Monday and Tuesday; March 2 and March 3

Reviewed for the scantron test by clicking on the ppts that are listed on the previous blog.

We also chose our passage that we will be using on our on-demand test. Choose from one of the three below

Huck Finn passage analysis: passage choices

Passage #1: Chapter 16, pages 88-93

But it warn't. It was Jack-o'-lanterns, or lightning bugs; so he set down again, and went to watching, same as before. Jim said it made him all over trembly and feverish to be so close to freedom. Well, I can tell you it made me all over trembly and feverish, too, to hear him, because I begun to get it through my head that he was most free—and who was to blame for it? Why, me. I couldn't get that out of my conscience, no how nor no way. It got to troubling me so I couldn't rest; I couldn't stay still in one place. It hadn't ever come home to me before, what this thing was that I was doing. But now it did; and it stayed with me, and scorched me more and more. I tried to make out to myself that I warn't to blame, because I didn't run Jim off from his rightful owner; but it warn't no use, conscience up and says, every time, "But you knowed he was running for his freedom, and you could a paddled ashore and told somebody." That was so—I couldn't get around that noway. That was where it pinched. Conscience says to me, "What had poor Miss Watson done to you that you could see her nigger go off right under your eyes and never say one single word? What did that poor old woman do to you that you could treat her so mean? Why, she tried to learn you your book, she tried to learn you your manners, she tried to be good to you every way she knowed how. That's what she done."
I got to feeling so mean and so miserable I most wished I was dead. I fidgeted up and down the raft, abusing myself to myself, and Jim was fidgeting up and down past me. We neither of us could keep still. Every time he danced around and says, "Dah's Cairo!" it went through me like a shot, and I thought if it was Cairo I reckoned I would die of miserableness.
Jim talked out loud all the time while I was talking to myself. He was saying how the first thing he would do when he got to a free State he would go to saving up money and never spend a single cent, and when he got enough he would buy his wife, which was owned on a farm close to where Miss Watson lived; and then they would both work to buy the two children, and if their master wouldn't sell them, they'd get an Ab'litionist to go and steal them.
It most froze me to hear such talk. He wouldn't ever dared to talk such talk in his life before. Just see what a difference it made in him the minute he judged he was about free. It was according to the old saying, "Give a nigger an inch and he'll take an ell." Thinks I, this is what comes of my not thinking. Here was this nigger, which I had as good as helped to run away, coming right out flat-footed and saying he would steal his children—children that belonged to a man I didn't even know; a man that hadn't ever done me no harm.
I was sorry to hear Jim say that, it was such a lowering of him. My conscience got to stirring me up hotter than ever, until at last I says to it, "Let up on me—it ain't too late yet—I'll paddle ashore at the first light and tell." I felt easy and happy and light as a feather right off. All my troubles was gone. I went to looking out sharp for a light, and sort of singing to myself. By and by one showed. Jim sings out:
"We's safe, Huck, we's safe! Jump up and crack yo' heels! Dat's de good ole Cairo at las', I jis knows it!"
I says:
"I'll take the canoe and go and see, Jim. It mightn't be, you know."
He jumped and got the canoe ready, and put his old coat in the bottom for me to set on, and give me the paddle; and as I shoved off, he says:
"Pooty soon I'll be a-shout'n' for joy, en I'll say, it's all on accounts o' Huck; I's a free man, en I couldn't ever ben free ef it hadn' ben for Huck; Huck done it. Jim won't ever forgit you, Huck; you's de bes' fren' Jim's ever had; en you's de only fren' ole Jim's got now."
I was paddling off, all in a sweat to tell on him; but when he says this, it seemed to kind of take the tuck all out of me. I went along slow then, and I warn't right down certain whether I was glad I started or whether I warn't. When I was fifty yards off, Jim says:
"Dah you goes, de ole true Huck; de on'y white genlman dat ever kep' his promise to ole Jim."
Well, I just felt sick. But I says, I got to do it—I can't get out of it. Right then along comes a skiff with two men in it with guns, and they stopped and I stopped. One of them says:
"What's that yonder?"
"A piece of a raft," I says.
"Do you belong on it?"
"Yes, sir."
"Any men on it?"
"Only one, sir."
"Well, there's five niggers run off to-night up yonder, above the head of the bend. Is your man white or black?"
I didn't answer up prompt. I tried to, but the words wouldn't come. I tried for a second or two to brace up and out with it, but I warn't man enough—hadn't the spunk of a rabbit. I see I was weakening; so I just give up trying, and up and says:
"He's white."
"I reckon we'll go and see for ourselves."
"I wish you would," says I, "because it's pap that's there, and maybe you'd help me tow the raft ashore where the light is. He's sick—and so is mam and Mary Ann."
"Oh, the devil! we're in a hurry, boy. But I s'pose we've got to. Come, buckle to your paddle, and let's get along."
I buckled to my paddle and they laid to their oars. When we had made a stroke or two, I says:
"Pap'll be mighty much obleeged to you, I can tell you. Everybody goes away when I want them to help me tow the raft ashore, and I can't do it by myself."
"Well, that's infernal mean. Odd, too. Say, boy, what's the matter with your father?"
"It's the—a—the—well, it ain't anything much."
They stopped pulling. It warn't but a mighty little ways to the raft now. One says:
"Boy, that's a lie. What is the matter with your pap? Answer up square now, and it'll be the better for you."
"I will, sir, I will, honest—but don't leave us, please. It's the—the—Gentlemen, if you'll only pull ahead, and let me heave you the headline, you won't have to come a-near the raft—please do."
"Set her back, John, set her back!" says one. They backed water. "Keep away, boy—keep to looard. Confound it, I just expect the wind has blowed it to us. Your pap's got the small-pox, and you know it precious well. Why didn't you come out and say so? Do you want to spread it all over?"
"Well," says I, a-blubbering, "I've told everybody before, and they just went away and left us."

Passage #2: Chapter 23 pages 156-158

I went to sleep, and Jim didn't call me when it was my turn. He often done that. When I waked up just at daybreak he was sitting there with his head down betwixt his knees, moaning and mourning to himself. I didn't take notice nor let on. I knowed what it was about. He was thinking about his wife and his children, away up yonder, and he was low and homesick; because he hadn't ever been away from home before in his life; and I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their'n. It don't seem natural, but I reckon it's so. He was often moaning and mourning that way nights, when he judged I was asleep, and saying, "Po' little 'Lizabeth! po' little Johnny! it's mighty hard; I spec' I ain't ever gwyne to see you no mo', no mo'!" He was a mighty good nigger, Jim was.
But this time I somehow got to talking to him about his wife and young ones; and by and by he says:
"What makes me feel so bad dis time 'uz bekase I hear sumpn over yonder on de bank like a whack, er a slam, while ago, en it mine me er de time I treat my little 'Lizabeth so ornery. She warn't on'y 'bout fo' year ole, en she tuck de sk'yarlet fever, en had a powful rough spell; but she got well, en one day she was a-stannin' aroun', en I says to her, I says:
"'Shet de do'.'
"She never done it; jis' stood dah, kiner smilin' up at me. It make me mad; en I says agin, mighty loud, I says:
"'Doan' you hear me? Shet de do'!'
"She jis stood de same way, kiner smilin' up. I was a-bilin'! I says:
"'I lay I make you mine!'
"En wid dat I fetch' her a slap side de head dat sont her a-sprawlin'. Den I went into de yuther room, en 'uz gone 'bout ten minutes; en when I come back dah was dat do' a-stannin' open yit, en dat chile stannin' mos' right in it, a-lookin' down and mournin', en de tears runnin' down. My, but I wuz mad! I was a-gwyne for de chile, but jis' den—it was a do' dat open innerds—jis' den, 'long come de wind en slam it to, behine de chile, ker-BLAM!—en my lan', de chile never move'! My breff mos' hop outer me; en I feel so—so—I doan' know HOW I feel. I crope out, all a-tremblin', en crope aroun' en open de do' easy en slow, en poke my head in behine de chile, sof' en still, en all uv a sudden I says POW! jis' as loud as I could yell. She never budge! Oh, Huck, I bust out a-cryin' en grab her up in my arms, en say, 'Oh, de po' little thing! De Lord God Amighty fogive po' ole Jim, kaze he never gwyne to fogive hisself as long's he live!' Oh, she was plumb deef en dumb, Huck, plumb deef en dumb—en I'd ben a-treat'n her so!"



