Read through Chapter 21 and please do your usual mini-report.
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Anonymous
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After reading this week's assignment of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn I decided to further research slaves.
As Huck is making his escape and lands on an island, he discovers Miss Watson's runaway slave named Jim. The two team up and begin to make their journey together. As the two travel on, they learn that Jim has been publicized as a runaway and that a reward has been offered for his return. Eventually the two meet The Duke and The Dauphin who printed a paper to claim Jim as theirs.
"It had a picture of a runaway nigger with a bundle on a stick over his shoulder, and "$200 reward" under it. The reading was all about Jim and just described him to a dot. It said he run away from St. Jacques's plantation, forty mile below New Orleans, last winter, and likely went north and whoever would catch him and send him back he could have the reward and expenses."
This paper would show that the three were bringing Jim back to his plantation below New Orleans, so that the four of them could eventually escape to freedom.
This led me to want to research slavery and the dangers that came along with helping a runaway slave escape to freedom.
Even though Huck was not a slave, Huck could have been charged for helping a slave escape. The slave code for the state of Georgia states
" 9. Punishment of free persons of color for inveigling slaves. If any free person of color commits the offence of inveigling or enticing away any slave or slaves, for the purpose of, and with the intention to aid and assist such slave or slaves leaving the service of his or their owner or owners, or in going to another state, such person so offending shall, for each and every such offence, on conviction, be confined in the penitentiary at hard labor for one." (Slave Codes of the State of Georgia)
If any person, black or white, was to teach a slave to read or write the person would be punished by fine and whipping, or fine or whipping. "If any slave or slaves, or free persons of color shall purchase or buy any of the aforesaid commodities(2) from any slave or slaves, he, she, or they, on conviction thereof, before any justice of the peace, contrary to the true intent and meaning of this act, shall receive on his, her, or their bare back or backs, thirty-nine lashes, to be well laid on by a constable of said county, or other person appointed by the justice of the peace for that purpose: Provided, that nothing herein contained shall prevent any slave or slaves from selling poultry at any time without a ticket, in the counties of Liberty, McIntosh, Camden, Glynn, and Wayne." (Slave Codes of the State of Georgia)
The two following laws especially apply to Huck and The Dauphin and Duke due to the fact that they are harboring a runaway slave:
" Punishment of slaves for harboring slaves. If any free person or any slave shall harbor, conceal, or entertain any slave that shall run away, or shall be charged or accused of any criminal matter, every free Negro, mulatto, and mustizoe, and every slave that shall harbor, conceal, or entertain any such slave, being duly convicted thereof according to the direction of this act, if a slave, shall suffer such corporeal punishment, not extending to life or limb, as the justice or justices who shall try such slave shall in his or their discretion think fit; and if a free person, shall forfeit the sum of thirty shillings for the first day, and three shillings for every day such slave shall have been absent from his or her owner or employer, to be recovered and applied as in this act hereafter directed. Punishment of free persons of color for harboring slaves. All free persons of color within this state, who shall harbor, conceal, or entertain a slave or slaves who shall be charged or accused or any criminal matter, or shall be a runaway, shall, upon conviction (in addition to the penalty already provided for in said section (3)), be subject to the same punishment as slaves are under said section of the above recited act." (Slave Codes of the State of Georgia)
When slaves did runaway, there were many people who helped the slaves. This is when the Underground Railroad evolved. "During the 1800s, over one hundred thousand slaves sought freedom by running away from their owners. These brave Black Americans followed secret routes known as the Underground Railroad as they traveled north toward free states and Canada or south to Mexico." (Escape to Freedom) Many people began to work to free the slaves by making them new clothes, collecting money for food and medicine, teaching them to read and write or making speeches to convince people that slavery was wrong. A special quilt that was hung on the porch of the house often showed the houses that were part of the Underground Railroad. " Everyone who participated in the Underground Railroad was very brave. Slaves who tried to escape risked punishment, being caught and returned to slavery, or even being killed. The people who helped slaves also faced great danger, but they continued to help because they believed slavery was wrong." (Escape to Freedom)
As you can see, all who were involved with slavery took great risks in the actions that they made. Especially Huck and the two men that Huck and Jim found. If the four were caught, all would have been charged with some sort of crime and Jim would have been returned to slavery, or killed. Slavery was very dangerous.
Sources Cited
"Slave Codes of the State of Georgia." Race Racism and American Law. 14 Apr 2006. 25 Jul 2007 http://academic.udayton.edu/race/02rights/slavelaw.htm#9.
"Escape to Freedom." National Museum of American History. 2002. Smithsonian Institute. 25 Jul 2007 http://americanhistory.si.edu/ourstoryinhistory/tryathome/activities_slave_more.html.
In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the protagonist, Huckleberry, is on a journey down the Mississippi River. He and a runaway slave, Jim, are traveling together in search of freedom. In the beginning of Chapter 15, Huckleberry narrates the plan for the two men to make their way to Cairo, Illinois on their way to the free states.
“We judged that three nights more would fetch us to Cairo, at the bottom of Illinois where the Ohio River comes in, and that was what we was after. We would sell the raft and get on a steamboat and go way up the Ohio amongst the free states, and then be out of trouble (Twain).”
The town of Cairo contains a population of roughly 3000, although it was built to uphold nearly five times that amount of people. It was established in 1855 and still maintains its original old style (Mascitelli). “The buildings are still there, large stone banks, churches, and government buildings; grand in design, but with their promise unfulfilled. They look sad standing there abandoned (“Cairo Illinois”).”
Cairo is currently suffering a depression that can be traced back to the 1960’s when the region experienced an economic decline before the civil rights movement. It is the opinion of many Cairo citizens that the town is a victim of racial hatred in which the people were not able to overcome. During the civil rights movement the town was overwhelmed with shootings, street riots and a boycott of all white owned businesses which dominated the town. The struggle persisted for a decade; white store owners refused to hire people of the African American race and eventually just left town. Cairo is known as ‘the city that died from racism’ (“Cairo Illinois”).
An account of the town’s privation has been published in the book Let My People Go: Cairo, Illinois, 1967-1973 by Jan Peterson Roddy.
For Huckleberry and Jim, the town of Cairo, Illinois was a pivotal point on their journey for freedom.
Sources Cited:
- "Cairo Illinois." Nov. 2002. St. Louis Community College. 26 July 2007 http://users.stlcc.edu/jangert/cairo/cairo.html.
Huck and Jim have just made their big escape. Now the two boys are floating down the river until they see St. Louis. In St. Louis Huck and Jim are buying, hunting and stealing foods as they need it. One night Jim and Huck encounter a group of robbers. Because their boat has floated away, Jim and Huck take the robbers boat and leave them stranded. As the two approach the Ohio River their canoe and raft get separated in the fog. Soon the boys are reunited and continue their journey. As they are floating down the river a steamboat separates their raft and now Jim and Huck are separated again. As Huck was stranded he was taken in by a farmer’s family and introduced himself as George Jackson. Huck enjoys life on the farm with the company of their son Buck. One day a slave at the manner brings Huck down to the lake where he finds Jim who had followed Huck the night they were separated. The feud between the two farms begins a fight in the woods and Jim and Huck continue their adventure on stream. Huck and Jim run into two con artists who claim to be the duke and dauphin and take the men with them from town to town.
On Jackson’s Island Huck finds a shedded snakes skin. According to Jim this will bring bad luck, and Jim was right. After Huck handled the skin he found a dead rattle snake and laid it next to where Jim sleeps. The brother to the dead snake came and bit Jim. Jim’s leg swelled up but healed after several days. Bad luck came again when a steam boat came towards the boys raft and broke it in half. The boys were separated but reunited shortly after. Jim blames their bad luck on the snake skin again.
