Twain and Huck Finn
Webquest Instructions
DIRECTIONS
Follow the directions for each stage of
the quest listed below. When you have completed all stages and steps in the Web
Quest, submit this document to me, with your notes/responses inserted. Future
reading quizzes on the text may ask you to provide information from this activity.
You will use the Encyclopedia of
Literature available through the Literary Reference Center database to define
three of the key terms below. You will
receive a grade for your ability to follow these written directions and access
the resource without asking questions. To access the resource, you first
need to visit galileo.usg.edu and enter the school password, which is duke. Then select the Database A-Z link and enter the database
name Literary Reference Center.
Select the Literary Reference Center
link and then from the Reference Shelf select
the Encyclopedia of Literature. You
can then type in your terms.
Once you look up the terms, write a definition for each term
in your own words, and if the site mentions Mark Twain or Huck Finn, take notes on the information provided about the author
and/or text as well.
1. American Realism (for this term, visit the following website: http://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/realism.htm
Definition:
Notes:
2. Picaresque Novel
Definition:
Notes:
3. Bildungsroman
Definition:
Notes:
4. Satire
Definition:
Notes:
STAGE 2: Explore Mark Twain’s Life and Times
STEP ONE: Memory Builder Game
Visit the following site, and play the Memory Builder game for His Life: Level 1 and His Times: Level 1. Do not worry about
answering the questions correctly. The game is designed to help you learn
several key dates and facts about Twain’s life and the society in which he
developed as an artist.
To get started, follow the link below,
and then click Start Playing.
Once you have completed the game, view
the comprehensive Level 4 timeline and
take notes on the key events available at:
STEP TWO: Explore illustration as a technique of
characterization.
First, Read the following short
article about Edward Kemble’s illustrations and how they reflect the prevalent
attitudes of Twain’s time and culture:
STEP THREE:
Character analysis
Choose two illustrations of characters (you can find them at http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/railton/huckfinn/hfillfrs.html)
and write a 2-4 sentence description of each image. Your descriptions should
answer the following questions:
1)
What inferences or assumptions can I make about this character
based on this drawing?
2)
What stereotypes are reflected in this drawing? These might be stereotypes of
African-Americans, of unmarried middle-aged women, of wild young Caucasian
pre-teenage boys, etc.
Description of Image of 1st Character
Description of Image of 2nd Character
If you still have time, visit the
following site which provides helpful historical background information on the background,
characters, major themes, etc. in Huck
Finn:
