Tues+11+25+08

Here are questions discussed within each literary group on the following dates. You will need to be able to answer these questions, in addition to what we discuss in class, in order to prepare for the Huck Finn quizzes.

Tuesday, 11/25/08 (Chapters 9-12):
 * 1) Jim doesn't want to check out the boat in chapter 9, but Huck does. How does this show the differences in their characters?
 * 2) Why does Huck dress like a girl, and how is he "found out"?
 * 3) How will Huck learn lessons? How does any child?
 * 4) What does Jim believe getting bitten by a snake means?
 * 5) Why can't Jim ever go into town?
 * 6) Who do the townspeople blame for Huck's "death"?
 * 7) Is it ok for Huck and Jim to "borrow" things? Why or why not?
 * 8) What are some mixed messages Huck gets from society?
 * 9) What are the advantages/disadvantages to having Huck Finn narrate?

Monday, 12/1/08 (Chapters 13-17)
 * 1) Will Huck's lying get him into trouble later in the book?
 * 2) Is it ok for Huck and Jim to take things from the robbers? Why or why not?
 * 3) Why does Huck tell Jim the fog is all a dream?
 * 4) What moral issues are confusing Huck in these chapters?
 * 5) What is the nature of Huck and Jim's relationship?
 * 6) How does nature play an important role in the book?
 * 7) Will Huck stay loyal to Jim?
 * 8) Describe Jim's character. Is he believable? Why or why not?
 * 9) Why doesn't Huck feel he needs to apologize to Jim right away?
 * 10) What are some ways people find personal freedom? How does Huck? Jim?

Examples of Satire & Irony in Huck Finn:
Dukes & Kings Slaves-here and in England "Civilized" society vs. nature--which is better? Superstitions--who believes them? The ending...

Monday, 12/8/08: (Group responses-posted by the Recorder): Opening Questions: 1. Huck is surprised at how different the "king" looks when he dresses nicely at the beginning of chapter 24. He says, "I never knowed how clothes could change a body before" (57). Huck himself alters his appearance many times as he ventures ashore to get information. Use your book and notes to name as many examples as possible of people or things //seeming// different than they actually are. Why are disguises, and lying, necessary? 2. Huck claims "It was enough to make a body ashamed of the human race" (p. 162) and that he "never see anything so disgusting" before as what he witnesses on page 164. To what is he referring? 3. What is the significance of the following exchange? "How is servants treated in England? Do they treat 'em better 'n we treat our n*s?... Don't they give 'em holidays, the way we do...?" (p. 173). 4. What is significant about what Huck tells Mary Jane on page 186?

Post responses below (with member names & dates): Rob Walczak (recorder) Colton O'Neil, Vinnie Celentano, and Ryan Kasper

1. He needs to disguise himself because people think he's dead so he needs to hide his true identity. 2. He is referring to when the king and duke saw the coffin and started crying because of it. 3. It's ironic that they think slaves are treated better in America. 4. He finally feels bad for someone!

Discussion questions for chapters 29-32 (12/11/08); (# 1 is posted under the discussion tab):
2. Huck has to make a crucial decision in chapter 31. He has conflicting emotions about making this decision, and he weighs his options. Make a Pro/Con list for Huck, according to how he feels (see page 213). What is his final decision? Why was it so hard for him to make?

3. We’ve seen Huck lie throughout the novel so far. However, he tells the truth to Mary Jane, and is about to tell the truth to Sally Phelps when he’s interrupted. He comments that he’s “got to resk the truth” again (p. 222). Why is the truth so risky for Huck? Does Mark Twain feel the same way?

4. Do you think Huck realizes the irony in the fact that a “sivilized,” religious society has slaves? If so, when does he come to this realization?

2.) Pro- he feels better about himself,
Hes “clean of sin: He can now pray Con- he will lose Jim as a friend Jim cant start a family He broke Jim’s promise His final decision is to tell miss Watson, he is losing Jim as a friend forever

Mike Inserra, Andre, Chris G, Chris B

1. Jim is sold by the conmen for forty dollars so Huck decides to tell Miss Watson that Jim is down south. Huck is not sure what to do because he feels like he has been helping steal property but he decides he doesn’t care and wants to save Jim. Pros: Huck and Jim have become friends over their trip down the river. Huck is Jim’s best friend and Jim has been taking care of him. He was really happy when he found Huck after they were separated in the fog. Jim truly cared for Huck Cons: Society tells Huck that helping a slave is wrong. It was a sin and Huck may go to hell.

