Huck and Humor

Well, I'm slow to start, and it will take longer than I anticipated. That's what I get for getting myself into finals and starting classes at the same time. Double assigned reading and studying leaves little time for leisure. It's going to take longer, but that's okay.

So, want to know why Huck Finn is on Time's list of Greatest Books of All Time?

It is hilarious.

Mark Twain illustrates the time period and makes social commentaries with humor. (I honestly think humor is why Reagan is idolized, but we won't get into politics at this point.) If there is an author who comes close to the wit and humor of Mark Twain in our current society, please point me that way.

I am rediscovering why humor, rather than criticism, is a better way to comment on behaviors or ideologies that I don't understand or agree with. If done tastefully, it produces a good laugh and understanding rather than a scoff and continued ignorance.

Another take away from recent reading: word choice and description matter in communication. I laughed as I read how Miss Watson told Huck about the "good place" where all you did was walk around and play a harp all day. She had a fit when Huck said he would just as well go to the bad place because, he thought to himself, at the time he would just as well go anywhere really and Miss Watson didn't think Tom Sawyer was going to the good place and Huck wanted to be where Tom was.