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The Adventures of Huckleberry FinnActivity Pack

Student Edition

Pre-reading

All references come from the Prestwck House Litereary Touchstone Edition of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, copyright, 2005.

Objective: Recognizing the controversial aspects of the novel at the time ofpublication and today.

Activity I:

Read the following articles, written in 1885, of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finndiscussing the decision of the Concord Library to remove the book from the shelves ofthe library. Based on these articles, complete the 1885 CONTROVERSY CHART.The complete text of these articles is available online.

From The New York Herald, March 18, 1885:

The sage censors of the Concord public library have unanimously reached the conclusionthat “Huckleberry Finn” is not the sort of reading matter for the knowledge seekers of atown which boasts the only “summer school of philosophy” in the universe. They haveaccordingly banished it from the shelves of that institution.

The reasons which moved them to this action are weighty and to the point. One of theLibrary Committee, while not prepared to hazard the opinion that the book is “absolutelyimmoral in its tone,” does not hesitate to declare that to him “it seems to contain but verylittle humor.” Another committeeman perused the volume with great care and discoveredthat it was “couched in the language of a rough, ignorant dialect” and that “all through itspages there is a systematic use of bad grammar and an employment of inelegantexpressions.” The third member voted the book “flippant” and “trash of the veriest sort.”They all united in the verdict that “it deals with a series of experiences that are certainlynot elevating,” and voted that it could not be tolerated in the public library.

From the Hartford Courant, April 4, 1885:

The Boston Advertiser attacks Mark Twain as venomously and persistently as if hisrecent suit against a Boston publishing house had been brought against itself; and itventures into declaration which would have hard work to prove. For example, it says thatthere is “something very suggestive in the eagerness and unanimity with which librarycommittees and newspapers throughout the country have followed the precedentestablished by the Concord library in condemning Mark Twain’s last book.” but it omitsto mention the libraries or to list the newspapers.

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Indeed, some of the leading newspapers of the country have taken the liberty to laugh atthe Concord folks for their conduct, and the libraries that have rejected the volume are,we venture to say, few and far between. They must all be of the class that the Concordlibrary belongs to; for one of the trustees of that library, when interviewed on the matter,said that no fiction was permitted on the Concord shelves. Of course, “HuckleberryFinn” isn’t a true story. It is fiction, and so it’s barred by this Concord limitation. Thediscovery that they had bought a biography in good faith and had got something that wasnot true may be the cause of the discontent, although the life of Huck Finn is not the onlybiography that partakes of the nature of fiction, and the Concord library would be furtherdepleted if all biographies that are not true were cast from it.

From the San Francisco Chronicle, March 29, 1885:

The action of the Concord Public Library in excluding Mark Twain’s new book,“Huckleberry Finn,” on the grounds that it is flippant and irreverent, is obscure. Themanagers of this library evidently look on this book as written for boys, whereas weventure to say that upon nine boys out of ten much of the humor, as well as the pathos,would be lost. The more general knowledge one has the better he is fitted to appreciatethis book, which is a remarkably careful sketch of life along the Mississippi river fortyyears ago. If one has lived in the South he can appreciate the art with which the dialect ismanaged, exactly as he can in Joel Chandler Harris’ “Uncle Remus,” or in Craddock’sTennessee mountain tales. If he has not he will be forced to take it on trust. So with thecharacters. They are peculiarly Southern, but only those who have lived south of Masonand Dixon’s line can thoroughly appreciate the fidelity to nature with which they havebeen drawn when the boy under 16 reads a book he wants adventure and plenty of it. Hedoesn’t want any moral thrown in or even implied; the elaborate jokes worked out withso much art, which are Mark Twain’s specialty, are wasted upon him. All the charactersketches go for nothing with this eager reader, who demands a story. To be sure, here isa story in the astonishing series of adventures of “Huck” Finn and the runaway negro, butit is so overlaid with this embroidery of jokes, sketches and sarcasm, that the story reallyforms the least part of it Take the whole latter part of the book, which is given up to theludicrous attempt to free the negro, Jim, from his imprisonment on the Arkansasplantation. This is a well-sustained travesty of the escapes of great criminals, and canonly be fully appreciated by one who has read what it ridicules.

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1885 CONTROVERSY CHARTQuestion AnswerWhy did the Concord library decide toremove this book from its shelves?

How many libraries across the country havejoined the Concord library in its decision?

What adjective might you use todescribe the action of theConcord library?

List three reasons the newspapers mightrecommend this book.

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Activity II:

1. This story is still controversial today as can be seen in the following twentiethcentury excerpts from newspaper articles. The full text of these articles can befound on the Internet.

City Middle School Drops ‘Huck Finn’ by Chris Grosso, YDN Staff Reporter

Eighth graders at New Haven’s West Hills Middle School will not finish reading a great Americannovel this year.

New Haven Superintendent of Schools Reginald Mayo had decided to pull Mark Twain’sHuckleberry Finn from the middle school’s eighth grade reading list after African-Americanstudents and parents said they found the book offensive after reading part of it in English classes.

