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Continuing Huck

Continuing Huck. Cognitive Dissonance, Morality, and Huck’s Decision. Cognitive Dissonance. Twain uses Huck as a master satiric voice; but he also uses the idea of cognitive dissonance Definition: The feeling of discomfort accompanied by holding two contradictory ideas at once. Freewrite.

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Continuing Huck

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  1. Continuing Huck Cognitive Dissonance, Morality, and Huck’s Decision

  2. Cognitive Dissonance • Twain uses Huck as a master satiric voice; but he also uses the idea of cognitive dissonance • Definition: The feeling of discomfort accompanied by holding two contradictory ideas at once

  3. Freewrite • Nobody wants to be in an abusive relationship. But people continue to be in them. This is a form of cognitive dissonance. How do people deal with this?

  4. CD Examples • Dieting • Relationships • Unemployed boyfriend • Unstable/abusive boyfriend • Office supplies from work • Premarital sex

  5. Cognitive Dissonance and Racism • If you accept that “other” people are human persons, then you’re essentially arguing for their equality • But this means you can’t treat them as less than human – but people did, and people do

  6. Dealing with racist cognitive dissonance • How do people deal with this? • Option one: Convince yourself that your ideas and actions aren’t actually treating them as unequal • Segregation • Option two: Convince yourself, consciously or unconsciously, that you are indeed somehow better than people of a specific race • “They’re human too, but more prone to theft, etc.”

  7. Huck’s Racism? • What about Huck? Does he recognize Jim’s humanity? • Yes! (Read end of chapter 23) • Is Huck racist? Does he disagree with slavery? • Yes and no! (read the book) • So he is involved in cognitive dissonance: • On the one hand, he recognizes Jim’s humanity • But on the other hand, he is OK with slavery

  8. Climax of Cognitive Dissonance in Huck • Psychologically speaking, you can’t be involved in cognitive dissonance for too long – you either “correct” the problem, or go crazy • Where do we see this cognitive dissonance (this feeling of discomfort) coming to a climax? (Hint: In some ways, it’s also the climax of the novel.)

  9. Why the Dissonance? Society • On the one hand, Huck has society’s morals, and everything they have taught him: slavery is OK; helping a slave is wrong; you go to hell for doing bad things • But on the other hand, we see that Huck, even if unconsciously, wants to help Jim because he is a person and friend

  10. Huck’s Decision • He resolves this by rejecting society’s morals: ripping up the letter, saying he’d go to hell, etc.

  11. Twain’s Points • So what is Twain saying to his times? • You can’t recognize others’ humanity while involving yourself in racist practices • You can step outside of your society’s morality and recognize morals more important

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