Huck Finn Reflection

Well we just finished up Huck Finn in Lang so I figured I would (voluntarily and not as an assignment for my AP Lang class...) blog a reflection on the American classic.

Huck Finn was a great novel. I couldn't help but fall in love with Huck. Sure he seems bad at first -joining gangs doesn't always make the best first impression- but as the story moves along you find out that he has a real set of morals and values. I think what was so enticing about Huck was his innocence. We as the readers discover the world just as he does, new and free from preconceived biases. With each decision Huck comes upon we get an objective view and see how each interaction shapes Huck's values. This allows the reader to not only travel along the plot's progression, but also along Huck's moral progression as he begins to decide what he really values. As a reader I ended up rooting for Huck (with my amazing cheer leading skillz), hoping he would make the right decisions.

I knew the book was written as a satire, but I struggled to find it (unless you find abusive parents, neglected slaves and family feuds humorous) when I first began the book. The satire really picked up when Huck meets the conmen as they scam people off and steal their inheritance. The climax was definitely freeing Jim as Tom -not exactly the smartest cookie in the world- managed to reduce the escape to utter insanity. As I look back i realize that the book was also a satire on slavery. Jim was free the whole time and yet he was still dressed up like an Arab, bitten by snakes, hunted down by the town all while having his escape prolonged by days and almost becoming an amputee! Silliness aside, I think Twain does this to point out that Jim -who ends up giving up his freedom to save Tom- is just as human as anybody else, and the fact that he could be subordinated was perhaps even more absurd than the whole novel itself.

Overall I really enjoyed Huck Finn. I really became attached to the characters and the novel had touching ending. (Shout out to my 3 Russian viewers привет!!) 

TED(dy bear) Talk

Being the nerd I am I was instantly drawn to the TED talks about video games. In my video Gabe Zichermann talked about how video games may actually be making us smarter and how they should be integrated into society.

Zichermann's main argument was that video games and "gamification" are the future of education. Zichermann starts off with a picture of the Atari, the first major video game console. He takes the audience on a trip through history as he brings them through the evolution of games to the current "G generation". Zicherman uses his visual aids to show, not just tell his points. He displays the first and final levels of Plants vs. Zombies to show how games evolve and teach players. He shows the audience funny pictures to provide some comic relief and keep them interested. Zichermann's argument is complemented by his streamline power point. The text is short and to the point. The questions are aimed to get the audience thinking as he moves along with his presentation. The power point catches the audience's eyes and gets them focused as he simultaneously bombarded them with the benefits of "gamification", the use of games to entertain and educate others. He, like an expert presenter, uses this principle in his own presentation as he fills his power point with flashy games and pictures meant to entertain the audience, like games. By visually stimulating the audience he creates a positive feedback loop just like in a video game where the audience is hooked on the presentation. The seemingly impotent pictures and colours actually play a powerful role, keeping his audience engaged and excited about his presentation. It is through these visual aids that Zichermann backs up his argument.

Zicherman began his presentation with the old and subsequently ends with the new. He points to the future and puts it in the audience's hands. It is up to us as a society and a community to shape our future. Games will undoubtedly shape the youth of today. The only question is how.