Adventures of Huckleberry Finn



Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

By Mark Twain

Essay Topics

Choose one of the following ideas/topics as you explore your thoughts about the novel in depth. Suggested paper length is a minimum of two pages.

o Flat characters remain the same from the beginning of the novel to the end. Round characters undergo psychological changes as a result of the conflicts they face and try to resolve them. In your essay, discuss the characters of Huck and Jim. Are they flat or round? Use evidence from the novel to support your opinions.

o Consider the line by Twain that “Huck Finn is a book of mine where a sound heart and a deformed conscience come into collision and conscience suffers defeat.” How does this quote form an over-arching theme for understanding the novel? Are such influences at work in the world today?

o How much is freedom a driving force in the story of Huckleberry Finn?

o Should the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn be taught in school? Why or why not?

o How is the story of Huck and Jim a hero or an anti-hero’s journey? Use the information provided on the hero’s journey to help support your thinking in this essay.

o Consider how Twain uses humor and satire throughout the novel. What is the overall effect of the humor and satire. Use specific examples for support.

o Is there a moral to this story? Be careful not to overstate this one as Twain was quite adamant that there really was not one. What might the message be for a reader today?

o Consider the ending. How does the ending force the reader to reconsider the relationship of Huck and Jim? How is the reader’s view of Huck changed—does it change?

o Any other creative, unique topic that cannot be found online.

***With all of these topics, I expect that you will “fill out” your essay with passages from the text. Use in-text citations to support your views and add that necessary dimension to your paper. Quotes should be incorporated as follows:

One instance of humor comes when Jim and Huck discuss the function of kings. Jim states “ ‘I hain’t heard ‘bout dem kings dat’s in a pack eer k’yards. How much do a king git?” (57). This conversation is all-the-more humorous since Jim is serious in discussing how much kings make per year and why he would not want to be one.

Notice the use of the extra single quotation mark to show that you are quoting dialogue, which is a distinct possibility due to the great deal of dialogue Twain uses to develop the characters of Huck, Jim, and others. Also, notice that the period comes after the parentheses, not inside. Question marks, exclamation points, and ellipsis dots are the only punctuation that go inside the quotation marks. Also, notice that there is no need for p., pg., or pgs. to indicate the page number.

Due____________________________________

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download