Literary critics of the past have often stated that the character of Jim is Huck’s true father. Write a well-organized essay in which you refute or defend this statement. Use evidence from the entire novel to support your argument.
A true father is someone who loves his child unconditionally and is willing to set his son before him at all circumstances. Pap clearly does not possess these qualities, while Jim does. When Huck was desperately in need of a father figure, Jim is there to fill up the empty spot where Pap should have been.

Throughout the novel, Pap is portrayed as an abusive father constantly beating Huck, kidnapping and scaring Huck to the extent that out of fear, faked his own death to escape Pap’s grasp. While Jim and Huck travel down the river, we see that Jim brings the essential quality that a father must present to his child. He gives Huck the proper fatherly support, compassion, and knowledge for Huck to become a man. The only lesson Pap teaches Huck is what not to do with his life. He wishes nothing but the worst for his own son.

While Pap acts as a stumbling block to Huck, Jim opens up a new world and becomes a true friend and a resource for knowledge. We see that Jim cares for Huck when they come across a dead body in the flooded house. "a dead man. Yes, indeedy; naked, too. He's been shot is da back. I reck'n he's ben dead two er three days. Come in, Huck, but doan' look at his face - it's too gashley." (pg. 60) Even though Jim knew the dead man was Huck’s father, he chose not to tell in order to protect Huck and shield him against pain.

Another instance is when Jim describes his feelings when Huck was lost out in the river. “When I got all wore out with work, en wid de callin’ for you, en went to sleep, my heart wuz mos’ broke bekase you wuz los’, en I didn’t k’yer no’ mo’ what become er me en da raf’” (pg.102) The image of the “broken heart” is a powerful one and the love behind it shows the protection and safety fathers have for their son.

Furthermore, Huck also respects Jim like a son would do to his father. When they come across the slave hunters, Huck feels it’s necessary to protect Jim even if it means lying. Another situation comes when he finds out that the Duke and King had sold Jim to the Phelps. When he chooses to follow his own instincts about setting Jim free and not write to Miss Watson, he shows his devotion and love towards Jim. He realizes that Jim is more than a companion to him; “And got to thinking over our trip down the river…would always call me honey, and pet me, and how good he always was…said I was the best friend old Jim ever had in the world, and the only one he’s got now.” (pg. 249) Huck’s appreciation allows viewing Jim as a father figure.

Huck and Jim’s relationship undoubtedly resembles that of a father and son would have. They both go through great lengths to protect one another and seek each other's approval. Huck has no true father, but after spending time with Jim and realizing his true qualities, he holds a closer bond to Jim. Although Huck's bonds to his biological father are severed, by the end of the novel he truly finds that he has a Pap named Jim.

Numero Uno R+J♥

Tragedy has the ability to strike any time. The depressing fact is that is comes when people least expect it. Romeo and Juliet is a fascinating love story in itself. When the two lovers become entirely entrapped with their love, they become oblivious as to what is going on in the rest of their lives. Their goal to bring their love into a position where there is no conflict eventually leads to a tragic ending.

When Romeo and Juliet first meet, their falling in love happens instantly. One minute they meet and the next minute they are planning their wedding. One problem is that there are two feuding families involved throughout the play- the Capulets and the Montagues.

When Juliet finds out Romeo is a Montague in Act 1 Scene 5, she is heartbroken because she has already fallen in love with a loathed enemy; “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? / Deny thy father, and refuse thy name. / Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, / And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.” The two passionate lovers are very absorbed in their feelings for each other; each does whatever it takes to gain the other’s full attention and love. They are unaware of what the future holds for them.

Their goal is to escape their feuding families and become united. However, their plan fails just when it looks as if it might work to their advantage. Sadly, both will find out that this plot totally opposes their original thought. When Juliet takes the poison to appear dead, she intends it so that when her family leaves her lifeless body, she will wake up and run away with Romeo. However, Romeo is unaware of her intentions. When he first sees Juliet, his heart is destroyed. He immediately grabs a bottle of poison and kills himself because the pain is great. He could not bear to see his love dead. When Juliet awakes, her response is the same. She also cannot bear to see Romeo lifeless so she quickly grabs a dagger and stabs herself to death. Their true love for each other leads to the quick decision because they realize they can no longer receive the full attention and love from each other. Their desires are completely shattered giving them no reason to live.

In spite of this, their death is not the ultimate outcome. The result of their death causes even more sadness in their families leading them to reconcile and come back into good terms. Juliet even had a motive to revenge upon her family to show them that even though Romeo is a Montague, they love each other regardless of the family feuding. Though, their goals were never achieved while they were alive, it came into life just as they died. Furthermore, the feud was buried with the two lovers.