2. The truth is risky for Huck because anyone can say how he helped a runaway slave and tell his Dad where he is, he doesn’t want anyone to know who he is. 3. Yes I do think he realizes that a civilized society has slaves, I think he realizes this while he was praying.

Vanessa, Gabi, Bee, Angela

2. Pro- Pro- Jim has done o much for Huck Con- Jim is a runaway slave and it is illegal to help him out 3. It’s risky because He is a runaway with Jim and Jim is a slave.4. He does because he knows he shouldn't be with Jim when he decides to save Jim instead of turning him in.

Vinnie C, Ryan K, Rob W, Colton O

2. Pro- He makes sure that his friend goes to a better place.Con- People would know that Huck isn’t dead. His final decision is not to send the letter, so he tears it up. It was so hard to make this decision because Jim was his friend and he wanted the best for him

3. Telling the truth was risky for Huck because if he did tell the truth Jim would be in a lot of trouble. Jim would get in a lot of trouble because he is a runaway slave and would

4. I don’t think Huck realizes that a civilized society has slaves.

Opening Personal Response: 12/15/08
Read and think about the following ideas, and then click on the discussion tab at the top of this page and answer the question posted there for today ("Who are the heroes of //Huck Finn//? Are they heroes or anti-heroes, and what makes them so?")

In many popular adventure stories, the hero is held captive by evil enemies or forces yet manages to escape. Think about books and movies in which a hero overcomes seemingly impossible odds to find freedom. Who or what holds the hero captive? What miseries does the hero endure while being held? How does the hero escape? Do friends help?

or more unwilling to sacrifice their principles than we. **Antiheroes**, on the other hand, are very human. Like us, they have faults, make mistakes, and puzzle over difficult decisions. In the end, however, antiheroes usu- ally do the “right thing”—what we, ourselves, hope we would do in similar circumstances.
 * Traditional heroes** are often superhuman.We look up to them because they are braver, stronger, more clever,

Huck Finn Lit. Group Discussion Questions (Chapters 33-38)

As you saw at the beginning of Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer is fond of romantic adventure stories and enjoys pretending that he is taking part in one. As a group, record the major events in Tom’s adventurous “rescue” of Jim.

1. How are the duke and the king punished? What is Huck’s reaction to their punishment? He feels bad that they're tarred and feathered.

2. How does Huck expect Tom to react when he explains the plan to free Jim? Why does Tom’s response surprise Huck? He expects him to say no, and he's surprised when Tom agrees to it. Huck thinks Tom was "raised right," so he's surprised he's ok with it.

3. What does Tom’s elaborate plan to free Jim tell you about Tom? What does it tell you about his attitude toward Jim? Tom complicates everything instead of just get of just getting Jim out of the farm they made a huge plan. He really wants to get him out of the farm so he takes the plan too farm. Their plan is to take Jim out and have him write in blood on the walls.

4. Many critics of Huckleberry Finn have pointed out that the Phelps’ farm episode differs in tone and seriousness from the first two-thirds of the novel. Do you agree? Explain your answer, supporting it with evidence from the text. Jim’s leg is tied to a bed with by a chain. He can lift up the bed to get it off, but they want to saw if off because it seems more daring instead of just lifting the bed up. They talk about chopping Jim’s leg off, but they decide to cut off he bed leg. He wants Jim to write a message on Aunt Sally’s shirt with blood. vs,gp,br,ah 5. The novel can be divided into 3 parts. What are they? How would you briefly describe each? Huck’s personal life and his dysfunctional family. Huck and Jim escaping Jim getting caught

The Controversial Conclusion (Think about now, and we’ll come back to on Thursday): As Mark Twain wrote Huckleberry Finn, he pondered over the plot. He thought especially long and hard about how to end the novel and effectively resolve the conflicts that he had presented. Though some critics feel that the conclusion of Huckleberry Finn is logical and effective, other critics have severely criticized it. As you read the last chapters of Huckleberry Finn, think about the events that came before and the way that the characters in the novel usually behave. Then judge the conclusion for yourself. Is it consistent with the characters we have come to know? Does it resolve the major conflicts in the novel in a satisfactory way?

It is a little ridiculous...why do they do that to poor Jim?

It's ironic too, because you find out at the end that Jim has been free for awhile, so the "rescue" wasn't necessary.