1.
1.
Explain the circumstances that lead Huck to remark that “it was enough
to make a body ashamed of the human race.”
What does this reveal about huck?
2.
How do the king and the duke manage to persuade the girls and the
townspeople that they are the heirs of Peter Wilks? Who is not persuaded and why no?
3.
How does Huck act on his conscience?
What troubles Mary Jane about the sale?
4.
Discuss the irony of mutual greed as the king and duke are discovered to
be frauds and the townspeople react to the gold in the coffin.
5. Discuss
the moment of decision when Huck declares, “All right, then, I’ll go to
hell.” What has happened? What does the episode reveal about Huck’s
moral development? What does it have to
do with the themes of the book?
6.
Discuss the significance of Huck’s observation that “human beings can be
awful cruel to one another.”
7.
Discuss the Tom Sawyer situation. (-:
2. Vocabulary:
1.
Gregarious: Seeking and enjoying
the company of others; sociable.
2.
Harbinger: Something that
indicates or foreshadows what is to come; a forerunner.
3.
Hedonist: A person who is devoted
to the pursuit of pleasure, especially to the pleasures of the senses.
4.
Heresy: An opinion or a teaching
at variance with established beliefs or opinions.
5.
Idiosyncratic: Peculiar to a
specific individual or a group.
6.
Idyllic: Tranquil, carefree, or
picturesque.
7.
Indelicate: Marked by a lack of
good taste or consideration for the feelings of others; tactless or improper.
8.
Infinitesimal: Immeasurably or
incalculably small.
9.
Insidious: Doing harm in a subtle
or imperceptible manner; treacherous.
10.
Junket: A trip or a tour,
especially one taken by an official at public expense or by a person who is the
guest of a business or agency seeking patronage.
3. Writing: Your next
essay will be an exploration of American Romanticism. The essay will begin by defining the movement
and discussing its characteristic elements.
It will discuss two of the authors or poets that we have read, giving
relevant information about their lives, educations, and historical
context. Your thesis will focus the
paper on a single salient part of the topic: i.e. a religious view, a
philosophical attitude, a political movement, etc. (2,000 words; due February 28).
In
order to write an intelligent and informative paper, you will consult at least
four outside sources of information, not including Wikipedia. You will follow MLA guidelines for
documentation. Papers that are submitted
without in-text parenthetical notes and works cited pages will receive a grade
of F, regardless of brilliance.
Your
outline, thesis statement, and introduction are due Thursday, January 31. The Works Cited page and at least 10
note-cards are due on Tuesday, February 5.
A completed rough draft is due on Thursday, February 14 (happy
Valentines Day!).