TEACHER'S GUIDE
MARK TWAINS
'*•«• * -INSTITUTE of , ..
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The Adventures
of Tom Sawyer
NATIONAL
ENDOWMENT
FOR THE ARTS
-,
UJ
READ
MARK TWAIN'S
The Adventures
of Tom Sawyer
TEACHER'S GUIDE
NATIONAL
ENDOWMENT
FOR THE ARTS
A great nation
deserves great art.
.INSTITUTE ol
. MuseumandLibrary
AH
MIDWEST
The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting
excellence in the arts — both new and established — bringing the arts to all Americans,
and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an
independent agency of the federal government, the Endowment is the nation's largest
annual funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner
cities, and military bases.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support
for the nations 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute's mission is to create
strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute
works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to
sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support
professional development.
Arts Midwest connects people throughout the Midwest and the world to meaningful arts
opportunities, sharing creativity, knowledge, and understanding across boundaries. Based
in Minneapolis, Arts Midwest connects the arts to audiences throughout the nine-state
region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South
Dakota, and Wisconsin. One of six non-profit regional arts organizations in the United
States, Arts Midwest's history spans more than 25 years.
Additional support for The Big Read has also been provided by the W.K. Kellogg
Foundation.
Published by
National Endowment for the Arts
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20506-0001
(202) 682-5400
www.nea.gov
Sources
Doctorow, E.L. Creationists: Selected Essays 1993-2006 . New York: Random House, 2006.
Ellison, Ralph. Going to the Territory. New York: Random House, 1986.
Emerson, Everett. Mark Twain: A Literary Life. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2000.
Fishkin, Shelley Fisher. Lighting Out for the Territory: Reflections on Mark Twain and American Culture. New
York: Oxford University Press, 1997.
Powers, Ron. Mark Twain: A Life. New York: Free Press, 2005.
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. New York: Penguin Books, 1986.
. Collected Tales, Sketches, Speeches, & Essays 1852-1890. New York: Library of America, 1992.
. Collected Tales, Sketches, Speeches, & Essays 1891-1910. New York: Library of America, 1992.
. Mississippi Writings: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Life on the Mississippi, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,
Pudd'nhead Wilson. New York: Library of America, 1982.
Ward, Geoffrey C, Dayton Duncan, and Ken Burns. Mark Twain: An Illustrated Biography. New York: Alfred
A. Knopf, 2001. [Includes "Aren't We Funny Animals? An Interview with Hal Holbrook," pp. 178-183.]
Ziff, Larzer. Mark Twain. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.
Acknowledgments
David Kipen, NEA Director of Literature, National Reading Initiatives
Sarah Bainter Cunningham, PhD, NEA Director ol Arts Education
Writer: Michael Palma for the National Endowment for the Arts, with a preface by Dana Gioia
Series Editor: Molly Thomas-Hicks for the National Endowment for the Arts
Graphic Design: Fletcher Design/Washington, DC
Image Credits
Cover Portrait: John Shcrffius for The Big Read. Page iv: Image and book cover courtesy of the Mark Twain
House. Page 1: John Sherffius for The Big Read. Inside back cover: Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
July 2<
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Suggested Teaching Schedule 2
Lesson One: Biography 4
Lesson Two: Culture and History 5
Lesson Three: Narrative and Point of View 6
Lesson Four: Characters 7
Lesson Five: Figurative Language 8
Lesson Six: Symbols c)
Lesson Seven: Character Development 10
Lesson Eight: The Plot Unfolds 1 1
Lesson Nine: Themes of the Novel 12
Lesson Ten: What Makes a Book Great? 13
Essay Topics 14
Capstone Projects IS
Handout One: Mark [wains 1 iterary Influence Id
Handout Iwo: Mark Twain's C omic Voice 17
Handout Three: The Mighty Mississippi IS
reaching Resources N
NCI 1 Standards
"Now the raft was
passing before the
distant town. Two
or three glimmering
lights showed where
it lay, peacefully
sleeping, beyond the
vague vast sweep of
star-gemmed
water."
— from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
"HE BIG READ
National El
Introduction
Welcome to The Big Read, a major initiative from the National
Endowment for the Arts designed to revitalize the role of literary reading
in American culture. The Big Read hopes to unite communities through
great literature, as well as inspire students to become life-long readers.
This Big Read Teacher's Guide contains ten lessons to lead you through
Mark Twain's classic novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Each lesson has
four sections: a focus topic, discussion activities, writing exercises, and
homework assignments. In addition, we have provided capstone projects
and suggested essay topics, as well as handouts with more background
information about the novel, the historical period, and the author. All
lessons dovetail with the state language arts standards required in the
fiction genre.
The Big Read teaching materials also include a CD. Packed with
interviews, commentaries, and excerpts from the book, The Big Read CD
presents firsthand accounts of why The Adventures of Tom Sawyer remains
so compelling more than a century after its initial publication. Some of
America's most celebrated writers, scholars, and actors have volunteered
their time to make Big Read CDs exciting additions to the classroom.
Finally, The Big Read Reader's Guide deepens your exploration with
interviews, booklists, timelines, and historical information. We hope
this guide and syllabus allow you to have fun with your students while
introducing them to the work of a great American author.
From the NEA, we wish you an exciting and productive school year.
^Juau ^\l
Dana Gioia
Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for ik the big read • |
ested Teaching
1
Day One
FOCUS: Biography
Activities: Listen to The Big Read CD. Read
and discuss Reader's Guide essays. Write
about a favorite novel of childhood.
