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Instituto de Literatura y Ciencias del Lenguaje
Facultad de Filosofa y Educacin
Sivilizationand society: an elective workshop for junior high
school students based on Mark TwainsAdventures of
Huckleberry Finn
TRABAJO DE TITULACIN
PARA OPTAR AL TTULO DE PROFESOR DE INGLS
Y AL GRADO DE LICENCIADO EN EDUCACIN
Estudiante: Eduardo Enrique Soto Gonzlez
Profesor gua: Sr. Pablo A. Villa Moreno
Segundo semestre 2012
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Instituto de Literatura y Ciencias del Lenguaje
Facultad de Filosofa y Educacin
Sivilizationand society: an elective workshop for junior high
school students based on Mark TwainsAdventures of
Huckleberry Finn
TRABAJO DE TITULACIN
PARA OPTAR AL TTULO DE PROFESOR DE INGLS
Y AL GRADO DE LICENCIADO EN EDUCACIN
Estudiante: Eduardo Enrique Soto GonzlezProfesor gua: Sr. Pablo A. Villa Moreno
Segundo semestre 2012
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3.2 Course syllabus 31
3.3 Daily lesson plans 34
4. Works cited 84
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Introduction
More times than not, I have heard Chilean students state that they do not see the
point of learning English because they will never go abroad anyway. Although it might
be true that the student will never have the chance of leaving the country (but still, you
never know), it is not at all unlikely that the student may meet, during the course of his or
her life, a tourist that happens to be a native speaker of English or, on the contrary, a
foreign visitor whose mother tongue is neither Spanish nor English but at least masters the
latter. Very much like Muhammads old saying, if the student does not come to English,
the language will have to go to the student, in this case in the form of an ordinary, social
interaction that inevitably will call for the use of English as a means of communication.Nevertheless, students reluctant attitude towards learning the language is only one among
the various factors that should be considered when talking about English teaching in
Chilean classroom settings. Another relevant factor, the significant number of Chilean
students who do not understand what they read in Spanish, let alone in English is
evidenced in their poor results in reading comprehension tests. Also, literature in Chilean
schools has been traditionally presented to students mainly as an imposition in the form of a
list of books that must be read during the semester, thus giving little space to the choice of
books according to the students interests or needs. As a consequence, students motivation
decreases as they are forced to read something they do not have a like for and/or they are
not interested in.
In general, there appears to be too much focus on literature as being nothing but the
goal. I, rather, propose that literature should be looked at, rather than as the objective that is
only attained after a list of books are read at school, as the means by which students will
not only learn English, but also discover new realities and gain new perspectives on life. In
other words, literature should be viewed as a voyage in which the literary work is the
vehicle by which the student will be transported from her or his own reality to another one;
a voyage that does not actually end when the reader has finished reading the work.
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founded a tradition of American original works of literature characterized by questioning
and rebellion, and whose protagonists are loners and anti-heroes amidst a symbolic quest
such as Herman Melvilles Moby Dick, Walt Whitmans Leaves of Grass, Edgar Allan
Poes stories, Emily Dickinsons poems, Henry David Thoreaus Waldenand Ralph Waldo
Emersons essays. In fact, Ernest Hemingway in his 1935 Green Hills of Africa regards
Twains novel as the book from which [a]ll modern American literature comes ()and
(...) the best () we've had [and from which a]ll American writing comes ()There was
nothing before. There has been nothing as good since. (23)
Great turns of phrase stick in our minds, Lindstromberg asserts, and research
into memory suggests that rhythm, rhyme, alliteration, allegory and certain other expressive
devices may never have a firmer grip on us than when we are young (Ibid). Literature, in
other words, may be better grasped and better understood during the adolescence and
particularly foreign literature may swell learners ability to express themselves with clarity
and effect (Ibid).
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Theoretical framework
First and foremost, it seems pertinent to provide explanations of key concepts,
definitions and ideas such as literature, and the importance of teaching it during
adolescence, and Young Adult Literature as a subcategory of literature to be used in
classroom settings, which altogether will enhance the understanding of the theoretical
framework of this pedagogical proposal whose aim is to provide ideas that can be applied
when teaching the English language through Mark Twains Adventures of Huckleberry
Finn, but also through any other literary work that may share similarities to the story and its
characters.
Because it redefined the concept, it seems appropriate to define literature
from early conceptions. Then, the discussion will focus on literature for young adults, a
subcategory for which Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was a seminal work, without which
J. D. Salingers The Catcher in the Rye to name only one example would not have
existed.
When it first appeared, the novel represented a transgression of what was
being done in literature and none of its critics would have imagined, not even in their
wildest dreams, that the novel would not only continue to be read in the XXI century but
also would be used to teach English in non-English speaking countries as well as to develop
critical thinking in non-native speakers of the language from the most remote countries.
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What is literature?
According to the definition provided by Ruth Robbins, Julian Wolfreys, and
Kenneth Womack in their book Key Concepts in Literary Theory, literature, at its most
neutral, and broadest, signifies textual manifestations of writing and refers to the
production of literary works and to specific bodies of poetry or prose. However, such
definition does not actually constitute a useful instrument to the goals of the project. In fact,
it will concentrate, rather, on the nature of literary language. According to these authors,
literature language distances itself from the quotidian kind of language as () certain
aspects of it [literary language] and the way in which it functions () draws attention to its
departures from everyday utterances. The term literature has been also used with a
larger sense, according to M. H. Abrams and Geoffrey Galt Harpham, to designate any
other writings (including philosophy, history, and even scientific works addressed to a
general audience) that are especially distinguished in form, expression, and emotional
power, that being the reason for calling literary the philosophical writings of Plato and
William James, the historical writings of Edward Gibbon, and the psychoanalytic lectures
of Sigmund Freud, among others (178). Also, in a sense closer to the Latin original,
literature is applied to all written works, regardless of their type or quality, an all-inclusive use that is particularly recurrent when referring to the sum of works that deal with
a specific subject matter. Abrams and Harpham cites, as example of this larger sense of the
term, a letter that the Chairman of the Division of Literature at a major American university
that includes a College of Agriculture received, which reads: Dear Sir, Kindly send me all
your literature concerning the use of cow manure as a fertilizer.
The difficulty to determine what it is literature and what it is not has been a highly
debated issue that actually dates from the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, a
time when, Terry Eagleton argues in the introduction to his work Literary Theory: An
introduction, no clear distinction was made between the factual and the non-factual. Indeed,
the term novel was indistinctively employed to refer to both true and fictional events;
novels and news reports were not classified as either clearly factual or clearly fictional
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because, back in the 1500s and 1600s, such categorizations taken for granted in our days
did not even exist. (1-2)
Russian critic Roman Jakobson defies, according to Eagleton, our conception of
literature by referring to it as a kind of writing which represents an organized violence
committed on ordinary speech. Emphasizing the transforming and intensifying power
literature has on ordinary language, Eagleton poses the example of someone murmuring to
him the phrase Thou still unravished bride of quietness, the first verse of John Keatss
Ode on a Grecian Urn, as he waits at a bus stop to illustrate the point that you can tell
literary language from non-literary language because of the texture, rhythm and resonance
of your words [which] are in excess of their abstract able meaning or, as the linguists
might more technically put it, there is a disproportion between the signifiers and the
signifieds. (2).