A superstition is the belief that events are influenced by specific behaviors, without having a casual behavior. Some common superstitions are that Friday the thirteenth is an unlucky day, a rabbits foot brings good luck, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, four leaf clovers are good luck, walking under a ladder is bad luck, black cats are bad luck, breaking a mirror is seven years bad luck and many others. http://www.csicop.org/superstition/library/common.html
The superstition of walking under a ladder has been known by everyone. It originated from the early Christian belief that a leaning ladder formed a triangle with the wall and ground. You must never violate the Holy Trinity by walking through a triangle, unless you want to be considered in league with the devil. Friday the thirteenth is also a very big superstition. Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden on a Friday, Noah's flood started on a Friday, and Christ was crucified on a Friday. Christians also noted that twelve witches plus one devil are present at Satanic ceremonies so Friday and 13 make a deadly combination. Black cats are also a sign of evil and bad luck. In ancient Egypt, the Goddess Bast, was a black female cat. Christian priests wanted to wipe out all traces of other religions so convinced their ignorant followers to destroy the evil demons that were black cats. While they were at it, they destroyed the kindly little old ladies who cared for the cats believing them to be witches. Spilling the salt is also a sign of bad luck. Salt was a very precious expensive commodity in the middle ages. It was also used for medicinal purposes. If you spilled any, you must immediately throw it over your left shoulder to strike the nasty spirits in the eye, thus preventing sickness. http://www.islandnet.com/~luree/silly.html Even people today still believe in superstitions.
"Common Superstition." 26 July 2007 http://www.csicop.org/superstition/library/common.html.
"Silly Superstitions." 26 July 2007 http://www.islandnet.com/~luree/silly.html.
"Superstition." Wikipedia. 26 July 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superstition.
Lindsey: You did a lot of research! I like how you researched the dangers of helping a runaway slave. You also have the actual slave code from the state of Georgia. Your post was interesting to read! Good Job.
Alex: I liked how you researched Cario. I had no idea what kind of a place it was that Huck and Jim were planning to go to. Now that I know what it's like it makes reading easier. Good Job!
In chapter fourteen of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck begins reading books about kings that he got from the wreck. He reads to Jim, and they talk about the life they live, how much money they get, and basically just how great the life of a king must be. They get to talking, and Jim asks Huck about what kings did in their free time. Huck's response is what really intrigued me to do my research on this particular topic. Huck explained that they go to war if it's needed, or they fuss with the "parlyment," but mostly, he said that kings hung around in the harem.
"What's de harem?" "The place where he keep his wives. Don't you know about the harem? Solomon had one; he had about a million wives," said Huck. "Why, yes, dat's so; I- I'd done forgot it. A harem's a bo'd'n-house, I reck'n. Mos' likely dey has rackety times in the nussery. En I reck'n de wives quarrels considable; en dat 'crease de racket..." said Jim.
Because of Jim's response to what the harem was, I was really interested in finding out more information, so my research will consist of what a harem is.
Harem- "Harem" is an Arabic word that can be translated as "forbidden," or "secluded." They also played a big role in governing the Ottoman Empire, which was the most renown period, and referred to as "The Reign of Woman, the Kadinlar Sultanati." Ottoman tradition relied on slave concubinage and legal marriage for sexual reproduction. Slave concubinage, was the taking of women for reproduction. It served to emphasize the nature of power. So, the king's concubines would stay in the harem, which was the part of the house that separated the women of the family. Most times, the woman of the family were the man's wives. The term "wives," actually had a different meaning to the Arabic and Muslim countries, then it did to those of western civilization. The man's wives were a collection of women who were at free disposal of him, and him only. Although this may make these women sound like prostitutes, they were not. Harem's were an aspect to their culture, and to them there was nothing odd about the fact. These woman were with the male owner, and him only. Also, I need to note that in most, or almost all cases, harems were only found in wealthy households, such as a king's.
Next, a traditional harem housed about one to four wives. Also, harem's were an affair of privacy. The only beings allowed to enter were strictly males, and were either the owner, father, sons, or brothers. In addition, there was one exception to those who entered. Harem's were almost always guarded by a Eunich. A Eunich was a castrated male, and that aspect right there was the reason as to why they were allowed to guard the woman, and enter in emergencies. There was a need for men who couldn't impregnate the woman, and who wouldn't be a threat to the owner of the household. It was said that Eunich's were often more popular than the king's, and were liked by more people. Reason for castration was also due to that, so the king would have no worries about his standing. Also, these men didn't have sons, and therefore, there would be no threat of future position to the sons of the kings.
Another thing I learned, was that there was a very famous Harem, which was around a long time ago, but is still remembered today. That harem, belonged to the Turkish Great Sultan, which was in the Topkapı Palace seraglio. This harem housed from seven-hundred to one-thousand woman at a time. It also held the Sultan's mother, daughters, and other female relatives of the family. There is a centuries-old theme in Western culture, which is the depiction of European women forcibly taken into Oriental harems. This is evident in the Mozart opera Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio) concerning the attempt of the hero Belmonte to rescue his beloved Konstanze from the harem/seraglio of the Pasha Selim. This same theme is still used commonly in historical books. For example, "Angelique and the Sultan," is part of the bestselling french series by Sergeanne Golon, which is a dramatic story about a woman who is captured, and then sold to the King of Morocco, in which she must stay in his harem. When the king tries to take advantage of her, she stabs him with his own dagger. As you can see, harem's are not only an aspect of culture, but an aspect of entertainment in stories as well.
To conclude, I can say that learning about this topic was interesting. I also learned that harem's still exist today. Although, harem's are limited to very strict, conservative Muslim societies, there are still some out there. Today, they exist in Saudi Arabia and Morocco. To me, the idea of a harem is degrading to women, and I personally don't approve of it. I also understand that you need to respect other cultures. By researching this topic, I've learned a lot about other cultures, and I'm more educated on their beliefs and ways of life. I have a better understanding of the aspects that make life to them, life.
Alley-- You chose an interesting topic. It was very original, I had never heard of a Harem before. You did a good job at researching the topic and used a variety of sources. =) Well done.
Lindsey-- You found some good research on slaves. You didn't pick a generic topic such as basic slavery, rather you went into detail on assisting a runaway slave which I found very unique. I also liked how you used a direct quote from the book. Good job =)
While reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn I came across a part that mentioned a bowie knife. While the boys are speaking of injured peers, they mention that "Bob's been carved up some with a bowie" (Twain, 111). This part interested me because I have no knowledge of knives, so I decided to research bowie knives.
The "Bowie" knife is a large-bladed knife known currently as a hunting knife. The name of the knife comes from it's designer, Colonel James (Jim) Bowie. The knife was not designed in just one shot, however, it was a series of knives that eventually came to be the hunting "bowie" knife. The historical Bowie knife had a large blade at 6-12 inches long, and 1-2 inches thick. The back of the blade had a strip of soft metal, so as to catch the opponent's blade. The knife was designed to be a hunting or camping tool, as well as a weapon to use in fights. Many legends surround the Bowie knife, as Colonel James Bowie often used his own to defend himself. In fact, one source (Hall, History of the Bowie Knife) states that during the "Sandbar Fight", Colonel Bowie was close to the point of death when he used the knife to win the fight. Colonel Bowie's brother later claimed that the blacksmith of the artful knife was known as Snowden. Apparently on the way home from this journey, Colonel James Bowie was faced with three men hired to assassinate him. Colonel Bowie then murdered all three men with his original knife. It is apparent that Colonel Bowie was not completely satisfied with his own knife. When he came up with a modified model of his knife and sent it to a blacksmith James Black, Black designed a new knife that Bowie liked better. This design is now known as the Sheffield Bowie, and is different than the original Bowie. This is so because Black added a sharpened edge on the curved tip of the knife. As you can see, this knife has quite a history and is still a very popular knife. It is apparent through the text that the Bowie knife was very popular during the time of Huck Finn as well, as he refers to it simply as a "Bowie." Huck will most likely use a similar knife in his adventures, perhaps against three assassins or even when he is half-dead, as Jim Bowie himself did.
