Twain establishes his credibility as an author through his utilization of regional language, and is often credited with being one of the first authors to attempt to spell out phonetically how his characters would sound in the real world. As a result, he is enabled to criticize the institution of slavery and racial stereotypes while at the same time submerging his audience within the racial turmoil of the antebellum South. Although many previous novels had included regional vernacular, Huckleberry Finn is the first major work in which the narrator speaks exclusively in dialect. Thus, the events that transpire within the novel appear strikingly plausible, and the members of the audience may find themselves reading the tale as an autobiography rather than historical fiction.
Kemi, I think that your argument about the vernacular is incredibly valid. Twain appears to be credible because of the different linguistics that relate to the time period and setting. However, I do not believe that the events in the novel seem to be plausible because a young, naive child like Huck would not be smart enough to outsmart and lie to all the people he encounters such as the Grangerford family. When he was with the 'duke' and the 'king', Huck had a hard time keeping up the false lies when he was decieving the Wilks family.
Julia, at the advent of the novel, Finn is naive and hypocritical - a product of his flawed environment. However, I believe that he is still intelligent, perhaps more so than a great deal of the adults surrounding him; his father, for example. Despite the fact that Finn is not necessarily a master of the art of deception, he is still able to convince the Wilks and Grangerford families of his tale. If anything, his mistakes increase the credibility of the novel - Finn is human, and as such, is not infallible.
P. 200-235 The three appeals get lots of use in these pages of the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as the townspeople split over whether the king and duke are the true brothers of Peter Wilkes, and arguments follow. Doctor Robinson especially uses ethos appeal, as is title gives him authority within the town. When he says he would be “an idiot” if the men weren’t frauds, his argument is strengthened when his possible idiocy is unlikely based on his title. Additionally, he addresses the townspeople gathered as “neighbors”, reminding them of his relationship to them which the king and duke do not have (220). He also describes the morality in their “duty” to prevent the two men from leaving without further investigation, adding to his ethical appeal (220). All of this together strengthens his argument that the two men are crooks, or at least, some investigation into their validity should occur.
“I make this explanation for the reason that without it many readers would suppose that all these characters were trying to talk alike and not succeeding”.
Mark Twain utilizes ethos before the novel even begins. In the Explanatory note, Twain uses the first person in order to establish the trust of his audience. Furthermore, his use of the “Missouri negro dialect” was not done in a “haphazard fashion” nor by “guesswork”, but rather, “painstakingly” and with the “trustworthy guidance and support of personal familiarity”. By saying he is intimately familiar with the regional dialect, Twain uses this newfound trust from his audience to assert his credibility before the novel has even begun.
I think this is almost humorous, and I wish we could use a disclaimer for everything in life. The fact that he makes this statement makes it seem as though he does not want to be held accountable for any controversial issue in the novel, even if he may be making a point to the audience. This way if Twain is denouncing slavery in a time and place where slavery is deemed a societal norm he wont get any backlash.
I find excessive swearing incredibly annoying. It takes a perfectly well thought out sentence and pollutes it so that it has no substantial meaning. There are times, however, when harsh language may be necessary to get the message across. Mark Twain’s straightforward approach to writing has led to serious controversy in the world of banned books because of his plain-spoken description of slavery. In these chapters Twain uses phrases such as “a nigger woman come tearing out of the kitchen with a rolling-pin in her hand” (245), emphasizing his use of the word “nigger.” Because Twain is so straightforward, he is able to obtain trust from his audience. His writings that explain the reality of slavery allow him to use ethos in order to send a message through his novel. This, in turn, makes it easier for his readers to take his message to heart, a reason why many of these books are banned in the first place.
“What was the use to tell Jim these warn’t real kings and dukes.” (173) Twain ruins his Ethos when he brings the characters of the phony duke and the dauphin (king) into the plot. The duke and the king travel with Jim and Huck down the Mississippi River. Huck knows that they were not “kings nor dukes, at all, but just low-down humbugs and frauds” (141), but Twain writes Jim as a believer in the lies of their new companions. Huck’s realization and wariness of the falsities that the duke and the king tell shows that as a character, Huck is getting smarter and becoming less naive, which makes the audience want to trust him more. The reader must trust the author in order to agree with the storyline. Twain’s integration of these impostors makes readers skeptical because if the protagonists, fall for the traps of the duke and the dauphin, the reader cannot trust the author.
Although it is important that the reader trusts the author, I believe that the duke and dauphin had an important purpose in the story. Twain actually uses these two characters to satirize the unjust institution of slavery, and prevailing thoughts of white supremacy and white peoples' morals. This in turn proves Twain's ethos because he is showing his morality through satirization of southern society to create an abolitionist argument.