Passage #3: Chapter 31 pages 213-216

Once I said to myself it would be a thousand times better for Jim to be a slave at home where his family was, as long as he'd got to be a slave, and so I'd better write a letter to Tom Sawyer and tell him to tell Miss Watson where he was. But I soon give up that notion for two things: she'd be mad and disgusted at his rascality and ungratefulness for leaving her, and so she'd sell him straight down the river again; and if she didn't, everybody naturally despises an ungrateful nigger, and they'd make Jim feel it all the time, and so he'd feel ornery and disgraced. And then think of me! It would get all around that Huck Finn helped a nigger to get his freedom; and if I was ever to see anybody from that town again I'd be ready to get down and lick his boots for shame. That's just the way: a person does a low-down thing, and then he don't want to take no consequences of it. Thinks as long as he can hide it, it ain't no disgrace. That was my fix exactly. The more I studied about this the more my conscience went to grinding me, and the more wicked and low-down and ornery I got to feeling. And at last, when it hit me all of a sudden that here was the plain hand of Providence slapping me in the face and letting me know my wickedness was being watched all the time from up there in heaven, whilst I was stealing a poor old woman's nigger that hadn't ever done me no harm, and now was showing me there's One that's always on the lookout, and ain't a-going to allow no such miserable doings to go only just so fur and no further, I most dropped in my tracks I was so scared. Well, I tried the best I could to kinder soften it up somehow for myself by saying I was brung up wicked, and so I warn't so much to blame; but something inside of me kept saying, "There was the Sunday-school, you could a gone to it; and if you'd a done it they'd a learnt you there that people that acts as I'd been acting about that nigger goes to everlasting fire."
It made me shiver. And I about made up my mind to pray, and see if I couldn't try to quit being the kind of a boy I was and be better. So I kneeled down. But the words wouldn't come. Why wouldn't they? It warn't no use to try and hide it from Him. Nor from me, neither. I knowed very well why they wouldn't come. It was because my heart warn't right; it was because I warn't square; it was because I was playing double. I was letting on to give up sin, but away inside of me I was holding on to the biggest one of all. I was trying to make my mouth say I would do the right thing and the clean thing, and go and write to that nigger's owner and tell where he was; but deep down in me I knowed it was a lie, and He knowed it. You can't pray a lie—I found that out.
So I was full of trouble, full as I could be; and didn't know what to do. At last I had an idea; and I says, I'll go and write the letter—and then see if I can pray. Why, it was astonishing, the way I felt as light as a feather right straight off, and my troubles all gone. So I got a piece of paper and a pencil, all glad and excited, and set down and wrote:
Miss Watson, your runaway nigger Jim is down here two mile below Pikesville, and Mr. Phelps has got him and he will give him up for the reward if you send.
Huck Finn.
I felt good and all washed clean of sin for the first time I had ever felt so in my life, and I knowed I could pray now. But I didn't do it straight off, but laid the paper down and set there thinking—thinking how good it was all this happened so, and how near I come to being lost and going to hell. And went on thinking. And got to thinking over our trip down the river; and I see Jim before me all the time: in the day and in the night-time, sometimes moonlight, sometimes storms, and we a-floating along, talking and singing and laughing. But somehow I couldn't seem to strike no places to harden me against him, but only the other kind. I'd see him standing my watch on top of his'n, 'stead of calling me, so I could go on sleeping; and see him how glad he was when I come back out of the fog; and when I come to him again in the swamp, up there where the feud was; and such-like times; and would always call me honey, and pet me and do everything he could think of for me, and how good he always was; and at last I struck the time I saved him by telling the men we had small-pox aboard, and he was so grateful, and said I was the best friend old Jim ever had in the world, and the only one he's got now; and then I happened to look around and see that paper.
It was a close place. I took it up, and held it in my hand. I was a-trembling, because I'd got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself:
"All right, then, I'll go to hell"—and tore it up.
It was awful thoughts and awful words, but they was said. And I let them stay said; and never thought no more about reforming. I shoved the whole thing out of my head, and said I would take up wickedness again, which was in my line, being brung up to it, and the other warn't. And for a starter I would go to work and steal Jim out of slavery again; and if I could think up anything worse, I would do that, too; because as long as I was in, and in for good, I might as well go the whole hog.



The following outline describes what should be done on the paper:
Huck Finn passage analysis essay

Essay question: How does the passage illuminate the conflict between Huck’s “deformed conscience” and “sound heart”?

illuminate (verb): to make something clear and easier to understand

For this essay, you are going to pick one passage from Huck Finn to analyze. You can choose one of three passages to write on. Here are the three choices:

1. Chapter 16, pages 88-93: “But it warn’t […] ole Jim ain’t gwyne to forgit you for dat, honey.”
2. Chapter 23 pages 156-158: “I went to sleep […] en I’d ben a treat’n her so!”
3. Chapter 31 pages 213-216: “Once I said to myself […] I might as well go the whole hog.”