Hall, Gregg. "The History of the Bowie Knife." WannaBeRichToo. 27 Jul 2007 (http://www.wannaberichtoo.com/article/Article/The-History-Of-The-Bowie-Knife/6477).
"James Bowie." Lone Star Junction. 27 Jul 2007 (http://www.lsjunction.com/people/bowie.htm).
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin. New York: Bantam, 1981. 80.
Alex - I like how you took a seemingly unimportant and bland element of the book and brought it to life with interesting facts. I especially liked how you cited all of your important information - well done [:
Linds - you went into extreme detail in your response! I loved your topic and thought you did an excellent job researching it.
Anna, Great job researching. You chose an interesting topic and found some great information and really looked into your topic. Awesome job!!!
Alley, Wow!! I never even thought about further researching that topic!! You found some really interesting facts and went above and beyond researching it!! Wow!
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Jim, a runaway slave, and Huck have run away and are now traveling down river. Huck had just come ashore. "Right then along comes a skiff with two men in it with guns, and they stopped." One of them says: Five niggers run off to-night up yonder, Is your man black or white? Huck answered by saying that he was white. The men then said they would go and see for themselves. Huck replied by telling them that his pa was sick and they need help towing the raft. "Pap'll be mighty much obleeged to you. Everybody goes away when I want them to help me tow the raft ashore." "Well, that's infernal mean. Odd, too. Say what's the matter with your father?" they asked. "it ain't anything much," Huck replied. By the way Huck was acting, the men assumed that the man on the raft had smallpox. "Set her back! keep away boy your pa's got the smallpox. Do you want to spread it all over?" they explained, before giving Huck two twenty-dollar gold pieces. (Twain, 89). This paragraph got me interested in what smallpox really was. I already knew that the body was covered with spots and it was painful and severe. Furthermore, from reading the book and the way the men reacted to Huck it seems like smallpox was highly contagious and a deadly disease. The symptoms of smallpox include tiredness, backache, headache, high fever and other flu-like symptoms.
For more information about smallpox and its symptoms please go to:
By convincing the men that Huck's pa had smallpox, Huck and Jim were successfully able to escape and continue on their adventure down river.
After researching this topic more in depth I learned that the word pox is a latin word for "spotted." This describes the raised bumps that appear on the body and face of the person who has the disease. "The origin of smallpox is uncertain, but it is believed to have originated in Africa and then spread to India and China thousands of years ago. The first recorded smallpox epidemic was in 1350 BC during the Egyptian-Hittite war. Smallpox reached Europe between the 5th and 7th centuries and was present in major European cities by the 18th century. Epidemics occurred in the North American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries. At one time smallpox was a significant disease in every country throughout the world except Australia and a few isolated islands. Millions of people died in Europe and Mexico as a result of widespread smallpox epidemics" (Brannon, 1). Humans now know that smallpox is caused by the variola major virus and thanks to worldwide immunization, the last recorded case of smallpox was located in Somalia in 1977.
Brannon, Heather. "The history of Smallpox." About.com. 2007. New York Times Company. 27 Jul 2007 http://dermatology.about.com/cs/smallpox/a/smallpoxhx.htm.
"Smallpox Disease Overview." Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. December 30, 2004. Department of Health and Human Services. 27 Jul 2007 http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/smallpox/overview/disease-facts.asp.
"Smallpox images." Bioterrorism and Emerging Infections Education. CEIEP and University of Alabama School of Medicine. 27 Jul 2007 http://www.bioterrorism.uab.edu/CategoryA/Smallpox/smallpox_images.jpg.
"Smallpox." MedlinePlus trusted Health Information for You. August 30, 2006 . U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. 27 Jul 2007 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/smallpox.html.
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. U.S.A.: Tom Doherty Associates, Inc, 1985.
Anna-
You did a good job summing up parts of the book in your first paragraph. Were you able to find more then one source that compared the early Christian belief with superstitions..? How do they know that Adam and Eve and "Noah's flood started on a Friday?' I don' think it said it in the Bible. Just curious. It seems hard to connect the ladder and the holy trinity. Although, I like how you have examples of common superstitions. "Friday the thirteenth is an unlucky day, a rabbits foot brings good luck, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, and four leaf clovers are good luck." It's cool because some of the superstitions seem made up and yet some people believe that they are real.
Alex-
Your quote was really good. It really brought the book into your research, and I felt it was placed in a good spot in your blog. I also felt that the quote and sentence that ended your paper was really powerful. From the way Jim spoke it sounded like the town was a great place yet it sounds sad and disappointing. Although to Jim being free is really the greatest treasure of all.
Alley-
You did a great job incorporating your research with the information in the book. It strengthens your paper and sounds really good. I like how you supported your ideas then used.. "As you can see, harem's are not only an aspect of culture, but an aspect of entertainment in stories as well." By adding your own opinion of this topic I thought you went over and above what was asked. It also allowed the reader to relate to the topic and agree or disagree with you... Great job.
KJMelanson09 -
I like how you mentioned the designer's name. You talked about the knife's use, you described it, and you talked about legends, and you talked about different designs. You did a nice job talking about all the different areas of the knife. I like how you related the knife to Huck's adventure too. Nice job.
Anna-- I really liked your topic. I love superstition stuff =). A lot of topics, including mine, aren't really all that interesting, or something I would want to learn about on my own, you know. Your topic was fun to read about. Good Job!
Autumn-- I liked how you really incorporated the book with your topic. Having a topic that really relates to the book, makes the piece better I think. Nice use of quotes. =)
Lindsey-- Awesome job researching. I think you definitely went above and beyond. Good job.
Huck sets up Jim's and his fate when he places an already-shed snake's skin by Jim's bed while he's sleeping. A very superstitious man, Jim shares that bad luck will follow them because he handled the snake skin. When certain bouts of misfortune hit them, like losing their canoe or the destruction of their raft, they blamed it on the rattlesnake prank. Because of this, I decided to add to Anna's research and do my research this week on the superstitions, myths, and folklore surrounding rattlesnakes.
An old folklore:
There is a rancher or cowboy who stomps the head of a rattlesnake after stunning it with a rope or quirt. The man sickens and dies within days.
The man's son or nephew inherits the boots, and he too soon sickens and dies. Then yet another male relative begins to wear the boots, then dies. And so it goes until someone takes a good look at the heels on the boots and discovers the rattlesnake's fangs broken off and still seeping venom!("The Fatal Reboot").
Though we now know the reason for such a tale (the venom doesn't leave the snake's fang after death). this was originally attributed to the evil and unlucky aura that followed snakes.
Native American Cultures were also very careful about rattlesnakes based on oral traditions. "Cherokees never killed the rattlesnake unless absolutely necessary, and if forced to do this, would plead pardon from the snake’s ghost. The shaman of the tribe revered all parts of the snake –rattle, skin, teeth, flesh, and oil." In most Native American cultures, if even one dreamed of being bitten by a rattle snake, they would be treated for a rattlesnake bite. ("Bio Facts: Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake").
One tale said that the rattlesnake was originally a scared, bullied animal, often tied into knots and thrown around by rabbits. One day, the Sun God pitied him and gave him venomous fangs and a rattle, but said he must use his rattle before he bit as a warning. When the rabbit teased him again, he warned the rabbit, but the rabbit continued to bother him. The snake finally got his revenge on the rabbit and bit him. ("Bio Facts: Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake"). From this story, we get the myth that snakes always rattle before they bite.
To conclude, it's fair to say that some of the myths and folklore surround snakes have produced both useful knowledge and a few rumors, too.
Sources Cited
Bio Facts: Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake. Jul 2001. Jacksonville Zoo abd Gardens. 27 Jul 2007 http://www.jaxzoo.org/things/biofacts/EasternDiamondbackRattlesnake.asp.
