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.