American Lit; Unit 5; Huck Finn

American Lit; Huck Finn, Shopify

 American Lit; "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,": 51 pages; 22,352 words; visuals

Caution!  Huck Finn is one of the most controversial books in American history.  Be sure to preview the 60 Minutes report on the "N" word before starting the unit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW9-qee1m9o





It is always easy to determine right from wrong.

Agree? Disagree?

Evidence:
• First piece of evidence:
• Second:
• Third:


It is never okay to lie.

Agree? Disagree?

Evidence:
• First:
• Second:
• Third:
Adventure stories don’t teach us anything.

Agree? Disagree?

Evidence:
• First:
• Second:
• Third:

Superstitions are silly.

Agree? Disagree?

Evidence:
• First:
• Second:
• Third:







Themes
Race
Change shmange. Huck Finn is just as racist at the end of the novel as he is at the beginning.

Huck totally learns his lesson over the course of the novel, and he comes out the other end much more tolerant.

Morality
In his struggle to come to terms with society's rules and laws, Huck ends up defining his own (correct) set of moral beliefs.

While plenty of characters struggle through moral dilemmas, Jim is the only truly moral character in the story.

Rules and Order
Tom's ridiculous rules of adventure seem childish, but they're no more absurd than southern morality in general.

Despite his misgivings, Huck is ultimately unable to define a new system of behavior separate from that of the South.

Lies and Deceit
At first, Huck enjoys making things up. Through observing the duke and king, he eventually comes to realize the negative aspects of deceit.

Huck's stories involve elaborate descriptions of parents and siblings, and so they display his longing for a real family.

Religion
Religion gets in the way of Huck's developing friendship with Jim.

Twain presents religion as universally bad. Even the "good" religious characters, like Aunt Sally or the Widow Douglas, are small-minded slave-owners.


Friendship
The self-serving friendship acts as a foil to the selfless friendship between Huck and Jim.

Huck and Jim's friendship isn't actually a real friendship; it's always affected by Jim's race.
Man and the Natural World
Huck may like being outside, but in the end he prefers the civilized world of family and home.

Family
Huck's journey along the river and the tales he tells about family are all part of his search for the perfect home. But he finds the entire familial system so flawed that he gives up and heads west at the end of the novel.

Huck's search for the perfect family ends in his realization that he already has a perfect family in his friends.

Youth
Huck’s friendship with Jim is made possible only by the naiveté and malleability of Huck’s youth.

Foolishness and Folly
Although he doesn't mind the civilized world when he's there, Huck rThe foolishness of "the mob" in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn serves as a parallel to the folly of the whole of Southern culture for its beliefs on slavery.

"Foolishness" with regards to intellect is inversely proportional to wisdom and morality in the characters of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The smarter the man, the more immoral.eally belongs outdoors on the river.

Supernatural
Superstition, like religion, is detrimental to those who follow it, mostly because manipulative characters are able use it against them.

Alcohol
Alcohol serves to satirize, denigrate, and condemn Southern culture i
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain

American Lit; "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,": 51 pages; 22,352 words; visuals