Homework: Read Handout One and
Chapters l-lll (pp. 11-30).*
4
Day Four
FOCUS: Characters
Activities: Discuss Sid as a foil to Tom. Write
about Tom's most prominent characteristics.
Homework: Read Handout Two and
Chapters XII-XVI (pp. 88-119).
5
Day Two
FOCUS: Culture and History
Activities: Discuss the ways Twain uses
humor, sarcasm, and satire. Write about the
whitewashing of the fence in Chapter II.
Homework: Read Chapters IV-VI
(pp. 31-57).
3
Day Three
FOCUS: Narrative and Point of View
Activities: Discuss the advantages of an adult
third-person omniscient narrative. Write a
description of Tom or Huck from the other's
point of view.
Homework: Read Chapters VII— XI
(pp. 58-87).
°ige numbers refer to the Penguin Classics 1986 edition of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Day Five
FOCUS: Figurative Language
Activities: Discuss hyperbole and metaphor.
Write a comically exaggerated description of
an ordinary event.
Homework: Read Handout Three and
Chapters XVI l-XXI I (pp. 120-149).
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National Endowment for the Arts
6
Day Six
FOCUS: Symbols
Activities: Discuss the symbolism of the
Mississippi River, the island, and the storm.
Write a brief essay examining how the
message on the bark gives the reader clues
about Tom's character, or write a short
analysis on how the fence functions as a
symbol.
Homework: Read Chapters XXIII-XXVII
(pp. 150-175).
7
Day Seven
FOCUS: Character Development
Activities: Discuss how the order of the
novel's events contributes to the evolution of
Tom's character. Write about the believability
of Tom's decision to testify.
Homework: Read Chapters XXVIII-XXXI
(pp. 176-203).
8
Day Eight
FOCUS: The Plot Unfolds
Activities: Discuss the pacing of events and
the degree of realism in the novel. Write an
essay discussing Twain's statement, "Truth is
stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction
is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn't."
Homework: Read Chapters XXXII-
Conclusion (pp. 204-225).
9
Day Nine
FOCUS: Themes of the Novel
Activities: Explore Twain's treatment of the
themes of childhood, maturity, and freedom
vs. responsibility.
Homework: Prepare outlines and begin
essays.
10
Day Ten
FOCUS: What Makes a Book Great?
Activities: Evaluate the gi^eatness of the novel
Write back-cover copy for a new edition
of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, explaining
why the novel would appeal to a modern
audience.
Homework: Finish essays.
National Endowment tor thi the big read ■ 3
Lesson One
FOCUS:
Biography
Examining an author's life can inform and expand the reader's
understanding of a novel. Biographical criticism is the practice of analyzing
a literary work through the lens of an author's experience. In this lesson,
explore the author's life to understand the novel more fully.
In his Preface to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain acknowledges,
"Most of the adventures recorded in this book really occurred Huck
Finn is drawn from life; Tom Sawyer also " Before adopting the pen
name of Mark Twain, Samuel Langhorne Clemens grew up in Hannibal,
Missouri, a town on the Mississippi River where several steamboats stopped
every day Although not an orphan like Tom Sawyer, Clemens was only
eleven years old when his father died. Like Tom, he was a rebellious and
high-spirited boy who cut school to play in the woods, swim in the river,
and explore caves with his friends. One of those friends, Tom Blankenship,
was the son of the town drunk and Twain's model for Huckleberry Finn.
Discussion Activities
Listen to The Big Read CD. Have students take notes as they listen. Ask them to
present the three most important points learned from the CD.
Photocopy the following essays from the Reader's Guide: "Introduction to the
Novel" (p. 3), "Mark Twain (1835-1910)" (pp. 5-7), and "Tom Sawyer and
Huckleberry Finn" (pp. 8-9). Divide the class into groups. Each group will present
a summary of the main points in its assigned essay.
Writing Exercise
Have the students write a short essay about a favorite novel whose main
character is a child. How is childhood depicted in the novel — idyllically, comically,
fearfully? Discuss the opportunities and problems the subject of childhood might
pose for a writer of literary fiction.
EJ Homework
Distribute Handout One: Mark Twain's Literary Influence. Read Chapters l-lll
(pp. 1 1-30). Prepare your students to read approximately twenty-five pages per
night in order to complete reading this book in eight lessons. How do the first
three chapters present this period in American history? How does Twain depict
education? How does Twain depict religion?
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National Endowment for the Arts
Lesson Two
FOCUS:
Culture and
History
Cultural and historical contexts give birth to the dilemmas and themes at
the center of the novel. Studying these contexts and appreciating intricate
details of the time and place help readers understand the motivations of
the characters.
The novel sets Tom's adventures against the backdrop of village life in the
Midwest during the first half of the nineteenth century. I wain shows the
intellectual and emotional narrowness of small-town life. For Tom, the chief
institutions of society are school and church. Both emphasize rote learning.
using memorization and repetition, focusing on moral development through
conformity and propriety. Rules and standards are enforced by coercion,
whether in the form of hellfire sermons by the minister or whippings bv the
frustrated school master.
Discussion Activities
Ask students to identify specific passages in the first three chapters where Twain
uses humor or sarcasm to critique the traditions of small-town life. Present and
discuss the concept of satire (the practice of scrutinizing human vice or folly
through irony, derision, or wit) by examining how Twain's storytelling affably
critiques the assumptions at work in Tom's world.
