Huck Finn by Mark Twain. Chapter 7

 Huck Finn by Mark Twain. 

Chapter 7

       Huck and Jim were travelling on the river for a LONG time. Jim couldn't wait to reach Cairo, Illinois. When they got there he would be a free man, and he was very excited. Every time he saw a few houses along the shore, he jumped up and said: "That must be Cairo!" But none of those towns were Cairo.                           "Perhaps we went past it that night in the fog," said Muck. Huck wasn't looking forward to getting to Cairo. 'I am helping Jim escape forever' he thought. 'But is it the right thing to do? Jim belongs to the widow Douglas. Should 1 steal him from her?’ Helping a slave escape was wrong. Everybody knew that. Tom Sawyer, Judge Thatcher, his teacher at school, even Pap, - they would all say, "Turn Jim in right now, before it is too late.”

      Jim never suspected that Huck had such thoughts.' You’re the best friend I've ever had, Huck," he said at least once a day. No white man has ever treated me so well."

        But Huck still wondered, 'What should 1 do? What if I'm doing

the wrong thing?'

       Suddenly Jim cried out: "There's another town, Huck! I bet

that's Cairo!"

       "I will take the canoe to the shore and see," said Huck. He began paddling to the shore thinking to himself: I should turn Jim in now.^’ But on his way, two men on a boat stopped him.

        "We're looking for runaway slaves," one said. "Are there any men on that raft?"

"Yes,” said Huck.

"Black or white?" asked the man.

It was the perfect chance to tell about Jim. But the words didn't come.

"White," said Huck.

       "Do you mind if we go see for ourselves?" said the men.

          "Not at all," said Huck. And at the same time he decided. He would help Jim. "Please come with me, because we need somebody to help us take the raft to the shore. Pap is really sick, but every time I ask somebody to help us, they run away," he said.

       "Hey! Why is that?" asked the men. "What's wrong with him.

Huck started crying. "He's got smallpox," he said. "But please,

help me bring the raft ashore!

     "And catch smallpox?" exclaimed the men. "Sorry, son, we aren't going near that raft! But here's forty dollars for you and your pap. Just continue down the river and don't come near us or this town!"

Huck paddled back to the raft. Jim was hiding in the water, terrified. "It's safe to come out now, Jim" said Huck.

         "Wow, Huck, your trick was great!" said Jim when the boy

told him about his conversation with the two men. "Tom Sawyer couldn't do it better!"

       Huck smiled a little. Slave or not, Jim was still his friend.

CHAPTER 7

Comprehension

1. Match the two halves of the sentences below. Write a-f the boxes.

 

1.   Huck was thinking about 2.   Huck met 3.   Jim was hiding 4.   Huck told 5.   The men got 6.   Jim was

a)    two men in a boat. b)    in the water. c)     a lie to help Jim. d)    turning Jim in. e)     frightened and left. f)      safe again.

 

 

2. Choose a,b or c to complete the following sentences.

1.   Huck and Jim were looking for

a.      widow Douglas.

b.      the town of Cairo.

c.      a free man.

2.    The two men on the boat were

a.      trying to hide.

b.      escaped slaves.

c.       looking for runaway slaves.

3.    Huck lied to

a.      the two men.

b.      Jim.

c.       widow Douglas.

4.     Huck lied because

a.       Jim was his friend.

b.      Jim was hiding in the water.

c.       the men gave him forty dollars.

 

Vocabulary

3. Complete the sentences below with the words in the box.

steal   shore   runaway   smallpox   conversation   jump

1.          I had an interesting __________ with my cousin last night.

2.          His grandma lives in a small house by the ________ .

3.          The police caught the____________ prisoner and sent him back to prison.

4.           It is wrong to__________ from a shop.

5.          My dog likes to___________on me when he sees me!

6.         You must take medicine when you have____________ .

4. Find the words or phrases in Chapter 7 which mean the same as:

1.        excellent, very good                                                           

2.         take someone to the police                                                  

3.         not well, ill                                                                          

4.         said loudly                                                                           

5.         very scared                                                                         

Follow-up activities

5. Discuss.

1. Jim wants to be free. Is it important for everyone to be free?

2.          Jim is black and Huck is white. Do young people think the colour of your skin is important when making new friends?

Why? / Why not?

3.           When Huck says that Pap is very sick the two men go away. Was this the right thing to do? Why? / Why not?

4.           Will Jim and Huck manage to get to a place where they can be free?

6. Imagine that you are one of the men on the boat that met Huck. Write a letter to the police informing them about the incident. (60-80 words)