my poor skill might to go him ease. He going home to a better world, I, likewise, was on my way homeward, when this strange light shone out. Come with me, I beseech you Reverend Sir; else you will be poorly able to do Sabbath duty tomorrow. Aha! see now, how they trouble the brain-- these books!-- these books! You should study less, good Sir, and take a little pastime; or these night-whimseys will grow upon you." (Hawthorne 154)


Governor Bellingham

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"Hester Prynne there hath been much question concerning thee, of late. The point hath weightily discussed, whether we, that are of authority and influence, do well discharge our consciences by trusting an immortal soul, such as there is in yonder child, to guidance of one who hath stumbled and fallen amid the pitfalls of this world. Speak thou, the child's own mother!" (Hawthorne 106)

Scarlet Letter (Chapt 8-10)

    Chapter 8: In chapter 8 before the debate begins on whether or not Hester should be allowed to keep Pearl Governor Bellingham, Mr. Wilson, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth had entered the room. I think it is rude of them to start off by making fun of Pearl when Mr. Wilson says "What little bird of scarlet plumage may this be?... Or art thou one of those naughty elfs or fairies whom we thought to have left behind us, with other relics of Papistry, in merry old England?"( Hawthorne 105-106) After she says her name is Pearl he continues to suggest that her name should be Ruby, Coral, or Red Rose, and makes references to her mothers scarlet letter. I think it is kind of ironic that they want to take Pearl away from Hester because they think she is not going to be raised well enough when the people that want to take her away are already making fun of her and are not being good to her. I like that Hester later on starts to stick up for Pearl because before it was easy for her to keep quiet and mind her own business when people were making fun of Hester but when they threaten to take away Pearl she starts to yell and say that it is her right to keep her because God gave her Pearl. I also like that the minister agrees to let her keep Pearl and starts to side with Hester a little bit and says that if Pearl stays with her mother it will allow Pearl to learn from Hester's mistakes. I think Dimmesdale pitied Hester, but I think it is kind of weird that he sided and was somewhat nice to her all of a sudden, me thinks he is the baby daddy.
     Chapter 9: Throughout the whole chapter it explains Roger Chillingworth's past and since the only one that knows of his past it is easy for him to just go to a new town and say that he is a physician especially since there are not a lot of locals in the medical field. Since Dimmesdale started to get sick and is in very bad shape Chillingworth volunteers to live with him and take care of him. After a while they start to grow closer together and become closer friends. I feel like in a way Chillingworth could be taking advantage of the situation because if he becomes closer to Dimmesdale then it is possible and easy for Chillingworth to influence Dimmesdale's opinion especially when it comes to Hester's situation. Also if Dimmesdale dies Chillingworth its possible that he could take over Dimmesdale's position as a minister and if that happens he would have more control over Hester. Chillingworth has already shown that he is determined to find out who Pearl's father is so it would make sense for something like that to happen. At the end of the chapter it says "his expression had been calm, meditative, scholar-like. Now, there was something ugly and evil in his face which they had not previously noticed, and which grew still the more obvious to sight, the oftener they looked upon him."(Hawthorne 124) More people are questioning Chillingworth especially since they think that he is possessed by Satan or working for Satan. I'm not sure if that quote actually means he is becoming evil or going crazy or if he is just stressed out from trying to cure Dimmesdale and that the people are misinterpreting his expressions.
        Chapter 10: Chillingworth is now working harder on curing Dimmesdale of his sickness. The house they're staying in is right next to the graveyard and so Chillingworth takes some weeds and herbs that have grown on top of graves and turns them into medicine to give to Dimmesdale, I think its grody to the max that he does that. Then one day they hear Pearl outside playing in the graveyard and Hester is there too. I noticed that Pearl was dancing on some graves and to most people that would be disrespectful but I think because of her innocence she does not realize that. I noticed Hester was pretty quiet especially when she realized that Chillingworth and Dimmesdale were in the house next to them. Pearl says that there is a "Black man", which is Chillingworth, standing from the window and that he is about to capture the minister. People were questioning Chillingworth in chapter 9 saying that he was either possessed by Satan or is working for Satan and when Pearl describes him at the "Black man"it supports the fact that he may be becoming evil. At the end of the chapter Chillingworth goes up to Dimmesdale when he is in a deep sleep and took off his vestment. Dimmesdale's chest is exposed and Chillingworth is surprised, and shocked at what he sees. The chapter doesn't reveal what Chillingworth saw so now I'm wondering what it is that he saw. Earlier I said in Chapter 8 that I think Dimmesdale is the father because of how he sided with Hester earlier. So to me it would make sense for there to be a scarlet letter on his chest.