“I won’t let this school be torn apart,” Mayo told a meeting of West Hills students and parentsThursday night. “This is not censorship. It’s a curriculum issue.”

School officials said they will leave the book in the school library, and added that there are noplans to change the curriculum at any of the city’s five other middle schools.

The dispute “has gone out of control and it’s become a very divisive thing,” Mayo said. “It’s notabout this book anymore; it’s about other issues.”

The other issues include disputes between parents mostly divided by color over theappropriateness of the novel in an eighth grade classroom.

The controversy “has polarized the races,” Board of Education member Janette Parker said lastnight. “One of the things we try to provide is mutual respect and understanding for all ethnicgroups.”

Since school officials will not remove the book from the library, the action can not be challengedunder the First Amendment, officials from New Haven school and the American Civil LibertiesUnion said.

African-American children have lost their self-confidence because of national controversies overaffirmative action and the success of conservative books claiming racial inequities in intelligencelike “The Bell Curve,” Parker said. Reading a story laden with racial slurs just adds to the feelingsof loss, she said.

Twain’s novel tells the story of a young white boy, Huckleberry Finn, traveling down theMississippi River with an escaped black slave, Jim. Critics generally regard the novel as a satireof the antebellum South and of slavery.

But many African-American parents in the city object to the extensive use of racial slurs,including the word “nigger,” with appears more than 200 times.

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Huck Finn’s Fate to Be Decided by Jamie Backett, Chronicle South Bar Bureau

A group in east San Jose is to decide tomorrow night whether “The Adventures of HuckleberryFinn” should be removed from required reading lists in 11 area high schools in response toobjections raised by African American parents.

The parents cite the classic MarkTrain novel’s liberal use of racial stereotypes and racial epithets –it uses the “n” word more than 200 times – which they say is damaging to their children. In onefour-page passage, the word appears 15 times, the parents say.

Although supporters of the novel defend it as an indictment of racism in the 19th century UnitedStates, the African-American Parent Coalition argues that their children already are bombardedwith racial slurs that erode their self-esteem and affect their performance in school.

“The word ‘nigger’ has meaning for African American people that no one else can really getinside of.” said Chester Stevens, a founder of the coalition, noting the word’s association withlynchings, segregation and slavery.

The coalition wants the book removed from required reading lists in the 11 high schools orreplaced with an alternate version that deletes racially offensive language….

Other argue against any restrictions on the novel.

“Restricting access to any material through the classroom is censorship,” said Jean Hessbuerg,California director for People for the American Way, which has been tracking attempts to banbooks since 1982. “What people forget is that we can’t take away parts of history as if they didn’thappen.”…

“I can tell you why I was in favor of putting it on the list in the first place,” she said, describingTwain as a “master of satire” whose work has been used as a model by other American authors.The novel chronicles the adventures of Huck and the runaway slave Jim as they travel south on theMississippi River. Huck, an uneducated teenager, is forced to confront his feelings about slaveryand racism as he develops a deepening friendship and respect for Jim.

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2. The issue discussed in these articles is whether or not the Adventures ofHuckleberry Finn belongs in today’s classrooms. Based on these articles, firstwrite a letter to the African-American Parent Coalition, outlining why you thinkthe novel should be studied. Then, assume the other position and write a letter tothe Superintendent of Schools discussing why you think the book should beremoved from the curriculum.

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Pre-reading

Objective: Visualizing life on the Mississippi River in the nineteenth century.

Activity:

Read the following paragraph about steamboats and look at the attached pictures ofsteamboats typical of the kind Mark Twain worked on and wrote about. You can also usethe Internet to find other illustrations of steamboats of the nineteenth century.

A steamboat is defined as a boat that is powered by steam. Steamboats found on theMississippi River were generally shallow draft boats with a sidewheel for propulsion.From the early 1800's into the early 1900's, steamboats were a popular means oftransporting passengers and freight from one city to another. The early steam boats werepowered by burning wood, while later boats burned coal in huge boilers to generatesteam. There were some very luxurious steamboats built, much like the luxury oceanliners of the era, but most steamboats were working boats manned by rough captains.The work on a steamboat was hard and dangerous. Before the Civil War, manual labor onsteamboats was provided by immigrants because slaves were considered too valuable torisk on this type of work. Freed slaves, called roustabouts, did most of the loading andunloading of freight after the Civil War. Some steamboats were showboats travelingfrom city to city providing entertainment, although this was a minor part of steamboatbusiness. Slowly, as the railroad expanded, the use of steamboats to move freight andpassengers began to decline.

Think about the following questions as you view the pictures. What feelings or emotionsdo these pictures of steamboats evoke in you? How would you describe the mood of lifeon the river? What sounds do you think passengers on a steamboat might hear? Howwould it smell?Write a definition poem, a diamante, or a cinquain about steamboats on the MississippiRiver before the Civil War. For instructions on writing a poem, see the appendix.

