I will argue that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’s most important type of symbolism in its story is to show how American society truly acts, and the error of its ways, such as the freedom of the Mississippi river, the immorality of slavery, the lies and cons of civilization, the concept of wealth or lack thereof, and the difference of civilized living and natural living. The Mississippi River is their key to freedom. Huck has the freedom to do as he pleases; he has no rules he has to follow by society or authority. He is his own man on the Mississippi River. The river does more than represent freedom.
Huck’s experience on the raft with Jim juxtaposes societies thoughts of slaves of that particular time period as Huck quotes that Jim has an ‘uncommon head for a nagger.’ For both Huck and Jim, their journey along the river has brought safety and peace of mind to them even though the irony of the situation as the river can be somewhat of a savage environment. This then conveys the idea that Huck discovers his own meaning of ‘home’ and ‘safety’. Consequently, for these reasons, Huck’s physical journey down the Mississippi river stimulates an inner journey into enlightening his moral judgement and knowledge about himself. Li Cunxin’s autobiography Mao’s Last Dancer also affirms the statement of ‘physical journeys are about the interpretation of the new’ through
Secondly, the swamp was filled with deep pits covered with moss and leaves that made it difficult to see them. It would be easy to injure oneself. Lastly, it is common knowledge that there could be dangerous animals lurking in a swamp such as snakes, spiders, rodents and others. Irving uses the words “...startled now and then by the sudden screaming of the bittern...” to describe the chilling noises of the forest (Irving 230). No sane person with regular goals and ideals in life would travel through a treacherous area like this just to
Comparing romanticism, transcendentalism, and industrialism, one can see that these three movements had different out takes on the purpose of nature. Industrialists viewed nature as replaceable, as in being replaced by a factory. Their eyes look at nature with an idea and longing for prosperity and wealth. Some factories, though, depended on resources in nature to power the factories, such as water from a river. My author, Mark Twain; his character appreciated nature and being alone with it, free to travel.
ENC 110, Ref. # 67122, Research paper April 23, 2010 Civilization or Freedom for Huckleberry Finn In the story of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, I observed the conflicts that Huck Finn goes through by wanting the freedom of the river and escapes the civilization of the town that he lives in, St. Petersburg, Missouri. On his journey for freedom he “undergoes a rite of passage” (Schoenberg, Trudeau) that involves his conscience of knowing what is right and what is wrong with his society. The story begins with Huck Finn living with two elderly ladies who are trying to civilize Huck by sending him to school, to church, and making him wear store bought clothing. This is very difficult for Huck because he would rather be out playing hooky from school, smoking tobacco, and fishing.
When Ralph Waldo Emerson observed nature, he states that, “nothing can befall him in life, no disgrace or calamity, when he is observing nature.” He is speaking of almost being absorbed into nature and becoming a part of it. Emerson appreciated the beauty of nature and explored it for an explanation of his identity by becoming spiritual. Nature teaches us the beauty in everything, by helping us appreciate every simple thing in life such as a shell or an acorn, it can help us embrace life and live it to the fullest. Nature is also medicinal and restores a serene tone and replaces emotions of rage with an eternal calm. Emerson once also stated that, “for nonconformity the world whips you with its displeasure.” This quote expresses the importance of individuality in transcendentalism and not being influence by anything or anybody to make decisions.
His photographs of the landscape overwhelm the viewer with beauty and awe. They show that true power is natural. The exhibition, Natural Power, is to not only show the beauty of the landscape, but also its untamable nature; its power. Even though it is an exhibit about nature, it can also be looked at as a tribute to Ansel Adams, for without his conservation efforts, some of this beauty might have been overtaken by human expansion. Though he may not be alive, his vision and love lives on through his photography for us to appreciate, learn from, and enjoy.
The “A Very Rare Bird” piece I feel the artist is either not very wealthy or just loves to take time and view life in anything. He takes what he can and makes something beautiful and life like out of it. I feel it depicts the artist as a naturalistic person. Like he is an outdoorsman and loves to be in nature. Probably loves to fish, hunt, and I’m guessing work with old cars.
Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is open to a myriad of interpretations, ranging from the psychological to the feminist perspective. However, none of those of views on the novel are comparable to the symbolic facet of the book. Using symbolism, Joseph Conrad illustrates duality, in every sense of the word, with the characters Marlow and Kurtz, and with nature and civilization; by establishing juxtaposition, Conrad conveys how the evil and darkness in a man’s heart can further be stimulated in a dark environment, which in the case of the novella, is the mysterious Congo River. The two main characters, Marlow and Kurtz, are arguably the most prominent symbols in the story. Before elaborating on the two characters, it’s necessary to digress, and mention that the ultimate goal in Heart of Darkness is to assail the imperialism that ran rampant in Conrad’s time.
While he travels to his family in Geneva, he finds a source of tranquility in nature to keep him sane. The scenery soothes him, in which he states in this quote: “I remained two days at Lausanne, in this painful state of mind. I contemplated the lake: the waters were placid; all around was calm, and the snowy mountains, ‘the palaces of nature,’ were not changed. By degrees the calm and heavenly scene restored me, and I continued my journey towards Geneva.” Although in many instances Dr. Frankenstein’s feelings were enhanced by nature, he was not the only one who sought a general exhilaration of spirits through one’s surroundings. The monster’s declaration of