Jacob Bersabal Advanced English Seminar Reading 206-246 Group 4
Steamboats The passage briefly mentions steamboats and various steamboat related incidents, how they would sometimes be prone to exploding or wrecking. A steamboat explosion becomes part of Huck’s lie to the Sawyer family. The truth was, steamboat accidents weren’t that infrequent…they happened almost regularly. In fact, in just the first 40 years following the introduction of the steamboat in 1807, it is estimated that upwards of 500 steamboats were lost to accidents with a death toll of nearly 4,000 people. So frequent were the steamboat accidents and sinkings that the average lifespan of a steamboat was only four to five years. Lest we not forget, the majority of people travelling up or down the Mississippi travelled by steamboat and were thus prone to this danger.
These steamboats, however dangerous, become an icon of the South. They were (and still are) iconic symbols of high class southern life. If we look back at Mickey Mouse, he started as Steamboat Willie. Do the lyrics; “Big wheel keep on turnin’, proud Mary keep on burning, rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river” ring a bell? They are from a famous song done by Creedance Clearwater Revival about the steamboat ‘Mary Elizabeth’.
Jacob Bersabal
Advanced English Seminar
Huckberry Finn
Discussion Director
Pages 171-206
What do you think of the "King" and the "Duke"?
Do you find their methods very underhanded?
What did you think about Jim recalling his family? (Did you find some of it disturbing?)
What was the entire "Sick Arab—but harmless when not out of his head" thing about? Or what did you think it was about when you first read it?
Who exactly is Mary Jane?
What is the signifigance of the Wilks family?
The stories behind the $6000 is interesting, isn't it?
What do you think Mark Twain was trying to teach us in the chapters about the King and Duke and the Wilks family?
Has your opinion of any of the characters changed since first reading about the Duke, Dauphin, Huck or Jim? Also, what do you think of the people of Arkansaw? Do they differ from any of the people described earlier in the book?
How has Huck grown or changed since the beginning of the passage? Has he learned anything about treachery or greed since that seems to be a recurring theme in this section of the reading?
F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on September 1896. He was born to his father, Edward, who was a failed manufacturor of wicker furniture and to his mother, Mary, who was the daughter of wealthy wholesale grocers in St. Paul. He attended a Catholic prep school from 1911 to 1913 and become a member of Princeton class in 1917. He discovered he had talent for the literary arts and wrote scripts and lyrics. During 1917, he also joined the military. Before he could be shipped out the armistice was enacted and world war one ended. (University of South Carolina) Fitzgerald felt that his chance at becoming a great war hero, and thus a great and memorable person in general had alluded him. The concept of seeking fame (or a 'grail' of sorts) would be a recurrant theme throughout his entire life. He met a young Zelda Sayre in 1918 who he would be cited as calling his 'golden girl'. She would become a prominent influence within his writings throughout his life. They would become engaged in 1919 and in order to keep Zelda's ever extravagant interests, Fitzgerald would move to New York in order to seek fortune. Although Fitzgerald brought in commendable revenue from his successful advertising business, Zelda would break off the engagement. He eventually quit his job and went back to St. Paul in order to work on his first novel 'This Side of Paradise'. The novel would later go on to great success and make the author, Fitzgerald, just as successful and famous. With his salary up to par, Zelda married Fitzgerald in 1920. He later wrote 'The Beautiful and the Damned' as well as had a stint writing articles and short pieces for various media outlets. In 1924, the couple went to France and Fitzgerald began work on arguably his most famous (and some argue, best) novel, The Great Gatsby. The novel was a commentary of the flapper and post-flapper times and differences between the eastern and western coast cultures during the 1920's and early 1930's set in the outter parts of New York City. However, one character in particular strikes a remarkable resemblence to his creator. This character being Gatsby, a dominent character in the book and the character the novel is named after. Gatsby, or Jay Gatz, is portrayed as a very eccentric member of the community and resides, with the narrator, Nick Carraway as his next door neighbor. The both live on a peninsula outside of New York called the West Egg. This 'egg' is in stark contrast with the East Egg and the culture differences between the two eggs play a major part of the overall story and message of the novel.
We are going to focus on Gatsbys similarity to his creator, Fitzgerald. As if many aspects of Jay Gatsby are autobiographical of Fitzgerald. The characters that surround Gatsby in the novel are also very representative of various figures in Fitzgeralds life.
Gatsby was born to a poor farming family from the midwest that was destined for obscurity. Fitzgerald, although better off than Gatsby, was born to a similar fate.
Precipitate: The chemical process of precipitation is when a solid is produced from a chemical reaction in a solution. The solid left behind is called the precipitate while any liquid left above is called the supernate. The most common example of this process is with water and evaporation. When water evaporates into the atmosphere it leaves behind all other components in the solution (i.e. salts, minerals, organic material, etc). The components left behind are the precipitate of this process.
Salinity and Parts Per Thousand: The salinity of water refers to the dissolved salt content of the water. This is usually measured in parts per million. So if the salinity of a certain sample of water contains thirty five parts per million. This means that there will be thirty five pounds of salt per one thousand pounds of water.