Here are some steps you should take before you write:

Step 1: Reflect on previous efforts
Check the rubric for your last essay to see which areas you can improve. Go to turnitin.com and listen to the audio comments. Check Grademark for previous errors in conventions.


Step 2: Analyze the question
Analyze the essay question carefully before you start reading the passage. Make sure you are clear about exactly which aspects/features you are required to focus on so that you can be on the lookout for them as you read through the passage. Make a note of them or annotate the topic carefully.

Step 3: Read the passage carefully
Read the passage carefully a couple of times and highlight material that is relevant to the topic. Remember: You will have to refer to other characters, events, issues that occur elsewhere in the novel, so jot down ideas as they occur to you.

Step 4: Plan
A. Brainstorm: Make a list of key points you want to include in your essay to cover the various aspects of the question.
(OR)
Use a graphic organizer of the key ideas you want to include in your essay.

B. Arrange your key points in logical order to form your essay outline. Each key idea should be substantial enough to form the topic sentence/main idea of a separate paragraph.

C. Find suitable quotations to use as evidence for the points you have listed.

Step 5: Organize
The following basic framework is helpful when you are writing an essay.
A. Opening paragraph: The function of the opening paragraph is to introduce the subject matter that you are going to be discussing in detail in the paragraphs that follow. You want your reader to know what you are going to be arguing/discussing/exploring.

Briefly outline the subject of the essay; it can be useful to refer to the question and its key words and ideas.Very briefly say where it occurs in the plot. Don’t tell the story! One or two sentences should be enough.

Include a clear and emphatically worded thesis statement in your opening paragraph. The thesis statement is the foundation of your essay. Phrase that one sentence carefully because it is the crux of your essay. It will be the final sentence of your introduction and the starting point for the rest of the writing.

B. Main Body This is where you do your analysis or develop your line of argument. While writing you always want to keep the central ideas of the question in mind to help you stay focused.
Each key idea in your outline needs a paragraph of its own. You want to order your key ideas so that the argument flows logically and seamlessly from the one to the next. This will ensure that the reader can follow your reasoning without confusion as the argument unfolds.
The topic sentence expressing a key idea should appear at or near the beginning of the paragraph. Next, you need to explore your key idea further and include some evidence.

The main body of your essay is where linking words/ argument markers (therefore, furthermore, next, subsequently, in conclusion, etc.) play a crucial role in ensuring that the development of your argument flows logically.

C. Conclusion: Once you have explored all the ideas or arguments you want to mention, finish by briefly summing up the most important points you have made during the course of the essay




Come into class next time ready to use turnitin.com for your on-demand essay on the Second or the third.

Thursday and Friday; February 25 and February 26

NOTICE: TWO JEOPARDY GAMES TO REVIEW FOR THE TEST ARE LISTED AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS LINK.


We did grammar packet #5 in class. It has some difficult parts.

We finished the film "Huckleberry Finn."

Class discussed the differences between the book and the movie. Then we discussed if they were important changes.

Next topic was themes. A theme is what we learn about the human condition. We wrote the themes on butcher paper. We will look at all of them from all of the classes on Monday or Tuesday.

Learn: a theme is a sentence that claims what can be learned from a text. The stronger themes connect several parts of the text. A weaker theme will connect only with a small portion of the book. There are many good themes. There can also be wrong themes if they can not be defended by the writer.

Want to Jeopardy Review OF THE CHARACTERS FROM HUCK FINN for the scantron test on March 4 or March 7?
Click here

If you want to review THE PLOT AND ANALYSIS FROM HUCK FINN for the scantron test on March 4 or March 7, CLICK HERE.

After you open the ppt., click the download, you should click on "view" and toggle down to "present." If it doesn't work properly, you may have forgotten to download it to your computer or to click the "view" and "Present" buttons.

Tuesday and Wednesday; February 23 and February 24

We watched one hour and twenty-five minutes of the video of Huck Finn. It stars Elijah Wood as Huck and you can find the entire movie on youtube. It is a little fuzzy on youtube, but it is still pretty good.


Upcoming events:

2/23 and 2/24 (Tuesday and Wednesday) : watch video up to 1:25 from the start.

2/25 and 2/26 (Thursday and Friday): finish video and do some review for the tests. Grammar packet #5.

2/29 and 3/1 (Monday and Tuesday): Review for the test. Prep work for the on-demand test. Grammar packet #6. Make sure that you are capable of signing into turnitin.com before next class.

