If you missed Monday, complete the following:
1. What did you think about the ending of the novel? Did it end the way you thought it was “supposed to”? Explain why or why not. What might you have done differently had you written the last chapters of the book?
2. What do you think about Tom knowing all along that Jim was free and not telling anyone? Why did Tom do this? What does this reveal about Tom?
3. How do you feel about Jim knowing all along that pap was dead? Does it change your overall opinion of him? Why did Jim keep this secret and not tell Huck when they found the body? Should Huck feel betrayed by Jim keeping this from him?
4. Obviously, this book wasn’t written to make a statement about slavery. What, however, do you think it was intended to say to readers?
And for Wednesday:
A parent has filed a formal complaint with the Bowling Green City Schools Board of Education, citing that the novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should not be assigned to students because of its racist content. The matter is to be discussed in an open forum during the Board’s next meeting. Mr. Tinius has asked that any students who have read the book write a letter to the Board of Education and share their opinions about the book in regard to the allegations made by the parent. Your task, then, is to write a formal letter to the BOE in which you take a definitive stand that either A) supports the argument that Huck Finn is indeed a book that is racist and harmful/hurtful for some of BGHS’s student population, or B) defends the book by arguing that it is not racist and is actually quite the opposite. Whichever stance you take, you must offer your opinion of what the official Board policy should be regarding the book.
1. What did you think about the ending of the novel? Did it end the way you thought it was “supposed to”? Explain why or why not. What might you have done differently had you written the last chapters of the book?
2. What do you think about Tom knowing all along that Jim was free and not telling anyone? Why did Tom do this? What does this reveal about Tom?
3. How do you feel about Jim knowing all along that pap was dead? Does it change your overall opinion of him? Why did Jim keep this secret and not tell Huck when they found the body? Should Huck feel betrayed by Jim keeping this from him?
4. Obviously, this book wasn’t written to make a statement about slavery. What, however, do you think it was intended to say to readers?
And for Wednesday:
A parent has filed a formal complaint with the Bowling Green City Schools Board of Education, citing that the novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should not be assigned to students because of its racist content. The matter is to be discussed in an open forum during the Board’s next meeting. Mr. Tinius has asked that any students who have read the book write a letter to the Board of Education and share their opinions about the book in regard to the allegations made by the parent. Your task, then, is to write a formal letter to the BOE in which you take a definitive stand that either A) supports the argument that Huck Finn is indeed a book that is racist and harmful/hurtful for some of BGHS’s student population, or B) defends the book by arguing that it is not racist and is actually quite the opposite. Whichever stance you take, you must offer your opinion of what the official Board policy should be regarding the book.