"The Fatal Reboot." Urban Legends Reference Pages. June 27, 2007. 27 Jul 2007 http://www.snopes.com/critters/snakes/bootfang.asp.
As Jim and Huck are rafting Southward in search of freedom, they encounter several people and places along the Mississipi River. The Mississippi is the second-longest river on this continent. Running from Minnesota then southbound through the state borders of Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi. The river was originally claimed for the French, but the United States purchased the western part in the Louisana Purchase. Several Native American tribes lived along the river. During the Louis & Clark Expedition it was thoroughly explored. "The Mississippi River we know has only been in existence for about 12,000 years. It was formed at the end of the last ice age, but not by the movement of glaciers. Glaciers veered to the east and west of the Upper Mississippi area because of a barrier of resistant ancient rock and the deep basins of Green Bay, Lake Superior, and Lake Michigan." (Gill) The Mississippi has been inhabited for over 11,000 years, first by prehistoric animals accustomed to the cold at that time, such as mammoths. Nearly 2,000 years later, a drought brought animals resembling today's bison. Quite a bit after that, the Mississippi culture began to spring forth with agricultural advances, such as farming. Since then, it has been one of America's central southern life-givers, enabling people all around it to have civilizations that, without the life from the river, would be impossible. The Mississippi also played a key role in Jim and Huckleberry's rafting towards freedom. Their new desire for adventure and liberation would probably have been hindered without the raft they watched over so carefully. Overall, The Mississippi River contains many valuable assets that both this book and the real-life states surrounding the body of water would seriously lack without. The Mississippi provided Huck and Jim with a serious travel advantage and made for a much more interesting story than the book would've been without it.
Sources "The Mississippi River." New Orleans, The Gateway to Success. 27 Jul 2007 http://www.gatewayno.com/history/Mississippi.html.
N.S., Gill. "The Ancient History of the Upper Mississippi River." About.com. 27 Jul 2007 http://minneapolis.about.com/cs/history/a/aa122200a.htm.
Twain, Mark. "Life on the Mississippi." 1883 http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/mtwain/bl-mtwain-lifemississippi-1.htm.
Autumn: Your topic was very interesting. I liked how you provided an outside link for more information and had several reliable sources. Your research was all backed up very well.
Anna: I liked how you researched other areas of superstition as well. You went beyond what was expected, and I myself found the topic funny and interesting. You did very well.
Katelyn: Your research was well-written and you picked a topic I never would have expected. I learned a lot from your post, good job. I also liked your predictions and relations to Huck.
After i had read this weeks portio of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn I chose to do my research on the different diseases that were relatively common in that time and more specifically the diseases that were common in wetter areas say around rivers.
Cholera-This is a disease that is caused from bacillus contaminated water supplies. Symptoms included nausea, vomiting, chills, spasms, and thirst. Perhaps one of the largest problems with this disease is that so little was actually known about it. People actually thought you could catch it from being exposed to too much sunlight or eating fruits and vegetables. Cholera is a quick and painful killer. Cholera could and did kill people in less than a few days very easily.
There are thousands of small protazoa and worms that can cause infections and disease and here im going to list some of the major ones.
The two most common kinds of worms that can cause human infections/diseases are Flat and Round Worms. Flatworms can invade the blood, intestines, liver, or lungs. Roundworms cause many serious tropical diseases, including elephantiasis and also river blindness.
There are also Fungal infections that can cause problems to humans as well. One such is meningitis an infection of the membranes that line the brain. Fungi can also cause a potentially serious disease of the lungs called histoplasmosis.
Protozoan also live in water and certain kinds of Protozoa can cause Malaria, the worlds worst killer.
"Diseases" Human Infections. April 07 7/27/07 http://homepage.mac.com/eannaoboyle/dypbiology/humanphysiology/ibdisease.html
19th Century Diseases Cholera. May 07 http://webpages.acs.ttu.edu/jtacke/Cholera.htm 7/27/07
Katelyn, I really like the topic you chose. It was really cool how you found something that was just mentioned barely and then turned it into a large informational piece. And the information was all there so great job.
Kaylee, It's kinda the same thing as with Katelyn only kinda not. I like how you chose what the focus of where they were and found all that information about it. I mean its so obvious its there i dont think everyone would have guessed to do anything on the river itself
I am going to post the week 4 and week 5 post on here...this is for week 4.
After reading chapters 1-12 in Huckleberry Finn, I researched the value of the dollar as it was in the 1800s.
These days, people would consider someone with a million dollars, very wealthy. Something that Jim says in the book in chapter 8 shows that money was worth a lot more back then.
"Well are you rich?" "No, but I ben rich wunst, and gwyne to be rich again. Wunst I had foteen dollars, but I tuck to specalat'n, en got busted out."
Apparently, back then, $14 was quite a bit of money for someone to have, maybe not equal to our million of now, but possibly equivalent to $100 or more. They also talk earlier on in the book about how Huck became rich with just $6,000.
This all made me wonder about the value of money back then compared to what it is now.
The Erie Canal was built between 1817 and 1825. The cost to buld it was 7 million. Today it would have cost around 160 million.(Williamson)
The Civil War from 1861-1865 cost our country 6.6 billion dollars. Today, the Iraq war has cost us over 1 trillion dollars.(Williamson)
Jim also talks in these chapters about why he ran away to the Island, he said that he found out he was going to be sold.
"...I hear ole missus tell de widder she gwyne to seel me down to Orleans, but she didn't want to, but she could get eight hund'd dollars for me..."
in the 1800s it was possible for people to sell slaves. You could sell a HUMAN BEING for 800 dollars.That is something to think about. I can't even compare that to today because slavery was abolished and it is so uncommon.
Williamson, Samuel H. "Six Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a U.S. Dollar Amount, 1790 - 2006." Measuring Worth. 2007. 28 July 2007 http://www.measuringworth.com/calculators/compare/.
I think you did a great job coming up with original sources and ideas to support your topic. It was also one of the first times I saw something about not only slaves, but all people involved in slavery (i.e. people who try to help them escape). Great job, thank you for making me think about something different.
After reading these chapters I have decided to research the Unities of theater; a theory stated by Aristotle.
"Handcuffs and chains would look still better on Jim, but it wouldn't go well with the story of us being so poor. Too much like jewelry. Ropes are the correct thing. We must preserve the unities, as we say on the boards."
According to the book, the unities are part of the art of drama in that it should be "consistently organized according to the unities of place, time, and action. Which basically means you need to keep things consistent. Someone in a play who is supposed to be poor would not own a sports car. That just wouldn't make any sense which is why we need the theory of Unities top keep everything straight.
Aristotle created this structure and those that followed him called it The 3 Unities. There is unity of place, unity of time, and unity of action.
The Unity of Place states that the setting of the play should be in just one location, i.e. a street or palace.
The Unity of Time states that the action should take place in no more than one day
The Unity of Action states that no scene or act would digress in any way and that they would all contribute directly to the plot.
Obviously, not all playwrights use these rules today but they are actually very excellent guidelines for writing a play or putting on a show. Short, Sweet, and To the Point.
Shakespeare's Life and Times. Internet Shakespeare Editions, University of Victoria: Victoria, BC, 2001-2005. http://ise.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/intro/introcite.html. Visited 7/29/07
18 comments:
After reading this week's assignment of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn I decided to further research slaves.
As Huck is making his escape and lands on an island, he discovers Miss Watson's runaway slave named Jim. The two team up and begin to make their journey together. As the two travel on, they learn that Jim has been publicized as a runaway and that a reward has been offered for his return. Eventually the two meet The Duke and The Dauphin who printed a paper to claim Jim as theirs.
"It had a picture of a runaway nigger with a bundle on a stick over his shoulder, and "$200 reward" under it. The reading was all about Jim and just described him to a dot. It said he run away from St. Jacques's plantation, forty mile below New Orleans, last winter, and likely went north and whoever would catch him and send him back he could have the reward and expenses."