Twain establishes his credibility as an author through his utilization of regional language, and is often credited with being one of the first authors to attempt to spell out phonetically how his characters would sound in the real world. As a result, he is enabled to criticize the institution of slavery and racial stereotypes while at the same time submerging his audience within the racial turmoil of the antebellum South. Although many previous novels had included regional vernacular, Huckleberry Finn is the first major work in which the narrator speaks exclusively in dialect. Thus, the events that transpire within the novel appear strikingly plausible, and the members of the audience may find themselves reading the tale as an autobiography rather than historical fiction.
ReplyDeleteKemi, I think that your argument about the vernacular is incredibly valid. Twain appears to be credible because of the different linguistics that relate to the time period and setting. However, I do not believe that the events in the novel seem to be plausible because a young, naive child like Huck would not be smart enough to outsmart and lie to all the people he encounters such as the Grangerford family. When he was with the 'duke' and the 'king', Huck had a hard time keeping up the false lies when he was decieving the Wilks family.
ReplyDeleteJulia, at the advent of the novel, Finn is naive and hypocritical - a product of his flawed environment. However, I believe that he is still intelligent, perhaps more so than a great deal of the adults surrounding him; his father, for example. Despite the fact that Finn is not necessarily a master of the art of deception, he is still able to convince the Wilks and Grangerford families of his tale. If anything, his mistakes increase the credibility of the novel - Finn is human, and as such, is not infallible.
DeleteP. 200-235
ReplyDeleteThe three appeals get lots of use in these pages of the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as the townspeople split over whether the king and duke are the true brothers of Peter Wilkes, and arguments follow. Doctor Robinson especially uses ethos appeal, as is title gives him authority within the town. When he says he would be “an idiot” if the men weren’t frauds, his argument is strengthened when his possible idiocy is unlikely based on his title. Additionally, he addresses the townspeople gathered as “neighbors”, reminding them of his relationship to them which the king and duke do not have (220). He also describes the morality in their “duty” to prevent the two men from leaving without further investigation, adding to his ethical appeal (220). All of this together strengthens his argument that the two men are crooks, or at least, some investigation into their validity should occur.
Ethos (Pages 0-100)
ReplyDelete“I make this explanation for the reason that without it many readers would suppose that all these characters were trying to talk alike and not succeeding”.
Mark Twain utilizes ethos before the novel even begins. In the Explanatory note, Twain uses the first person in order to establish the trust of his audience. Furthermore, his use of the “Missouri negro dialect” was not done in a “haphazard fashion” nor by “guesswork”, but rather, “painstakingly” and with the “trustworthy guidance and support of personal familiarity”. By saying he is intimately familiar with the regional dialect, Twain uses this newfound trust from his audience to assert his credibility before the novel has even begun.
I think this is almost humorous, and I wish we could use a disclaimer for everything in life. The fact that he makes this statement makes it seem as though he does not want to be held accountable for any controversial issue in the novel, even if he may be making a point to the audience. This way if Twain is denouncing slavery in a time and place where slavery is deemed a societal norm he wont get any backlash.
Delete235-300
ReplyDeleteI find excessive swearing incredibly annoying. It takes a perfectly well thought out sentence and pollutes it so that it has no substantial meaning. There are times, however, when harsh language may be necessary to get the message across. Mark Twain’s straightforward approach to writing has led to serious controversy in the world of banned books because of his plain-spoken description of slavery. In these chapters Twain uses phrases such as “a nigger woman come tearing out of the kitchen with a rolling-pin in her hand” (245), emphasizing his use of the word “nigger.” Because Twain is so straightforward, he is able to obtain trust from his audience. His writings that explain the reality of slavery allow him to use ethos in order to send a message through his novel. This, in turn, makes it easier for his readers to take his message to heart, a reason why many of these books are banned in the first place.
Julia Nail
ReplyDeleteBlock F
Pages 125-200
Ethos
“What was the use to tell Jim these warn’t real kings and dukes.” (173)
Twain ruins his Ethos when he brings the characters of the phony duke and the dauphin (king) into the plot. The duke and the king travel with Jim and Huck down the Mississippi River. Huck knows that they were not “kings nor dukes, at all, but just low-down humbugs and frauds” (141), but Twain writes Jim as a believer in the lies of their new companions. Huck’s realization and wariness of the falsities that the duke and the king tell shows that as a character, Huck is getting smarter and becoming less naive, which makes the audience want to trust him more. The reader must trust the author in order to agree with the storyline. Twain’s integration of these impostors makes readers skeptical because if the protagonists, fall for the traps of the duke and the dauphin, the reader cannot trust the author.
Although it is important that the reader trusts the author, I believe that the duke and dauphin had an important purpose in the story. Twain actually uses these two characters to satirize the unjust institution of slavery, and prevailing thoughts of white supremacy and white peoples' morals. This in turn proves Twain's ethos because he is showing his morality through satirization of southern society to create an abolitionist argument.
ReplyDelete