According to Eagleton, the idea advanced by Jakobson that literary language
represents a kind of linguistic violence onto ordinary speech and that the former thus differs
from the latter because it is characterized by a set of departures from a norm, carries an
implication: one must be able to identify the rule from which deviation diverges to
distinguish literature from what it is not.
To illustrate his point, he poses as example the divergence between what ordinary
speech is for Oxford philosophers and what it is for dockers from Glasgow as the language
employed by the two social groups differs from each other when it comes to writing a love
letter or when it comes to talking to the local vicar. As a consequence, he disregards the
belief that there exists a common currency shared uniformly by all members of a society
and concludes that a single normal language is nothing but an illusion, advancing the idea
of the density of the constitution of speeches. Any actual language, he sustains, is a highly
complex range of discourses, differentiated according to class, region, gender, status and so
on, which can by no means be neatly unified into a single, homogeneous linguistic
community. (4).
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Literature may well be defined in terms of a multiplicity of connections between
signifiers and signifieds. Michael P. Spikes commentary on the work by Paul de Man
gives ideas of what he conceives of irony. For him, it always implies the existence of
conflicting layers of meaning, which are interconnected and mutually undo each other. He
also emphasizes the simultaneity by which an ironic utterance double-talks (21). In plain
words, every utterance has the potentiality of duplicity, in terms of its meaning. All
language is potentially ironic, de Man concludes, highlighting the loss of control of ones
intention whenever delivering a message.
Ways of speech, however, may vary according to several different factors, ranging
from geographical location to social categories. Adventures of Huckleberry Finnserves as a
fine example since the language employed by the characters, full of grammatical errors and
misspellings, is intended by the author to reflect the actual way of speaking of people of the
timein this case, American people during slavery timesand not, as critics have argued,
to offend in any way black people with its language, especially with the use of the n-
word.
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What is YAL?
YAL, an acronym for Young Adult Literature, is a kind of literature whose aim is,
ideally, to be used in classroom context. In her essay, "Developing a love of reading: why
young adult literature is important?" Mary Owen states that YAL offers teenagers
something that adult literature does not and gives some distinguishing features of YAL. For
example, she asserts that it is created especially for young adults, hoping to give them a
more mature understanding of self and the world. (11)
The stories pertaining to YAL category tend to focus on the experiences of an
teenager protagonist, of some age from twelve to eighteen, whose views are reflected andinterpreted in a story that is written through his/her own eyes. Owen adds that YAL does
not always provide the answers, but rather portrays a young person in search of them
(Ibid). The importance of YAL lies in its help to young readers in their process of coming
of agea transitional phase from carefree childhood to responsible adulthoodto achieve
psychological growth or maturity by means of exploration and exploitation of themes such
as the search for identity as young adults quest may lead to feelings such as isolation,
confusion and rebellion.
Interestingly, another feature of adolescence is the co-existence of two opposing or
conflicting phenomena: an adolescent who seeks independence and freedom in the process
of exploration of the unknown world around him/her, at the same time, depends on and
turns to adults for security, economic and emotional support. In the meantime, they look for
peer support in her/his process of struggling for autonomy, which will lead her/him into
discovering their abilities and, eventually and ideally, themselves.
Thus, the idea of having central characters of ages similar to those of readers is for
them to develop an awareness of how other teenagers learn to move on from painful and
threatening situations (Owen, 12). In plain words, Young Adult Literature aims at being
relevant to adolescents by serving as a reflection of their own concerns, issues and attitudes.
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The state of the American novel before Samuel L. Clemens
Before the nineteenth century, specifically in 1783, when the establishment of the
United States as a country was something recent, prose literature that which, unlike
poetry, lacks rhythmic structure but favors a natural flow of the speech emerged in the
form of published sermons, controversial and didactic essays, travelers experiences, and
newspaper stories; there was no such a thing as a novel writer, let alone a native school of
novel writers. From 1800 onwards, living standards began to improve, especially in the
New England states of north-east, and what first was a tendency ended up becoming a
habit: giving books as presents. This, in turn, contributed to the encouragement of writing
fiction, even though at the beginning mostly in the form of sketches and short stories
(Washington Irvings work being the most prominent in this respect).
The first to become a major novelist in American literature was James Fenimore
Cooper (1789-1851). After The Spy (1821), his first novel, which was a story set in
American War of Independence, the Leatherstocking series, which deal with life in the
backwoods and around the Red Indian frontiers, was published (The Pioners [1823], The
Last of the Mohicans [1826], The Prairie[1827] and The Deerslayer[1841]) Belonging to
an earlier generation of writers, Cooper is often remembered as writer of numerous sea-
stories and historical novels in a rather Romantic tone.
Differing a lot in style and themes, the work by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-64) is
characterized by romanticism and allegories and by its setting mainly in the New England
territory. Among his novels, the most important is perhaps The Scarlet Letter (1850),
whose story is set in the Massachusetts of the 17th
century and focuses on the hardships of
Hester Prynne, a woman who gives birth to a daughter after having committed adultery in a
Puritan taboo-laden society. Strongly influenced by Hawthorne was Herman Melville
(1819-1891), a neighbor of his for a long time. The popularity of M elvilles tales of the sea
many being autobiographical was actually high among American readers; Moby Dick
(1851), regarded as one of the greatest works in the history of American literature, is said to
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be a landmark of American literature as it blended various literary styles including a
fictional adventure story, historical aspects and even scientific issues.
Before the emergence of Mark Twain, American writers had made their mark
(paradoxically) more as poets (namely, Edgar Allan Poe, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,
Walt Whitman) and as philosopher essayists (Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo
Emerson) than as storytellers or novelists. The greatness ofAdventures of Huckleberry Finn
lies in its authors capacity to create an appropriate symbol for the nation that was
flourishing, by permitting a teenager to tell a story in his own simple, direct and fluent
language in a way no other author had done it before: Twain disregarded British English as
the only suitable idiom to be employed in serious literature.
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His life and writings
Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, Mark Twain was born in Florida, Missouri on
November 30th
, 1835. Infused with the frontier spirit and dreams of easy wealth, his father,
a Virginian, spent most of his time searching restlessly for quick profits from land
speculation. Following his father death (1847), Clemens became first a journeyman printer
in the Middle West and then a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi. A strong influence, life
on the river provided him with the pseudonym Mark Twain, which stems from the
leadsmens signal By the mark, twain meaning that the water was two fathoms deep,
that is to say, deep enough for safe passage; it also gave him material for several of his
books, including the raft scenes ofAdventures of Huckleberry Finnand the material for his
autobiographicalLife on the Mississippi (1883).
When in San Francisco, Clemens met other writers, notably Artemus Ward and Bret
Harte, who both encouraged his literary efforts, and received recognition for his series of
humorous sketches, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County (1867). Soon after,
a tour of the Mediterranean and Near East, depicted in Innocents Abroad(1869), revealed a
remarkable American irreverence for the classic and the antique.
1870 saw Clemens marriage to Olivia Langdon and his their subsequent
settlement in Hartford, Connecticut. In the ensuing years, he published travel narratives
such as Roughing It (1872) and A Tramp Abroad (1880) along with historical narratives
whose setting is England during the reign of Edward VI, (The Prince and the Pauper,
1882) and the days of the legendary King Arthur (A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs
Court, 1889). It was precisely during these days, when Clemens began attending to the
background of his early life, that he produced the most notable of his works: The
Adventures of Tom Sawyerin 1876 andAdventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1884.
