CMW-Uplanbrainstorm

Chelsey Whitmiller

I would like to base my UPLAN around the novel "Finn," by Jon Clinch. It is based off Mark Twain's classic "Huckleberry Finn."

Why is this important for students? I think the biggest problem literature teachers are faced with in their classrooms today is the fact that the English Language Arts curriculum is centered around books most students are simply not interested in reading. When students are not interested in the literature, they are most likely not going to read it. When students don't read the literature they are assigned, they are not going to really "learn" anything except how to pass the class by referring to Sparknotes. This poses the question: should the curriculum be updated to include more modern literature? I think, yes!

In the late 1800's, Mark Twain wrote "Huckleberry Finn." Today, it is viewed as a classic and is still used as part of the curriculum in many schools. While students can relate to this book and the main character Huck, many of them ask the same question: "Why do we have to read this?" Good question. To be honest, I have no idea. Slavery in America is no longer an issue. While the history is interesting, there is nothing about it that is relative to our current times. Yes, the themes of friendship, growing up, and family times are all aspects of the book that students can relate to. However, aren't there other, more modern books that teach those same themes and lessons? Absolutely!

I've thought a lot about this assignment. At first, I did not know why students should have to read "Finn." Then, it hit me. This is a book that students would actually look forward to reading. It has action, adventure, suspense, but it also teaches life lessons about friendship, families, and struggles. In addition, this book shows students the possibilities of what literature is all about. That is, dreaming, imagining, interpreting, discovering, and relatiing. While "Finn" is centered around Pap, rather than Huck, it gives students the opportunity to place themselves in someone else's shoes. Like Shakespeare's "Hamlet," it takes the reader into the mind of another individual. It allows the readers to empathize with Pap, feel what he feels, know what he knows, and understand the psychological, emotional, and social effects Pap faces himself. At the same time, the novel pays gratitude to an old classic and takes the readers on a "behind the scenes" look at the untold stories of "Huckleberry Finn." Students would love to read this book, and they would still be getting just as much out of it as they would if they had been assigned "Huckleberry Finn." This book, however, also offers students the chance to compare it to Twain's classic, while still holding onto its modern twist.

There are several lessons to be learned from "Finn." How can life's struggles effect a person emotionally, mentally, and physically? What are some of the reasons Pap Finn turned out to be such a dark character? Although he is portrayed as a sort of monsterous character, is Pap still capable of love? --> relate this to Mary Shelley's monster Frankenstein. Was Frankenstein truly a monster? He killed several people just like Pap Finn. Why? Does that make Pap Finn a monster, too? How is the issue of race portrayed in the book? Does the issue on race still hold true today? How would Pap's story have been different if Huck had not faked his death and run away? Would it have benefitted Pap, or would Pap have stayed the same? Etc. Etc.

I am still brainstorming lessons for this text, but I know there is an endless amount of possibilities!

I also think it is important for students to see how a single text can be interpreted. "Finn," afterall, is an interpretation of "Huckleberry Finn." ( A behind the scenes interpretation.) I will show students clips and possibly have them reinterpret Pap's character. Perhaps I will have them do a writing assignment in which they will tell the background story of Pap's life. They will be able to argue, based on their interpretations of his life, that this is why he has been shaped into who he is. Perhaps they can also give an alternate ending to Pap's life. -- Example: He lived and reunited with Huck...