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Scott Hughes Tel: 718/368-8500

1. A. Principal Fax: 718/368-8555

Lesson 1:

Aim: How does Twain set-up Huck Finn as the narrator of the novel?

Notes:

Huck Finn is a satire about slavery. Twain is mocking the myth of the southern aristocrat. He believes anyone who owns slaves is a degenerate and inhumane regardless of their wealth, so called breeding and fancy manners. To Twain, there is no difference between Pap Finn, a drunk and child abuser, and refined genteel woman like Widow Douglas and Miss Watson because all three believe in the myth of white superiority and are therefore targets for ridicule and scorn. The irony of the story is that Huck has better morals than the other white characters because he does the decent humane thing by helping Jim escape slavery. However, because Huck lacks formal education, he suffers from an inferiority complex. He believes that his actions towards Jim are shameful and that he is destined to go to hell. That is why Huck is the right narrator for the story. To show how evil institution slavery is the story must be told from the point of view of an illiterate teenager in non-standard English from a limited perspective. Because Huck is confused by the warp values of his society; he must be an unreliable narrator.

Lesson 2:

Aim: How and why is Huck and Jim’s relationship Dynamic?

Notes:

Huck and Jim’s relationship is dynamic; it is constantly evolving and changes. It goes through many stages such as Master: slave Surrogate Parent: Child and eventually True Friendship. Because of the society in which both live, Huck was dominant at first. This is shown by the way Jim addresses Huck as boss and sir. (Suh) The white dominance is very clear while they are on land. When they travel down the river, away from the evils of land most notably slavery, the relationship changes. Jim becomes a substitute parent. He starts to call Huck by pet names (Honey chile) You will note that the names are more maternal than paternal showing that Jim is still reluctant to cross certain barriers. Huck, partially because of his immaturity and subconsciously because he has been raised to be racist, plays tricks on Jim. When Huck does this, Jim immediately goes back to calling him Sir. Huck apologizes to Jim, which is a major step, but he still calls Jim the n-word and says he is humbling himself before an inferior. This shows that the relationship still has not progressed to a real friendship.

Lesson 3:

Aim: How does Twain satirize the myth of Southern aristocracy through Huck Finn’s encounters with the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons?

Notes:

Huck and Jim are separated. Jim hides out in a swamp. Huck moves in with a southern aristocratic family the Grangerfords. There Huck spends time with a boy his own aged named Buck. (Did you notice the similarity in names?) The Grangerfords are Huck’s ideal. He loves their lifestyle not realizing the danger he is in because of the feud. Twain uses the two families to show the violence in human nature and the evils of slavery. Note that Huck is given a slave while he is there and he admires how Buck is able to keep his moving about all day when Huck cannot think of anything for his to do. In this passage, Huck is taken in by appearances. Huck naively believes because the house is filled with objects of arts and that is colorful that is must be high school. He also thinks the paintings are great art masterpieces because they are about serious subjects like death and suffering. We the reader know that the Grangerfords are savages, that the house is tacky and gaudy and that Huck is safer on land with Jim.

Lesson 4:

Aim: How does Huck learn about the evils and stupidity in this world from his travels with the Duke and King?

Notes:

The artistic objective of Mark Twain is to show us the follies in human nature. Twain has a highly cynical nature as evident by the characters he creates. These characters are consumed by all the seven deadly sins and seem beyond redemption. The noblest character in the story is Jim whom in spite of the abuse inflicted on him maintains his dignity. Huck is also spared the author’s harsh judgment as he is a victim of society. The rest are all condemned by their author for their evil doing or their stupidity. To present his views on human nature in a satirical manner, he uses two con men, the Duke and the King who teach Huck and thus the reader how vile people can be.

Duke and King Adventures:

The camp revival at Pokesville:

The Shakespeare Show

The Royal Non-such

The Lynching Bee

Selling Jim back into Slavery

Tar and Feathering

Satirical Points:

Pious Sentimentality/ Gullibility

Frontier Mentality

Violence

Hypocrisy

Pseudo-Intellectualism/ Low Brow Tastes

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Department of Education · City of New York

THE LEON M. GOLDSTEIN HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE SCIENCES

At Kingsborough

1830 Shore Boulevard

Brooklyn, New York 11235

“Academic Excellence in a Caring Community”

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