His flow of creativity was, nevertheless, hindered by external events: his speculation
in a publishing venture and his unsuccessful investment in a typesetting machine resulted in
his bankruptcy in 1894. Forced to undertake extensive lecture tours to pay off his debts, he
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takes on a pessimistic attitude, which is reflected on his successive works, while Tom
Sawyer Abroad (1894) and Tom Sawyer, Detective (1896) did not enjoy the success his
previous works had.
Towards the end of his life, Twain received degrees from both Oxford and Yale
universities in recognition of his work as a writer whose personality was unique among the
American letters, but at the same time, who was a typical reflection of his country and age.
He dies in 1910 at the age of 74.
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The adventures that were had before Hucks
SinceAdventures of Huckleberry Finnstarts off where its predecessor Tom Sawyer
ends, and despite what Huck himself says at the beginning (You dont know about me,
without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer), it seems
nonetheless pertinent to briefly delineate the course of the latter work before discussing
Huck Finn.
Troublesome and highly imaginative, Tom Sawyer and his self-righteous brother
Sid live together with their soft-hearted Aunt Polly in the little town of St. Petersburg,
Missouri, on the margins of the Mississippi. After Sid tells on Tom for having playedtruant, the latter is being made to whitewash the garden fence as punishment; cleverly, he
manages to make his friends believe the job is such a privilege and ends up inducing them
to do it.
After quarreling with his sweetheart, Becky Thatcher, Tom decides to become a
pirate or a Robin Hood. With Huck Finn, a good-hearted but irresponsible young vagabond,
Tom visits a graveyard at midnight to swing a dead cat (on the advice of his friend, as a
cure for warts). When in there, they witness the murder of the town doctor who is stabbed
by Injun Joe, who, in turn, places the knife in the hands of drunken Muff Potter.
Rejected by Becky and scolded by Aunt Polly, Tom together with Huck and Joe
Harper look for shelter on nearby Jacksons Island. The townsmen, in the belief the three
boys have died in the river, arrange a funeral service, in the middle of which the corpses
are discovered to be listening from the church gallery.
Following his return to school, Tom comes to terms with his aunt Polly as well aswith Becky and ends up being a sort of hero during the trial Muff Potter because of his
revelation of Injun Joes guilt. After attending a school picnic, Tom and Becky get lost for a
couple of days in a cave and run into the runaway murderer. As a consequence of the half-
breed being found dead, his treasure is distributed between Tom and Huck.
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Having just won such wealth, Huck gives up his life as a happy roamer and is
adopted by Widow Douglas.
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Context of the novels composition and publication
After finishing Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain regretted not having written it as a first
person narrative, something he confessed in a letter to his friend Howells: By & by I shall
take a boy of twelve & run him on through life (in the first person) but not Tom Sawyerhe
would not be a good character for it.
In the summer of 1876, Twain began working on his upcoming work, Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn. In a matter of months, he had around four hundred pages and Huck Finn,
the village outcast and Toms vagabond companion, as the main character and first person
narrator. As a result of his lack of enthusiasm, Twain ignored the manuscript for some timeonly to resume it in 1880. Three years later, he completed the work which was eventually
published in England in December 1884.
Adventures of Huck Finnproved a hit and during the Twains lifetime it was the
most lucrative of all his books. Before publication, forty thousand copies were subscribed
and a number of editions were published not only in the United States but also abroad. One
century after its first appearance, in the early 1960s, the book was selling more quickly in
both de luxe and inexpensive paperback editions than it had in its initial ones. As a way of
capitalizing on the novels success, television producers and two motion picture companies
competed for the filming of new versions.
Even though scholars and literary critics took several decades to recognize the value
of Huckleberry Finn, there are more critics praising it than discrediting it in recent years.
Nobel Prize winner, poet and critic, T. S. Eliot, deemed the book a major classic: Twain at
least inHuckleberry Finnreveals himself to be one of those writers of whom there are not a
great many in any literature, who have discovered a new way of writing, valid not only for
themselves, but for others. (Notes on Mark Twain's The adventures of Huckleberry
Finn, 4)
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Setting
Huckleberry Finn serves as a recreation of scenes, characters and events from the
authors own boyhood and youth. He once wrote: I confine myself to life with which I
am familiar when pretending to portray life. But I confined myself to the boy-life out on the
Mississippi because that had a peculiar charm for me, and not because I was not familiar
with other phases of life.
The riverside town, Twains boyhood home; the farms, the place he visited during
holidays; and the Mississippi River, another atmosphere that attracted him a great deal,
upon which he flew when he was a steamboat pilot when young serve as settings not onlyfor the novel but also for other works such as Life on the Mississippi. A recurrent topic in
Twain, the rivers meanings are, according to Andrew Dix in Twain and the Mississippi,
evocative of not only his own psychobiography but, most importantly, of larger American
contradictions, desires, even traumas in the closing decades of the nineteenth century
(295)
Far from merely recording scenes, personalities and events in the Missouri Middle
West, Mark Twain turned reality into fiction, manipulating the facts for the sake of art or,
in other words, for artistic purposes. Such modifications, however, occurred in some other
fashions as well: after he had left Missouri and the river, Twain travelled widely, read
books and acquired new attitudes and ideas which were destined to influence his writing,
serving as inspiration for Roughing Itand for "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras
County".
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Irony as lens to see the world
The ironic language which is nothing but the reflection of his ironic perspective
towards the worldis what, among other elements, have made Mark Twain be recognized
(certainly not at the beginning) as the prominent figure he is, not only of his own country
but of world literature. From the very beginning of the novel, irony can be perceived. In the
introductory note to the novel, without going any further, the following notice reads:
"Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons
attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will
be shot." Open to interpretation as it may be, the warning certainly exhibits irony in that it
presents a disproportion between actions and their consequences. Finding a motive in a
narrative is so innocuous an action that it is hard to think of being prosecuted for its
performance (or, to be accurate, its attempt to perform it). Likewise, finding a moral and a
plot does not certainly deserve being forced to live ones country, let alone being shot. But
that is all what irony is about: disproportion, incongruities, or discrepancies between two
elements. Paraphrasing Twains introductory note to the novel, persons having a darker
skin color will not only be prosecuted and made slaves but they will not even be considered
human beings.
As a concept, irony is defined by Ruth Robbins, Julian Wolfreys, and Kenneth
Womack in their book Key Concepts in Literary Theory asbeing [t]he contradiction,
incongruity or discrepancy between appearance or expectation and reality that can be
understood in terms of events, situations, and the structural components of literature. (58)
One among the different categories is dramatic irony. The American Heritage
Dictionary of the English Language emphasizes its having an impact on the spectator or the
reader but not on characters: The effect achieved by leading an audience to understand an
incongruity between a situation and the accompanying speeches, while the characters in the
play remain unaware of incongruity. In other words, the implications of, or the meaning
of, a given situation or speech are understood by the audience or the readership but not by
the characters in the play or in the novel. In scenes involving a dramatic irony, a character
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speaks or acts mistakenly. Such erratic speech or behavior stems from the characters
unawareness of some parts of the truth of which the spectator or the reader is in fact aware.
