Mark Twain and Huckleberry Finn

"Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence in society." -- Mark Twain

This is my favorite time of the school year because I (we) get to travel down the Mississippi River with Mark Twain as we read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. By the time we end the journey, around the first of March, you will be among the top 1% of all experts on Huck Finn in the world -- guaranteed! As you can see by the picture, Mark Twain once visited the U.S.S. Enterprise in 2369. Now you already know a piece of Twain trivia (of which most Earthlings are unaware).

As you check your assignments, notice that I've arranged them a bit differently. Instead of a week-by-week, I've put the entire reading schedule on one page. You can refer to it for the next month or so. I've also put the vocabulary lists, study questions, film review composition, and special notes each on individual pages. Check at the bottom of this page for the hot links.

"I am the entire human race compacted together. I have found that there is no ingredient of the race which I do not possess in either a small way or a large way." -- Mark Twain

The Controversy

One of the main reasons we read Huckleberry Finn is because a whole lot of people don't want us to. Huck Finn is one of the most banned books in American history. If you don't believe me, check out the Most Challenged Books List. Basically, the people who want to ban Huck Finn have either not read the book or don't understand it.

Prior to first semester exams, we'll cover background about mark Twain and Huck Finn, including the controversy surrounding the novel. Included in this will be a packet of information and two videos ("Family Ties Huck Finn" and "The Day They Came To Arrest The Book"). Some of this material will be on your semester exam.

We'll begin the second semester with the movie, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, which will leave off where Huck's story begins. You will also see slides of my vacation to Hannibal, MO (Twain's boyhood town); you'll see many of the locations described in the novel (plus me in shorts revealing my legendary "chicken legs").

Then, it's the novel itself -- a wonderful adventure filled with action, suspense, stupidity, greed, and friendship.

We'll conclude with a gigantic essay test, and then a "Huck Finn" movie and composition.

"It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt." -- Mark Twain

Earn Extra Credit

There are all sorts of great Mark Twain sites on the World Wide Web. Find anything to do with Twain, Huck Finn, Book Banning, or any other Twain-related subject, print it out and bring it in. You'll get extra credit for your effort.

Here are some good sites to get you started:

Did you know Twain is running for President in 2000? Check out the campaign.

"I have no color prejudices nor caste prejudices nor creed prejudices. All I care to know is that a man is a human being, and that is enough for me; he can't be any worse." -- Mark Twain

Huckleberry Finn Reading/Discussion Schedule

Huckleberry Finn Vocabulary Lists

Huckleberry Finn Study Questions

Huckleberry Finn Film Review