The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn Portfolio Project or PBL

The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn Portfolio Project
To show your understanding of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, you will
be completing a portfolio that shows different levels of understanding of the text.
• Research paper on obstruction of justice
o In the novel, Huck ignores many crimes that happen in his presence. When Jim
runs away from Miss Watson, he is committing a crime. The king and the duke
commit fraud throughout their time in the novel. For this section of the project,
you will write a research paper exploring the crime of obstruction of justice. In
addition to the introduction and the conclusion, you should do the following:
Define the term
Cite a case in which it was evident
Decide if Huck is guilty of the crime and whether he should be punished
o Remember to use MLA formatting and citations and to include a works cited
page.
• Map of the novel’s path
o The Mississippi River is more than a setting of the novel; it is also a character—
at times friend, at others, an antagonist. In this section of the project, examine
the role of the river by making notes of its impact. Using a map of the
Mississippi, outline the novel based on Huck and Jim’s journey:
Use details from the novel to pinpoint where characters are when certain
events happen
Use color codes and arrows to trace the characters’ paths up and down
the river (maybe number each location)
Mark the cities and write a brief description of what happens to Huck and
Jim there
• Identification of Naturalism and Realism in Huck Finn (refer to packet
explaining different literary styles)
o In terms of literary styles/period, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is often
described as a realist text. However there are also hints of naturalism in the
novel. For this portion of the project, you will find quotes from the novel and
determine whether these quotes are evidence of naturalism or realism. Use the
hand you were given on the literary styles to aid you in this.
Using the double entry journal format attached to this packet, five a
minimum of 10 quotes that can identify the novel as a naturalist or realist
text.
• Connection of Huck Finn and Social Media
o Huck Finn was written long before the computer was invented. However, books
like Twittwiture and others have brought Shakespeare, Twain and other writers
of the past into the 21st century. For this section of the project, modernize the
novel by rewriting sections using social media. You should:
Choose one “arc” of the novel
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Huck and “Sivilization” (sic): 1-5 (5 chapters)
Huck and Pap: 6-7 (2 chapters)
Huck and Jim: 8-16 (8chapters)
Huck and the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons: 17-18 (2 chapters)
Huck and the Duke and the King: 19-23 (4 chapters)
Huck and the Wilks family: 24-31 ( 7 chapters)
Huck and Tom: 31-chapter the last (43) (13 chapters)
Rewrite the arc using a modern form of social media—this can be done by
using a printed or online template or creating the product digitally.
• You can:
o Write a blog
o Create a twitter feed
o Create a Facebook Timeline
o Create a tumblr page
o Create Huck Finn Memes
• Creative Assignment Focusing on Perspective
o Huckleberry Finn is written from Huck’s perspective. Therefore, the reader
learns based on Huck’s experiences with Jim, the Grangerfords and
Shepherdsons, the king and the duke, and Tom Sawyer. Imagine what would
happen if it wasn’t Huck? For this group assignment, you will write a “What If?”
comic. Made popular by Marvel Comics, “What If?” books take a popular
storyline and imagine what would happen if another character was featured or if
the bad guys won. You’re going to do this for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
What if Tom went on the adventure instead of Huck?
What if the duke and the king found out Huck was plotting against them?
What if Pap found Huck and Jim?
What if Huck and Jim hadn’t missed Cairo?
What if Buck hadn’t been killed in the Grangerford/Shepherson feud?
What if the real Wilks brothers hadn’t shown up?
• For printable comic book panels, visit: http://donnayoung.org/art/comics.htm
• For an online comic book creator, visit: http://www.toondoo.com/ or
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/comic/index.html
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Name:
Date:
Author and Reading Covered:
Page
Quotations
Romanticism, Realism or
Naturalism? Why?
Impact on Scene