Dramatic irony is a technique employed to emphasize the significance of a particular truth
by means of the portrayal of a person who is stunningly ignorant about it.
An illustrative scene of such type of irony in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is
noticeable in Chapter 9:
"When we was ready to shove off we was a quarter of a mile below the island, and it
was pretty broad day; so I made Jim lay down in the canoe and cover up with a
quilt, because if he set up people could tell he was a nigger a good ways off."(Twain, 58)
To make a place to hide in case visitors arrive, Jim and Huck take the canoe and
provisions to a cave in the middle of the island. After a while a storm blows in causing the
river to flood. In order for Jim not to be seen, Huck hides him in the bottom of the canoe.
What is most evident in the excerpt is Hucks wrong assumption that people can tell from
a considerable distance a black individual from a white. Up to this point, Huck Finn,
because of his upbringing, still holds the belief that black people are essentially different
from whites. Readers of the novel, however, are (or at least supposed to be) well aware that
a persons skin color being darker than another ones bears no relation and makes no
difference whatsoever with the condition of being human. The dramatic irony, in this case,
lies in Hucks unawareness that Jim is a human being in spite of his color skin, something
of which readers are well aware.
Another instance of dramatic irony in the novel is perceivable in chapter 14, when
Huck is surprised to find in Jim qualities he did not expect to:
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"...he judged it was all up with him anyway it could be fixed; for if he didn't get
saved he would get drownded; and if he did get saved, whoever saved him would
send him back home so as to get the reward, and then Miss Watson would sell him
South, sure. Well, he was right; he was most always right; he had an uncommon
level head for a nigger."(Twain, 80-81)
Traces of Hucks adherence to the Southern white perspective of the world can still
be perceived in the novel and are, in fact, reflected in the cited statement. Huck, raised in a
Southern slave-owning society, still holds the belief that black people are less intelligent
than white people. After Jim evaluates their adventure, Huck acknowledges that he has
acted imprudently by putting at risk Jims integrity, but he concludes, amazed, that Jim is
smart for a black individual. The situation narrated in the excerpt serves as example of
dramatic irony in that it shows a characters ignorance Huckand, at the same time, the
audiences readersawareness of a truth: black people are no less intelligent than white
people.
Another type, verbal irony is defined by Meyer Howard Abrams and Geoffrey Galt
Harpham in A Glossary of Literary Terms as a statement in which the meaning that a
speaker employs is sharply different from the meaning that is ostensibly expressed [and it]
involves the explicit expression of one attitude or evaluation, but with indications in the
overall speech-situation that the speaker intends a very different, and often opposite,
attitude or evaluation. (11) Thus the distinctive feature of verbal irony, as compared to
dramatic irony, lies in the deliberation with which a speaker produces it. It is, in other
words, the discrepancy between expression and intention as when a speaker says something
but means something else or when a literal meaning opposes its intended effect. For
example, someone says the phrase "Oh, that's beautiful", but what they actually mean (most
likely aided by the tone of voice with which the utterance is conveyed) is that they find
"that" rather ugly, that is, the right opposite.
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In chapter 12, an example of a discrepancy between what is expressed and what is
actually meant is perceptible:
"'See? He'll be drownded, and won't have nobody to blame for it but his own self. I
reckon that's a considerable sight better'n killin' of him. I'm unfavorable to killin' a
man as long as you can git aroun' it; it ain't good sense, it ain't good morals. Ain't I
right?'" (Twain, 74)
On a stormy night, Huck and Jim come across a wrecked steamboat and the former
convinces the latter to tie the raft to the boat and get on board to have an adventure. To their
surprise, they discover that three robbers are on board, two of whom have tied up the third
man and threaten to kill him. Expressed by one of these intruders, the statement reflects
Mark Twains use of language to satirize human beings by portraying them as being cruel
and thoughtless about the way a person could die (to let a man drown is a lesser crime than
to kill him outright). The discrepancy, thus, between what Twain actually expresses
through one of his characters and what he means makes verbal irony evident in this
passage.
Throughout the novel, satirical and humorous episodes abound, serving as evidence
for the greatness of Mark Twain, not only as a writer, but also as a philosopher and as a
humorist. This project intends to promote a reading of the novel with an emphasis on irony
not only as a rhetorical device but also, and more precisely, as an intelligent way to see the
world and its deepest problems.
In his 1913 essay The Burden of Humor, American author H. L. Menckenassumes that there is a prejudice against humor and attempts to find answers as to the origin
of such widespread error, as he calls it. Not only does he disregard the idea that humor
and sound sense are essentially antagonists but also the idea that humankind has found
evidence that the man who sees the fun of life is unfitted to deal sanely with its problems
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(67). In fact, he cites William Shakespeare as an example of an individual able to make
serious reflections on life while possessing a comic spirit. Even though there exists the
long-held belief that there is, Mencken concludes that there is no disagreement between
sense and humor and respectability. That old saying about how laughter abounds in the
mouth of the fool, in view of Menckens ideas, is not at all true. In wondering why people
tend to think humor and sound sense are at odds, Mencken is convinced that the reason for
such a misconception lies in the incapacity of most people to either tell jokes or funny
stories or to make quips. In his own plain words, Mencken concludes that the average
individual is far too stupid to make a joke (Ibid). I would not, however, go as far as to
blame peoples incapacity to make a joke on their stupidity, but rather on the laborious
effort that implies being funny or being humorous. In fact, it is hard to think of a good joke
based on a cheerful situation; jokes are funnier when they are based on serious issues and
not everyone is successful in that enterprise.
In such scenario, we are left to enjoy and appreciate the talent of someone who did
succeed at being not only a superb storyteller but also an outstanding humorist and
philosopher, with most interesting ideas about the world and humankind.
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Why teach Mark Twain?
His combination of the tradition of Middle West humor with frontier realism stands
out as Mark Twains main contribution to American literature. Trained as a journalist, he
took the modus operandiand form of a popular style, characterized by its maintenance of
the personal anecdotal approach he employed during his lecture tours. His travel books are
characterized by his digression from factual narrative to humorous exaggeration and
absolute burlesque.
Autobiographical and disjointed, Twains novels are not shaped by any larger
structural concepts but are rather written in a lively and irreverent style, by means of anauthentic Middle West native idiom. Behind this humoristic approach, however, lies a
strong yearning for social justice, which, regardless of how uneven his work might be,
establishes Twains place in American literature as a writer of broad human sympathies.
Specifically with Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain seems to be
expressing that no matter how hopelessness and pessimism life can bring, you will always
find a moment when you could laugh at it instead of weeping over it. Furthermore,
hardships do not represent a justification whatsoever for not preparing oneself to embark on
another journey in search of further adventures, as Huck Finn does at the end of the novel.
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Rationale
The literary work with which students will be working isAdventures of Huckleberry
Finn, a novel by American writer Mark Twain. First published in 1884 in the United
Kingdom and Canada and a year later in the United States, the edition to be used in the
workshop will be the 1994 Penguin Popular Classics by Penguin Books publisher. If
necessary, a 2000 simplified version of Oxford University Press published as part of the
Oxford Bookworms Library classics will be available for students.