This paper would show that the three were bringing Jim back to his plantation below New Orleans, so that the four of them could eventually escape to freedom.
This led me to want to research slavery and the dangers that came along with helping a runaway slave escape to freedom.
Even though Huck was not a slave, Huck could have been charged for helping a slave escape. The slave code for the state of Georgia states
" 9. Punishment of free persons of color for inveigling slaves.
If any free person of color commits the offence of inveigling or enticing away any slave or slaves, for the purpose of, and with the intention to aid and assist such slave or slaves leaving the service of his or their owner or owners, or in going to another state, such person so offending shall, for each and every such offence, on conviction, be confined in the penitentiary at hard labor for one." (Slave Codes of the State of Georgia)
If any person, black or white, was to teach a slave to read or write the person would be punished by fine and whipping, or fine or whipping. "If any slave or slaves, or free persons of color shall purchase or buy any of the aforesaid commodities(2) from any slave or slaves, he, she, or they, on conviction thereof, before any justice of the peace, contrary to the true intent and meaning of this act, shall receive on his, her, or their bare back or backs, thirty-nine lashes, to be well laid on by a constable of said county, or other person appointed by the justice of the peace for that purpose: Provided, that nothing herein contained shall prevent any slave or slaves from selling poultry at any time without a ticket, in the counties of Liberty, McIntosh, Camden, Glynn, and Wayne." (Slave Codes of the State of Georgia)
The two following laws especially apply to Huck and The Dauphin and Duke due to the fact that they are harboring a runaway slave:
" Punishment of slaves for harboring slaves. If any free person or any slave shall harbor, conceal, or entertain any slave that shall run away, or shall be charged or accused of any criminal matter, every free Negro, mulatto, and mustizoe, and every slave that shall harbor, conceal, or entertain any such slave, being duly convicted thereof according to the direction of this act, if a slave, shall suffer such corporeal punishment, not extending to life or limb, as the justice or justices who shall try such slave shall in his or their discretion think fit; and if a free person, shall forfeit the sum of thirty shillings for the first day, and three shillings for every day such slave shall have been absent from his or her owner or employer, to be recovered and applied as in this act hereafter directed.
Punishment of free persons of color for harboring slaves. All free persons of color within this state, who shall harbor, conceal, or entertain a slave or slaves who shall be charged or accused or any criminal matter, or shall be a runaway, shall, upon conviction (in addition to the penalty already provided for in said section (3)), be subject to the same punishment as slaves are under said section of the above recited act." (Slave Codes of the State of Georgia)
When slaves did runaway, there were many people who helped the slaves. This is when the Underground Railroad evolved. "During the 1800s, over one hundred thousand slaves sought freedom by running away from their owners. These brave Black Americans followed secret routes known as the Underground Railroad as they traveled north toward free states and Canada or south to Mexico." (Escape to Freedom) Many people began to work to free the slaves by making them new clothes, collecting money for food and medicine, teaching them to read and write or making speeches to convince people that slavery was wrong. A special quilt that was hung on the porch of the house often showed the houses that were part of the Underground Railroad. " Everyone who participated in the Underground Railroad was very brave. Slaves who tried to escape risked punishment, being caught and returned to slavery, or even being killed. The people who helped slaves also faced great danger, but they continued to help because they believed slavery was wrong." (Escape to Freedom)
As you can see, all who were involved with slavery took great risks in the actions that they made. Especially Huck and the two men that Huck and Jim found. If the four were caught, all would have been charged with some sort of crime and Jim would have been returned to slavery, or killed. Slavery was very dangerous.
Sources Cited
"Slave Codes of the State of Georgia." Race Racism and American Law. 14 Apr 2006. 25 Jul 2007 http://academic.udayton.edu/race/02rights/slavelaw.htm#9.
"Escape to Freedom." National Museum of American History. 2002. Smithsonian Institute. 25 Jul 2007 http://americanhistory.si.edu/ourstoryinhistory/tryathome/activities_slave_more.html.
In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the protagonist, Huckleberry, is on a journey down the Mississippi River. He and a runaway slave, Jim, are traveling together in search of freedom. In the beginning of Chapter 15, Huckleberry narrates the plan for the two men to make their way to Cairo, Illinois on their way to the free states.
“We judged that three nights more would fetch us to Cairo, at the bottom of Illinois where the Ohio River comes in, and that was what we was after. We would sell the raft and get on a steamboat and go way up the Ohio amongst the free states, and then be out of trouble (Twain).”
The town of Cairo contains a population of roughly 3000, although it was built to uphold nearly five times that amount of people. It was established in 1855 and still maintains its original old style (Mascitelli). “The buildings are still there, large stone banks, churches, and government buildings; grand in design, but with their promise unfulfilled. They look sad standing there abandoned (“Cairo Illinois”).”
Cairo is currently suffering a depression that can be traced back to the 1960’s when the region experienced an economic decline before the civil rights movement. It is the opinion of many Cairo citizens that the town is a victim of racial hatred in which the people were not able to overcome. During the civil rights movement the town was overwhelmed with shootings, street riots and a boycott of all white owned businesses which dominated the town. The struggle persisted for a decade; white store owners refused to hire people of the African American race and eventually just left town. Cairo is known as ‘the city that died from racism’ (“Cairo Illinois”).
An account of the town’s privation has been published in the book Let My People Go: Cairo, Illinois, 1967-1973 by Jan Peterson Roddy.
For Huckleberry and Jim, the town of Cairo, Illinois was a pivotal point on their journey for freedom.
Sources Cited:
- "Cairo Illinois." Nov. 2002. St. Louis Community College. 26 July 2007 http://users.stlcc.edu/jangert/cairo/cairo.html.
- Mascitelli, David. "Cairo, Illinois." Wisconsin 42nd Volunteer Infantry. 1999. 26 July 2007
http://www.angelfire.com/wi/wisconsin42nd/cairo.html.
- Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin. New York: Bantam, 1981. 80.
Huck and Jim have just made their big escape. Now the two boys are floating down the river until they see St. Louis. In St. Louis Huck and Jim are buying, hunting and stealing foods as they need it. One night Jim and Huck encounter a group of robbers. Because their boat has floated away, Jim and Huck take the robbers boat and leave them stranded. As the two approach the Ohio River their canoe and raft get separated in the fog. Soon the boys are reunited and continue their journey. As they are floating down the river a steamboat separates their raft and now Jim and Huck are separated again. As Huck was stranded he was taken in by a farmer’s family and introduced himself as George Jackson. Huck enjoys life on the farm with the company of their son Buck. One day a slave at the manner brings Huck down to the lake where he finds Jim who had followed Huck the night they were separated. The feud between the two farms begins a fight in the woods and Jim and Huck continue their adventure on stream. Huck and Jim run into two con artists who claim to be the duke and dauphin and take the men with them from town to town.
On Jackson’s Island Huck finds a shedded snakes skin. According to Jim this will bring bad luck, and Jim was right. After Huck handled the skin he found a dead rattle snake and laid it next to where Jim sleeps. The brother to the dead snake came and bit Jim. Jim’s leg swelled up but healed after several days. Bad luck came again when a steam boat came towards the boys raft and broke it in half. The boys were separated but reunited shortly after. Jim blames their bad luck on the snake skin again.
