Comprehensive English 11 Honors

Summer Reading Assignment

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Go to Mr. Perago’s web page on the Spring Grove HS website to find pdf files of these documents, which will help you understand the novel more easily!

Sgasd.org Select a School  HS  Teacher Web Pages Mr. PeragoComp English Honors

(In the red section on the left of the screen, click on “Huckleberry Finn Summer Reading”)

  • Elements of the Novel
  • These will help you to better understand various aspects of the novel.
  • Read them before you start, then review them as you read and refer to them after you finish the novel to help you with the culminating essay assignment.

  • Themes
  • Setting
  • Structure
  • Style
  • Point of View
  • Satire
  • Irony
  • Historical Context (and map)

  • Vocabulary of Special terms
  • These are terms you might not find in the dictionary. This list will help you understand references in the novel.
  • Preview the list for each section before reading those chapters.
  • Literary Focus
  • These notes will help you to understand various important aspects of the first few chapters (1-11). This will get you started and help you to focus on key issues as they develop through the rest of the novel.
  • Points to Consider
  • These questions will help you to focus and reflect on key aspects of each section. They are grouped by chapters similarly to the Literary Focus commentary.

Note: This novel can be challenging for some readers due to the use of dialect, especially in Jim’s dialogue. If you are having trouble understanding the text, you might want to listen to more difficult passages on an audio reading on the following link to help you understand the dialect:

Additionally, this novel is considered by some to be controversial because of the realistic but offensive language.

For more insight and commentary on this subject, see the following link:

(Click on each of the “Debaters” on the left side of the screen.)

Huckleberry Finn Essay

Your essay will be collected and graded on the first day of class.

You must use quotations with MLA in-text citations and a Works Cited page.

Write a four-page essay discussing one of the following topics:

  • Discuss how the novel develops the contrast between nature and civilization. How does Mark Twain describe the beauty of the Mississippi River and its surrounding area? How does he describe the people and towns Huck visits on shore? What point do you think Twain is trying to make by using these descriptions?
  • How is the theme of deception developed in this novel? Discuss some characters that deceive others, and explain their motivations for doing so. Are there some characters for whom it is acceptable to lie, and others for whom we are less forgiving? Are our opinions of them based on their motivations?
  • Some people consider Huck “a moral person in an immoral society.” Discuss this theme, showing that Huck is basically a good person and that the world in which he lives is generally immoral or bad. Give at least two examples for Huck and at least three examples for society. Conclude your essay with a brief discussion of Huck’s self-image and the dramatic irony it demonstrates.
  • Huckleberry Finn is a book that is filled with humor that is simmering just beneath the surface. Huck’s naïve, deadpan description of the ridiculous people and events adds to the humor, because he is unaware that there is anything humorous or ironic about what he is describing. An astute reader, however, can detect the subtle humor and enjoy the book as a comical masterpiece that satirizes every institution in American culture. Discuss Twain’s use of humor in the book and provide examples and explanations to support your claims.

* You will not use secondary sources for this assignment.

Your essay should comply with the following specifications:

  1. typed in Times New Roman (12) font
  2. double-spaced
  3. at least fourwhole pages
  4. 1 inch margins
  5. MLA heading on the first page
  6. It should have a title
  7. Last name and page number in the upper right of each page
  8. the Works Cited page will be the fifth page (the novel will be the only entry)

The following link will explain MLA format if you need help:

Additionally, if you have any questions, please email your teacher:

or

Your paper should comply with the criterion listed below.

1.Write a thorough introduction, including

  1. the author and title
  2. a brief (one or two sentence) synopsis of the plot
  3. your thesis

Note: any essay using first person pronouns (I, we, me, etc.) will be returned and not scored.

For example, say “This book shows...” NOT “I think that this book shows…”

2.Your essay should have several support paragraphs that develop your thesis.

  1. Use a multitude of examples from the text,at least sixof which must be direct quotations.
  2. All examples should be cited with page numbers in MLA format.
  3. Provide explanations and comments before and after each example to connect the example to your thesis.

3.In your conclusion, restate the thesis and provide a broad analysis of the significance of your topic in the novel.

See a sample essay with MLA format at the following web address: