AP Language and Composition – Summer Reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Due Date
AUGUST 1st, emailed before midnight to your teacher. We will be going through your essays during the first week of class, but in order to receive credit you need to have it turned in by AUGUST 1st. Submit your essay to Mrs. Mattson at [email protected]. Text
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
*Students are not required to turn in an annotated copy of the text
How to Begin
As you read, write margin notes and mark up your book. Will this be collected? No. Your main concern is: What is the proper way to assimilate reading and aid understanding? A well annotated text is a very helpful aid. Relying on memory alone is always a poor strategy.
As you read Huck Finn, summarize for yourself each chapter before moving on to the next. Seeing as this novel deals with a region and time period you may not be familiar with, ask yourself the following for each of the chapters:
a) What is going on?
b) Do I understand every reference? Have I looked up any unfamiliar language phrases?
c) Can I explain all of the references? Read with Subject in Mind
As you read look for references in Huck Finn that relate to the subject of Dialect. You will eventually be narrowing down this broad subject to something specific. The more specific you are the less you will ramble in your essay. In a short essay like this you need to be able to get to the point quickly. To help you with this you will use quotes from the novel to help you argue for or against the author. Write Your Essay
Your essay should reflect on the following questions; think of these questions as 1 prompt: What do Huck’s, Jim’s, and one other character’s (of your choosing) speech/dialects suggest about each of their intelligence and education? What would be the effect on the reader if all the characters in the novel spoke Standard Edited American English? To be clear, your essay should compare and contrast the author’s intention choice of using regional dialects for three characters, Huck, Jim and one of your choosing.
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Here is an example from Shmoop on how to discuss Dialect in Huck Finn: “As Twain remarked in the second of the two opening notes, the dialects in Huck Finn are intentionally varied. This is pretty easy to see even with a basic comparison between Huck’s words and Jim’s. Huck’s vernacular is filled with colloquialisms and altered words—"that ain’t no matter," "it warn’t no time to be sentimentering," etc. Still, with all these liberties, the words are highly recognizable, easy to read, and devoid of a heavy accent.” (Shmoop Editorial Team). Tips and Writing Mechanics A common error in essays is to simply retell or summarize the storyline. Summarizing is not an essay and your grade will reflect this. Go beyond summarization and the book report format. Your instructor knows the story and he assumes you do too. Only bring up key passages as referential points as you defend or argue against the author’s points made in the novel. Make the essay your own with your insights and your analysis.
Lastly, type a Titled, 2­3 full­page critical essay critiquing Lahiri’s Huck Finn in MLA format. This is not a book report and you do not need to summarize the book. Again, assume that we’ve all read it. Title the Essay: titles are not afterthoughts. Work with your title. Superb titles usually evidence superb writing.
For MLA Formatting, the Purdue OWL Website is the most recognized and up to date:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
Short excerpts (less than 3 lines) of key passages are to be cited as “..…” (Twain 24). Quotes should neither play a minor nor a major part of your overall essay, but they should be present. If you have questions, each teacher will periodically check his/her email throughout the summer. If you are unsure which teacher to send your essay to contact Mrs. Mattson at [email protected]. Your essay should have the following elements: ● Header ● Page numbers ● A purposeful, well­thought out title ● An introduction paragraph that introduces your analysis rather than a summary of the book ● A thesis statement at the end of your introduction ● Several body paragraphs that showcase your interpretation of the prompt ● A conclusion paragraph ● Quotes from the book included in your essay ● A Works Cited page ● Times New Roman, 12 pt font, 1 inch margins There will be a test on this text during the first weeks of class.