The Mystery of the Big Muddy - Part II: Rollin' on the River

Today is sort of a review day, a corporate discussion of where we were, where we are now, and where we are going. By now, you should be with Huck rolling on the river, where the "adventures" of the story truly begin. We will discuss the river more later. And next week we will spend more time discussing Huck Finn in light of Twain's other writings. Today we are doing more review of Realism and of Huck Finn.

Agenda:

1. Pater Noster
5. Finish reading Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain
6. Reading Journal (1/28): Life on the Mississippi
1. What is the extended metaphor that Twain uses to describe the process of learning to navigate the river up and down the Mississippi?
2. At the end, Twain laments, "All the grace and beauty had gone out of the river." Why does he say this? How does this concluding thought place this story belongs in the period of Realism? 
3. How does Twain's descriptions of the river inform the adventures of Huck Finn?
7. Review HW:
1. Read Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn --
   DO THE READING!
1. Check out the Reading Schedule.
2. Study the Huck Finn Reading Questions
3. Get a free audio version: Lit2Go and LibriVox. Both are available as Podcast. Also, some audio versions are available on Youtube. Grover Gardener is a wonderful reader of Huck Finn. You need someone of the south. Regionalism depends on it.
2. Be perfect.