Compare and Contrast Huckleberry Finn and to Kill a...

9/12/2012 American Studies II Comparing and Contrasting: To Kill a Mockingbird and Huckleberry Finn In the books, The Adventures Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird, the authors demonstrate several themes: the coexistence of good and evil, the importance of moral education, the existence of social inequality, racism and slavery, intellectual and moral education, and the hypocrisy of â€Å"civilized† society. The common themes throughout the two books depict; that although the settings are nearly a century apart, society has not changed as drastically as believed. Racism, a main theme throughout both books reveals itself in many ways. The Adventures†¦show more content†¦Despite the fact that she is a lot younger, she grasps the situation better than her older brother who seems to fall apart at the concept of human evil. The Mockingbird had become something symbolic in the story. The mockingbird represents innocence and portrays itself through several different characters in the story; such as Scout Finch or Boo Radley. Despite their innocence however, they can be injured with their contact with evil. In the story, it’s explained how Boo Radley’s innocence is tainted because of his abusive father. Thus the extended metaphor or symbolism would explain that killing a mockingbird is tainting innocence. When Scout inquires her, Miss Maudie explains, â€Å"Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but . . . sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.† This also links the connection of Scout and Jem both having the last name finch, which is another name for a particularly small (and also harmless) bird. In Huckleberry Finn, Huck comes from the lower levels of white society, having a father who is a drunk who disappears constantly. Widow Douglas adopts him and attempts to reform him, although she has difficulties. Huck does not accept the ways of society, and often tells Widow that he would rather go live in hell for a change of scenery. The Widow tries to teach him how to read and tries to make him religious. Although the Widow’s efforts do finally teachShow MoreRelatedHow To Write Literary Analysis4174 Words   |  17 PagesGood Questions â€Å"Are Romeo and Juliet’s parents responsible for the deaths of their children?† â€Å"Why do pigs keep showing up in Lord of the Flies?† â€Å"Are Dr. Frankenstein and his monster alike? How?† Bad Questions â€Å"What happens to Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird?† â€Å"What do the other characters in Julius Caesar think about Caesar?† â€Å"How does Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter remind me of my sister?† Step 2. Collect Evidence Once you know what question you want to answer, it’s time to scour theRead MoreJasper Jones Study Guide6848 Words   |  28 Pages................................................................................... 10 Race and Ethnicity................................................................................................................................. 11 To Kill a Mockingbird (TKAM)................................................................................................................ 12 Australian Culture ...................................................................................................Read MoreEnglish All Semester 26504 Words   |  27 Pagestownspeople saw her boyfriend/husband? The last time the townspeople was Miss Emily’s boyfriend/husband was three days after the cousins left. 13. Why had the men sprinkled lime around her house in Part II? The men sprinkled lime around the house to kill the bad odor that was coming out of Miss Emily’s house. 14. There is a room upstairs no one has seen for over forty years. After Miss Emilys funeral, the door to this room is broken down. What do the townspeople find there? The townspeopleRead MoreEssay on Silent Spring - Rachel Carson30092 Words   |  121 PagesAnalysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.  ©1998-2002;  ©2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design ® and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under licenseRead MoreInterpretation of the Text13649 Words   |  55 Pagesdiffers from other kinds of writing - expressive, persuasive, and expository. Expressive writing aims to articulate the feelings of the writer; persuas ive writing seeks co influence the reader; expository writing tries to explain the outer world. By contrast, a work of literature creates a world of its own which makes no reference to the real world as we normally know it, thus it is not expository writing. Nor is it quite the same as persuasive writing - a work of fiction makes no direct appeal to us