Quikie Writie

How do the desires, fears, and hopes expressed by Romeo and Juliet represent the desires, fears, and hopes experienced by every human being?
Romeo and Juliet's desires, fears, and hopes are centered primarily around love. They desire to be able to love each other freely; they fear that their love will be shattered; they hope that one day they will never be separated from loving each other. Though not as exaggerated as in Romeo and Juliet, everyone desires to be loved. Love is a powerful figure that holds us together throughout our lives. Without love, life would just be meaningless. As human beings, we are constantly searching for love because it makes us feel significant. We build relationships with people to love and be loved by them. We fear that something will cut off the bond of love. And we hope that someday we will find true love and be able to experience the warmth and joy that it will bring. We hope that nothing will come between the "perfect" love.

Ma Joad

In a crisis, a person’s true colors emerge. The weak are separated from the strong just as strong leaders are from their followers. In the novel The Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family is forced to leave behind their past and head on a long, challenging journey to California in search of a better life. As a result of this crisis, Ma Joad emerges as a controlled, forceful, and an effective family leader showing qualities of selfless authority.

Beginning with the physical description of her appearances, she is pictured as a very strong woman both physically and mentally. “Her hazel eyes seemed to have experienced all possible tragedy” reveals that she has gone through countless adversities throughout her lifetime, giving her the ability to know how to respond under these circumstances. She is the foundation of wisdom and knowledge, and the one the family approaches to when they are in need of guidance. However, though it seems like she has all the answers, deep inside, she is just as scared and confused.

The way she hides her feelings and emotions efficiently demonstrate that she is self-controlled. If she acts as if everything is all right, the family assumes everything is fine. Yet when she shows weakness or fragility, the family does not know how to respond. Even the slightest tear as she stroked Tom's cheek made him hesitant. When she saw that he was almost frightened, she snapped back into reality turning back into the “tough” figure.

Another vital quality of Ma is her determination and love for the family. The grey cloth she wore that was once filled with colorful flowers reveals her selfless love for the family. She is more concerned about taking care of the needs of the rest of the members than her own desires.

Ma Joad plays a big role of being the strongest supporter of the family. She is the matriarch, and the back-bone of the family holding them from falling apart. She proves to everyone that she is the true leader, and the family will not be able to survive without her aid. If Ma were to collapse, the same will happen to the family.

Whose the blame?

Whose fault was the result of Mercutio’s death? I think the majority of the blame goes onto Romeo. Even though his bizarre love for Juliet may have been an attempt to cool it off with Tybalt, he should have better known how Mercutio would have reacted. What are best friends for?? And even when Mercutio challenged Tybalt, Romeo could have just stayed out of the way! In fact he could have joined Mercutio and use his crazy fighting skills to knock Tybalt unconscious instead of killing him. That way no one would have died. Romeo’s stepping in the way not only got his dear friend stabbed painfully but also die in embarrassment. Plus when Mercutio did die, Romeo killed Tybalt anyway! If Romeo had not been so drugged by love, perhaps he would have been able to think more straight. Stupid Romeo.

Tybalt Obituary

Tybalt, 17 of Verona, Italy, died Wednesday morning, June 6, 1365 after an intense dual sword fight between a Montague. A funeral service will be held at 6:00PM Friday by the Capulet's backyard.

Though Tybalt died at a young age, he was a respected member of the Capulet family, loved by both Lord and Lady Capulet and his cousin Juliet. When it came to defending his family’s pride and honor, there was no better candidate as him. He was an excellent fighter, always stepping out to protect his family even under dangerous circumstances. His death could have resulted from the hostility between his family and their prolonged arch-enemy, the Montagues. Perhaps he wouldn’t have gone through this if it hadn’t been for the feud between the two families. He will always be remembered and to honor his life’s long contributions, please make a short visit to his funeral. That will be much appreciated. No Montagues allowed.

Romeo, Oh Romeo, Wherefore art thou Romeo?

Act II Scene ii could be seen as one of the famous scenes of Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet. It is commonly known as the "Balcony Scene" because Juliet appears on a small balcony outside her bedroom window, and exchanges words, expresses true love with Romeo who is standing below in her father's orchard. The scene is famous for its moving and vivid images used to express the “forbidden love” between two people of contrasting nature. Shakespeare’s use of diction, syntax and other narrative devices further enhance the emotions expressed by two lovers who are desperately in love, added with the atmospheric nature of passion and secrecy.

