The Trial of Mark Twain, Day 1

At issue in the trial is the appropriateness of one of the most well-known, beloved, and controversial books in American Literature. The prosecution is charged with proving:

  1. that Huck Finn is and/or Mark Twain was racist.
  2. that it would be appropriate for at least some schools to ban Huck Finn.
  3. that reading the novel inflicts intolerable harm on African-American students.

In opening remarks, the prosecutors argued that Huck Finn was “flawed, racist text” that stereotyped African-Americans as only fit to hold subordinate positions in society. Because the novel “used the most offensive racist word in American history” over 200 times, the prosecution claimed, it should not be required of students.

The defense team of Christina and Kate argued it was precisely because of its controversial subject matter that the novel should be taught. Kate evoked the words of poet Theodore Parker, who said, “The books that help you most are those which make you think that most. The hardest way of learning is that of easy reading; but a great book that comes from a great thinker is a ship of thought, deep freighted with truth and beauty.”

The defense argued that banning Twain’s book would legitimize limitless censorship, and that historical events like slavery and the Holocaust must be explored through literature.

The prosecution’s first witness was former professor Julius Lester from the University of Massachusetts, who said that though he opposed censorship, Huck Finn was a special case, because it was a “hurtful” text that taught racist values. Lester was especially critical of Chapter 40 of the novel, in which Huck declares that Jim must be “White on the inside.”

In a contentious exchange, the defense attacked Lester, arguing that Twain was a realist. Lester said that Twain’s realism seemed only to extend to the white characters in the novel, none of the black.

The prosecution’s second witness, John Wallace, argued that the novel was disrespectful to black students, and that schools should “stop feeding trash” to their students. Under fierce cross-examination from the defense, Wallace conceded that the book was appropriate for high school and college students, but resisted the idea that it should be mandated.

The prosecution’s final witness for the first day was teacher John Foley, who wrote a controversial newspaper column about the novel this fall. Foley said that he felt it “would be irresponsible to teach the novel in a predominantly minority classroom,” and that it was time “to replace the book.” Under cross-examination, Foley suggested that the novel Lonesome Dove would be an excellent replacement for Huck Finn.

The trial will continue over the next few days, with the prosecution continuing its case on Friday.

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English III Final

Information

The final is at 8:20 on Thursday. You may bring and use the novel, a 3×5 notecard (hand written), and the worksheet we completed in class. The test will be over two of these questions, though you should be prepared for all of them. I will eliminate one question from the list based on comments below this entry. If you have questions about the novel, use the comments area below this post, and I (or a classmate) will try to answer. Gatsby notes are in this folder.

Your revisions are also due Thursday in class.

Questions

  1. F. Scott Fitzgerald famously said that “there are no second acts in American lives.” Do the life and death of Jay Gatsby demonstrate this claim or refute it? Does the novel ultimately argue that one can never re-invent himself?
  2. Point of View is one of the most powerful techniques of The Great Gatsby. Explain how Fitzgerald’s use of a ‘witness’ point of view impacts the reader and allows Fitzgerald to develop his themes. Why does he occasionally transgress this point of view, and with what impact?
  3. Fitzgerald is known as the preeminent chronicler of the Jazz Age, perhaps better depicting its excesses and virtues better than anyone. How does Nick Carraway demonstrate both attraction to and repulsion from the lives of the incredibly rich inhabitants of Long Island?
  4. How does Fitzgerald use the juxtaposition of Carraway/Gatsby and Buchanan/Carraway to reveal more about each character?
  5. What is ultimately the most to blame for the tragic end of the novel: Gatsby’s nostalgic desire for the past, Daisy’s selfishness, or Nick’s silence?
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Romanticism and Transcendentalism Test

You’ve got an exciting exam coming up next Monday, so be prepared! The test covers these authors: Irving, Poe, Hawthorne, Melville, Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman. You can download all of the notes for the test from the class downloads section here.

You can bring one 3×5 notecard with notes for the test.

Section 1 of the test will be quotation identification, matching authors to their quotes. You don’t need to memorize quotations from the notes or readings, but do need to be familiar with their writing styles and content.

Section 2 is the meat of the exam: paragraph (6-8 sentence) responses to these topics. The test will have 5-6 to respond to, taken from this list.

  1. Themes of Romanticism
  2. Contrast Romanticism with Dark Romanticism
  3. The Utopian Impulse
  4. Mellville’s Dark Romanticism: Corruptibility of Humans
  5. Irving’s Vision of America
  6. Plato’s Influence on Transcendentalism
  7. Emerson: Nature
  8. Emerson: Self-Reliance
  9. Thoreau: Simplicity
  10. Thoreau: War
  11. Thoreau: Purpose of Existence
  12. Thoreau: Civil Disobedience
  13. Whitman: Poetic Techniques and Beliefs About Humanity
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Your Deep Thought From Walt Whitman

O ME! O life!… of the questions of these recurring;   
Of the endless trains of the faithless—of cities fill’d with the foolish;    
Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I, and who more faithless?)     
Of eyes that vainly crave the light—of the objects mean—of the struggle ever renew’d;     
Of the poor results of all—of the plodding and sordid crowds I see around me;            
Of the empty and useless years of the rest—with the rest me intertwined;     
The question, O me! so sad, recurring—What good amid these, O me, O life?     

Answer

That you are here—that life exists, and identity;     
That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse.

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English III Englightenment Quest Notes

If you would like to be well prepared for the upcoming festivities of the English III Enlightenment quest, you would be well served to look at the material in this folder. For the exam tomorrow, you can use one 3×5 notecard, but no other materials.

Be prepared!

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