The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Grade Levels

Excerpt

Your assignment is to write an essay about a quotation or a symbol from the novel. You will pick one quotation or symbol and analyze the importance of your choice in understanding the meaning of the work.

Some suggestions for choosing a quotation:

• Select a quotation that has already gained fame.

• Select a quotation that contains strong emotion.

• Select an impressive statement from the very beginning or the very end of the novel.

Some suggestions for choosing a symbol:

• Select a symbol that figures in the novel dramatically—an item that the novel couldn’t exist without.

• Select a symbol that has meaning not just in one scene but in the work as a whole.

Once you have chosen your quotation or symbol: Verify that you have identified a meaningful quotation or symbol by noting how the quotation or symbol relates to the work’s theme or main idea.

What to include in your paper:

• Introduction: Should include the title, author, and short summary of the work it should also include a thesis statement that (1) identifies the quotation or the symbol to be written about and (2) identifies a theme or main idea of the novel.

• Body paragraph one: Should give an explanation of the quotation or symbol and what it means. If you choose a quotation, paraphrase it. If you choose a symbol explain what it is and what it symbolizes.

• Body paragraph two: Should explain how the quotation or symbol signifies all parts of the novel. If you choose a quotation, how is that quotation important to the entire novel (beginning, middle, and end)? If you choose a symbol, how/where is that symbol used in the novel?

• Body paragraph three: Should explain how an intense study of the quotation or symbol helps the reader understand the novel.

• Conclusion: Should rephrase thesis statement and recap your topic sentences.

About

This is an essay assignment which will assess the students understanding of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.