"Oh, yes, this is a wonderful govment, wonderful. Why, looky here. There was a free nigger there from Ohio—a mulatter, most as white as a white man. He had the whitest shirt on you ever see, too, and the shiniest hat; and there ain't a man in that town that's got as fine clothes as what he had; and he had a gold watch and chain, and a silver-headed cane—the awfulest old gray-headed nabob in the State. And what do you think? They said he was a p'fessor in a college, and could talk all kinds of languages, and knowed everything. And that ain't the wust. They said he could vote when he was at home. Well, that let me out. Thinks I, what is the country a-coming to? It was 'lection day, and I was just about to go and vote myself if I warn't too drunk to get there; but when they told me there was a State in this country where they'd let that nigger vote, I drawed out. I says I'll never vote agin. Them's the very words I said; they all heard me; and the country may rot for all me—I'll never vote agin as long as I live. And to see the cool way of that nigger—why, he wouldn't a give me the road if I hadn't shoved him out o' the way. I says to the people, why ain't this nigger put up at auction and sold?—that's what I want to know. And what do you reckon they said? Why, they said he couldn't be sold till he'd been in the State six months, and he hadn't been there that long yet. There, now—that's a specimen. They call that a govment that can't sell a free nigger till he's been in the State six months. Here's a govment that calls itself a govment, and lets on to be a govment, and thinks it is a govment, and yet's got to set stock-still for six whole months before it can take a hold of a prowling, thieving, infernal, white-shirted free nigger, and—" (Twain 24-25)
In this quote Huck Finn and his father are going to the to court because they are trying to take custody away from his father because he is always drunk and locks his son into a room every night. So they are at court so the judge can decide as they are waiting for their trial to start Huck's dad starts talking about the government and how is it a government when they are trying to take a son away from the father, then talks about how this is a government for letting some people vote and expressing his hatred for the government.
During this time period there was still slavery in America which can tell you a lot about why his father is angry about because back then people of color weren't even considered a whole person. Twain emphasizes the racial and cultural perspectives through the use of the n word that was used as a negative connotation for African Americans during slavery. The multiple uses of the n word can tell use the racial and cultural perspective that his father has towards African american people and that he did not want for them to be treated equally and rather have them not have the same opportunity voting and having the same rights.
In addition Twain uses the n word as the father speaks to show the racial and cultural perspective in that he doesn't want everyone to be equal and that he rather have other people be more privileged than others. It says a lot about the fathers culture and how he had grew up and raised in that he he had supported having slave and thought every slave could have an opportunity to be successful like the man in Ohio did and fought for his rights to vote. It can also tell you a little bit more about the father that when he is in a problem he rather talk about how something else is wrong like he was saying the government then to confront his own problems.
No comments:
Post a Comment