Diction illustrated in the passage shows the difference in the emotional state of Romeo and Juliet. Juliet expresses her fear of what will happen to Romeo if he is seen. Words such as “death” and “murder” shows her practical concern for Romeo and the danger he is in. Unlike Romeo, her words are very direct: “How cam’st thou hither, tell me, and wherefore?”; “if they do see thee, they will murder thee.” We can sense the anxiety and nervousness in her voice. On the other hand, Romeo could care less about death or danger. His attention is solely upon Juliet and his dying love for her. He is more concerned about expressing his true feeling using extravagant words: “With love’s light wings did I o’eroerch these walls,” “And but thou love me, let them find me here.” The fact that their families are enemies and the forbidden nature of their relationship adds further passion and the excitement of their “secretive” affair.

The syntax of the characters helps extend the secretive mood of the scene. Juliet’s sentences are portrayed with short and choppy questions which convey deep fear embedded in her. She is afraid that once this “secretive mood” is broken, Romeo will either get hurt or die. Her nervousness urge her to question using concise sentences that are short and right to the point. Contrariwise, Romeo’s speaks in long, flowing, poetic sentences. He has too much to say and he finds that simple words won’t satisfy his fervent love towards her. His poetic words are filled with passion, so beautiful and ardent. Shakespeare's use of blank verse also adds to the poetic love in which the iambic pentameter contributes.

Diction and syntax does not fully reveal and develop the mood of the scene. To utilize more depth and elation to the secretive mood, Shakespeare adds imagery and figurative languages such as personification, simile and metaphors which add to the romantic ambiance. Metaphors such as “with love’s light wings did I o’erperch these walls;/ For stony limits cannot hold love out,” shows the euphoric love of Romeo and his determination. He uses personification in order to show how love “prompted” him to inquire and lend him “counsel” in order to find Juliet. The metaphoric “night cloak” gives a sense of hope and protection from becoming exposed. Darkness works for their benefit for it does the job of hiding them from destruction.

The scene is filled with moods of passion and secrecy of a forbidden love. As Romeo and Juliet pour their love for each other in their own unique manners, we see how pure and true their love is. Nothing will pull them apart even if it means death. The scene almost foreshadows the consequences of the fate which will be brought upon them. Shakespeare’s excellent use of diction, syntax, and narrative devices are main components which crafted this beautiful, exotic scene of youthful ardor and intimacy of secretive and yet innocent love.

WANTED!
“fruit picking slaves”
Come to California!

WORK FOR OUTRAGEOUSLY

LOW WAGES!

The more desperate your situation, the more likely you are to get a job!

If you work for us, you won't worry about income tax because 20 cents a day that I pay you is lower than the allowance I give my son!

No More College

Did I just say life without college would be fabulous? Yup, that’s what I said. I repeat- No college equals pure happiness. Who would have ever known?
First of all, it is just not worth the effort. I mean think about the lost quality time with the television and Facebook! I mean seriously, would you prefer spending hours reading lame books and writing papers over F-a-c-e-b-o-o-k? You know I’m right. NO ONE wants that.

Second of all, it’s just too expensive and that’s a totally LEGIT argument. For students like me it would cost over $40,000 a year. Are you suggesting cheaper, smaller colleges? And what’s the point of going to schools like that? I’m talking about Ivy League level here. That’s the only place I’ll go. Even it was less than half of the price I wouldn’t dare to waste that money. Instead I can get a much better return on investment by buying a new car, a Louis Vuitton bag, a Gucci wallet and some Christian Dior make-up. I’d even visit Starbucks EVERY day.

Who needs some fancy degree? It’s just a worthless piece of paper. Nobody in my family has one and they seem to be doing just fine. I have some rich relatives somewhere out there. I can pretend as if their house was mine, along with the car I would get. That would work out just fine. I mean that piece of paper doesn’t make me smart. Then why even bother? As long as I know how to add and subtract I should be fine. If Bill Gate’s got no degree still became a billionaire I’d say I can be one too!

$40,000 should be plenty to start a business, and if it closes down for some reason it’s okay. McDonalds always need cooks and for sure and I LOVE cooking. There’s nothing better than flipping burgers all day. It’s so much fun. At least I’ll do something I enjoy than go to dreadful classes and listen to boring lectures. It would be such a waste of money.

Oh how wonderful life will be! The money saved for going to college might even give me the best year. What would I do after that? I'll figure it out then. No need to worry now. Remember the quote about how we should live everyday as if it were our last? Yes, that’s what I’m talking about. Who cares about the future?