A superstition is the belief that events are influenced by specific behaviors, without having a casual behavior. Some common superstitions are that Friday the thirteenth is an unlucky day, a rabbits foot brings good luck, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, four leaf clovers are good luck, walking under a ladder is bad luck, black cats are bad luck, breaking a mirror is seven years bad luck and many others.
http://www.csicop.org/superstition/library/common.html
The superstition of walking under a ladder has been known by everyone. It originated from the early Christian belief that a leaning ladder formed a triangle with the wall and ground. You must never violate the Holy Trinity by walking through a triangle, unless you want to be considered in league with the devil. Friday the thirteenth is also a very big superstition. Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden on a Friday, Noah's flood started on a Friday, and Christ was crucified on a Friday. Christians also noted that twelve witches plus one devil are present at Satanic ceremonies so Friday and 13 make a deadly combination. Black cats are also a sign of evil and bad luck. In ancient Egypt, the Goddess Bast, was a black female cat. Christian priests wanted to wipe out all traces of other religions so convinced their ignorant followers to destroy the evil demons that were black cats. While they were at it, they destroyed the kindly little old ladies who cared for the cats believing them to be witches. Spilling the salt is also a sign of bad luck. Salt was a very precious expensive commodity in the middle ages. It was also used for medicinal purposes. If you spilled any, you must immediately throw it over your left shoulder to strike the nasty spirits in the eye, thus preventing sickness.
http://www.islandnet.com/~luree/silly.html Even people today still believe in superstitions.
"Common Superstition." 26 July 2007 http://www.csicop.org/superstition/library/common.html.
"Silly Superstitions." 26 July 2007 http://www.islandnet.com/~luree/silly.html.
"Superstition." Wikipedia. 26 July 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superstition.
Lindsey: You did a lot of research! I like how you researched the dangers of helping a runaway slave. You also have the actual slave code from the state of Georgia. Your post was interesting to read! Good Job.
Alex: I liked how you researched Cario. I had no idea what kind of a place it was that Huck and Jim were planning to go to. Now that I know what it's like it makes reading easier. Good Job!
In chapter fourteen of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck begins reading books about kings that he got from the wreck. He reads to Jim, and they talk about the life they live, how much money they get, and basically just how great the life of a king must be. They get to talking, and Jim asks Huck about what kings did in their free time. Huck's response is what really intrigued me to do my research on this particular topic. Huck explained that they go to war if it's needed, or they fuss with the "parlyment," but mostly, he said that kings hung around in the harem.
"What's de harem?"
"The place where he keep his wives. Don't you know about the harem? Solomon had one; he had about a million wives," said Huck.
"Why, yes, dat's so; I- I'd done forgot it. A harem's a bo'd'n-house, I reck'n. Mos' likely dey has rackety times in the nussery. En I reck'n de wives quarrels considable; en dat 'crease de racket..." said Jim.
Because of Jim's response to what the harem was, I was really interested in finding out more information, so my research will consist of what a harem is.
Harem-
"Harem" is an Arabic word that can be translated as "forbidden," or "secluded." They also played a big role in governing the Ottoman Empire, which was the most renown period, and referred to as "The Reign of Woman, the Kadinlar Sultanati." Ottoman tradition relied on slave concubinage and legal marriage for sexual reproduction. Slave concubinage, was the taking of women for reproduction. It served to emphasize the nature of power. So, the king's concubines would stay in the harem, which was the part of the house that separated the women of the family. Most times, the woman of the family were the man's wives. The term "wives," actually had a different meaning to the Arabic and Muslim countries, then it did to those of western civilization. The man's wives were a collection of women who were at free disposal of him, and him only. Although this may make these women sound like prostitutes, they were not. Harem's were an aspect to their culture, and to them there was nothing odd about the fact. These woman were with the male owner, and him only. Also, I need to note that in most, or almost all cases, harems were only found in wealthy households, such as a king's.
Next, a traditional harem housed about one to four wives. Also, harem's were an affair of privacy. The only beings allowed to enter were strictly males, and were either the owner, father, sons, or brothers. In addition, there was one exception to those who entered. Harem's were almost always guarded by a Eunich. A Eunich was a castrated male, and that aspect right there was the reason as to why they were allowed to guard the woman, and enter in emergencies. There was a need for men who couldn't impregnate the woman, and who wouldn't be a threat to the owner of the household. It was said that Eunich's were often more popular than the king's, and were liked by more people. Reason for castration was also due to that, so the king would have no worries about his standing. Also, these men didn't have sons, and therefore, there would be no threat of future position to the sons of the kings.
Another thing I learned, was that there was a very famous Harem, which was around a long time ago, but is still remembered today. That harem, belonged to the Turkish Great Sultan, which was in the Topkapı Palace seraglio. This harem housed from seven-hundred to one-thousand woman at a time. It also held the Sultan's mother, daughters, and other female relatives of the family. There is a centuries-old theme in Western culture, which is the depiction of European women forcibly taken into Oriental harems. This is evident in the Mozart opera Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio) concerning the attempt of the hero Belmonte to rescue his beloved Konstanze from the harem/seraglio of the Pasha Selim. This same theme is still used commonly in historical books. For example, "Angelique and the Sultan," is part of the bestselling french series by Sergeanne Golon, which is a dramatic story about a woman who is captured, and then sold to the King of Morocco, in which she must stay in his harem. When the king tries to take advantage of her, she stabs him with his own dagger. As you can see, harem's are not only an aspect of culture, but an aspect of entertainment in stories as well.
To conclude, I can say that learning about this topic was interesting. I also learned that harem's still exist today. Although, harem's are limited to very strict, conservative Muslim societies, there are still some out there. Today, they exist in Saudi Arabia and Morocco. To me, the idea of a harem is degrading to women, and I personally don't approve of it. I also understand that you need to respect other cultures. By researching this topic, I've learned a lot about other cultures, and I'm more educated on their beliefs and ways of life. I have a better understanding of the aspects that make life to them, life.
Sources Cited--
"Harem." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. 27 Jul 2007 .http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harem.
Kjeilen, Tore. "Harem." Encyclopaedia of the Orient. 2007. LexicOrient. 27 Jul 2007 .http://i-cias.com/e.o/harem.htm.
Ozgen, Korkut. "Harem, and the Ottoman Women." TheOttomans.Org. 2002. LuckyEye Limited. 27 Jul 2007 .http://www.theottomans.org/english/family/harem2.asp.
Alley--
You chose an interesting topic. It was very original, I had never heard of a Harem before. You did a good job at researching the topic and used a variety of sources. =) Well done.
Lindsey--
You found some good research on slaves. You didn't pick a generic topic such as basic slavery, rather you went into detail on assisting a runaway slave which I found very unique. I also liked how you used a direct quote from the book. Good job =)
While reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn I came across a part that mentioned a bowie knife. While the boys are speaking of injured peers, they mention that "Bob's been carved up some with a bowie" (Twain, 111). This part interested me because I have no knowledge of knives, so I decided to research bowie knives.
The "Bowie" knife is a large-bladed knife known currently as a hunting knife. The name of the knife comes from it's designer, Colonel James (Jim) Bowie. The knife was not designed in just one shot, however, it was a series of knives that eventually came to be the hunting "bowie" knife.
The historical Bowie knife had a large blade at 6-12 inches long, and 1-2 inches thick. The back of the blade had a strip of soft metal, so as to catch the opponent's blade. The knife was designed to be a hunting or camping tool, as well as a weapon to use in fights.
Many legends surround the Bowie knife, as Colonel James Bowie often used his own to defend himself. In fact, one source (Hall, History of the Bowie Knife) states that during the "Sandbar Fight", Colonel Bowie was close to the point of death when he used the knife to win the fight. Colonel Bowie's brother later claimed that the blacksmith of the artful knife was known as Snowden.
Apparently on the way home from this journey, Colonel James Bowie was faced with three men hired to assassinate him. Colonel Bowie then murdered all three men with his original knife.
It is apparent that Colonel Bowie was not completely satisfied with his own knife. When he came up with a modified model of his knife and sent it to a blacksmith James Black, Black designed a new knife that Bowie liked better. This design is now known as the Sheffield Bowie, and is different than the original Bowie. This is so because Black added a sharpened edge on the curved tip of the knife.
As you can see, this knife has quite a history and is still a very popular knife. It is apparent through the text that the Bowie knife was very popular during the time of Huck Finn as well, as he refers to it simply as a "Bowie." Huck will most likely use a similar knife in his adventures, perhaps against three assassins or even when he is half-dead, as Jim Bowie himself did.