Discuss how the techniques of humor and satire allow us to recognize implicit
cultural assumptions and principles both in Tom's world and in our own culture.
Does Twain's use of humor reflect skepticism and distrust toward the society
portrayed in the novel?
^ Writing Exercise
The whitewashing of the fence in Chapter II is probably the best-known episode
in the book. Does the restrictive nature of school and church lead Tom and other-
children to be more inventive outside of school?
What point is Twain making regarding human nature? Write two pages on
whether the limits of school and church make Tom and the other boys more
inventive or less inventive.
Ul Homework
Read Chapters IV-VI (pp. 31-57). Consider the accounts of the address by Mr.
Walters, the Sunday School Superintendent (pp. 35-38). and the sermon by the
Rev. Sprague (pp. 43-45). What is added to these descriptions by the style in
which Twain presents them?
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THE BIG READ ■ 5
FOCUS:
Narrative
and Point of
View
The narrator tells the story with a specific perspective informed by his or
her beliefs and experiences. Narrators can be major or minor characters,
or exist outside the story altogether. The narrator weaves her or his point
of view, including ignorance and bias, into telling the tale. A first-person
narrator participates in the events of the novel, using "I." A distanced
narrator, often not a character, is removed from the action of the story
and uses the third-person (he, she, and they). The distanced narrator may
be omniscient, able to read the minds of all the characters, or limited,
describing only certain characters' thoughts and feelings. Ultimately, the
type of narrator determines the point of view from which the story is told.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is told from a third-person omniscient point
of view. As early as the third page, Twain presents the unspoken thoughts
of Aunt Polly and Tom in two successive sentences in the same paragraph:
"And it flattered her to reflect that she had discovered that the shirt was dry
without anybody knowing that that was what she had in her mind. But
in spite of her, Tom knew where the wind lay, now" (p. 13). Throughout
the book, the narrative voice — whose vocabulary, sensibility, and insights
are clearly those of an adult — inserts itself between the reader and the
characters and events being described.
Discussion Activities
How does the third-person adult perspective provide extra dimension to the
presentation of the characters, setting, and events of the first six chapters?
Discuss the address of Mr. Walters, and the sermon by the Rev. Sprague. What
is the tone of the narrator during these segments? How does the way these
passages are written add to the tone and effect of the book thus far?
Writing Exercise
Have each student, as Tom or Huck, write a one-paragraph description of the
personality of the other character and the nature of their relationship. Ask several
students to share their work with the class. How does the story change when it is
narrated from Tom's or Huck's point of view?
E3 Homework
Read Chapters VII— XI (pp. 58-87). Consider Aunt Polly as she has been
presented thus far. Do you find her character sympathetic or not? Explain.
6 " THE BIG READ
National Endowment for the Arts
FOCUS:
Characters
The central character in a work of literature is called the protagonist.
The protagonist usually initiates the main action of the story and often
overcomes a flaw, such as weakness or ignorance, to achieve a new
understanding by the work's end. A protagonist who acts with great
honor or courage may be called a hero. An antihero is a protagonist lacking
these qualities. Instead of being dignified, brave, idealistic, or purposeful,
the antihero may be cowardly, self-interested, or weak. The protagonists
journey is enriched by encounters with characters who hold differing
beliefs. One such character type, a foil, has traits that contrast with the
protagonists and highlight important features of the main characters
personality. The most important foil, the antagonist, opposes
the protagonist, barring or complicating his or her success.
While Tom serves as the protagonist, a number of vibrant characters
provide foils. Aunt Polly provides an adult foil, Huck provides a foil
that makes Tom appreciate his own world, and Becky challenges Iom
to be a man.
Discussion Activities
Novelist E.L. Doctorow observes that Tom Sawyer's is a "world of two distinct
and, for the most part, irreconcilable life forms, the Child and the Adult. . . . And
because power and authority reside in the Adult, Tom is necessarily a rebel acting
in the name of freedom. Thus he is understood not as a bad boy but as a good
boy who is amiably, creatively, and as a matter of political principle bad — unlike
his half brother Sid, who is that all too recognizable archetype of everyone's
childhood, the actually bad boy who appears in the perverse eyesight of adults
to be good" ("Sam Clemens's Two Boys." in Creationists, p. 57). Is this is a valid
statement? How might Sid be a foil and/or antagonist to Tom? If Doctorow is
right, how do you think this will affect the rest of the story? Will Tom ever be
recognized as good? Does Twain make a statement about human nature that
transcends Tom's small-town world?
%A Writing Exercise
List Tom's three most prominent personality traits, backing up each choice by
describing any incidents in the text thus far that serve as the basis for that choice.
How do the incidents help us understand his character and the tensions in his life 7
23 Homework
Read Handout Two: Mark Twain's Comic Voice. Read Chapters XII XVI
(pp. 88 1 19). Pay particular attention to the passage about Peter the cat in
Chapter XII. What might be Twain's main intention, and how does his use of
language contribute to the fulfillment of that intention?
National I inlow mem tor tin- \ct^
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FOCUS:
Figurative
Language
Writers use figurative language such as imagery, similes, and metaphors
to help the reader visualize and experience events and emotions in a story.
Imagery — a word or phrase that refers to sensory experience (sight, sound,
smell, touch, or taste) — helps create a physical experience for the reader and
adds immediacy to literary language.
