Chapter 16-30 Dialectic Journal

Chapter 16-17

Chapter 16 Pg. 122: "Well, then, says I, what's the use you learning to do right when it's troublesome to do right and ain't no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same? I was stuck. I couldn't answer that. So I reckoned I wouldn't bother no more about it, but after this always do whichever come handiest at the time." 

Comments and Questions 

The idea of this quote is that whether you act correctly or not, your reward is the same. Therefore, what is the use of moral goodness? Huck decides to do "whichever comes handiest at the time" but ironically in chapter 31 he says he will go to hell for Jim. 

Chapter 18-19

Chapter 19 Pg. 166: "It didn't take me long to make up my mind that these liars warn't no kings nor dukes at all, but just low-down humbugs and frauds. But I never said nothing, never let on; kept it to myself; it's the best way; then you don't have no quarrels, and don't get into no trouble. If they wanted us to call them kings and dukes, I hadn't no objections, 'long as it would keep peace in the family; and it warn't no use to tell Jim, so I didn't tell him."

Comments and Questions

This quote represents the civilized part of Huck. It shows his strength to let the King and Duke stay with him and Jim. The tone of this quote is candid and gives good insight of the inner-workings of Huck's mind. We see that despite his plain language Huck is in fact wise and it is his temperament that has gotten him this far on their journey.

Chapter 20-21

Chapter 21 Pg. 182: "To be, or not to be; that is the bare bodkin 

That makes calamity of so long life; 

For who would fardels bear, till Birnam Wood do come to Dunsinane, 

But that the fear of something after death 

Murders the innocent sleep, 

Great nature's second course, 

And makes us rather sling the arrows of outrageous fortune 

Than fly to others that we know not of. 

There's the respect must give us pause: 

Wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would thou couldst; 

For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, 

The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, 

The law's delay, and the quietus which his pangs might take, 

In the dead waste and middle of the night, when churchyards yawn 

In customary suits of solemn black, 

But that the undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler returns, 

Breathes forth contagion on the world, 

And thus the native hue of resolution, like the poor cat i' the adage, 

Is sicklied o'er with care, 

And all the clouds that lowered o'er our housetops, 

With this regard their currents turn awry, 

And lose the name of action. 

'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished. 

But soft you, the fair Ophelia: 

Ope not thy ponderous and marble jaws, 

But get thee to a nunnery -- go"

Comments and Questions

Claiming to also be a famous actor, the Duke recites and teaches the Dauphin Shakespeare. Although at first the Duke comes off as an educated gentleman, when he acts out the Shakespeare plays it is evident that he knows very little; mixing scenes and lines from completely different plays. His recital of Hamlet's soliloquy contains lines from Macbeth. The tone of this quote is confident.

Chapter 22-23

Chapter 23 Pg. 204: "Well, that's what I'm a-saying; all kings is mostly rapscallions, as fur as I can make out. You read about them once -- you'll see. Look at Henry the Eight; this 'n 's a Sunday-school Superintendent to him. And look at Charles Second, and Louis Fourteen, and Louis Fifteen, and James Second, and Edward Second, and Richard Third, and forty more; besides all them Saxon heptarchies that used to rip around so in old times and raise Cain."

Comments and Questions

Mark Twain shows his hatred of societies greed through the King and Duke. He shows us that society today is full of greed and concerning itself with its needs only. Huck gives this example to  keep Jim believing that they are in fact  royalty because he knows that it will cause trouble if he tells him. He realizes that the truth would bring chaos.

Chapters 24-25

Chapter 24. Pg 216: "Well, if ever I struck anything like it, I'm a nigger. It was enough to make a body ashamed of the human race."

Comments and Questions

This quote shows that Huck is not racist  It shows that he see's right from wrong. Even though the Duke and the King are both white, Huck does see their faults. They are frauds, and their skin color does not cover that. He sees that what they’re doing is morally wrong, and he’s ashamed of the human race. Huck says he is a nigger, which sounds to me like he would rather be black then be a fraud.

Chapters 26-27

Chapter 26 Pg. 235: "Cuss the doctor! What do we k'yer for him? Hain't we got all the fools in town on our side? And ain't that a big enough majority in any town?"

Comments and Questions

He is saying that the world is made up of fools so if you have fools on your side you have a lot of people that believe in you.  It shows how the King feels about people and why he is able to scam people out of their money. 

Chapters 28-29 

Chapter 28 Pg. 247: "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."

Comments and Questions

This quote shows that Mary is caring and is sympathetic towards the family. It also shows that Mary is not racist. Mary and Huck are the only two people in the book that are able to see that black people have the same feelings and emotions as white people.