The pertinence of choosing Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as the novel to be
taught in the workshop stems mostly from its focus on the experiences of a teenager who is
of an age similar to that of the students. A distinctive feature of works pertaining to Young
Adult Literature, the closeness in terms of age between the main character (voice and
consciousness), Huck Finn, and the students will be beneficial as they will find in the novel
opportunities to relate their life own experiences with those presented in the story. In this
respect, Mary Owen emphasizes the importance of having central characters of ages similar
to those of the young readers to whom the novel is intended as it encourages the
development of an awareness of how other teenagers learn to move on from painful and
threatening situations. (12) Regardless of the evident differences between the life of awhite American young man in slavery times and the life of a young Chilean adolescent in
the XXI century in terms of social and cultural context, the novel, as the early example of
Young Adult Literature (YAL) it is, will give students the opportunity to gain, as Mary
Owen adds, a more mature understanding of the self and the world (11) In addition, the
novel grants the possibility to ponder not only on the question of slavery per se but on
greater issues stemming from it: the novel provides students with the chance to reassess
major concepts such as freedom, independence and identity and relate them with their own
life experiences.
Referring to adolescence, scholar Lauriat Lane, Jr., in his essay WhyHuckleberry
Finn is a Great World Novel from Huck Finn among the critics, regards such process
characterized by the passage from carefree childhood to responsible adulthood as being one
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of the most important in a persons life and as one of the elements that makesAdventures of
Huckleberry Finn be a world novel, which, he defines, is a kind of novel whose
importance in its own literature is so great and whose impact on its readers is so profound
and far-reaching that it has achieved worldwide distinction. (158) One of the forms in
which the novel gains such recognition, he argues, stems precisely from its treatment of the
passage from youth into maturity and dubs the novel a novel of education [whose] school
is the school of life rather than of books (the University of Life as we commonly hear)
which, for Lane, Jr., is what makes Hucks education all the more complete. (159) Even
though no certainty can be had as to the main characters preparation to face adult life, it
can surely be said, Lane, Jr. argues, that Huck Finn, throughout the story, has undergone a
knowledgeful and maturing experience (164) especially because of the permanent
frustration or reversal of his plans which resulted in his sense of alienation from the world
around him. Such state is typical of the adolescent period as well as the search for
independence and freedom. As a consequence, Huck is, as Hamlin Hill sustains in
Huckleberry FinnsHumor Today from Inges collections of essay,a fine representation
of the typically helpless victim of a world in which nightmares () alienation and
apocalypse are facts of daily life (243), a prototype that adds to the novels applicability in
the classroom settings as it finds echo in the adolescents experiences of their everyday life
during the process of coming of age.
Intended audience
The intended audience of this workshop is junior high school students. It may,
nonetheless, be useful with any type of students older than 13 years. The book will be used
for individual study (the actual reading of the novel), small-group and whole-class study.
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Brief summary of the book
The novels opening is characterized by Huck Finn being motherly protected by the
Widow Douglas and her proper sister Miss Watson. After the appearance of Hucks father
in demand of his fortune, Huck succeeds in transferring it to the custody of Judge Thatcher.
Huck is then kidnapped and kept prisoner by his father in a lonely cabin. Taking
advantage of one of his spells of drunkenness, Huck manages to escape to Jacksons Island
and meets Jim, Miss Watsons runaway slave. On a raft, the two sail down the Mississippi
river but, to their chagrin, it is shattered by a steamboat and the two lose track of each
other.
After swimming ashore, Huck eventually finds refugee with the Grangerford, a
family who is feuding with their neighbors, the Shepersons. Following Hucks reunion with
Jim, the two escape and set off on the raft only to come across two crooks, King Louis
XVII of France and the Duke of Bridgewater; the former gives lectures as a pirate and,
with his companion, perform dramatic acts which would result in scams and tricks played
on the audience. The crooks find out about the death of a certain Peter Wilks and claim
stake of the legacy as they pretend to be his brothers. As a consequence of Hucks
intervention on behalf of the dead mans three nieces, the plan is frustrated by the
appearance of the actual brothers.
Huck learns that the king has sold Jim to Tom Sawyers Aunt Sally, Mrs. Phelps.
Huck resolves to pay a visit to the Phelps farm and impersonate Tom in an attempt to
rescue Jim. When Tom shows up a fantastic plan is devised to free Jim, however, Tom ends
up wounded and Jim, the Negro recaptured.
Eventually, Tom discloses that Miss Watson has died and given Jim his freedom in
her will. Huck, on the other hand, finds out that his own fortune is safe again because his
father is dead. Aunt Sally manifests her intention to adopt Huck and tries to civilize him,
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however, he is not willing to go through such a trial again, and decides to light out for the
territory ahead of the rest.
Potential problems with the work
Mostly because of the use of racial stereotypes and coarse language, particularly the
frequent employment of the term "nigger", the novel has continually been the object of
criticism ever since its publication. As a way to anticipate problems that may arise in this
regard, the issue might be addressed within the context of the realistic depiction of how
American people viewed Afro-Americans in the 1800s. In spite of the seemingly
inappropriateness, such language helps to reflect the perspective of white American people
had on blacks and eventually adds to the books reliability.
Also, objections to the reading of the novel may arise from the apparent distance
between American life and our own Chilean reality as it portrays a white young boy in a
slave-owning society that sees Afro-American as things that can be bought, instead of as
human beings in the XIX century. As a way to anticipate problems, the situation might be
tackled by comparing the major theme of discrimination and segregation to any of the cases
we have in Chile (namely, homosexuals, the Mapuches, so on and so forth.) By doing so,
awareness of the universality of the themes and issues discussed in the novel will be raised,
regardless of when it was written or when and where the events take place.
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Needs analysis
Needs analysis is a tool that has a vital role in the process of designing and carrying out any
language course, whether it be English for Specific Purposes (ESP) or general English
course.
About yourself
What do you do in your free time?
What kind of books do you like to read?
What kind of music do you like to listen to?
Do you watch TV? If so, what are you favorite TV shows?
About the language
Do you consider learning English to be useful?
Do you use oral English? If so, how often and where?
Do you use written English? If so, how often and where?
Which skills do you use/need/lack most?
Which parts of the language do you find most difficult?
How long have you been studying English?
How often do you watch English language films?
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How far do you want/need to go with your English?
About learning
Do you prefer that instructions are given in oral form or written form?
Do you feeling comfortable reading aloud?
Do you prefer listening to music or looking at a picture?
Do you take notes when in class?
The answers provided will help in the design of the course syllabus and the
activities to be done during the workshop. Informal surveys such as spontaneous
conversations between the teacher and the students about a topic they are interested in (be it
music, sports, etc.) will be also useful as they allow to gather information about the
students likes, interests, and needs.
Syllabus
According to Roberto Rabbini, a syllabus is an expression of opinion on the nature
of language and learning that acts as a guide for both teacher and the students by providing
objectives that have to be achieved. Hutchinson and Waters describe syllabus as a
statement of what is to be learned.
A syllabus can be also seen, according to J. Yalden, as a "summary of the content to
which learners will be exposed" (87). It is seen as an approximation of what will be taught
and that cannot accurately predict what will be learned.