3/2 and 3/3 (Wednesday and Thursday): We will have the computer cart. We will write in class an on-demand three paragraph paper on a passage from the Huck Finn novel. You may use google docs to write. You will be able to utilize the spelling and grammar checks that come with the program. It will be sent in through turnitin.com by the end of class.

For those who finish early, you may log into a practice for the smarter balance test (oaks portal.org, click students, click practice tests, sign in using the word "guest" for all five boxes. You don't need sound check, so you can just say "yes/: You must click on sound Icon and then press "yes." Click Begin test now. Pause test to exit.

3/4 and 3/7 (Friday and Monday): Scantron final over Huck Finn.

3/8 and 3/9 (Tuesday and Wednesday)

Friday & Monday; February

Quiz over 39 in class. Read 40 and 41 in class; read through the end of the book. Should be about 15 minutes or so of reading.

Do grammar packet page 4: Subject and Verb agreements

See previous post for more review ideas for Huckleberry Finn.

Wednesday & Thursday; February 17 & 18

Do Grammar packet #3 in class. (Dashes).

Quiz over chapter 36 Huck Finn.

Read chapters 37 and 38 in class; read 39 at home

One more summary- this one from spark notes:

Friday and Tuesday; February 12 and February 16

quiz over chapter 33. If you were not there for the quiz, or you did poorly on the quiz, look at the previous post and see how you can make it up.

We read 34 and 35 in class, and assigned 36 for homework.

Page two of the grammar packet is about colons. If we didn't do it in class, do it at home.


Want to review the story, gangsta style?
check out Thugnotes:


You can still make up for poor quiz scores or missing quiz scores by writing a magic four paragraph:
If you missed the quiz, write a paragraph over some important aspect of the chapter. Notice how the chapter number is included in the first sentence. Notice also the quoted evidence and the parenthetical citation with the page number. Follow these steps:

Make a claim, support with quoted evidence, explain how the evidence proves your claim, and explore how this will affect the book.

Example:

Mark Twain's mother is affecting how the character Mary Jane is portrayed in Chapter 26. Mary Jane says to treat Huck "kind, and not be saying things to make him remember he ain't in his own country and amongst his own folks" (142). This tells Joanna to be kind, no matter what someone says or does. This reminds me of when Mark Twain's mom tells her son to treat the black boy kind and let him sing. When he sings, he forgets that he is not with his own family. I see Mark Twain's mother reflected in Mary Jane's personality. When Huck decides he shouldn't be a part of defrauding the Wilks sisters, it hearkens back to the message Samuel Clemens got from his mother.

Thursday and Friday; February 4 & 5

We had a quiz over chapter 24. If you missed the quiz, write a paragraph over some important aspect of the chapter. Make a claim, support with quoted evidence, explain how the evidence proves your claim, and explore how this will affect the book.

Example:

Mark Twain's mother is affecting how the character Mary Jane is portrayed in Chapter 26. Mary Jane says to treat Huck "kind, and not be saying things to make him remember he ain't in his own country and amongst his own folks" (142). This tells Joanna to be kind, no matter what someone says or does. This reminds me of when Mark Twain's mom tells her son to treat the black boy kind and let him sing. When he sings, he forgets that he is not with his own family. I see Mark Twain's mother reflected in Mary Jane's personality. When Huck decides he shouldn't be a part of defrauding the Wilks sisters, it hearkens back to the message Samuel Clemens got from his mother.


If you miss class, keep up with the reading.

All periods read chapters 25 and 26 in class. The homework is to read chapter 27 at home. Yes, there will be a quiz on this chapter.

If you have not finished page one of the new grammar packet, have it ready to be graded next class.




New rules were discussed in class regarding passes. For the semester, passes have been increased to 13. Each one is worth two extra credit points, if not used. Tardies and unexcused absences will be subtracted from the passes.

Phone rules are the same: If your phone is being used for other than class activities with the approval of the teacher, you can pick it up after the next period. IF you are fourth period, it can be picked up thirty minutes after school, or sooner if you put me in touch with your parents.


We discussed the use of dialect and accent. The book about Huck Finn is written in dialect. Discuss what differences it makes. Watch this video and decide what effect accent has on the humor. IF this were a written story, how would the writing in accent be necessary to the humor?



As the king and duke continue their con, acting like Peter Wilk's British brothers, we try to picture the duke making up sign language since he is supposed to be deaf and mute. When Nelson Mandela spoke a few years back, a fake sign language expert was exposed. See Jimmy Kimmel's take on this: