Date: _________________

Satire in Huckleberry Finn

Lead in (5 mins): Intro (disclaimer) and end

Several students have mentioned these two elements
as being annoying and/or frustrating.
Guiding questions:
1. Why would Twain lead us into his book with that kind of disclaimer?
2. Was the ending a surprise ending? Why/Why not?
3. Do we have a right to be surprised if Twain set us up with his
disclaimer? Why/Why not?
4. What statement is Twain making with his disclaimer?

Presentation (10 mins): A PowerPoint presentation will be given to guide

students through the definition and use of Satire.
Examples used will date back to Greek satyrs (the
history of the word), and will also include clips
from The Onion and Demotivators.
Plus: Irony versus not irony with Alanis Morrisette

Small Group (10 mins): Skim through some of the below episodes and
uncover Twains tone of voice (not Hucks!!)
(Guided by a set of suggested sections to narrow
their search, students will continue to fill in their
sheet) and determine: irony or not irony? satire or
not satire?

Large Group (10 mins): Regroup Discussion

Guiding questions:
1. What examples of satire and/or situational irony did you find?
2. Why are these good examples of what we talked about?
3. What do these passages tell us about Twains hidden purpose?
Notes:

Satire/Irony have a specific PURPOSE or COMMENT to make. For example, Colbert is

satirical because his questions intentionally push his guests to the extreme. He is making
an ass of traditional news shows, and traditional debate. You become informed, but in
such a way that makes you think one side or the other is ridiculous. Thus, you ultimately
walk away having absorbed a piece of social commentary.

The Onion acts in the same way: it makes an ass out of real situations. National Enquirer,
on the other hand, stretches the truth to an unrecognizable degree. NE is not social
commentary, because it is just silly stories using real peoples names. Most of it is utter
crap, while satire is based in truth and made to be ridiculous.

How does Twain fit into this category?

The whole premise of Huck Finn appears to be a commentary on Romanticism the

exploration of moral character, individuality and imagination through fictional works.
Moreover, her is criticizing the critics that came out of the Romantic revolution. He is
commenting (and making fun of!) the way that even this very English class operates:
finding the deeper meaning in texts. He tells us not to even dare looking for a deeper
meaning, and then laughs at us when we get all pissed about the pointless ending.

This is why Huck Finn is a satire. Satire, coming from satyrs, is meant to make an ass out
of its recipient. Colbert makes followers of the Tea Party feel like (or seem like) an ass
every day. The Onion makes newsworthy situations seem asinine by rhetorically focusing
on all the wrong areas. Demotivators make purchasers of motivational posters and
sayers of motivational saying seem ridiculous. If you follow satire, you will likely walk
away from it feeling as though that situation (and/or their previous belief in it) is utterly
ridiculous. It is generally an incredibly powerful rebuttal to a popular situation.