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In plain words, the design of syllabus relates to the choice of what will be taught
and how which is a most important step in language teaching that has to be made gathering
as much information as possible, considering both students and teachers background and
capacities. A syllabus implies the inclusion of subject matter (what) and linguistic matter
(how). As a consequence, the selection of a certain type of syllabus will be subordinated to
the content to be taught is based on grammar or on semantics. Rarely in isolation, types of
syllabus are mostly mixed with other types, being one of them the predominant.
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Course syllabus
Sivilizationand society: an elective workshop for junior high school students based on
Mark TwainsAdventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Class information
Area: English
Sub-area: Literature
Weekly Hours: 2
Number of Lessons: 11
Number of students: 5
Level: Advanced
Type of syllabus: Topic and task-based syllabus
Course Description:
This workshop introduces students to Mark Twains novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
and the main issues it addresses. In addition to analyzing its historical background as well
as its main themes, the workshop will encourage a close and critical reading of the novel as
well as of other artistic works both from the time of the novel is set and from more
contemporary works that present similarities in terms of aesthetics, characterization and/or
themes.
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Daily lesson plans
Date: September 3rd
, 2012
Class period: 90 minutes
Stage: Presentation
General objective: To introduce major aspects of the American history, literature, art and
music of the 19thcentury so as to provide cultural and social contextualization before the
reading of the novel
Specific objectives
To understand the historical, social and cultural context of the United States in the
19th
century
To discuss the importance of the river and boats in the works of art presented as
forms of contextualization
To predict the movements of the escapees in the novel so as to locate the
geographical areas in which events take place.
To analyze art prints so as to estimate the historical significance in the context in
which the novel was written
To discuss the impact of language beyond the written word so as to analyze whether
art illustrations of the 1800s would be considered offensive or racist by todays
standards.
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slave narratives are
and their role in the
life of slaves.
times.
5
minutes
Presentation Teacher posts a map
of the pre-Civil War
Era in the United
States on the board
and explains the
existence and the
significance of Slave
and Free states.
Students visualize
geographical areas
such as Slave and
Free states, network
of rivers, open
territories, etc.
To predict the
movements of
the escapees in
the novel so as
to locate the
geographical
areas in which
events take
place.
20
minutes
Presentation Teacher builds
background
knowledge by
presenting works of
art of the XIX century.
Students look at the
works of art.
To analyze art
prints so as to
estimate the
historical
significance inthe context in
which the novel
was written
To discuss the
importance of
the river and
boats in the
works of art.
10 Presentation Teacher shows a Students examine To discuss the
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Material
Music
Artist: Audioslave
Song: What You Are
Writer (s):
Lyrics: Chris Cornell
Music: Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk
Album: Audioslave
Recorded: 2002
Map of the pre-Civil war era in the United
States
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Illustration of characters
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To identify differences between Hucks use of language and Standard English so as
to analyze the effect that all characters speaking Standard English would have on
the reader.
To discuss the use of own dialects and the importance of using Standard English
(and Spanish).
Time Stage Teachers activity Students activity Objectives
5 minutes Presentation Teacher posts on
the board a picture
of Mark Twainwithout telling the
students who he is
and elicits from
them adjectives
that may describe
him (whatever
comes to mind as
long as is not
disrespectful is
acceptable)
Students give their
own ideas taking
into account whatthe picture elicits
from them.
To recognize
Mark Twain as
the author ofthe novel and as
a remarkable
figure in
American
letters.
10 minutes Pre-reading Teacher provides a
brief summary of
Mark Twains
biography.
Students analyze the
summary of Mark
Twains biography.
To predict what
elements of
Mark Twains
life are
incorporated in
the novels
characters,
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setting and plot.
10 minutes Pre-reading Teacher asks
students to respond
to some statements
regarding the use
of language.
Teacher asks
students to choose
one of the
statements andjustify their choice.
Teacher
encourages
students to
compare their
viewpoints and to
provide concrete
examples about
what they feel like
they do.
Students express
their agreement or
disagreement on the
statements.
Students free write
about their
viewpoints on the
statements
Students compare
their viewpoints and
provide concrete
examples about why
they feel as they do.
To raise
awareness on
the impact of
language so as
to discuss
stereotyping
10 minutes Pre-reading Teacher asks
students to explain
the concept of
stereotype and lists
some common
stereotypes that are
used to describe
Students are asked to
sort the list of
stereotypes into
three categories
(positive, neutral,
and negative labels)
To examine
how and when
stereotyping
has an impact
on other people.
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young adults
10 minutes Pre-reading Teacher explains
that Twain uses
regional dialect in
the novel
Teacher asks
students to think
about why Twain
decided to use
language that hasbeen considered
offensive
(especially the term
nigger)
Teacher asks
students to provide
examples of
contemporary films
that exhibit
forbidden words
profusely.
Students ponder on
why Twain decided
to use language that
has been considered
offensive (especially
the term nigger)
Students provide
examples of
contemporary filmsor songs that exhibit
forbidden words
profusely.
To analyze the
use of taboo
words in
contemporary
art (music and
film)
10 minutes Pre-reading Teacher asks
students to examine
Hucks initial
speech in Chapter
One in terms of
grammar,
Students examine
Hucks initial speech
in Chapter One in
terms of grammar,
vocabulary and
speech
To identify the
novels Realism
reflected in its
use of regional
speech so as to
value the novel
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reader.
20 minutes Pre-reading Teacher opens
space for
discussion by
asking students
some questions: Do
people judge one
another based on
language habits?
Do you have a
dialect? Do you
change your speech
patterns at time? If
so, why?
Students provide
answers to enrich the
discussion
To discuss the
use of own
dialects and the
importance of
using Standard
English (and
Spanish)
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Daily lesson plans
Date: September 24th
, 2012
Class period: 90 minutes
Stage: Pre-reading
General objective: To introduce students to key themes in the novel so as to enrich their
reading of the novel and to value its significance in American literature.
Specific objectives
To build background knowledge before the actual reading of the novel
To create an environment of inquiry to deepen their understanding of the novel
To reflect on the process of coming of age young people undergo
To express viewpoints on the similarities and the differences of the maturation
process among young people
To identify ways of conformity and discuss them in the context of contemporary
society
To discuss and define the concept of civilization
To ponder on the issues of friendship and betrayal (of people and of believes)
To reflect on the issue of freedom and enslavement in the context of their own life
experiences
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To make predictions about events in the novel regarding key themes
Time Stage Teachers activity Students activity Objectives
10
minutes
Presentation Teacher introduces the
issue of coming of age
as an initial
exploration of main
themes in the novel.
Students take notes
and ask questions
To define the
main features
that
characterize
adolescence so
as to discuss theimplications of
having such a
teenager as
main character
in a novel.
10
minutes
Pre-reading Teacher shows posters
of both the film series
Star Wars and the
novel series Harry
Potter and asks
students to think of
similarities between
the two.
Students think of
things both series
have in common (the
main character
undergoes a series of
changes in the
course of the story)
and list the traits that
characterize the
protagonist from the
beginning of the
story and how he/she
To analyze the
changing
process human
beings undergo
in the process
of adolescence
so as to identify
features of
coming of age
in the novel.
