Essay for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Choose one of the following prompts to use for your essay. Remember, these essays are ARGUMENT essays. You are making a claim, then backing it up with evidence from the text. You need to address a counterclaim as you write as well. You should use specific instances from the book to answer the question fully.
1. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn depicts a conflict between a parental figure, Jim, and Huck. Write an essay in which you analyze the sources of the conflict and explain how the conflict contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid plot summary.
2. Some novels seem to advocate changes in social or political attitudes or in traditions. Using The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, note the attitudes or traditions that Twain wishes to modify. Then analyze the techniques the author uses to influence the reader’s views. Avoid plot summary.
3. In a novel by William Styron, a father tells his son that life “is a search for justice.” Using The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, show how a character responds in some significant way to justice or injustice. Write an essay in which you analyze the character’s understanding of justice, the degree to which the character’s search for justice is successful, and the significance of this search for the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize plot
4. It has often been said that what we value can be determined only by what we sacrifice. Consider how this statement applies to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Select a character that has deliberately sacrificed, surrendered, or forfeited something in a way that highlights that character’s values. Write an essay in which you analyze how the particular sacrifice illuminates the character’s values and provides a deeper understanding of the meaning of the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize plot.