Tuesday

 Today we are going finish the novel and then we'll discuss the book as a whole and outline episode 9.

Tomorrow we start reviewing for the test (which will be on Thursday). There is a vocabulary quiz on Friday and next week we begin Persuasion.

Huck Discussion Questions XXXI - XXXV

1. Would you say that Chapter 31 represents the climax of the novel? Why or why not?

2. Huck says, "All right, then, I'll go to hell." Explain the irony in that statement.

3. Discuss the symbolism of the imagery at the beginning of Chapter 32.

4. Discuss Huck's understanding of Providence (215)? Would Miss Watson agree?

5. How does Twain use irony in the discussion between Huck and Mrs. Phelps about the "steamboat accident."

6. One of the recurring themes becomes apparent when Huck discovers that the Phelps are expecting Tom Sawyer. Which theme comes to mind and why?

7. Huck and Tom both agree to help Jim escape; however, their motives are different. Explain.

8. "...and as they went by I see they had the king and duke astraddle of a rail - that is, I knowed it WAS the king and the duke, though they was all over tar and feathers. ...Well it made me sick to see it; and I was sorry for them poor pitiful rascals. ...Human beings CAN be cruel to one another" (225). Comment. What does this reveal about Huck's character?

9. Discuss the irony in Tom's reaction to the stealing of the watermelon.

10. Why does Huck let Tom take control?


Huck Discussion XXXVI-XXXIX - Written Assignment

Directions: Please write a minimum of three paragraphs on the following topic. Supply evidence from Chapters 35 - 39 to support your answer. Think carefully about your answer.
Twain criticizes the Romantics. The Romantics based their literature on the conviction that imagination and emotion were superior to reason. You will recall that in Chapters 12 & 13, Twain names the wrecked steamboat The Walter Scott after a Romantic author, metaphorically relating it to the demise of Romanticism. Obviously, Twain was not a fan of Romantic fiction.

The Question: How was Twain's disdain for Romantic fiction evident in Chapters 36-39?
Hint - Think about:
1. Tom's character as symbolic of the Romantic;
2. how Huck has changed since Tom arrived;
3. the practicality of the plans for Jim's escape;
4. the consideration for Jim's welfare in these plans.

Huck Discussion Questions XL-Chapter the Last

1. What do we learn about Jim in these chapters?

2. What effect does the Doctor's speech in support of Jim have? How do you feel about that?

3. What is the significance of the bullet?

4. Where is Huck going at the end of the novel? What does this imply about his view of the world in which he lives?

5. Comment on the style of the novel. Do you feel it represents the Realist tradition as we have discussed it? What aspects of Huck's character make him a good narrator? What problems did you encounter (if any) due to Huck's narration? Speculate on how a different narrator or a third person omniscient narrator would impact the story. 

 

By the end of the novel students will be able to

1)    Define realism, satire, dialect, antihero, unreliable narrator, irony (situational, dramatic, and verbal), episodic plot, romanticism, dramatic foils, hyperbole, motif, picaresque novel, parable, sarcasm, simile, metaphor, oxymoron, allegory, euphemism, bildungroman

2)    Pick out examples of symbols, irony and dialect

3)    Example the meaning of at least one major symbol

4)    Discuss how Huck is both an unreliable narrator and an antihero

5)    Discuss how Huckleberry Finn, the novel, fits both a bildungsroman and picaresque novel

6)    Give examples of and discuss the following motifs in the book: superstition, parodies of previous literature (romantic novels and Shakespeare), the adopting of personas (or reinventing self), childhood games, religion, lies and cons, death, and perhaps one or two others that I will bring up in class

7)    Be out to pick out and example five – ten allusions

8)    Outline the plot according to the six elements

9)    Break up the book into three sections or three movements (and briefly explain each movement)

10) Break up the book into 9 episodes

11) Give a list of characters in the book with a brief description of each and their general purpose in the novel

12) Compare and Contrast Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer

13) Discuss the idea of and the historical reference of Family Feuds

14) Discuss the different types of conflict found in Huckleberry Finn

15) Discuss how Mark Twain uses allusions to back up his major themes and develop his characters

16)   Keep a list of Huckleberry Finns stories and pranks

17) Discuss how Huckleberry Finn is honest in dishonest world

18) Briefly explain the following themes: Racism and Slavery, Intellectual and Moral Education, The hypocrisy of society (appearance vs. reality), conflict between the individual and society, the quest for freedom (both freedom away from society and freedom within society), superstition vs religion, death and rebirth, coming of age and the hero’s journey, the concept of family, the role of the outsider, the nature and the significance of the following traits: gullibility, ignorance, and naivety, tolerance vs. prejudice. 

19) Define and use various vocabulary words that appear in the book

20) Develop a project based on some aspect of the novel.

21) Answer study questions as you read.

THEMES:

 

Major Themes: Mark Twain described the major theme of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as an irony: "A sound heart and a deformed conscience come into collision and conscience suffers defeat." We can define the "deformed conscience" as a conscience influenced by the laws of society and a sense of duty toward those laws. The laws of society at the time of Huck's journey considered people of African descent as property and, therefore, less than human. Huck's struggle with his "deformed conscience" represents a major conflict in the novel. Furthermore, the novel is rich in common themes, themes that we will discover in many other pieces of literature.

1. The conflict between the individual and society - Huck's struggle with his "deformed conscience"
2. The conflict between the emotional and the rational
3. Appearance vs. reality - hypocrisy and "phoniness"
4. Superstition - as a method of explaining and understanding
5. Tolerance vs. prejudice
6. Dehumanization - dehumanizing human beings to oppress them
7. Death and rebirth
8. Coming of age - the hero's journey
9. The role of the outsider
10. The nature and significance of the following human traits: gullibility, ignorance and naivete

Other significant themes include: the feeling of loneliness and isolation; the quest for freedom; romantic vs. real; implied vs. literal; the role of women; the concept of family.  

NOTES:

Picarsque Novel: Usually a satirical novel which depicts in realistic detail the adventures of a roguish hero of low social class who survives by his or her wits in a corrupt society.

Bildungsroman: A novel whose principal subject is the moral, psychological and intellectual development of a youthful main character.

Episodic Plot: A structure that features distinct episodes or a series of stories linked together by the same character. Huck Finn can be broken up into 8 or 9 episodes.

Romanticism:
Work of literature that deal with imagination, that represent ideals of life, these works often include fantastic adventure stories, spiritual connections with nature, gothic stories of the fantastic. Authors include: Sir Walter Scott, Fenimore Cooper, Poe.

Realism:
Works of literature that depict life and people as they really appear. Hence Realistic.
Themes include corruption of society as a whole, racism.

Anithero:
A protagonist who doesn't fit the traditional description of a hero.

Persona:
An assumed identity or character.

Satire:
A work of literature that uses irony and hyperbole to attack and mock some aspect of society as a way to promote social change.