Questions for Huck Finn

Here are those questions that I was talking about before...these are just from Sparknotes.com. I may or may not look around the interwebz some more for other questions. If I do, I'll post them for you.

Study Questions:

1. Huck Finn is a thirteen-year-old boy. Why does Twain use a child as the center of consciousness in the book?
2. Discuss Twain's use of dialects in the novel. What effect does this usage have on the reader? Does it make the novel less of an artistic achievement?
3. Discuss the use of the river as a symbol in the novel.

Suggested Essay Topics:

1. Lying occurs frequently in this novel. Curiously, some lies, like those Huck tells to save Jim, seem to be "good" lies, while others, like the cons of the duke and the dauphin, seem to be "bad". What is the difference? Are they both "wrong"? Why does so much lying go on in Huckleberry Finn?
2. Describe some of the models for families that appear in the novel. What is the importance of family structures? What is their place in society? Do Huck and Jim constitute a family? What about Huck and Tom? When does society intervene in the family?
3. The revelation at the novel's end that Tom has known all along that Jim is a free man is startling. Is Tom inexcusably cruel? Or is he just being a normal thirteen-year-old boy? Does Tom's behavior comment on society in some larger way?
4. What techniques does Twain use to create sympathy for his characters, in particular, Jim? Are these techniques effective?
5. Discuss the place of morality in Huckleberry Finn. In the world of the novel, where do moral values come from? The community? The family? The church? One's experiences? Which of these potential sources does Twain privilege over the others? Which does he mock, or describe disapprovingly?
6. Why might Twain have decided to set the novel in a time before the abolition of slavery, despite the fact that he published it in 1885, two decades after the end of the Civil War?

Alright, if you have any questions, let me know!

-Nicole

Success!

The first meeting of Book Club has come and gone and the meeting went well, and we enjoyed the discussion! We have decided that the next book we are going to read is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. The next meeting will be held on Sunday, May 16th 2010 @ 7pm. I will post some book-specific discussion questions in the near future, but at the moment the interwebz are running a little slow. Until then, happy reading!

Don't forget....

For all of you that read this blog day in and day out (heavy sarcasm...pretty sure no one reads this, but I will continue to write anyway!) don't forget about the meeting coming this Sunday, April 18th, @ 7pm. I'm pretty sure there will only be 3 people there, myself included...but if you would like to join, give us a ring!

First meeting April 18th!

First Book: To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

First Meeting: Sunday, April 18th, 2010

Where: Kyle's apartment. Don't know where that is? Ask us.

Bring: Treats! Duh, read the rules. Everyone should bring something, doesn't matter if it's fancy or not. It can be a bag of tootsie rolls. Whateva! (*old New Yorker lady voice*) Oh yeah, bring your book too. Also, bring with the list of discussion questions below and be prepared to discuss various topics...you don't have to use these specific questions if you don't want to...you can just use them to fuel some thought about the book. Just be prepared to bring something to the table to talk about. Whatever floats your boat.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS! These should be helpful in preparing for the discussion, me thinks.

Generic questions for novels
These questions work well for any novel—use them for memoirs, biographies, and histories, as well.

1. Overall—how did you experience the book while reading it? Were you immediately drawn into the story—or did it take a while? Did the book intrigue, amuse, disturb, alienate, or irritate, you?

2. Do you find the characters convincing? Are they believable? Compelling? Are they fully developed as complex, emotional human beings?

3. Which characters do you admire or dislike? What are their primary characteristics?

4. What motivates a given character’s actions? Do you think those actions are justified or ethical?

5. Do any characters grow or change during the course of the novel? If so, in what way?

6. Who in this book would you most like to meet? What would you ask—or say

7. If you could insert yourself as character in the book, what role would you play?

8. Is the plot well-developed? Is it believable? Do you feel manipulated along the way, or do events unfold naturally?

9. Is the story plot or character driven? In other words, does the plot unfold quickly or focus more on characters' inner lives?

10. Consider the ending. Did you expect it or were you surprised? Was it forced? Was it neatly wrapped up—too neatly? Or was it unresolved, ending on an ambiguous note?

11. If you could rewrite the ending, would you? In other words, was the ending satisfying?

12. Can you pick out a passage that strikes you as particularly profound or interesting—or perhaps something that sums up the central dilemma of the book?

13. Does the book remind you of someone—a friend, family member, co-worker, boss—or something—an event, problem—in your own life?

14. If you were to talk to the author, what would you want to know? (Many authors enjoy talking with book clubs. Contact the publisher to see if you can set up a phone chat.)

15. Have you read the author’s other books? Can you discern a similarity—in theme, writing style, structure—between them? Or are they completely different?

And here are some questions I found on SparkNotes that are specific to the novel:

Study Questions:

1. Discuss Atticus's parenting style. What is his relationship to his children like? How does he seek to instill conscience in them?
2. Analyze the trial scene and its relationship to the rest of the novel.
3. Discuss the author's portrayal of the black community and the characters of Calpurnia and Tom Robinson. Are they realistic or idealized?

Essay Topics:

1. Analyze the childhood world of Jem, Scout, and Dill and their relationship with Boo Radley in Part One.
2. How do Jem and Scout change during the course of the novel? How do they remain the same?
3. What is Atticus's relationship to the rest of Maycomb? What is his role in the community?
4. Discuss the role of family in the novel, paying close attention to Aunt Alexandria.
5. Examine Miss Maudie's relationship to the Finches and to the rest of Maycomb.
6. Discuss the author's descriptions of Maycomb. What is the town's role in the novel?
7. Analyze the author's treatment of Boo Radley. What is his role in the novel?

That should be plenty for the first meeting. Happy reading!