"Bowie knife." Wikipedia. 2007.
27 Jul 2007(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowie_knife).
Hall, Gregg. "The History of the Bowie Knife." WannaBeRichToo. 27 Jul 2007 (http://www.wannaberichtoo.com/article/Article/The-History-Of-The-Bowie-Knife/6477).
"James Bowie." Lone Star Junction. 27 Jul 2007 (http://www.lsjunction.com/people/bowie.htm).
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin. New York: Bantam, 1981. 80.
Alex - I like how you took a seemingly unimportant and bland element of the book and brought it to life with interesting facts. I especially liked how you cited all of your important information - well done [:
Linds - you went into extreme detail in your response! I loved your topic and thought you did an excellent job researching it.
Anna,
Great job researching. You chose an interesting topic and found some great information and really looked into your topic. Awesome job!!!
Alley,
Wow!! I never even thought about further researching that topic!! You found some really interesting facts and went above and beyond researching it!! Wow!
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Jim, a runaway slave, and Huck have run away and are now traveling down river. Huck had just come ashore. "Right then along comes a skiff with two men in it with guns, and they stopped." One of them says: Five niggers run off to-night up yonder, Is your man black or white? Huck answered by saying that he was white. The men then said they would go and see for themselves. Huck replied by telling them that his pa was sick and they need help towing the raft. "Pap'll be mighty much obleeged to you. Everybody goes away when I want them to help me tow the raft ashore." "Well, that's infernal mean. Odd, too. Say what's the matter with your father?" they asked. "it ain't anything much," Huck replied. By the way Huck was acting, the men assumed that the man on the raft had smallpox. "Set her back! keep away boy your pa's got the smallpox. Do you want to spread it all over?" they explained, before giving Huck two twenty-dollar gold pieces. (Twain, 89). This paragraph got me interested in what smallpox really was. I already knew that the body was covered with spots and it was painful and severe. Furthermore, from reading the book and the way the men reacted to Huck it seems like smallpox was highly contagious and a deadly disease. The symptoms of smallpox include tiredness, backache, headache, high fever and other flu-like symptoms.
For more information about smallpox and its symptoms please go to:
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/smallpox/overview/disease-facts.asp
By convincing the men that Huck's pa had smallpox, Huck and Jim were successfully able to escape and continue on their adventure down river.
After researching this topic more in depth I learned that the word pox is a latin word for "spotted." This describes the raised bumps that appear on the body and face of the person who has the disease. "The origin of smallpox is uncertain, but it is believed to have originated in Africa and then spread to India and China thousands of years ago. The first recorded smallpox epidemic was in 1350 BC during the Egyptian-Hittite war. Smallpox reached Europe between the 5th and 7th centuries and was present in major European cities by the 18th century. Epidemics occurred in the North American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries. At one time smallpox was a significant disease in every country throughout the world except Australia and a few isolated islands. Millions of people died in Europe and Mexico as a result of widespread smallpox epidemics" (Brannon, 1). Humans now know that smallpox is caused by the variola major virus and thanks to worldwide immunization, the last recorded case of smallpox was located in Somalia in 1977.
For pictures of Smallpox go to:
http://www.bioterrorism.uab.edu/CategoryA/Smallpox/smallpox_images.jpg
Works Cited:
Brannon, Heather. "The history of Smallpox." About.com. 2007. New York Times Company. 27 Jul 2007 http://dermatology.about.com/cs/smallpox/a/smallpoxhx.htm.
"Smallpox Disease Overview." Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. December 30, 2004. Department of Health and Human Services. 27 Jul 2007 http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/smallpox/overview/disease-facts.asp.
"Smallpox images." Bioterrorism and Emerging Infections Education. CEIEP and University of Alabama School of Medicine. 27 Jul 2007 http://www.bioterrorism.uab.edu/CategoryA/Smallpox/smallpox_images.jpg.
"Smallpox." MedlinePlus trusted Health Information for You. August 30, 2006 . U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health. 27 Jul 2007 http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/smallpox.html.
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. U.S.A.: Tom Doherty Associates, Inc, 1985.
Anna-
You did a good job summing up parts of the book in your first paragraph. Were you able to find more then one source that compared the early Christian belief with superstitions..? How do they know that Adam and Eve and "Noah's flood started on a Friday?' I don' think it said it in the Bible. Just curious. It seems hard to connect the ladder and the holy trinity. Although, I like how you have examples of common superstitions. "Friday the thirteenth is an unlucky day, a rabbits foot brings good luck, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, and four leaf clovers are good luck." It's cool because some of the superstitions seem made up and yet some people believe that they are real.
Alex-
Your quote was really good. It really brought the book into your research, and I felt it was placed in a good spot in your blog. I also felt that the quote and sentence that ended your paper was really powerful. From the way Jim spoke it sounded like the town was a great place yet it sounds sad and disappointing. Although to Jim being free is really the greatest treasure of all.
Alley-
You did a great job incorporating your research with the information in the book. It strengthens your paper and sounds really good. I like how you supported your ideas then used.. "As you can see, harem's are not only an aspect of culture, but an aspect of entertainment in stories as well." By adding your own opinion of this topic I thought you went over and above what was asked. It also allowed the reader to relate to the topic and agree or disagree with you... Great job.
KJMelanson09 -
I like how you mentioned the designer's name. You talked about the knife's use, you described it, and you talked about legends, and you talked about different designs. You did a nice job talking about all the different areas of the knife. I like how you related the knife to Huck's adventure too. Nice job.
Anna--
I really liked your topic. I love superstition stuff =). A lot of topics, including mine, aren't really all that interesting, or something I would want to learn about on my own, you know. Your topic was fun to read about. Good Job!
Autumn--
I liked how you really incorporated the book with your topic. Having a topic that really relates to the book, makes the piece better I think. Nice use of quotes.
=)
Lindsey--
Awesome job researching. I think you definitely went above and beyond. Good job.
Huck sets up Jim's and his fate when he places an already-shed snake's skin by Jim's bed while he's sleeping. A very superstitious man, Jim shares that bad luck will follow them because he handled the snake skin. When certain bouts of misfortune hit them, like losing their canoe or the destruction of their raft, they blamed it on the rattlesnake prank. Because of this, I decided to add to Anna's research and do my research this week on the superstitions, myths, and folklore surrounding rattlesnakes.
An old folklore:
There is a rancher or cowboy who stomps the head of a rattlesnake after stunning it with a rope or quirt. The man sickens and dies within days.
The man's son or nephew inherits the boots, and he too soon sickens and dies. Then yet another male relative begins to wear the boots, then dies. And so it goes until someone takes a good look at the heels on the boots and discovers the rattlesnake's fangs broken off and still seeping venom!("The Fatal Reboot").
Though we now know the reason for such a tale (the venom doesn't leave the snake's fang after death). this was originally attributed to the evil and unlucky aura that followed snakes.
Native American Cultures were also very careful about rattlesnakes based on oral traditions. "Cherokees never killed the rattlesnake unless absolutely necessary, and if forced to do this, would plead pardon from the snake’s ghost. The shaman of the tribe revered all parts of the snake –rattle, skin, teeth, flesh, and oil." In most Native American cultures, if even one dreamed of being bitten by a rattle snake, they would be treated for a rattlesnake bite. ("Bio Facts: Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake").
One tale said that the rattlesnake was originally a scared, bullied animal, often tied into knots and thrown around by rabbits. One day, the Sun God pitied him and gave him venomous fangs and a rattle, but said he must use his rattle before he bit as a warning. When the rabbit teased him again, he warned the rabbit, but the rabbit continued to bother him. The snake finally got his revenge on the rabbit and bit him. ("Bio Facts: Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake"). From this story, we get the myth that snakes always rattle before they bite.
To conclude, it's fair to say that some of the myths and folklore surround snakes have produced both useful knowledge and a few rumors, too.
Sources Cited
Bio Facts: Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake. Jul 2001. Jacksonville Zoo abd Gardens. 27 Jul 2007 http://www.jaxzoo.org/things/biofacts/EasternDiamondbackRattlesnake.asp.
"The Fatal Reboot." Urban Legends Reference Pages. June 27, 2007. 27 Jul 2007 http://www.snopes.com/critters/snakes/bootfang.asp.
Lindsey: I like that you quoted some solid info to get your point across. It made it impossible to say anything against your information.
Alex: Your research gave some cool info that adds to the novel. It gives better understanding of Huck's decision.
Alley: Your post was was interesting. When I read it in the book, I just kind of glanced past it. Your research made me... care. :) Good job.
As Jim and Huck are rafting Southward in search of freedom, they encounter several people and places along the Mississipi River.
The Mississippi is the second-longest river on this continent. Running from Minnesota then southbound through the state borders of Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi. The river was originally claimed for the French, but the United States purchased the western part in the Louisana Purchase. Several Native American tribes lived along the river. During the Louis & Clark Expedition it was thoroughly explored.
"The Mississippi River we know has only been in existence for about 12,000 years. It was formed at the end of the last ice age, but not by the movement of glaciers. Glaciers veered to the east and west of the Upper Mississippi area because of a barrier of resistant ancient rock and the deep basins of Green Bay, Lake Superior, and Lake Michigan." (Gill)
The Mississippi has been inhabited for over 11,000 years, first by prehistoric animals accustomed to the cold at that time, such as mammoths. Nearly 2,000 years later, a drought brought animals resembling today's bison. Quite a bit after that, the Mississippi culture began to spring forth with agricultural advances, such as farming. Since then, it has been one of America's central southern life-givers, enabling people all around it to have civilizations that, without the life from the river, would be impossible.
The Mississippi also played a key role in Jim and Huckleberry's rafting towards freedom. Their new desire for adventure and liberation would probably have been hindered without the raft they watched over so carefully.
Overall, The Mississippi River contains many valuable assets that both this book and the real-life states surrounding the body of water would seriously lack without. The Mississippi provided Huck and Jim with a serious travel advantage and made for a much more interesting story than the book would've been without it.
Sources
"The Mississippi River." New Orleans, The Gateway to Success. 27 Jul 2007 http://www.gatewayno.com/history/Mississippi.html.
N.S., Gill. "The Ancient History of the Upper Mississippi River." About.com. 27 Jul 2007 http://minneapolis.about.com/cs/history/a/aa122200a.htm.
Twain, Mark. "Life on the Mississippi." 1883 http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/mtwain/bl-mtwain-lifemississippi-1.htm.
Autumn: Your topic was very interesting. I liked how you provided an outside link for more information and had several reliable sources. Your research was all backed up very well.
Anna: I liked how you researched other areas of superstition as well. You went beyond what was expected, and I myself found the topic funny and interesting. You did very well.
Katelyn: Your research was well-written and you picked a topic I never would have expected. I learned a lot from your post, good job. I also liked your predictions and relations to Huck.
After i had read this weeks portio of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn I chose to do my research on the different diseases that were relatively common in that time and more specifically the diseases that were common in wetter areas say around rivers.
Cholera-This is a disease that is caused from bacillus contaminated water supplies. Symptoms included nausea, vomiting, chills, spasms, and thirst. Perhaps one of the largest problems with this disease is that so little was actually known about it. People actually thought you could catch it from being exposed to too much sunlight or eating fruits and vegetables. Cholera is a quick and painful killer. Cholera could and did kill people in less than a few days very easily.
There are thousands of small protazoa and worms that can cause infections and disease and here im going to list some of the major ones.
The two most common kinds of worms that can cause human infections/diseases are Flat and Round Worms. Flatworms can invade the blood, intestines, liver, or lungs. Roundworms cause many serious tropical diseases, including elephantiasis and also river blindness.
There are also Fungal infections that can cause problems to humans as well. One such is meningitis an infection of the membranes that line the brain. Fungi can also cause a potentially serious disease of the lungs called histoplasmosis.
Protozoan also live in water and certain kinds of Protozoa can cause Malaria, the worlds worst killer.
"Diseases"
Human Infections. April 07
7/27/07
http://homepage.mac.com/eannaoboyle/dypbiology/humanphysiology/ibdisease.html
19th Century Diseases
Cholera. May 07
http://webpages.acs.ttu.edu/jtacke/Cholera.htm
7/27/07
Katelyn,
I really like the topic you chose. It was really cool how you found something that was just mentioned barely and then turned it into a large informational piece. And the information was all there so great job.
Kaylee,
It's kinda the same thing as with Katelyn only kinda not. I like how you chose what the focus of where they were and found all that information about it. I mean its so obvious its there i dont think everyone would have guessed to do anything on the river itself
I am going to post the week 4 and week 5 post on here...this is for week 4.
After reading chapters 1-12 in Huckleberry Finn, I researched the value of the dollar as it was in the 1800s.
These days, people would consider someone with a million dollars, very wealthy. Something that Jim says in the book in chapter 8 shows that money was worth a lot more back then.
"Well are you rich?"
"No, but I ben rich wunst, and gwyne to be rich again. Wunst I had foteen dollars, but I tuck to specalat'n, en got busted out."
Apparently, back then, $14 was quite a bit of money for someone to have, maybe not equal to our million of now, but possibly equivalent to $100 or more. They also talk earlier on in the book about how Huck became rich with just $6,000.
This all made me wonder about the value of money back then compared to what it is now.
The Erie Canal was built between 1817 and 1825. The cost to buld it was 7 million. Today it would have cost around 160 million.(Williamson)
The Civil War from 1861-1865 cost our country 6.6 billion dollars. Today, the Iraq war has cost us over 1 trillion dollars.(Williamson)
Jim also talks in these chapters about why he ran away to the Island, he said that he found out he was going to be sold.
"...I hear ole missus tell de widder she gwyne to seel me down to Orleans, but she didn't want to, but she could get eight hund'd dollars for me..."
in the 1800s it was possible for people to sell slaves. You could sell a HUMAN BEING for 800 dollars.That is something to think about. I can't even compare that to today because slavery was abolished and it is so uncommon.
Williamson, Samuel H. "Six Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a U.S. Dollar Amount, 1790 - 2006." Measuring Worth. 2007. 28 July 2007 http://www.measuringworth.com/calculators/compare/.
Lindsey,
I think you did a great job coming up with original sources and ideas to support your topic. It was also one of the first times I saw something about not only slaves, but all people involved in slavery (i.e. people who try to help them escape). Great job, thank you for making me think about something different.
This is Week 5
After reading these chapters I have decided to research the Unities of theater; a theory stated by Aristotle.
"Handcuffs and chains would look still better on Jim, but it wouldn't go well with the story of us being so poor. Too much like jewelry. Ropes are the correct thing. We must preserve the unities, as we say on the boards."
According to the book, the unities are part of the art of drama in that it should be "consistently organized according to the unities of place, time, and action. Which basically means you need to keep things consistent. Someone in a play who is supposed to be poor would not own a sports car. That just wouldn't make any sense which is why we need the theory of Unities top keep everything straight.
Aristotle created this structure and those that followed him called it The 3 Unities. There is unity of place, unity of time, and unity of action.
The Unity of Place states that the setting of the play should be in just one location, i.e. a street or palace.
The Unity of Time states that the action should take place in no more than one day
The Unity of Action states that no scene or act would digress in any way and that they would all contribute directly to the plot.
Obviously, not all playwrights use these rules today but they are actually very excellent guidelines for writing a play or putting on a show. Short, Sweet, and To the Point.
Shakespeare's Life and Times. Internet Shakespeare Editions, University of Victoria: Victoria, BC, 2001-2005. http://ise.uvic.ca/Library/SLT/intro/introcite.html. Visited 7/29/07
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