Some figurative language asks us to stretch our imaginations, finding
the likeness in seemingly unrelated things. Simile is a comparison of two
things that initially seem quite different but are shown to have significant
resemblance. Similes employ connective words, usually "like," "as," "than,"
or a verb such as "resembles." A metaphor is a statement that one thing is
something else that, in a literal sense, it is not. By asserting that a thing is
something else, a metaphor creates a close association that underscores an
important similarity between these two things.
In The Adventures of Tom Saivyer, the stylistic power of a tall tale serves to
extend and deepen the story, characters, and themes. The most frequent
stylistic effect is hyperbole — exaggeration, usually for comic purposes and
often enhanced by biblical or Shakespearean echoes. With hyperbole,
Twain makes a point by overstating it. This reflects the influence of the
frontier tradition of the tall tale, as well as the rhetorical extravagance
of Artemus Ward, Petroleum V. Nasby, and other popular humorists of
Twain's time.
Discussion Activities
Split the class into groups. Review the first sixteen chapters. How many tall tales
can you find? Which ones are the best, and why? Do these tall tales serve as
metaphors? Do they provide us with additional insight into Tom's world? What
does it take for Tom to weave a successful tall tale?
Writing Exercise
Read the class the hilarious account of Peter the cat's reaction to the spoonful of
Pain-killer (p. 90). Have them practice using hyperbole by writing a brief account
of an ordinary incident enlivened by comically exaggerated descriptions. Ask
several students to read their accounts aloud in class.
EJ Homework
Distribute Handout Three: The Mighty Mississippi. Read Chapters XVII-XXII
(pp. 120-149). What is the larger significance of Tom's brass andiron-knob, and of
the schoolmaster's anatomy book?
, • THE BIG READ
National Endowment for the Arts
Lesson Six
FOCUS:
Symbols
Symbols are persons, places, or things in a narrative that have significance
beyond a literal understanding. The craft of storytelling depends on
symbols to present ideas and point toward new meanings. Most frequently,
a specific object will be used to refer to (or symbolize) a more abstract
concept. The repeated appearance of an object suggests a non-literal, or
figurative, meaning attached to the object. Symbols are often found in
the books title, at the beginning and end of the story, within a profound
action, or in the name or personality of a character. The life of a novel is
perpetuated by generations of readers interpreting and reinterpreting the
main symbols. By identifying and understanding symbols, readers can
reveal new interpretations of the novel.
Most of the settings illuminate Twain's conception of childhood .is reflected
in Tom's adventures. As a result, Tom himself becomes a symbol of the
complexities of the child's world, the adult world, and the intersections
between these two worlds.
Discussion Activities
A particularly powerful symbol, the Mississippi River represents adventure,
freedom, and the world beyond St. Petersburg. The boys' journey to Jackson
Island begins their separation from the safety and security of small-town life.
How are the river and the island symbols? What cues in the text suggest they
might have a symbolic function? How does the storm affect Tom. and what
might it represent? Why does he believe God sent the storm as punishment
for his misbehavior?
0 Writing Exercise
Have your students write a brief essay examining one of the following topics.
Discuss the symbolism of the piece of bark on which Tom writes his note to
Aunt Polly, with emphasis on how it functions to show several different sides
of Tom's nature. Or analyze how the fence Tom whitewashes in the novel's
first chapters serves as a symbol. How was Aunt Polly's punishment both fitting
and ironic?
23 Homework
Read Chapters XXIII-XXVII (pp. 150-175). Has Tom changed at all since the
beginning of the book, or does he |ust keep displaying the same traits over
and over again?
National 1 ndowmenf tor tlu- \ih
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FOCUS:
Character
Development
Novels trace the development of characters who encounter a series of
challenges. Most characters contain a complex balance of virtues and vices.
Internal and external forces require characters to question themselves,
overcome fears, or reconsider dreams. The protagonist may undergo
profound change. A close study of character development maps, in each
character, the evolution of motivation, personality, and belief. The tension
between a character's strengths and weaknesses keeps the reader guessing
about what might happen next and the protagonists eventual success
or failure.
Chapter XXIII gives the best depiction of Tom's maturation, reflecting his
character development. In Chapter X, after witnessing the murder of Dr.
Robinson, he and Huck had taken a blood oath, on pain of dropping down
dead, that they would never tell anyone what they saw. Motivated entirely
by fear of Injun Joe, their silence may very well cost an innocent man his
life. But as Muff Potter's trial proceeds toward the certainty of a guilty
verdict, Tom suffers increasing torments of conscience, leading up to his
revelation and testimony.
Discussion Activities
In his 2004 book on Mark Twain, Larzer Ziff maintains that "Tom's adventures do
not follow one another in any necessary order because Twain is not concerned
with the evolution of Tom's character" and that "none of Tom's adventures
alters his character or matures him — he is always the boy he was" (p. 65). Is this
view valid? Why or why not? Can you find evidence to support Ziff? Can you
find evidence to refute him? Cite passages from the text to support your view.
Extend this discussion by conducting a debate on Ziffs interpretation.
Writing Exercise
Does Tom's choice to testify seem credible in terms of his character as it has
been presented to us? Cite any earlier instances of similar behavior that might
foreshadow this action.
EJ Homework
Read Chapters XXVIII-XXXI (pp. 176-203). Based on how Tom's previous
adventures have turned out, what do you think will happen in the end?
