Introduction
This Web
Hunt is designed as a precursor to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Students will be asked to research the life of Mark Twain, paying particular
attention to his writing and rhetoric on the topics of realism, satire, and
racial oppression.
Guiding
Question
How did Mark
Twain use his life and literature as political and social commentary?
Questions
1. Was Mark Twain pro-slavery or a staunch abolitionist? Explain.
2. What vehicle
did Twain use to champion the defense of the underdog
in San Francisco? For which group did he advocate?
3. Which of
Twain's novels suggest the inhumanity of slavery? How so?
4. Which of
Twain's novels has caused the greatest amount of controversy concerning racial
discrimination? How so?
5. What was
Twain's position on European society?
6. Which of his
works served as a vehicle for his position on European aristocrats and the
European lifestyle in general?
7. Which
particular group does Twain satirize in The Gilded
Age?
8. Which group
did Twain label the "criminal class"?
9. What are the
six aspects of "Romanticism"?
10. What was
Twain's position on "Romanticism"?
11. Which of
Twain's works satirize "Romanticism"? Provide at least three
examples.
12. What was
Twain's position on the writing of Edgar Allan Poe?
13. What is
Realism?
14. How does
Twain's writing satisfy the principles of Realism?
Internet
Resources
Twain
Unable to Shed Racist Sentiments
Mark Twain's San Francisco
Inhumanity of
Slavery
Racial
Discrimination
Twain's
Biographies/Position on European society
Twain's
Work which Leads to his Position on European Aristocrats & Lifestyle
The Gilded
Age
Criminal Class
Romanticism
Position
on Romanticism
Mark Twain's Work
Twain & Edgar Allan Poe
Realism
Work on
Realism
Activities
1.
Research and describe Twain's opposition to white oppression.
2. Write a paragraph explaining Twain's championing
for better treatment of Asians in San Francisco.
3. Research Twain's articles written for Daily Morning Call newspaper in
San Francisco. Discuss his comments on racial discrimination.
4. Identify the different points of view involved in the censorship of The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in schools and libraries.
Sid Sherrill, teacher, and Doris Yu, AP student,
collaborated to develop this web hunt.
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