WebQuest
Adventures
of 
Huckleberry Finn: Literary Masterpiece or Racist Trash?
Since its publication in 1885, Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has ignited controversy. Early
critics fretted over the narrator’s course language and loose morals; later, it
would be touted by some as a literary masterpiece; others would deem it mere “racist
trash.” One of the most popular and acclaimed novels in American literary
history, it has also been and banned from libraries and school curricula around
the nation. No one, it seems, has been able resist the urge to look for a
motive, a moral, or a plot.
At risk of being prosecuted, banished,
or shot, we can’t resist either. While it’s safe to say that no verdict will
ever be final, it is incumbent upon us, as the latest generation of literary
scholars, to weigh in on the controversies ignited by Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, perhaps offering new ways of
interpreting the book.
I. Task: Your
task is to identify and research as specific “problem” or controversy raised by Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn, and write 5 to 7 page essay that evaluates a range of
preexisting arguments on the topic and advances an original interpretation of
your own.
II. Process: Your research essay will incorporate modified
elements of the Public Policy Analyst (PPA) method that we’ve used in the past
to write about contemporary social issues. For the purposes of the assignment
you will follow these steps:
1. Identify the Problem (a controversy or debatable
issue raised in or by Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn)
2. Gather Evidence (from primary and /or
secondary sources)
3. Determine the Causes (Why does the problem exist?
Why do people hold differing opinions of the controversy? What underlying
assumptions, concerns, or ideals seem to motivate their arguments?)
4. Evaluate Existing Arguments (Which
arguments, if any, do you most agree and/or disagree with, and why?)
5. Offer an Original Interpretation (What is your opinion on the book and the
controversy you have selected? What factors do you think readers need to consider and understand for a more fair
and accurate interpretation of the novel, and why?)
This is an important assignment! Don’t slack.
Doing research is painstaking work, there’s no way around it, but
it can also be interesting and
intellectually stimulating--if you
get into it, stay on top of it, and don’t drag your feet and whine along the
way. Oh, and if you plagiarize you’ll be prosecuted, banished, and shot. No kidding.
III. Resources:
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/twain/twapubint.html
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/philosophy_and_literature/v021/21.1freedman.html
http://www.bartleby.com/187/10.html
Mark Twain: Selected Criticism
Bibliography Prepared by Sarah Hagelin
and Jennifer Hughes
· Alter,
Robert, Rogue's Progress: Studies in the Picaresque Novel(Cambridge:
Harvard University Press, 1963).
· Anonymous, "Huckleberry Finn in
· Arac, Jonathan, "Nationalism, Hypercanonization,
and Huckleberry Finn," in boundary 2 19:1 (1992): 14-33.
· Briden, Earl, "Kemble's
'Specialty': The Pictorial Countertext of Huckleberry
Finn," in The Mark Twain Journal 26:2 (1988): 2-14.
· Bridges,
Robert, "Mark Twain's Blood Curdling Humor," in Life V
(February 26, 1885).
· Camfield, Gregg, "Sentimental Liberalism and the Problem of
Race in Huckleberry Finn," in Nineteenth-Century Literature 46:1
(1991): 96-113.
· Chadwick-Joshua, Jocelyn,The Jim Dilemma:
Reading Race in Huckleberry Finn(Jackson: University Press of Mississippi,
1998).
· Doyno, Victor, Writing Huck Finn: Mark Twain's Creative
Process(Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1991).
· Ellison,
Ralph, "Change the Joke and Slip the Yoke," in Partisan Review
25 (Spring 1958): 212-222.
· Fetterly, Judith, "Disenchantment: Tom Sawyer in Huckleberry
Finn," in PMLA 87:1 (1972): 69-74.
· Fiedler,
Leslie, "Come Back to the Raft Ag'in, Huck
Honey!," in Partisan Review 25 (June 1948): 664-671.
· Fishkin, Shelley Fisher, Was Huck Black?: Mark Twain and
African-American Voices (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press,
1993).
· Graff,
Gerald, and James Phelan, eds. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Case Study
in Controversy (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1995).
· Hoffman,
Daniel G. "Jim's Magic: Black or White?" in American Literature
32 (March 1960): 47-54.
· Kolb,
Harold, "Mere Humor and Moral Humor: Example of Mark Twain," in American
Literary History 19:1 (1986): 52-64.
· Leary,
Lewis, A Casebook on Mark Twain's Wound (New York: Thomas Y. Crowell
Company, 1962).
· Leonard,
James S., Thomas A. Tenney, and Thadious
Davis, eds. Satire or Evasion?: Perspectives on Huckleberry Finn
(Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1992).
· Marx,
Leo, "Mr. Eliot, Mr. Trilling, and Huckleberry Finn," in American
Scholar 22 (Autumn 1953): 423-440.
· Matthews, Brander, "Review: Huckleberry Finn," in Saturday Review
59 (January 31, 1885).
· Opdahl, Keith, "Child-Adult Relations in Huck Finn," in
Modern Fiction Studies 25:4 (1979-80): 613-624.
· Quirk,
Tom, Coming to Grips with Huckleberry Finn: Essays on a Book, a Boy, and a
Man (Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1993).
· Robinson, Forrest, "The Characterization of Jim in Huckleberry Finn,"
in Nineteenth-Century Literature 43:3 (1988): 361-391.
· Smith,
Henry Nash, Mark Twain: The Development of a Writer (Cambridge: Belknay Press of Harvard Univeristy
Press, 1962).
· *
V. Evaluation (see rubric)
|
|
Beginning 1 |
Developing 2 |
Accomplished 3 |
Exemplary 4 |
Score |
|
|
Ideas/Interpretation |
Extremely
superficial and/or confused understanding of the texts; thesis not present or
nonsensical; arguments aggravatingly careless and incomplete |
Superficial
and/or confused interpretation of texts; thesis present but incoherent,
vague, or incomplete; arguments confusing, frustrating, and/or incomplete |
Solid , insightful interpretation of texts, but less consistent;
thesis is somewhat less contestable, substantive, or specific; arguments may
be less clear and/or engaging. |
Consistently thoughtful,
in-depth interpretation of texts; |
|
|
|
Research/Evidence |
Poor research;
evidence irrelevant and lacking in detail |
Uneven and/or
inadequate research; evidence may be irrelevant or lacking in detail |
Solid but less
thorough and thoughtful research from a variety of sources; relevant and
detailed evidence supporting claims |
Thorough and
thoughtful research from a variety of sources; relevant, detailed, and
illuminating evidence supporting claims |
|
|
|
Organization/Development |
Poor or nonsensical sequence of ideas; lacking in
direction and purpose; incoherent, incomplete paragraph construction |
Uneven or
confusing sequence of ideas; little sense of direction or purpose; paragraphs
lacking unity and detail |
Logical but somewhat
less engaging sequence of ideas; solid but less consistent sense of purpose
and direction; effective but inconsistent paragraph construction |
Logical and
engaging sequence if ideas; a clear sense of purpose and direction; unified,
detailed, effective paragraphs |
|
|
|
Syntax
and Diction |
Sentences are
incoherent or redundant, lacking sense of audience and command of
punctuation; diction may be simplistic or marred by frequent misuses of
words. |
Sentences are
understandable but lack clarity and purpose; punctuation may be rudimentary
or difficult to decipher; diction may be limited or awkward with frequent
misuses of “big” words. |
Sentences are
varied and effective; clear and purposeful with strong control of
punctuation; diction is appropriate to subject and audience. |
Sentences are clear,
purposeful, varied and exceptionally effective: exhibiting an impressive
control of punctuation to enhance meaning and emphasis; likewise with
diction. |
|
|
|
Editing/Presentation |
MLA format seriously inconsistent;
immature and ineffective writing; lapses in conventions, grammar, |
MLA format inconsistent; lapses in conventions, grammar, and
spelling occasionally hinder under-standing
|
MLA format; writing is mature and
effective; occasional lapses in conventions, grammar and spelling do not
hinder under-standing |
MLA format; writing is mature, eff-ecttive, and grammatical; mastery of conventions and
free of spelling errors |
|
|
Kevin Greer 3/27/2005
VI. Conclusion:
Upon completing this project you will have exercised your brains
to their full capacities and practiced reading, writing, and research skills
that will be essential to your success in college. Moreover, you will have
acquired an in-depth, sophisticated understanding of one of the most important
works in American literary history. Whether you like it or not, or deem it a
masterpiece or racist trash, the issues raised by Adventures of Huckleberry Finn cut to the very heart of American
culture, past and present.
STUDENTS WILL HAVE PERFORMED THE FOLLOWING STANDARDS:
English Language Arts Standards
E1c Reads and comprehends information materials.
E2a Produce a report of
information.
E3b Participate in group meetings.
E6a Critique public documents with an eye to strategies common in
public discourse.
E6b Produce public documents.
E7a Critique functional documents with an eye to strategies common to
effective functional documents.
E7b Produce functional documents appropriate to audience and purpose.
Problem Solving
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a |
Design a Product, Service, or System: Identify needs that could
be met by new products, services, or systems and create solutions for meeting
them. |
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b |
Improve a System: Develop an understanding of the way systems of
people, machines, and processes work; |
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Communication Tools and Techniques
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Information Tools and Techniques
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