10 * THE BIG READ National Endowment for the Arts
Lesson Eight
FOCUS:
The Plot
Unfolds
The author crafts a plot structure to create expectations, increase suspense,
and develop characters. The pacing of events can make a novel either
predictable or riveting. Foreshadowing and flashbacks allow the author to
defy the constraints of time. Sometimes an author can confound a simple
plot by telling stories within stories. In a conventional work of fiction, the
peak of the story's conflict — the climax — is followed by the resolution, or
denouement, in which the effects of that climactic action are presented.
Discussion Activity
Have students review the main events in the novel thus far. What are the most
significant events? How has Twain chosen to pace the story? Is it too fast-paced
and too fantastical? Is it realistic and believable? By drawing together a series of
events and tall tales, is the novel the ultimate tall tale?
Ed Writing Exercise
Mark Twain wrote, "Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because fiction
is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn't." Using information from your
discussion, have students write one page about how fiction might be "less
strange" than truth. Conclude with a statement on how this quotation illuminates
the novel or sheds light on the plot of the novel or the novel as a whole.
H Homework
Read Chapters XXXII-Conclusion (pp. 204-225). Students should come to class
prepared to discuss whether the novel has any larger thematic intent beyond the
depiction of boyhood in a river town in the 1840s.
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FOCUS:
Themes of
the Novel
Themes are the central, recurring subjects of a novel. As characters grapple
with circumstances such as racism, class, or unrequited love, profound
questions will arise in the reader's mind about human life, social pressures,
and societal expectations. Classic themes include intellectual freedom versus
censorship, the relationship between one's personal moral code and larger
political justice, and spiritual faith versus rational considerations. A novel
often reconsiders these age-old debates by presenting them in new contexts
or from new points of view.
Discussion Activities and Writing Exercise
Use the following questions to stimulate discussion or provide writing exercises
in order to interpret the novel in specific ways. Using historical references to
support ideas, explore the statements The Adventures of Tom Sawyer makes about
the following themes:
Childhood
The novel is generally regarded as a sunny, if not idyllic, portrayal of childhood.
But there is a minority opinion, as exemplified in the title of a 1980 essay by
Cynthia Griffin Wolff, 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: A Nightmare Vision of
American Boyhood." Which of these two views seems to you the more accurate
assessment, and why?
Maturity
In the Conclusion, Twain writes: "So endeth this chronicle. It being strictly a
history of boy, it must stop here; the story could not go much further without
becoming the history of a man" (p. 225). Has Tom in fact significantly matured
over the course of the book? If so, in what ways, and as the result of what
experiences?
Freedom vs. Responsibility
In the last chapter, Huck Finn seems absolutely unwilling — indeed, unable — to
submit himself to the constraints of society and its expectations, while Tom
speaks for a more accommodating approach. Which of the two views, if either,
do you think Twain is affirming? Explain the reasons for your choice.
E3 Homework
Begin working on essays, choosing one of the Essay Topics in this guide. Outlines
are due at the next class.
I 2 * THE BIG READ National Endowment for the Arts
Lesson Ten
Great stories articulate and explore the mysteries of our daily lives in the
larger context of the human struggle. The writer's voice, style, and use of
language inform the plot, characters, and themes. By creating opportunities
to learn, imagine, and reflect, a great novel is a work of art that affects
many generations of readers, changes lives, challenges assumptions, and
breaks new ground.
FOCUS:
What Makes
a Book Great?
Discussion Activities
Ask students to make a list of the characteristics of a great book. Write these on
the board. What elevates a book to greatness? Then ask them to discuss, within
groups, other books that include some of these characteristics. Do any of these
books remind them of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer7. Is this a great novel?
A great writer can be the voice of a generation. What kind of voice does Twain
create in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer7. Does this novel speak for more than one
boy and his personal concerns? What does this voice tell us about the choices
and responsibilities for a boy coming of age in mid-nineteenth-century America?
Wj Writing Exercise
Ask students to write the back-cover copy for a new edition of The Adventures
of Tom Sawyer, explaining why a contemporary audience would find the novel an
entertaining and rewarding reading experience.
23 Homework
Students will finish their essays and present their topics and arguments to
the class.
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The discussion activities and writing exercises in this guide provide you with possible essay topics,
as do the Discussion Questions in the Reader's Guide. Advanced students can come up with
their own essay topics, as long as they are specific and compelling. Other ideas for essays are
provided here.
For essays, students should organize their ideas around a thesis about the novel. This statement or
thesis should be focused, with clear reasons supporting its conclusion. The thesis and supporting
reasons should be backed by references to the text.
1. Discuss Twain's depiction of church and school.
Are they agencies of spiritual and intellectual
growth, or engines of conformity and
inhibition, or both? Do some characters find
more value in these institutions than others?
If so, why?
2. Several of the characters in the novel express
racist attitudes about blacks and Indians, but
no character ever expresses an opposing
point of view. Is it enough for Twain to
have accurately shown the prejudices of the
society he is writing about without having a
character express the opposing viewpoint?
Is the narrator impartial? Would a more
forceful condemnation of racist attitudes have
strengthened or weakened the novel ?
3. Consider the characters of Aunt Polly, Becky
Thatcher, and the Widow Douglas. Based on
their actions and statements, what might Twain
be saying about the role or function of women
in the society he is describing?
4. Later in his life, Twain expressed some very
bitter judgments about human nature, views
that might be said to have a pale foreshadowing
in the first paragraph of Chapter XXXV
(p. 220), which describes the townspeople's
view of Tom and Huck after their discovery of
the treasure. Would you describe Twain's view
of human nature in Tom Sawyer as generally
dark or pessimistic? If not, how would you
characterize it?