Foraminifera: Foraminifera, or forams, are singled-celled protists covered in a shell called a test. These shells are often chambered, which allows for the animal to grow. The shell may be made of organic material, or pieces of sediment like sand or other particles. They range in size from 100 micrometers to almost 20 cm in size. The largest of the species have developed a symbiotic relationship with the algae that live inside their test, which they farm and consume for nutrients. Other members of the species feed on smaller organisms such as bacteria and diatoms while others feed on decaying organic matter. http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/foram/foramintro.html
Crustaceans: All crustaceans have an exoskeleton, usually made of proteins and calcium. Members of this family include, but are not limited to, lobsters, crabs, krill, shrimp and barnacles. Most crustaceans, save for the barnacle, have a set of walking legs which are used for mobility. All crustaceans have gills which they use to breathe, although some are capable of walking on land for an extended period of time by preserving moisture within their bodies.
The body of most crustaceans is divided into two segments; the head and the trunk. The trunk contains the thorax and abdomin of the animal. The head usually has a set of mandibles, antennae and maxillae. The gills of the animal are typically located within the protective shell of the animal, giving its vital organs protection against both predators and the sun when the animal is on land.
Crustaceans are usually bottom feeders. Sifting through sands and sediments with their mandibles and searching for nutrients which they can consume. The barnacle uses an appendage that comes form the main shell of the animal which is used to catch floating particles that the animal can consume.
The shell of a crustacean does not grow with the animal itself. This means that the crustacean typically has to molt off its' shell and grow a new, larger one. During the process of molting, the animal is very vulnerable. Although they molt almost their entire lives, most crustaceans molt less and less with age. http://www.oceaninn.com/guides/crustacea.htm
Plankton: Plankton are probably the most important creatures and plants in the water. They are at the bottom of the ecological foodchain and are the base for the food chain. They are strings of organic life such as tiny animals like the larvae of small fish or crustacean and tiny plant life like algaes.
Plankton can be seperated into several groups: Phytoplankton: Which derive their energy from photosynthisis. They are the most abundant type of plankton and usually live near the surface of the water making photosynthisis more effective. Zooplankton: These plankton typically feed on phytoplankton and are living breathing animals. They are usually microscopic in size and can include the larvea of fish, crustaceans and even jellyfish. Bacterioplankton: These plankton are made of tiny bacteria and are an essential part of remineralising organic material that has sunk down into the ocean. Thus making them, along with all the other plankton, producers, consumers and recyclers.
Diatoms: Diatoms are ancient forms of algea and are one of the most common forms of phytoplankton. They thrive on photosynthisis and are thus a food to many many other organisms in the ocean. Their bodies are porous and leftover fossils of ancient diatoms are often mined out by humans for use in filtering various liquids.
Zero Sum-Jakov Vai Bersabal
Propaganda-Jakov Vai Bersabal
&Hearts-Jakov Vai Bersabal
Good Fortune-Lashire
The Steamboat-Lashire
Mutual-Lashire
Hey Joe (Live 2007)-Lashire
Acid-Lashire
Awake-Lashire
A Flower For My Love-Lashire
Panhandling-Lashire
MOTORVATED!-The Concrete Flamingos
Isolate-The Concrete Flamingos
Stop The Rain-The Concrete Flamingos
That plastic little face tells me to stay away
Knowing from the start you'd play your little game
I'll put a lighter to your face and watch it drip away
Then maybe you'll learn that I'm not made of clay
I hate the fair. 8 bit sounds flowing over and inbetween rustic crevices in metal. Everything is discolored and perception blurred. Maybe the ordinarily excusable flaws are only highlighted because they reminds me of my lost lover...or maybe even just myself. Hicks eyes dart for skimpy clothed girls who wear too much makeup. Chasing and beholding a cat and mouse zero sum game. The cheap rides and thrills only complimenting the approaching macabre atmosphere as nightfalls. I hate the fair. I am an outsider. The true culture...or lack thereof...lies in the locals. I am an outsider. I know nothing. I am nothing to them. City slicker. No hayseed. No authority here. The yellow streaks in my hair do not belong here. Here...in this psuedo amusement park of gain and loss. The idea that my lost lover is probably around the next kiosk or building with her new interest makes me want confrontation. Just one person bumping into me the wrong way. And maybe...a justifiable reason to make someones face unrecognizable...but I've already done that. For each face that I pass in this crowd is a story that I will never read. Something I will never know. Each person I see has cried, loved and been happy at some point. Yet, my eyes see a sea of rednecks, psuedos and plastics. My own mind playing tricks on me...causing me to be a bigot...an arrogant bigot in my own mind. Am I enlightened? No. Am I enlightened? Yes. Do I understand? Maybe. Everything is rust colored...even the air. The rides that have been here for years...seemingly eons...are rusting...their colors are unevenly worn. They creak through the screams of happiness and excitement that they hold. Their patrons do not notice, and it's all the better. I hate the fair. At times it seemed to hate me. When I was younger, I would play the games and never win. Never make it to the top of the rock wall while others made it with ease...I would always be a dollar short of something I wanted to buy. My ex-lover will most likely be sharing her sheets later tonight. The imagining of dull heat rising from a pulsating mass of flesh, sweat and fabric makes me cringe. Maybe it's because the fair reminds me of this instead of taking my mind away to other distant lands...it reminds me of everything fake and pre-organized in my life. That this is not a leisure cruise. This is time killing until the next work our. Until the next relationship. Until the next nine to five.
| My Profile
Spay's blogs, last updated : December 15, 2009
