Phase 2, Week 4

Rumors and the past fare heavily in chapter four. Post a question or observation (it’s fine if you copy and paste from your 3-2-1 journal!) about chapter four.

Phase 2, Week 4

Consider the two parties Nick attends in chapters two and three. Please share an observation or question about a similarity or difference between these parties.

Phase Two, Week 3

Please read the two excerpts from Sven Birkets’s “A Gatsby for Today: an enduringly relevant novel of acrid disillusion and resurgent hope” and comment on the class discussion page.

Phase 2, Week 3

The frustrating ending of Huck Finn mirrors the frustrating lack of progress Twain observed decades after the Civil War was over. Were we still at school, I would like to have ended this unit with a viewing of Ava DuVernay’s powerful documentary 13th (streaming on Netflix). Instead of viewing it, I will ask you to read this Atlantic piece and have you comment on our class discussion page.

Phase 2, Week 2

Spend thirty minutes working on the end of novel assignment.

Optional: share with your classmates what you’re working on at the discussion page.

Phase 2, Week 1, day 4

Great work sharing your opinions on Eliot's and Smiley's readings of Huck Finn. Our third and final critic offers the most in-depth close-reading of the novel and yet another nuanced take on why Twain ended it the way he did. Once you've finished reading Smith's essay, respond below and consider which article was most though-provoking for you.

Please read Williams College professor (and critic) David L. Smith’s take on Huck Finn. Post a question, comment, or connection.

Phase 2, Week 1, day 3

Please read novelist (and critic) Jane Smiley’s take on Huck Finn. Post a question, comment, or connection.

Phase 2, Week 1, day 2

Thank you for all of your thoughtful questions, comments, and connections about Huck's crisis of conscience! 

Literary critics have debated whether or not the ending (i.e., chapters 32 (XXXII)-Chapter the Last) of Huck Finn matches the rest of the novel. We will enter into this debate! Before we share our own opinions on the ending, we’ll hear from a few critics. Please read poet (and critic) T.S. Eliot’s take on Huck Finn. Post a question, comment, or connection.

Phase 2 - Week 1, day 1

Welcome to Phase 2 of distance learning!

Dust off that copy of Huck Finn and read (maybe reread?) Chapter 31 (XXXI). This chapter contains Huck’s famous “crisis of conscience” and is the climax of the novel. Post a question, comment, or connection you have about the chapter.