Discuss the following statement by Shelley
Fisher Fishkin: "Twain's Tom is full of youthful
energy, to be sure, but his character is more
complicated than that" (Lighting Out for the
Territory, p. 137). Identify some of Tom's most
dominant character traits. How do they
contribute to the reader's acceptance of Tom
as "real" and fully developed, rather than a
two-dimensional character?
Have your students write on the theme "How
Old Is Tom Sawyer?" citing textual examples
to back up their conclusions. They may wish
to cite the following passage from the E.L.
Doctorow essay:
Tom Sawyer is ageless. I don't mean that he
is a boy for the ages, although he may be —
I mean that he is a boy of no determinable
age. When he falls in love he exhibits the
behavior of a six-year-old. When he is
cunning or manipulative he might be nine or
ten. His athleticism places him nearer the
age of twelve. And in self-dramatization and
insensitivity to all feelings but his own he is
unquestionably a teenager. The variety of
his moods, including his deep funks when
he feels unloved, his manic exhibitionism,
his retributive fantasies, sweeps him up and
down the scale of juvenile thought
(pp. 58-59).
14 • THE BIG READ
National Endowment for the Arts
Teachers may consider the ways in which these activities may be linked to other Big Read
community events. Most of these projects could be shared at a local library, a student assembly,
or a bookstore.
1. Have the students locate as many different
illustrated editions of the novel as possible.
How do these illustrations represent their
time period? Have students select different
parts of the novel to illustrate. Work with
your visual arts specialist to create a series
of images that reflect events in the novel,
characters in the novel, and/or symbols in the
novel. Exhibit student work in the gallery of a
Big Read community partner.
2. Divide the class into groups and have each
group prepare a eulogy for Tom's "funeral" in
Chapter XVII to be delivered by one of the
following characters: Aunt Polly, Sid, or Becky
Thatcher. Working with a theater teaching-
artist, learn dramatic techniques to assist
students in delivering the eulogy. Present the
eulogies at a Big Read event.
3. Working with your local TV or radio station,
create a storyboard for a short film or radio-
theater. Have teams of students create a radio-
drama or short film with the assistance of local
media educators. After students have created
their own rendering, examine some of the
film versions of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Share student work with the community
through a Big Read partner. Hold a student
and media educator panel on what students
learned working with film and radio. On the
panel, they can discuss how their conceptions
compared to professional film versions.
4. Tom and his peers have to learn how to
recite from memory. Work with your state
NEA Poetry Out Loud coordinator and
hold a recitation contest in your town.
Students can memorize and recite one
poem from the Poetry Out Loud anthology
(www.poetryoutloud.org). After the contest, hold
a student panel to discuss what the young
people have learned from their experience
with recitation and memorizing a poem.
Successful reciters can go on to compete in
the state finals.
5. Research your own community's history. Using
images available online or through your local
historical society, create an exhibit illustrating
what life was like in your area a hundred
years ago. Write captions explaining the
photographs. Display the exhibit in the school's
library, at a local museum, or at another Big
Read venue.
National Endowment tor the
THE BIG READ ■ 15
HANDOUT ONE
Mark Twain's Literary Influence
Mark Twain has entered permanently into
American popular culture. Almost everyone is
familiar with the image of the man — the unruly
mane of white hair with matching moustache and
eyebrows, the white suit, the ever-present cigar.
And most people quote his sayings, including
many who don't know it's Mark Twain they're
quoting: "Man is the only animal that blushes.
Or needs to"; "To cease smoking is the easiest
thing I ever did; I ought to know because I've done
it a thousand times"; and, of course, "The reports
of my death are greatly exaggerated."
However, it may surprise some people to learn
how highly Twain is regarded by serious literary
critics. He is the subject of many biographies and
countless works of literary analysis. Even more
tellingly, he is held in extremely high esteem by
other writers. One of the earliest tributes — and
still perhaps the best-known — appears in Ernest
Hemingway's The Green Hills of Africa (1935):
"All modern American literature comes from one
book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn
[I]t's the best book we've had. All American
writing comes from that. There was nothing
before. There has been nothing as good since."
Ralph Ellison, whose Invisible Man (1952) is
considered one of the greatest American novels
since World War II, explained in an essay what
Twain had meant to him and to American
literature: "Mark Twain. . .transformed elements
of regional vernacular speech into a medium
of uniquely American literary expression and
thus taught us how to capture that which is
essentially American in our folkways and manners.
For indeed the vernacular process is a way of
establishing and discovering our national identity."
Twain's influence as a master of the vernacular
was also demonstrated by Ellison's friend and
fellow novelist Saul Bellow. Bellow's first two
novels were small-scale "literary" works. But his
third novel, The Adventures of Augie March (1953),
whose very title is a kind of tribute to Twain, was
a major breakthrough in his career. It is a large,
sprawling book, narrated in the lively, slangy, very
American voice of Augie himself, and filled with
vivid characters and both grotesque and hilarious
incidents.
Another demonstration of Twain's influence
came in 1996 with the publication of the
Oxford Mark Twain, a twenty-nine volume set
of all the books Twain published in his lifetime.
Each volume contains an introduction by a
leading contemporary author, some of whom
describe Twain's importance in their discovery
of literature and their own development as writers.
These authors include Arthur Miller ("Death
of a Salesman"), Cynthia Ozick {The Shawl),
Kurt Vonnegut {Slaughterhouse-Five), and Toni
Morrison {Beloved).
William Faulkner is sometimes regarded as the
greatest American novelist since Mark Twain.
Like Hemingway, Bellow, and Morrison, he was
awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, the world's
most prestigious literary honor. Faulkner's debt
to Mark Twain is clear in some of his best work,
such as the stories "Barn Burning" and "The
Bear," which show boys coming of age as they
are exposed to the cruelty and violence around
them. It was a debt that Faulkner was happy to
acknowledge. At a literary conference in Japan
in 1955, he called Twain "the father of American
literature. . .the first truly American writer, and all
of us since are his heirs."
I 6 ' THE BIG READ National Endowment for the Arts
HANDOUT TWO
Mark Twain's Comic Voice
Mark Twain began his literary career as a writer of
comic essays and sketches. He continued to write
short humorous pieces throughout his life, although
in his last years the humor frequently took on a
dark and bitter tone. It is his novels — especially
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn — that are his greatest claim to
fame and his greatest contribution to our literature.
But even these works, as grim and shocking as
they can sometimes be, are enlivened throughout
by his sense of the ridiculous, and by a comic voice
unmistakably his own.
When Twain began writing in the 1860s, Americas
most popular humorists were Charles Farrar
Browne, who wrote under the name of Artemus
Ward, and David Ross Locke, whose pseudonym
was Petroleum V. (for Vesuvius) Nasby. Both used
dialect, with comic misspellings, poor grammar,
and exaggerated wordplay and turns of phrase,
often for satirical purposes. When Ward gave a
public performance in Virginia City, Nevada, in
December 1863, Twain, who had already taken
him as a literary model, met and befriended him.
[wains earliest literary success was a comic piece
called "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of ( lalaveras
( t unity.' Published in November 1865 and widely
reprinted in newspapers across the country, it earned
him a national reputation.
Ihinv years later, in the essav "1 low to Tell a
Story' he discussed the essence ot his comk
technique. One component ol that technique is
'[t]o string incongruities a\\(\ absurdities together in
.i wandering and sometimes purposeless way, and
seem innoeentlv unaware that they are absurdities.
Here is a delightful example: "The first time I ever
saw St. Louis, I could have bought it for six million
dollars and it was the mistake of my life that I did
not do it." Another occurs in Chapter IV of Tom
Sawyer, in the reference to the "boy of German
parentage" who "once recited three thousand [Bible]
verses without stopping; but the strain upon his
mental faculties was too great, and he was little
better than an idiot from that day forth (p. 34). In
this instance, readers will have no trouble finding
the satirical point beneath the surface absurdity:
The actor Hal Holbrook, who has brilliantly
portrayed Mark Twain in his one-man show Mark
Twain Tonight'., once told an interviewer thai
the targets of I wains humor were "'h'vpocrisv.
pomposity, the narrow mind, the prejudiced mind,
stupidity, brutality — all those things. You know that
quote of his, Against the power ot laughter nothing
can stand? How you can push at an injustice, move
it a little, century by century. But only laughter ^au
blow it to rags and atoms at a blast.
With his realistic descriptions and settings, his vivid
and often coarse characters, and his rich, colorful
language. Mark I wain did more than anyone civ
to move American literature past the suffocating
refinement and sentimentalit) ot the mid-ninciccnth
century Net he was also .i deeply insecure man
who longed to be taken senouslv by the literary
establishment ot his time. Misunderstanding his
own genius, he at times considered his long and
lifeless biograph) of loan of \k do be his k-st work.
But his readers have always known that his Ivst .\nd
most serious writing is often his funnit
National Endowment for th< the big REa: • |7
HANDOUT THREE
The Mighty Mississippi
From its source in Lake Itasca in northwestern
Minnesota, the Mississippi River flows south
for 2,340 miles until it empties into the Gulf of
Mexico. Though not very deep, it is as much as
two miles wide at various points. It divides the
United States into eastern and western halves. In
the early part of the nineteenth century, when
Mark Twain was young, railroad travel was in its
infancy. It would be decades before elaborate rail
networks crisscrossed the nation. In that period,
Americas principal highways for both passengers
and freight were its rivers, and none more so than
the Mississippi.
Mark Twain grew up in Hannibal, Missouri,
which was the model for St. Petersburg in The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer. At the same time he
was writing the novel, Twain produced "Old
Times on the Mississippi," a series of reminiscences
of his boyhood and youth and of his training
as a riverboat pilot. These sketches, which
many consider his best work after Tom Sawyer
and Huckleberry Finn, were later revised and
incorporated into a larger work about the river
called Life on the Mississippi (1883).
The book's fourth chapter begins: "When I was
a boy, there was but one permanent ambition
among my comrades in our village on the west
bank of the Mississippi River. That was, to be a
steamboatman. We had transient ambitions of
other sorts, but they were only transient These
ambitions faded out, each in its turn; but the
ambition to be a steamboatman always remained."
The circuses and
minstrel shows of Twain's youth would arrive,
excite all the boys of the town, and then depart.
But the river was always there. Twain describes
how the sleepy little town would stir to life with
the arrival of a boat and then resume its slumber
once the boat had left.
For young Sam Clemens and his comrades, the
river represented freedom, adventure, and escape
from family, school, church, and all the rest of the
narrow routine of everyday existence in Hannibal.
It was the road to distant and fabulous places, such
as St. Louis, and even more remote and exotic
locales farther south. He left Hannibal at eighteen
and visited New York and Philadelphia before
settling in St. Louis. He became an apprentice
riverboat pilot at twenty-one and earned his pilot's
license two years later, in April 1859. He worked
the river for two more years, until the outbreak of
the Civil War ended all commercial travel on the
Mississippi.
Mark Twain never lived in Hannibal or worked on
the river again, but he often returned in memory,
and they inspired his finest and most enduring
works. He frequently maintained that these were
the happiest times of his life. Writing to his friend
and fellow novelist William Dean Howells while
composing "Old Times on the Mississippi" for
Howells's Atlantic Monthly, he claimed, "I am a
person who would quit authorizing in a minute to
go piloting, if the madame would stand it."
18 * THE BIG READ
National Endowment for the Arts
37fWWWT^5
ST
Books
Doctorow, E.L. Creationists: Selected Essays 1993-2006.
New York: Random House, 2006.
Emerson, Everett. Mark Twain: A Literary Life. Philadelphia:
University of Pennsylvania Press, 2000.
Fishkin, Shelley Fisher. Lighting Out for the Territory:
Reflections on Mark Twain and American Culture. New York:
Oxford University Press, 1997.
Powers, Ron. Mark Twain: A Life. New York: Free Press,
2005.
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. New York:
Penguin Books, 1986.
. Collected Tales, Sketches, Speeches, and Essays
1891-1910. New York: Library of America, 1992.
. Mississippi Writings: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Life
on the Mississippi, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Pudd'nhead
Wilson. New York: Library of America, 1982.
Ward, Geoffrey C, Dayton Duncan, and Ken Burns. Mark
Twain: An Illustrated Biography. New York: Alfred A. Knopf,
2001.
Web sites
www.books.google.com
Google has the entire text of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
available for download in PDF format. The text is also
searchable by word or phrase.
www.pbs.org/marktwain/index.html
The Web site that accompanies the PBS film Mark Twain,
a documentary directed by Ken Burns, includes classroom
activities, selected writings, a chronology of Twain's life,
and links to related Web sites.
www.marktwainhouse.org
The mission of The Mark Twain House & Museum is to
foster an appreciation of the legacy of Mark Twain as one
of our nation's defining cultural figures and to demonstrate
the continuing relevance of his work. life, and times.
www.marktwainproject.org
A collaboration between the Mark Twain Papers and
Project of The Bancroft Library, the California Digital
Library, and the University of California Press, this Web
site contains reliable texts, accurate and exhaustive notes,
and the most recently discovered letters and documents.
Its ultimate purpose is to produce fully annotated, digital
editions of everything Mark Twain wrote.
National Endowment tor tin
THE BIG READ • 19
c
CTE Standard
National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Standards"
1 . Students read a wide range of print and
non-print texts to build an understanding of
texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of
the United States and the world; to acquire
new information; to respond to the needs
and demands of society and the workplace;
and for personal fulfillment. Among these
texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and
contemporary works.
2. Students read a wide range of literature from
many periods in many genres to build an
understanding of the many dimensions (e.g.,
philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human
experience.
3. Students apply a wide range of strategies
to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and
appreciate texts. They draw on their prior
experience, their interactions with other
readers and writers, their knowledge of
word meaning and of other texts, their
word identification strategies, and their
understanding of textual features (e.g.,
sound-letter correspondence, sentence
structure, context, graphics).
4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written,
and visual language (e.g., conventions, style,
vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a
variety of audiences and for different purposes.
5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as
they write and use different writing process
elements appropriately to communicate with
different audiences for a variety of purposes.
6.
7.
8.
Students apply knowledge of language
structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling
and punctuation), media techniques, figurative
language, and genre to create, critique, and
discuss print and non-print texts.
Students conduct research on issues and
interests by generating ideas and questions, and
by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and
synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g.,
print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to
communicate their discoveries in ways that suit
their purpose and audience.
Students use a variety of technological and
information resources (e.g., libraries, databases,
computer networks, video) to gather and
synthesize information and to create and
communicate knowledge.
9.
Students develop an understanding of and
respect for diversity in language use, patterns,
and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups,
geographic regions, and social roles.
10. Students whose first language is not English
make use of their first language to develop
competency in the English language arts and to
develop understanding of content across the
curriculum.
1 1 . Students participate as knowledgeable,
reflective, creative, and critical members of a
variety of literary communities.
12. Students use spoken, written, and visual
language to accomplish their own purposes
(e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and
the exchange of information).
* This guide was developed with NCTE Standards and State Language Arts Standards in mind. Use these standards to guide and
develop your application of the curriculum.
20 * THE BIG READ National Endowment for the Arts
NATIONAL
ENDOWMENT
FOR THE ARTS
'He had discovered a great
law of human action, without
knowing it — namely, that in
order to make a man or a
boy covet a thing, it is only
necessary to make the thing
difficult to attain."
—MARK TWAIN
from The Adventures of Mark Twain
The Big Read is an initiative of the National
Endowment for the Arts designed to restore reading
to the center of American culture. The NEA presents
The Big Read in partnership with the Institute of
Museum and Library Services and in cooperation
with Arts Midwest.
A great nation deserves great art.
'•>:• . .INSTITUTE of
•.:•.. MuseurrUndLbrary
.•V; SERVICES
