In the beginning of the Third Quarter, we read The Smell of Other People's Houses. It's such an interesting book where we can explore each main characters deeply on every chapters. Even though I only read two chapters of these books, since I need to make a comparison essay of two characters. But, I suggest you to read the whole story if you can! Here's attached the document to my essay. Hope you enjoy my essay!
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Freedom is something that people glorify and look for during their lifetime. For achieving and feeling free, people would do anything, as long as they could get the title of freedom itself. For teenagers, freedom is when they finally receive the diploma and can live outside the home. For a group of people in colonial times, freedom is independence. Or maybe for some people, freedom means they can simply do what they want. For me, freedom is when I can go out from my comfort zone, and do a couple things that I can’t do in my comfort zone. So did Huck Finn and Jim in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. They were finding freedom for their life. I may be not as brave as Huck, who ran away from home and faking his death, even though he was still 14. I wasn’t in Jim position too, as a slave that ran away from his mistress. But still, they were not that free after they ran. Lots of risks they took, even the longest trip in the river to Cairo, just for a simple word: freedom. With some important thing that I should tell you, that they were like sky and earth. Huck was the white cloud in the sky, despite being only from the lowest social class. While Jim who was the land, could never reach the sky. But Twain was delighted to make them meet in the river. I started to like the book when they met. They had the same background, run away people; and the same goal, to run for freedom. They locked in the same situation. Twain’s book reminds me of what is happening in my life now. I am a freedom seeker, away from my home for an exchange year, and completely locked with this different world for a year. As I seek my freedom, sometimes I don’t realize that I reject some new things that feel too strange for me. Once Huck tricked Jim in a fog, but after tricking Jim, Huck still has a piece of humanity in his mind: "It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger; but I done it, and I warn’t ever sorry for it afterwards, neither. I didn’t do him no more mean tricks, and I wouldn’t done that one if I’d a knowed it would make him feel that way.” See how Huck didn’t feel sorry for what he’d done to Jim, because of that difference. Somehow, I get the turning point in my life, when faced with the difference that connects with what I believe and I hold. But I know that this is the part of adapting to a new environment. So, I try to understand and not directly push away everything; I embrace the good differences slowly. Being in a whole new world also makes me meet a lot of people. At any point, I can feel strange, feel too different with people. But everything takes time. And as a social creature, whoever in same place and situation for me, they will be my friends –even best friends or family. I realize that this also happened with Huck: “Well, I warn’t long making him understand I warn’t dead. I was ever so glad to see Jim. I warn’t lonesome now. I told him I warn’t afraid of HIM telling the people where I was.” As I can relate myself to this story, I would say that this is an excellent book to read. The accents were confusing, but it’s worth to read. Huck Finn and Jim will also remind you of your life, make you think again about your choices, your struggles, and have fun on adventures. Nothing I can say except that Twain was superb!
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Edited by Thomas Cooley, 3rd ed., New York, W.W Norton & Company, 1999. Norton Critical Edition. |
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