langauge art final

Huckleberry Finn — main purpose

A (coming-of-age novel) told in first person by Huck himself.

Huck Finn — Character

The protagonist; a poor, uneducated boy who rejects society's rules and follows his own moral conscience.

Jim — Character

Miss Watson's enslaved man who escapes and travels with Huck; represents genuine humanity and goodness, contrasting with the hypocritical "civilized" characters.

Huck's Coming of Age

Huck matures by choosing his conscience over society — most notably deciding to help Jim escape even if it means "going to hell."

Twain's (author) Message

Society often says it knows what is right and wrong, but many people still support unfair things like slavery, cruelty, and corruption. Twain shows that people should think for themselves and do what is truly right instead of blindly following society's rules.

The Raft (Symbol)

Represents freedom; on the river, away from civilization, Huck and Jim are equals and free from society's rules.

Pap Finn

Huck's abusive, alcoholic father who kidnaps him; used by Twain to parallel the injustice of slavery — both Huck and Jim are controlled by unjust authority.

The King and Duke

Con men who represent the corruption and self-interest of "civilized" adults; they ultimately sell Jim back into slavery.

Key Plot Event — Huck fakes his death- Beginnig of the story

Huck escapes Pap by faking his own murder and flees to Jackson's Island where he finds Jim.

Key Plot Event — Huck protects Jim- middle of the story

Huck lies to slave hunters to protect Jim — a pivotal moral growth moment where he chooses Jim over society's rules.

Key Plot Event — Huck tears up the letter - Ending

Huck writes a letter turning Jim in, then tears it up saying "All right, then, I'll go to hell" — the climax of his moral development.

Hypocrisy of Civilized Society (Huck Finn)

Characters like Miss Watson and Sally Phelps appear good but own slaves; Twain shows "civilized" people are often the biggest moral failures.

The Yellow Wallpaper — Author & Movement

Written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman; part of the Realism movement.

The Yellow Wallpaper — Protagonist

The unnamed narrator (Jane); a woman suffering from postpartum depression whose physician husband confines her to a room as "treatment."

The Yellow Wallpaper — Message

Critiques the oppression of women — the "rest cure" prescribed by her husband strips her of autonomy and drives her to madness.

The Yellow Wallpaper — Wallpaper Symbol

The wallpaper represents her mental imprisonment; the woman she sees trapped behind it is herself — a woman caged by societal roles.

The Yellow Wallpaper — Ending

She "creeps" around the room having fully lost her mind — a dark outcome of a society that silences and confines women.

The Story of an Hour — Author & Movement

Written by Kate Chopin; part of the Realism movement.

The Story of an Hour — main character main theme

Louise Mallard; a woman with a heart condition who hears her husband has died.

The Story of an Hour — Central Irony

Louise feels joy and freedom at her husband's death — she sees it as liberation, not tragedy.

The Story of an Hour — Message

Marriage stripped women of their independence; Louise's brief taste of freedom reveals how oppressed she truly was.

The Story of an Hour — Twist Ending

Her husband walks in alive; Louise dies of a heart attack. Doctors call it "joy that kills" — but readers understand it was the shock of losing her freedom.

Both Short Stories — Shared Theme

Both critique the oppression of women in the 19th century through protagonists trapped in their marriages and domestic roles.

Both Short Stories — Realism Connection

Both reflect real conditions women faced: lack of autonomy, medical dismissal, and societal pressure to be obedient wives.

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock — Author & Movement

Written by T.S. Eliot; a landmark modernist poem.

Prufrock — Speaker

J. Alfred Prufrock himself; an insecure, middle-aged man paralyzed by self-doubt and fear of judgment.

Prufrock — Main Poetic Device

Allusion — repeated references to Dante's Inferno, Shakespeare's Hamlet, the Bible, and Renaissance art to highlight Prufrock's sense of inadequacy.

Prufrock — Repetition Device

"There will be time" is repeated throughout, reflecting his procrastination and anxiety; he keeps delaying action.

Prufrock — Message

Modern life creates alienation and paralysis; the "overwhelming question" he can never ask represents the modern individual's inability to connect or act meaningfully.

Prufrock — Key Line

"I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be" — he sees himself as a minor, unimportant character in his own life.

Prufrock — Modernism Connection

The poem is fragmented, stream-of-consciousness, and urban; it reflects modernism's themes of alienation, lost tradition, and identity crisis.

To Kill a Mockingbird — Author & Setting

Written by Harper Lee; set in Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930s Great Depression.

Scout Finch — Character

The narrator and protagonist; begins as an innocent 6-year-old who gradually learns about racial injustice and moral courage.

Jem Finch — Character

Scout's older brother (age 10–13); loses his childhood innocence when the jury convicts Tom Robinson despite his clear innocence.

Atticus Finch — Character

The moral center of the novel; a lawyer who defends Tom Robinson knowing he'll lose, modeling true courage and empathy.

Tom Robinson — Character

A Black man falsely accused of raping Mayella Ewell; his conviction despite his obvious innocence represents the injustice of racism.

Boo Radley — Character

A reclusive neighbor feared by the children; ultimately revealed as a kind protector — represents the theme of not judging others without understanding them.

TKAM — Coming of Age Theme

Scout and Jem begin with childhood innocence and end with a painful understanding of racism, injustice, and the complexity of human nature.

TKAM — Harper Lee's Message

Moral courage means doing what's right even when you'll lose; racism and prejudice corrupt justice and destroy innocent people (like "mockingbirds").

Mockingbird Symbol

Mockingbirds represent innocence — killing one is a sin. Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are both "mockingbirds" destroyed or threatened by a cruel society.

Key Plot Event — Tom Robinson Trial

Despite overwhelming evidence of innocence, Tom is convicted because the jury is all white; the moment Jem loses his faith in justice.

Key Plot Event — Bob Ewell attacks

Bob Ewell attacks Scout and Jem after the trial; Boo Radley saves them, killing Ewell. Scout finally meets Boo, completing her coming-of-age.

TKAM — Empathy Theme

Atticus tells Scout to "climb into someone's skin and walk around in it" — understanding others' perspectives is the path to justice and growth.

Literary Device — Allusion

A reference to another text, person, or event without explaining it (e.g., Prufrock references Hamlet and Dante).

Literary Device — Symbolism

An object that represents a deeper idea (e.g., the raft = freedom in Huck Finn; yellow wallpaper = mental imprisonment).

Literary Device — Irony

When what happens is the opposite of what's expected (e.g., Louise's "joy that kills" in Story of an Hour).

Literary Device — coming of age

A coming-of-age story in which the protagonist matures through experience (Huck Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird).

Literary Device — Stream of Consciousness

Narration that follows a character's unfiltered thoughts (used in The Yellow Wallpaper and Prufrock).

Literary Device — First-Person Narration

Story told from the "I" perspective of a character inside the story (Huck Finn, Yellow Wallpaper).

Realism (Literary Movement)

A late 19th-century movement depicting everyday life truthfully, including social problems and ordinary people (Chopin, Gilman).

Modernism (Literary Movement)

An early 20th-century movement rejecting traditional forms; uses fragmentation, stream of consciousness, and themes of alienation (T.S. Eliot).

Essay Support

Use specific examples from the text (character actions, plot events) — no quotes required, but details are necessary.

Essay — Coming of Age Prompt

Be ready to argue how Huck or Scout (or both) mature through their experiences and what that reveals about society's flaws.