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minutes conforming they
consider detrimental
to them and to society
(suggestions: voting
as another person
says, mindless
imitation of others in
dress and behavior,
etc)
Teacher poses
questions: Under
what circumstances
are social rules for
conformity an abuse
to citizens? Do such
rules create a civilized
society?
they consider
detrimental to them
and to society.
civilized
society so as to
contrast the
society depicted
in the novel
with our
contemporary
society.
10
minutes
Pre-reading Teacher asks the class
to define the concept
of civilization as
homework (a short
written text for the
following class)
Students are to hand
in a short essay on
the concept of
civilization.
To define the
concept of
civilization so
as to extend the
understanding
of the novel
before reading
it.
10
minutes
Pre-reading Teacher introduces the
concept of friendship
Students take notes
and are asked to
To discuss the
constituent
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and betrayal and asks
students to write a
short paragraph about
what friendship means
in their own lives.
write a short
paragraph about
what friendship
means in their own
lives
elements of
friendship and
betrayal (of
people and of
believes) so as
to estimate the
importance of
values in an
adolescents life
in light of
events in the
novel.
10
minutes
Teacher introduces the
concept of freedom
and enslavement by
asking students to
think of types of
freedom in their ownlife (suggestions:
having ones own car
[freedom] / depending
on other people for a
ride [enslavement]
and think of occasions
in which freedoms
imply enslavements
(having ones own car
= freedom / paying for
gas, insurance, tires,
Students think of the
concept freedom and
enslavement in the
context of their own
life.
Students write ways
in which they are
free and ways in
which they consider
themselves to be
enslaved.
Students write as
many concepts as
they can to then
build a raft made of
paper that must be
To question the
implications of
being free and
being enslaved
so as to
illustrate theapplicability of
concepts such
as freedom and
enslavement,
recurrent in the
XIX century, in
our own
contemporary
reality.
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and having to work
for those things =
enslavement)
Teacher asks students
to make a chart with
two columns, My
freedoms and My
slavery.
Teacher asks students
to come up with ways
in which they are free
and ways they are
enslaved.
Teacher asks students
to write the ways in
which they are free
from their own
enslavements so that
they can build a raft
made of paper that
must be presented in
front of the class at the
end of the workshop.
presented in front of
the class at the end
of the workshop.
10
minutes
Teacher gives out
copies of an
anticipation guide
Students read the
statements and
complete the Pre-
To predict the
unfolding of
events in the
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Pre-reading activity
Objective: To analyze the changing process human beings undergo in the process of adolescence so as to identify features of coming of
age in the novel.
Look at the picture and think of similarities between the two main characters from of both
series. The main character undergoes a series of changes in the course of the story.
List traits that characterize the protagonist from the beginning of the story and how he/she
has changed by the end of the novel or movie.
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Daily lesson plans
Date: October 1st, 2012
Class period: 90 minutes
Stage: Reading (Chapters 1-5)
General objective: To discuss characterization so as to comprehend its relevance in the
configuration of voices in a novel and its relation to ones own life experiences.
Specific objectives
To contextualize the topic of the class so as to prepare for class discussion.
To distinguish features of characterization so as to discuss its relevance in the
configuration of the story.
To apply new concepts so as to relate them to ones own life.
To assess how elements of place so as to identify how they help to develop the
voice and characters of Huck, Tom, Jim, and others.
To discuss characterization so as to identify instances of stereotyping and
prejudices.
Time Stage Teachers activity Students activity Objectives
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Activity (Chapters 1-5)
Objective: To contextualize the topic of the class so as to prepare for class discussion.
Look at the pictures of these famous tricksters. Think of a characteristic that all of these
characters share and write them down.
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Daily lesson plans
Date: October 8th
, 2012
Class period: 90 minutes
Stage: Reading (Chapters 6-11)
General objective: To introduce the concept of irony and satire so as to discuss them in
light of events in and characters from the novel.
Specific objectives
To present the concept of satire so as to discuss it with an example of pop culture
that students might relate to.
To enrich the discussion of irony and satire so as to revise those concepts in light of
events and characters in the novel.
Time Stage Teachers activity Students activity Objectives
45
minutes
Teacher introduces the
class by presenting a
video clip of
American TV show
The Simpsons.
Teacher elicits from
students ideas about
Students watch
carefully the video
clip of American TV
show The Simpsons.
Students give their
insights about irony
To present the
concept of
satire so as to
discuss it with
an example of
pop culture that
students might
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irony and satire.
Teacher gives a clear
definition of irony and
satire.
Teacher asks students
to work in pairs to list
as many ironies and
objects of satire as
they can in the
chapters thus far.
and satire.
Students work in
pairs to list as many
ironies and objects
of satire as they can
in the chapters thus
far.
Students state in one
sentence the main
message of each
irony.
relate to.
45
minutes
Teacher asks students
to think of comedians
or TV shows that use
irony and satire to
deliver serious
messages with humor.
Teacher shows video
clips featuring
sketches from TV
show El Club de la
Comedia.
Teacher asks students
to think of instances in
which a character or a
Students discuss
their job as
comedians and as
satirists.
Students are asked to
think of instances in
which a character or
a situation is
satirized in the novel
and to present that
next class.
To enrich the
discussion of
irony and satire
so as to revise
those concepts
in light of
events and
characters in
the novel.
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do.
25
minutes
Teacher posts a
picture of Romeo and
Juliet, briefly explains
what the story is about
and then asks students
to find similarities to
the elopement of
Harney and Sophia.
Students are asked to
find similarities
between Romeo and
Julieta to the
elopement of Harney
and Sophia.
To apply the
concept of
satire in the
discussion of
other literary
works so as to
analyze its
effectiveness.
35
minutes
Production Teacher asks students
about what other
characters and
elements of this
episode resembles
Shakespeares play
and explains that the
feud has been also
called a satire of the
Civil War.
Students are asked to
write a short essay
arguing for or
against the
effectiveness of this
satire.
To apply
concepts so as
to produce a
written text.
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Daily lesson plans
Date: October 29th
, 2012
Class period: 90 minutes
Stage: Reading
General objective: To compare other literary works to the novel so as to identify similarities
and differences in terms of characterization and treatment of themes.
Specific objectives
To compare elements from a literary work to other elements from the novel so as to
identify similarities and differences.
To identify differences between Shakespeares work and Huck Finn so as to deepen
the understanding of the novel.
To analyze Hucks life so as to estimate the value of material and abstract things in
ones life.
To examine the authors attitude towards the society of the time so as to compare it
with our contemporary society.
Time Stage Teachers activity Students activity Objectives
15 Teacher introduces the
class by showing a
Students are asked to
compare
To compare
elements from a
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minutes picture of
ShakespearesHamlet
Teacher presents the
soliloquy.
Shakespeares
soliloquy with
Hucks quotes from
the Dukes memory
literary work to
other elements
from the novel
so as to identify
similarities and
differences.
10
minutes
Teacher notes that
Twains characters
mix several
Shakespearean plays
together; namely,
Macbeth, Hamlet, and
Romeo and Juliet
Students discuss the
differences between
the two in terms of
meaning and then
perform the two
soliloquies in
costume.
To identify
differences
between
Shakespeares
work and Huck
Finn so as to
deepen the
understanding
of the novel.
20
minutes
Teacher elicits from
students things theyconsider necessities
for survival (possible
answers: food,
housing, clothing,
water, companionship,
and so forth and so
on)
Students focus on
things from the listthat Huck and Jim
have been cut from
on the river.