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Appendix III

Writing Poems

1. Definition PoemStart with an abstract word. Then give images of that word.

Definition poems can begin as follows:

Happiness isor

A delinquent’s life is

The lines that follow define the abstraction by giving specific, detailed examples orimages.

2. Cinquain – a poem 5 lines long that does not rhyme.line 1 has two syllablesline 2 has fourline 3 has sixline 4 has eightline 5 has two again

My dogThe best, I thinkOf course, you may have one.Mine has to be cuter than yoursShe’s mine

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3. DiamantesA diamante is a diamond-shaped poem based on contrasts. Although there are variations,the most common pattern produces a seven-line poem with the following form:

Line 1 – one word, usually a nounLine 2 – two adjectives that describe the nounLine 3 – three participles also describing the nounLine 4 – provides a transition from the word in line 1 to the word in line 7Line 5 – three participles that describe the noun in line 7Line 6 – two adjectives that describe the noun in line 7Line 7 – a noun that contrasts with line 1

Fireorange and yellow

licking, leaping, lightingcaught between desire and indifference

staring, glaring, glisteningsilver and blue

Ice

4. Many other types of poems are written in a free, non-rhyming form, without a standardmeter, but arranged in stanzas. These will probably be the easiest for you to write,although you are encouraged to attempt all types of poetry.

The thousand knights in armorAnd on horsesFlew down the hill,Yelling their ferocious battle criesTo make us tremble and retreat.We stayed,Ready to meet our deathProudly.

5. One of the most well-known poetic forms is Haiku, and it is quite simple to write. Itconsists of three lines only that may not rhyme. The first line has 5 syllables, the secondhas seven, and the third has five again.

Many winters pass;The oak grows taller each year.When will acorns form?

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Pre-reading

Objective: Understanding the slaveholding culture of the pre-Civil War South.

Activity:

Even though this novel was written in 1885, after the end of the Civil War, the story is setin the 1840’s. The Southern culture and attitudes of the characters reflect this era. Readthe following excerpt describing the attitudes of slaveholders.

In small groups, complete the following chart titled Pre-Civil War SlaveholdingCulture by finding specific details in the excerpt from Uncle Tom’s Cabin to support thestatements.

In this excerpt from Uncle Tom’s Cabin, first published in 1852, Mr. Shelby and Mrs.Shelby are talking about the impending sale of two slaves, Uncle Tom and Harry. Harryis the young son of Mrs. Shelby’s maid, Eliza.

“Well, since you must know all, it is so. I have agreed to sell Tom and Harry both; and I don’tknow why I am to be rated, as if I were a monster, for doing what every one does every day.”

“But why, of all others, choose these?” said Mrs. Shelby, “Why sell them, of all on theplace, if you must sell at all?”

“Because they will bring the highest sum of any,–that’s why. I could choose another, ifyou say so. The fellow made me a high bid on Eliza, if that would suit you any better,” said Mr.Shelby.

“The wretch!” said Mrs. Shelby, vehemently.“Well, I didn’t listen to it, a moment,–out of regard to your feelings, I wouldn’t;–so give

me some credit.”“My dear,” said Mrs. Shelby, recollecting herself, “forgive me. I have been hasty. I was

surprised, and entirely unprepared for this;–but surely you will allow me to intercede for thesepoor creatures. Tom is a noble-hearted, faithful fellow, if he is black. I do believe, Mr. Shelby,that if he were put to it, he would lay down his life for you.”

“I know it,–I dare say;–but what’s the use of all this? – I can’t help myself.”“Why not make a pecuniary sacrifice? I’m willing to bear my part of the inconvenience.

O Mr. Shelby, I have tried – tried most faithfully, as a Christian woman should – to do my duty tothese poor, simple, dependent creatures. I have cared for them, instructed them, watched overthem, and known all their little cares and joys, for years; and how can I ever hold up my headagain among them, if, for the sake of a little paltry gain, we well such a faithful, excellent,confiding creature as poor Tom, and tear from him in a moment all we have taught him to love andvalue? I have taught them the duties of the family, of parent and child, and husband and wife; andhow can I bear to have this open acknowledgment that we care for no tie, no duty, no relation,however sacred, compared with money? I have talked with Eliza about her boy – her duty to himas a Christian mother, to watch over him, pray for him, and bring him up in a Christian way; andnow what can I say, if you tear him away, and sell him, soul and body, to a profane, unprincipledman, just to save a little money? I have told her that one soul is worth more than all the money inthe world; and how will she believe me when she sees us turn round and sell her child? – sell him,perhaps, to certain ruin of body and soul!” (Pg. 32)

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Pre-Civil War Slaveholding CultureCharacteristics Details from ExcerptSlaves are treated as inferiorbeings.

Slaves are a financial commodityimportant to slaveholders.

Slaves are often loyal to theirmasters despite the treatmentthey receive from their owners.

Slaveholders justified theiractions because of the Southernculture and attitude towardslavery.

Women have more emotionalattachment to slaves than mendo.