12th Grade Huck Finn Packet - Charter School for Applied ...

Name: _________________________________________________

12th Grade AP Literature and Composition Summer Reading Project

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Directions:

Read!

As you read, you will be responsible for completing the following: 1. Answer the chapter discussion questions. A proper response will:

Be about 5 ? 6 sentences in length Demonstrate understanding of the text Thoroughly answer all parts of the question Provide analysis, not merely summarize the plot Include specific and relevant support from the text. Provide and cite textual evidence (quotes) 2. Read over the essay topic and take notes as you read gathering information relating to that topic. 3. Be prepared to complete a test and writing assignment when you return in August!

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Essay Topic

Upon returning to school in August, you will write a paper on the following essay topic. Essay Topic: Huck Finn is a social satire. The novel uses situations and characters to depict life and Twain's feelings

towards society and. particularly, slavery. Through the character Huck Finn, Twain presents a contrast to the accepted views of society during that time period.

As you read Huck Finn, take notes and underline important information and quotations relating to this topic in order to help you write your paper.

Define Satire: _________________________________________________________________________________ What is the setting (time, place, and events) of Huck Finn? _________________________________________

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Discussion Questions Huckleberry Finn

Chapter 1 1. The Widow Douglas and her sister, Miss Watson, are both trying to "sivilize" Huck. Compare and

contrast their attitudes toward Huck. What method does each one use in her efforts to turn him into a "respectable" citizen? How do those methods differ? How are they the same? Cite examples from the novel to support your argument.

2. Twain chooses a 13-year-old boy as narrator for his novel. In what way does this help to accomplish Twain's purpose? Discuss the ways in which a young, innocent narrator can make a profound statement about the hypocrisy of his society. Explain your answer.

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Chapters 2-3 3. Although Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer are presented as contrasting characters in the novel, they

are alike in many ways. Compare and contrast the characters of Huck and Tom, giving examples from the novel to support your argument.

4. Analyze the role of respectability in Tom Sawyer's supposedly lawless gang. Why is it mandatory for each member to have a respectable family? Examine the idea that Huck, who has had more experience with breaking the law than any of the others, comes close to being excluded from the gang.

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Chapters 4-5 5. Superstition is a recurring theme in the novel. Analyze Twain's satiric treatment of the hairball

scene. Examine the answers Huck receives about his life. How does Jim keep the hairball's comments believable?

6. Analyze the relationship of Huck and his father. In what ways was he different from the ideal? How did this influence Huck's feelings about society as a whole? Explain your reasoning.

Chapters 6-7 7. Huck seems to adapt to almost any situation. He has become accustomed to civilized life with the

Widow Douglas. Later he finds life in the woods carefree and easy. Analyze the character of Huck. Discuss possible reasons for his adaptability to different situations. Use examples from the novel to support your argument.

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8. In the novel Pap does not appear to be a civilized man. Discuss ways in which he does, however, fit into the larger society. Does he compare to the Widow Douglas in any way? Explain your answer.

Chapters 8-9 9. Huck's most poetic language is prompted by a severe thunderstorm on the island. Discuss the

reasons for this. In what way does the storm inspire him? Why is he not afraid of the storm? Use examples from the novel to support your argument.

10. If Huck keeps Jim's secret of his escape, people will call him a "low-down Abolitionist." In what way are those words more effective when spoken by a young narrator? Explain the irony in Huck's statement. What is Twain's message about the hypocritical values of his society? Explain your answer with examples from the novel.

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