A WebQuest for English 3
American Literature

Designed by Julie Jackson-Forsberg
Last updated March 15, 2001

Introduction

Why should a school recommend that all American Literature students read a book that has been called crude, racist, and irrelevant for the modern age?

Why should an American classic that has been read by millions and that Ernest Hemingway called the "one book" from which "all modern American literature" came be declared unnecessary for 21st Century education?

These conflicting questions are at the center of the controversy over Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn that we confront today.

The Task

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is, at the same time, one of America's most beloved and most banned books. At the time of its publication, Mark Twain was attacked for Huck Finn's "low morals." Later, the novel became part of the American literary canon, only to be attacked for its apparent racism.

As a member of the school community, you have been asked to discuss the relevance of Twain's novel for young, high school women. You will be asked to work in groups and to reach a consensus among your group members over whether The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn:

1. is necessary reading for all American Literature high school students.
   
   
2. should be recommended reading for only upper-level students.
   
   
3. should be removed from the curriculum in favor of American literature more relevant to the issues and interests of 21st Century students at an all-girls college preparatory high school.

At the conclusion of this WebQuest, each group will prepare a PowerPoint presentation detailing its findings, its recommendation. In addition, you will write an individual essay analyzing the novel and your position within the critical debate surrounding it.

The Process

Obviously, your research process begins with your reading of the novel. In addition, you will be asked to fulfill one of the following research roles and compare your reading notes with your historical research to decide whether or not there is a valid reason to either censor or recommend Huck Finn for a 21st Century high school audience. Each group will have four committee members, who will be assigned one of the following research roles:

The Journalist, who will research the reasons and ways that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been one of the most banned book of the last 100 years. You will need to research why and how the book has been banned by reading court records and newspaper accounts from the last 100 years.

The Historian, who will research life on the Mississippi river during the mid-1800's to find out how men, women and children interacted in society. Your research should include violence, childhood and the role of women.

The African-American Historian, who will examine issues of slavery and freedom for African Americans during the 19th century. Your research should also address the representation and treatment of Jim, both by Mark Twain and the illustrators who have worked with the novel over the years.

The Professor of Literature, who will research how Huck Finn was received by reviewers, literary critics and the public from the late 1800's to the present. You should read contemporary reviews of the novel as well as critical scholarship that examines the novel's literary merits.

One member of each group should act as the Group Coordinator, who will facilitate the group's discussion of each expert's research to lead to consensus. The group should construct some sort of paradigm, or rubric, for analyzing its information. Discuss the following questions and try to come up with at least three descriptive criteria for each:

• What qualities would a book have to possess to required reading for all students?
  
  
• What qualities would a book have to possess to be recommended only for Honors-level students?
  
  
• What qualities would a book have that would make it irrelevant for 21st Century students?

Finally, one member of the group should act as the Media Specialist, who will coordinate the Powerpoint presentation highlighting the group's findings.

Internet Resources

The following links have been selected to help you with your research:

The University of Virginia's Huck Finn Homepage is an excellent source for insights into the book including a complete e-text, reviews of the novel, Mark Twain's sources and insights into race.

The first chapter of Shelley Fisher Fishkin's book, Lighting Out for the Territory: Reflections on Mark Twain and American Culture is an insightful reflection on the wonder and controversies surrounding The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Shelly Fisher Fishkin discusses race issues in Huck Finn in the transcript of a PBS interview.

Mark Twain writes about life on the Mississippi River.

About Mark Twain includes a search engine to research the author and his works.

The banning of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was at issue in the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals case Monteiro v. Tempe High .

A link to over a dozen 19th century reviews of Huck Finn plus articles concerning the 1885 Concord, Massachusetts banning of the book.

Another search engine containing reviews of Huck Finn.

Read Booker T. Washington's reflections on Mark Twain and Huck Finn

An excellent site of 19th Century American Historical Information.

Peter Salwen's Mark Twain Site is filled with interesting information.

Is Huck Finn a Racist Book? Essay by Peter Salwen.

Evaluation

Your grade for the group PowerPoint presentation will be based on both your group and individual performance. Please read the evaluation descriptions carefully.

Conclusion

When a person writes a novel, she writes for a reason. That reason may be for pure entertainment, or to share a perspective, or to illuminate a world.

When a person reads a novel, she brings her own expectations and experience to the page. The process of reading, therefore, is a negotiation between the writer's motivations and the reader's expectations. This negotiation allows us to make meaning from the text and leads to a reader's personal understanding of a novel.

It is my hope that by completing "Huckleberrty Finn in a 21st Century Context" that you will have experienced the following:

• an understanding of the basic plot and themes of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn;
  
  
• an appreciation of the importance of this novel in American literature;
  
  
• the complexities of the controversies over the novel during the last 100 years;
  
  
• the opportunity to develop your own opinion of the novel, and to come to consensus in a group concerning the novel;
  
  
• an appreciation of others' points of view.

Credits

Based on a WebQuest by A. Lawrence Goldman