(Possible answers:
they go naked, they
have little shelter,
they eat what they
catch or borrow,
etc.)
To analyze
Hucks life soas to estimate
the value of
material and
abstract things
in ones life.
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45
minutes
Teacher invites
students to discuss
Twains implication
about freedom and the
pursuit of happiness
when Huck and Jim
disregard behaving
according to the rules
of polite society on
the river.
Students discuss
Twains implication
about freedom and
the pursuit of
happiness when
Huck and Jim
disregard behaving
according to the
rules of polite
society on the river.
To examine the
authors
attitude towards
the society of
the time so as to
compare it with
our
contemporary
society.
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Daily lesson plans
Date: November 5th
, 2012
Class period: 90 minutes
Stage: Reading (Chapter 32-43)
General objective: To examine the concept of civilization so as to determine to what extent
characters have been civilized
Specific objectives
To analyze concepts such as adventure and heroism so as to determine their role
in the novel.
To analyze characters treatment of each other so as to examine their its impact in
their life.
To discuss how truths that were not revealed would have changed the outcome of
the novel and the characters themselves so as to rate their impact if they had been
revealed.
To assess characters evolution so as to examine the authors intention for such
transformation.
To analyze the concept of civilization so as to determine to what extent characters
have been civilized.
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Time Stage Teachers activity Students activity Objectives
10
minutes
Teacher writes the
concepts adventures
and heroism on the
board and invites
students to define
them as Huck and
Tom would do.
Students make a list
of ways in which
Huck and Tom has
proven their own
heroism.
To analyze
concepts such
as adventure
and heroism
so as to
determine their
role in the
novel.
10
minutes
Teacher invites
students to compare
Pap and Jim as father
figures to Huck.
Students are asked to
reflect on how Paps
and Jims treatment
has affected Hucks
view of family and
whether Jims
mistreatment of his
deaf daughter is to
any extent
comparable to Paps
abuse of Huck
To analyze
characters
treatment of
each other so as
to examine their
its impact in
their life.
20
minutes
Teacher asks students
if they have ever kept
a secret from others.
Students share their
experiences.
To discuss how
truths that were
not revealed
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would have
changed the
outcome of the
novel and the
characters
themselves so
as to rate their
impact if they
had been
revealed.
25
minutes
Teacher reminds
students of the class in
which they discuss
characters from other
movies and books
who undergo a
process of change in
the course of the story.
Students chart the
characters and the
ways in which they
have changed during
the novel.
Students reflect on
what each character
has learned and how
Mark Twain has
used them in the
novel to change his
readers.
To assess
characters
evolution so as
to examine the
authors
intention for
such
transformation.
25
minutes
Teacher writes on the
board the word
Sivilization
(deliberately
Students discuss in
what ways Jim and
Huck have explored
To analyze the
concept of
civilization so
as to determine
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misspelled) and
explains that the
reason for misspelling
it is to reflect Hucks
lack of instruction and
education.
being uncivilized. to what extent
characters have
been civilized.
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Daily lesson plans
Date: November 12th
, 2012
Class period: 90 minutes
Stage: After-reading
General objective: To analyze the unfolding of events so as to compare predictions made at
the beginning of the workshop in light of events in the novel.
Specific objectives
To compare predictions with actual unfolding of events so as to analyze how
students got to think the way they think at the beginning.
To analyze changes in characters attitude so as to deepen the understanding of
themes in the novel.
Time Stage Teachers activity Students activity Objectives
45
minutes
Teacher asks students
to work with theanticipation guide
handed in during the
pre-reading stage.
Students complete
the after-readingportion of the
exercise.
Students compare
To compare
predictions withactual
unfolding of
events so as to
analyze how
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Teacher asks students
to fold the piece of
paper so that students
cannot see their
previous answers.
their answers students got to
think the way
they think at the
beginning.
45
minutes
Teacher asks students
to discuss those
statements that shifted
for Huck during the
novel and factors that
influenced the
changes.
Students discuss
those statements that
shifted for Huck
during the novel and
factors that
influenced the
changes.
To analyze
changes in
characters
attitude so as to
deepen the
understanding
of themes in the
novel.
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Daily lesson plans
Date: November 19th
, 2012
Class period: 90 minutes
Stage: After-reading
General objective: To determine key themes from the novel so as to defend their
significance in it.
Specific objectives
To select and defend a stance so as to develop critical thinking and debate skills.
To extend the range of themes so as to deepen the understanding of themes in the
novel.
Time Stage Teachers activity Students activity Objectives
20
minutes
After-
reading
Teacher posts cards
around the classroom
containing themesdiscussed in the novel.
Students have to
select one of the
themes to answer thequestion: what is the
novel about?
Students are given
To select and
defend a stance
so as to developcritical thinking
and debate
skills.
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10 minutes to list
reasons they feel
their theme is the
most relevant.
Students give their
reasons for choosing
their topic as the
most relevant in the
novel.
20minutes
After-reading
Teacher asks studentsif there are other
themes they would
defend.
Students give ideasabout other themes.
To extend therange of themes
so as to deepen
the
understanding
of themes in the
novel.
60
minutes
Teacher calls out
students to present
their enslavement
raft
Students present to
the class the
enslavement raft
containing ways in
which they can be
free from quotidian
forms of
enslavement
To examine
concepts from
the novel so as
to apply them
in ones own
reality.
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would be.
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Work cited
Dix, A (2005) Twain and the Mississippi.A Companion to Mark Twain. Ed. Peter
Messent and Louis J. Budd. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2005. 293-308. Print
Eagleton, Terry. Introduction. Literary Theory: An Introduction. 2nd
Ed. UK: Blackwell
Publishing, 1996. 1-14. Print.
Hemingway, Ernest. Green Hills of Africa. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1998. Print
Hutchinson, T. & Waters, A. (1987) English For Specific Purposes: A Learning Centred
Approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hill, Hamlin. Huckleberry Finns Humor Today. Huck Finn among the critics: a
centennial selection 1884-1984. Ed. M. Thomas Inge. Washington D.C.: United States
information Agency, Division for the study of the United States, 1984. 157-164. Print.
Lane Jr, Lauriat. Why Huckleberry Finn is a Great World Novel. Huck Finn among the
critics: a centennial selection 1884-1984. Ed. M. Thomas Inge. Washington D.C.: United
States information Agency, Division for the study of the United States, 1984. 231-244.
Print.
Owen, Mary. Developing a Love of Reading: Why Young Adult Literature is Important.
Orana(2003): 11-17.Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 November 2012.
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Robbins Ruth, Julian Wolfreys and Womack Kenneth. Key Concepts in Literary Theory.
Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2006. Print.
Proukou, Katherine Kim. Young Adult Literature: Rite of Passage or Rite of Its Own.
The ALAN Review. Vol. 40. No. 3. Summer 2005. 62-68. Print
Spikes, Michael. Paul de Man: Deconstruction. Understanding Contemporary American
Literary Theory. South Carolina UP: South Carolina, 2003. 19-40. Print
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. London: Penguin Books Ltd. 1994
Works consulted
Notes on Mark Twain's The adventures of Huckleberry Finn.London: Methuen. 1968. Print