Name ______Period _____
Huckleberry Finn Satire Essay
2-3 pages, double-spaced, due ______
Prompt: Write a paper about Mark Twain’s use of satire in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Discuss at least four social problems that Twain satirized, such as slavery, greed, hypocrisy, (see satire handout)
Introduction:
· Attention-getter quotation from the novel, including Twain’s name and commentary showing how the quote shows satire
· A brief definition of satire.
· Include the author and complete title of novel (put the novel title in italics)
· Thesis statement about Mark Twain’s use of satire to create change for social problems
Four (or more) Body Paragraphs, one for each social problem:
· Topic sentence describing the subject Twain is mocking. (slavery, greed, etc.)
· For each paragraph, briefly discuss at least two events that show satire. Avoid plot summary.
· For each event, include a short, one-sentence quotation that shows the satire. Avoid the word “quote”
· Write commentary after each quotation explaining what is being mocked and how.
· Your commentary should be twice as long as the quote.
· Good commentary words: indicates, shows, portrays, conveys, supports, reveals, etc.
Conclusion:
· Don’t summarize all your points (boring . . .)
· Discuss the pre-civil war American society that Twain wrote about and his purpose in mocking it.