Analysis of an Archive

Protest or revolutionary literature is the culmination of social, political, intellectual and economical information that results in the evocation of emotion and inspires change. The University of Iowa’s Digital Library categorizes the diaries and letters written to and from soldiers during World War II. Although the Nazi Germany attacked Poland in 1939 and began the second world war, the United States did not enter World War II until December 8, 1941.

The collection of diaries and letters are intended to be used mainly for academic purposes.

The letters and diaries written at this time reveal the thoughts and emotions that often were not expressed publically for fear of societal rejection. Although the war ended nearly 74 years ago, the archive is relevant to modern political controversies. However, today we communicate through forms such as texting, email, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat.

Textual Analysis: An Excerpt

Protest literature is the culmination of social, political, intellectual and economical information that results in the evocation of emotion and inspires change. Written in 1883, Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn reflect the American society’s ongoing battle of law and morality. The story’s main character, Huckleberry Finn, and his newfound pal, Jim, seek freedom down the Mississippi. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn  is told from Huck’s point of view and takes place in the south twenty years before the civil war.

Because the story is set before the civil war, readers must note that slavery is still a huge part of the economy at this time. As a child of a low socioeconomic status, Huck spends the majority of his time analyzing the morality of slavery and with it, racism.

Huckleberry Finn grew up in a racist society, and as a result, he too finds himself making derogatory remarks. One of the most remarkable aspects of this work is that the term all is used more frequently than any other word. The word all is extremely inclusive – referring to slaves and civilians. Contrastingly, the word one is frequently used in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. By looking at the most frequently used terms in the text, readers might assume that this novel is an easy one to read; however, the slang as seen in the quote above can be challenging to decipher. The majority of the text is spent with Huckleberry Finn who, as mentioned previously, is of a low socioeconomic status and Jim who is a slave. Jim’s name is mentioned 332 times in the story, so it is clear that he is one of the central characters in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.