Huck Finn Background

Do a little research on the context of the book. I'll give fifteen minutes of class time to your topic.... then it's on you to find what's fascinating about your topic.

Submit a 2 page, typed, double-spaced report on the topic. How does your topic make you think in interesting ways about The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn? You must include quotes from the book to support the points you're making in your report. Create a correctly formatted works cited page for the topic, containing at least three different sources that would be helpful to us in exploring the topic.

1. Maps: Present the geography of Huckleberry Finn. What are the slave states, and what are the free states? Where do the Mississippi and Ohio rivers run? You might begin by checking here and here. In the 1830's, when this novel takes place, what laws are relevant to Huck and Jim? What would happen to a captured slave? to someone who helped a slave escape? The story starts in Missouri and concludes in Arkansas. They plan to go up the Ohio River... where would that have led them? How do you think the geography of the river will affect the meaning of the novel? ( Roman, Ethan )

2. Art: Present artwork from the resources below, and help us to see how art yields ideas. Discussion questions are suggested for each; you can structure the presentation as you like. How have our attitudes changed over time, and how do you see this in the illustrations?John Gast’s “American Progress or Manifest Destiny” (1872)

One mark of civilization is social, political, and cultural advancement. In this painting, what or who represents progress? Who is not progressing in the work? What is the plight of those who are deemed uncivilized?Norman Rockwell’s 1940 Illustration, “Jim and the Hairball”

and Representing Jim, 1885-1985

E.W. Kemble’s Original Illustrations of Huckleberry Finn with commentary

Rockwell and Kemble illustrate scenes from the novel itself. What biases do these illustrators exhibit in their depictions of Jim, Huck, and characters from the novel? Would any of these illustrations be considered racist or stereotypical by today’s standards? How is art used in these illustrations to inform readers beyond the written word? ( Maryjane, Calder )

3. Reform: The 19th century was a time of intense social debate. Abolition, women’s suffrage, utopian societies, prison and asylum reform, educational reform, and political reform were hotly discussed. Find the song, “A Hundred Years Hence” (c.1850) to introduce the reforms (words by Frances Gage; music by John Hutchinson). Teach us about Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s “A Declaration of Sentiments” and Sojourner Truth's “Ain’t I a Woman?” Describe the role of women during these reform movements... and lead a discussion of the women we've met so far in the novel. ( Lily, Kortlan )

4. The Author: Mark Twain was an enormous personality in his time, a prolific writer and frequent speaker, a devastating critic of the society in which he lived. He considered himself as much a "freak" as Haley's Comet, two whose visits framed Twain's life. What made him such an extraordinary figure? Show what's so strange and amazing about Samuel Langhorne Clemens and his life. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain

5. The Book: Ernest Hemingway said that "all modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called 'Huckleberry Finn.'" According to him, "it's the best book we've had. All American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since." T.S. Eliot called it "a masterpiece," and Lionel Trilling claimed it is "one of the world's great books and one of the central documents of American culture." And yet (or perhaps therefore!), it has been the subject of controversy since the moment of its publication. One issue is the ending, the last fifth of the book, which Hemingway, as well as many critics, hate... we'll talk about that when we get there, in class. But another is the very live question of whether the book is racist. The "N" word appears more than 200 times. One of the main characters, Jim, is a slave, and subject to so many indignities. The white characters are deeply, unthinkingly, racist. Many school districts and libraries have banned the book. Are they right to do so? Show both sides of the controversy. ( Landen, Chloe )

6. The Central Issue: Twain said that the abolition of slavery freed not only blacks, but also whites from an inhuman system. The book is about how unconscious people are about their own stupidity and cruelty and self-absorption, and how everything in our society encourages that blindness. Where does hope lie? In people who just don't get it: innocents... someone like Huck, for instance, who refuses to accept expectations and customs... (does he want to sleep in a bed? eat food cooked in a kitchen?). "All right, then," Huck says, as he finally makes the moral decision about Jim, "I'll go to Hell." What does it take for us to get beyond the "facts" that we take for granted? Look here for a start, and here, and how about here and here?. We believe with an almost religious fervor that our democracy is the greatest on earth: fair, of the people, for the people, by the people. Is it? Where does it fall short? (Bonus... can you connect this critique of society, this activism, this call for each of us to judge from our own deepest conscience, to any literary movement(s) we studied last quarter?) ( Mr. K. )