Chapter 1-16 Margo Irie
“The Widow Douglas she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me; but it was rough living in the house all the time, considering how dismal regular and decent the widow was in all her ways; and so when I couldn't stand it no longer I lit out. I got into my old rags and my sugar-hogshead again, and was free and satisfied”(3).
Throughout the entire novel, Mark Twain uses adolescent dialogue to write The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. From the first person point of view of Huck Finn, the diction Twain uses is childlike and informal. This style of diction is portrayed from the first page of the novel, as the reader can already find the imperfect grammar of a thirteen year old boy. The diction and choice of language lets the reader understand the character better, with phrases such as “...when I couldn't stand it no longer I lit out”(3). Rather than saying he ran away from home, Twain chooses the words “lit out”(3) specifically to appeal the audience’s understanding of the young boy acting out. As the novel progresses, the diction Twain uses continues to contain language that develops the social class, personality, and education of Huck Finn.
Chapter 17-21 Carmen Mascarenhas
“You shove right in dah, just a few steps, Mars Jawge, dah’s whah day is. I’s seed ‘m befo’, I don’t k’yer to see ‘em no mo’.’” (125)
SPOILER ALERT! THIS ENTIRE BOOK IS FAB DICTION! Mark Twain tells the reader right from the beginning that different characters use different words and talk in different ways because their words are meant to say something about them. Try reading the quote all in one go and see how much of it makes sense. Probably none of it, right? To understand the quote, we have to change our mindset. This time, read it as if someone is talking to you. Sound it out. Makes a little more sense now, doesn’t it? It’s still muffled and grammatically atrocious, but it’s intentional. Mark Twain isn’t a racist who is looking down on black people or slaves by having them talk this way. However, what his diction is showing us is the communication standard between illiterate people. These slaves were never educated to read or write, so vocabulary is compensated for with inflection which is literally spelled out for the reader since that’s the most basic, rudimentary way.
Chapter 22-28 Trinity Gomez
British in the Mississippi
The Duke constantly talks as if he is in a Shakespeare play. When he is pretending to be the brother of the deceased English man named Peter Wilks he says, “Alas, alas! Our poor brother---gone, and we never got to see him; oh, it’s too, too hard.”(181) Talking with a British accent and using diction that Shakespeare would have used make the Duke sound sophisticated. His diction establishes him as educated and not black or a slave. The diction in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn use diction to establish social class. With the Duke’s diction he is seen as being of higher status. It is crazy how the way someone talks can reflect who they are as a person.
Chapter 29-35 Kristen Allan
Chapter 36-the last Carolyn Lo Coco
"Well, den, dis is de way it look to me, Huck. Ef it wuz HIM dat 'uz bein' sot free, en one er de boys wuz to git shot, would he say, 'Go on en save me, nemmine 'bout a doctor f'r to save dis one?' Is dat like Mars Tom Sawyer? Would he say dat? You BET he wouldn't! WELL, den, is JIM gywne to say it? No, sah—I doan' budge a step out'n dis place 'dout a DOCTOR, not if it's forty year!" (147)
WOWZERS! TOOK YA AWHILE TO READ THAT ONE! EXACTLY! This is because Mark Twain writes Jim’s dialogue in such a way that his speaking is overly embellished with poor grammar. Twain chooses this type of diction to have the audience see Jim as Huckleberry Finn sees him, as a dumb, uneducated slave. Now at this point in the novel, as we have seen the progression of Huck's social maturity, Jim’s dialogue should not come off this way because the relationship between Huck and Jim has grown, right? Wrong, Jim’s speaking style presents itself in the same style throughout the novel to point out and remind the audience of their prejudices and stereotypes.
Chapter 22-28 (comment): I agree with you Trinity, Mark Twain uses diction as a tool to depict social class to the reader. Twain portrays Duke as educated because he speaks diction that Shakespeare must have used, where as when Jim speaks its more complex and difficult to comprehend for the reader. Earlier in the novel Huck and Jim are having a conversation in regards to superstitution, which could either bring good or bad luck for the recipient of the action. Jim states, “Mighty few—an’ dey ain’ no use to a body. What you want to know when good luck’s a-comin’ for?” (52). Great Job!
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of you, but I also think that the Duke's diction is not only a reflection of his social class but his personality. The Duke is a Grade A pretender- he's a con man. He thrives off of selling people on a persona that isn't his. He's trying to convince everyone that he has all this money and is of a higher social class, when in reality, he's just this sponge who picks up parts of the people he meets. He and his comrade capitalize in their ability to read the vulnerabilities of other people and play up to them, and I think that is reflected in their choice of diction throughout the novel. Great post!
DeleteCarmen I loved your expansion of the idea! Yes, the Duke pretends to be people he is not for a living. He takes money from people by tricking them into believing he is someone else. This action of conning people with his other personalities is his personality. He seems to know nothing other than being conniving and deceitful towards innocent bystanders. His social class is whatever he feels will help him con the most people, making the reader wonder who the Duke truly is. great job everyone!
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ReplyDeleteComment (Chapter 36-the last):
ReplyDeleteI loved this post Carolyn!! Jim is seen as this stereotypical slave throughout the entire novel. He has no education and struggles with his correct choice of words. However, when Twain uses this diction of Jim on purpose it makes the readers feel emotions and connections towards Jim, as if he were an actual friend of the readers. The readers see all the characters alter their personalities throughout the novel, but Jim's grammar seems to remain the same stereotypical black tone. Loved the points you made!
Yes, I agree 100% percent. I also think that Jim doesn't switch his use of language because it makes him a more genuine person. In most cases, the other characters in the novel switched the language they used when needing to lie. Jim did not lie to anyone, therefore his language did not change.
DeleteYes!! That's what I was trying to get at. I think Twain did this on purpose to display how circumstances of the time period were for different races, and to show how different characters act knowing their surroundings. Also, you can think about this in today's society and how people tend to become act differently around their friends and around the "popular" people at a school. This is because of societal expectations. Oh well, looks like history is just repeating itself. hehe
DeleteComment (Chapters 1-16)
ReplyDeleteMargo, great post! We all know that Twain's dialogue is entirely intentional. However, I also think that it is important to realize that this language is used right at the beginning of the book. This novel is a coming of age novel, and Huck's adolescent rhetoric and poor grammar is a reflection of his immaturity. If you continue to observe Huck's speaking and even inner thoughts throughout the rest of the novel, it evolves and changes and becomes more refined and well, mature. This story is one of evolution on so many levels.