CDW 1:
Mark Twain clashes law and society to expose the lack of social freedom of the citizens. As soon as “the widow rung a bell for supper,” everyone “had to come in time” (Twain 7). Each person had to follow a rigid order of waiting for the “widow to tuck down her head” and grumble a little over the victuals” (Twain 7). The “bell” getting “rung” symbolizes the law’s prevalence throughout the land. Being forced to “come in time” instantaneously indicates the expectations of the authorities; reaching the table later than expected would often result in punishment. This completely violated the settlers’ natural rights, those listed out by John Locke. The inability to “go right to eating” when reaching the dinner table acts as a violation of the natural right of freedom (Twain 7). It also offers a satirizing of the idea that we have inherent freedom even when we are constantly bound by the microcosm we call society.
CDW 2:
As the novel progresses, citizens start to overcome the barriers of racism through dialogue. Although it took fifteen minutes for Huck Finn to be “humble” himself “to a n****r,” he eventually does apologize for his actions (Twain 98). In fact, Huck claims to “do him no more mean tricks” after this apology because he realizes that his actions were racist and unjust (Twain 99). Huck even claims that he “wouldn’t done that one if [he’d] knowed it would make him feel that way” (Twain 99). This acknowledgement makes Huck recognize the effects of his actions on another person. The act of a white man apologizing to a black man was an unconventional starting point to break down the barriers of racism. This directly ties into John Locke’s idea of universal freedom; in such a world, there would be no inequality from racism and classes. Huck’s apology acts as a starting point to reach this universal freedom, as it is one of the preliminary efforts to dissolve racial inequality.
Mark Twain clashes law and society to expose the lack of social freedom of the citizens. As soon as “the widow rung a bell for supper,” everyone “had to come in time” (Twain 7). Each person had to follow a rigid order of waiting for the “widow to tuck down her head” and grumble a little over the victuals” (Twain 7). The “bell” getting “rung” symbolizes the law’s prevalence throughout the land. Being forced to “come in time” instantaneously indicates the expectations of the authorities; reaching the table later than expected would often result in punishment. This completely violated the settlers’ natural rights, those listed out by John Locke. The inability to “go right to eating” when reaching the dinner table acts as a violation of the natural right of freedom (Twain 7). It also offers a satirizing of the idea that we have inherent freedom even when we are constantly bound by the microcosm we call society.
CDW 2:
As the novel progresses, citizens start to overcome the barriers of racism through dialogue. Although it took fifteen minutes for Huck Finn to be “humble” himself “to a n****r,” he eventually does apologize for his actions (Twain 98). In fact, Huck claims to “do him no more mean tricks” after this apology because he realizes that his actions were racist and unjust (Twain 99). Huck even claims that he “wouldn’t done that one if [he’d] knowed it would make him feel that way” (Twain 99). This acknowledgement makes Huck recognize the effects of his actions on another person. The act of a white man apologizing to a black man was an unconventional starting point to break down the barriers of racism. This directly ties into John Locke’s idea of universal freedom; in such a world, there would be no inequality from racism and classes. Huck’s apology acts as a starting point to reach this universal freedom, as it is one of the preliminary efforts to dissolve racial inequality.
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