Ethos

Blog Post #1 - Kelly (pg. 1-150)

A basic belief in Huckleberry Finn is that all black people are slaves. Mark Twains manipulates his African American character, Jim, to be the breakthrough of this belief in the novel. All of the white people believed that the African Americans were pieces of property. When Huck is talking with Jim, he does not understand,”Well, I b'lieve you, Huck. I—I RUN OFF” “Jim!”(49). This shows Huck’s lack of knowledge of the dignity of Jim. Both Jim and Huck ran away, but for some reason Huck saw his scenario more acceptable than Jim’s.  Huck realizes that Jim is a living, breathing person with emotions just like himself.

Blog Post #2 - Gaby (pg. 150-200)

“So she done it. And it was the niggers—I just expected it. She said the beautiful trip to England was most about spoiled for her; she didn't know how she was ever going to be happy there, knowing the mother and the children warn't ever going to see each other no more—and then busted out bitterer than ever, and flung up her hands”

Historically considered a southern state, Huck and Mary are credible witnesses of the hardships blacks endured in Missouri during the 1800s. Despite the widespread bigotry, Mary and Huck make up the scarce amount of Caucasian characters in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn that view blacks on a human level. However, Mary and Huck fail to publically display their good intentions towards blacks due to the risk of their community mocking them.

As the Black Lives Matter Movements endures, racial discrimination is still prevalent in America well into the twenty first century. African American individuals deserve equality and acceptance from all other Caucasians and Mongolians citizens. As contemporary readers of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, we can learn from Huck and Mary’s blunder by proudly accepting and nurturing the black community in America.

• Chapter 26

Blog Post #3 - Laura (pg. 200-250)

Ethos plays a large role in Huckleberry Finn, most notably in the conflicts which arise between the king and the duke as they pursue the farce that they are actually a king and duke, an assertion Doctor Robinson uses his authority and ethos to refute (220). Further, Huck uses ethos to convince the duke and king their plans are morally wrong, drawing from his background with the widow and brief religious education. Twain also uses ethos throughout the novel as an author who convincingly adopts Huck's persona and the attitudes of a typical southerner.

Blog Post #4 - Shei (pg. 250-300)

“There’s a nigger here that I’m a-trying to steal out of slavery...” (251).

• A basic belief regarding the novel of Huckleberry Finn, can be identified at the beginning of Chapter 33. Huck decides to tell Tom that he is assisting Jim, a black slave. Even though Tom is a close friend of Huck’s, Huck is slightly worried about revealing his actions because of the societal structure. This is basic belief is an example of ethos because it was normal for white males to segregate themselves from the blacks. Therefore, Huck’s assumption of Tom’s possible reaction could have been likely. When Huck tells Tom that “there’s a nigger here that I’m a-trying to steal out of slavery...” (251), rather than lecturing Huck, Tom enthusiastically joins in.

Blog Post #5 - Bethany (pg. 300-350)

“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,” (pg.238)

• Throughout the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, ethos is seen as a major theme when the idea of race is brought up. As most characters in the novel, including Huck in the beginning, do not see people of color and slaves as people, their rights and treatment is never questioned. While Jim and Huck sail the Mississippi River, they form a bond in which Huck discovers that both racism and slavery are unethical. This belief goes against everything Huck has been taught and seen, so he questions himself, but ultimately agrees that Jim is his equal.