Huck+Finn

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== Have you ever wanted to talk like Huck Finn from Mark Twain's __The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn__? If so, here is your chance to learn how. After a quick summary of the novel, the lesson will begin. This lesson can be broken up in to 3 easy steps. Step one is to use the correct vernacular. Step two is to match Huck's style of conversation. The final step is to learn the correct topics of which to discuss. ==

__Synopsis__

 * __The Adventures of Huckelberry Finn__ is the sequel to __The Adventures of Tom Sawyer__.** **__The Adventures of Huckelberry Finn__ follows a teenage boy, Huck Finn, who is growing up in the antebellum South. He decides that he wants to leave civilized life behind after he learns that his estranged father has come back to town. Huck sets off on a raft with a runaway slave named Jim. The books tells of their many adventures on the river. Along the way, Huck learns to view Jim as a person, and not just as a slave.**

__**Step 1**__

 * This step will teach you the correct vernacular to use in order to sound like Huck Finn. The novel is set in antebellum Missouri. This region had a very distinct dialect. This vernacular is marked by poor grammar, mispronunciations, and slang. One simple example is the word "get": Huck pronounces this word as "git". In order to sound like Huck, it is helpful to start using poor grammar. An example of Hucks poor grammar is the line "You don't know about me, without you have read a book by the name of 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer', but that ain't no matter," (pg.32). This is the first line of the novel, and is a prime example of the level of grammar that you should use if you want to sound like Huck. Another helpful tip to speak like Huck is to learn some common slang from the time period. Here is a handy guide for the common slang of Huck Finn: [|Slang Glossary] . After you have taken some time to learn some of the slang, you can test your knowledge with these [|Huckleberry Finn slang flashcards.] **

__Step 2__

 * This step will teach you how to match Huck's style of conversation. Huck's style is marked by jumping from topic to topic as well as using long sentences. These two qualities go hand and hand. Huck frequently uses long sentences that cover many topics. Many of these long sentences are run-ons, but disregard the grammar and use them anyways. Here is an example of one of Huck's long sentences that he uses: “The first light we see we’ll land a hundred yards below it or above it, in a place where it’s a good hiding-place for you and the skiff, and then I’ll go and fix up some kind of a yarn, and get somebody to go for that gang and get them out of their scrape, so they can be hung when their time comes.” (pg. 88).**

__Step 3__

 * Now that you know how to make your speech sound like Huck, you need to make sure you talk about the right things. Huck will say whatever is on his mind, whether it is appropriate or not. Therefore, try to turn off your speech filter. Another charachteristic of Huck's language is his feelings of his own character. Huck frequently has feelings of self-conflict. In the following passage, Huck questions whether or not he himself is a villain like the murderers, and he also feels pity for the murderers, even though the murderes are bad people:**

"Then Jim manned the oars, and we took out after our raft. Now was the first time that I begun to worry about the men -- I reckon I hadn't had time to before. I begun to think how dreadful it was, even for murderers, to be in such a fix. I says to myself, there ain't no telling but I might come to be a murderer myself yet, and then how would I like it?" (pg. 88)

If you follow these three easy steps, you will be talking like Huck in no time. It is advised to use your "Huck talk" sparingly, as it may cause others to believe that you are ignorant, uneducated, weird, or all of the above.

__Huck Finn: A folk hero__ I believe that the archetype that best fits Huck is a hero. Three main qualifications to be a hero are: a call to adventure, a great adventure, and the hero must prove himself. Huck meets all three of these qualities. The call to adventure come on pg. 44 of the novel. On pg. 44, Huck discovers that his father has returned to town and decides that he must set out on his journey. The rest of the novel tracks Huck's "great adventure". Along their raft journey, Huck faces many challenges and obstacles that he has to overcome. Huck proves himself at many places in the novel. One notable example comes on pg. 214. Here, Huck feels responsible for the fate that befell the King and Duke, even though it was not his fault. This shows that Huck is compassionate and has strong moral fiber.