A FINAL DISCUSSION ON RACISM IN THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN

Trial of Mark Twain

Is or isn’t Huck Finn racist?

Does reading Huck Finn help or harm race relations?

You will be staging a mock trial with Mark Twain as the defendant. You will gather evidence, present it before a Jury, and the Jury will come up with a verdict.

The Trial of Mark Twain

Mark Twain has been accused of promoting racism in the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

As a class, you will try the author and determine his guilt or innocence.

Roles

2 - Judges

1 - Defendant (Mark Twain) and 1 Defense Team (3 students)

1 - Prosecution Team (3 students)

6 - Witnesses

3 - Jury Members

Role: Judge

Research court procedure and preside over the trial

Role: Defendant

Mark Twain

Role: Defense Team

Lead Counsel

Co-counsel 2 Attorneys

Role: Prosecution

Lead Counsel

Co-counsel 2 Attorneys

Role: Witnesses

Characters from the novel, authorities on Mark Twain, authorities in racial matters, civil rights leaders, authorities on Twain’s era of the novel, etc.

Role: Jury

Serve during the trial and reach a verdict based on evidence presented in the courtroom.

Now….

Now that the counsel has been decided, your first step is to decide who your witnesses are going to be. You must come up with 3 witnesses to serve for you. This decision must be made by tomorrow. You may not share a witness, so if you may need to discuss your final choices with your opposition before tomorrow.

Tomorrow, all witnesses will be assigned to their respective counsel.

Ready? Set! Go!

Split up into your respective roles and begin researching and working on your role in this trial!

Remember, if this is done well… NO FINAL HUCK FINN TEST FOR YOU!