The initial reading will be an excerpt from Maya Angelou's
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
. This text will begin the unit because Maya loses her voice after a traumatic experience. She does regain her voice through the help of a teacher and of literature. The excerpt I selected describes Mrs. Bertha Flowers' influence on Marguerite regaining her voice. This is an important text to begin with: it brings to light the importance of one's voice, and students will be working on their own voices during the course of the unit. In addition it reinforces the concept that the voice we will be covering includes the written as well as the spoken word. Mrs. Flowers says to Marguerite, "Your grandmother says you read a lot. Every chance you get. That's good, but not good enough. Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with the shades of deeper meaning." (Angelou 57) At this point I will play a reading of the excerpt to the class. At this point we will discuss the sound of the voice and how it contributes to the meaning of the work. Students will evaluate how the spoken word is a crucial component to voice.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
will be read in its entirety. Huck Finn is a character who lives outside of society. He only visits the civilized world when he ventures onto land and experiences society. Widow Douglas attempts to "sivilize" Huck but he rejects her efforts. He absorbs some of society's values but questions them at the same time. The individuals, like Miss Watson, who are supposed to be "civilized" own slaves. Huck struggles with what civilized society tells him is right about slavery and what he believes in his own heart to be true. For example he feels compelled at times to turn Jim in but knows in his heart that it is the wrong thing to do. That Huck lives outside of the societal norm is actually a good thing. In
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
society is a corrupting influence. This sets up a framework through which students question values and society.
Another concept that will be broached is the issue of language and dialect. The use of vernacular is tied to civilization. Mark Twain's use of dialect also works to identify a character as out of the mainstream.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
contains a variety of voices outside the mainstream that can be evaluated. The analysis of different types of outsider voices will continue throughout the unit.
We will begin the discussion of language by discussing the use of the word "nigger." Is this a civilized word and what does it say about the person that uses it? Are there contexts where the use of the word is appropriate or important? Reading the article, "Teaching the N-Word" by Emily Bernard could prove worthwhile at this juncture. Because this article deals with the issue of using "nigger" in the classroom this should set the tone for a mature discussion of the topic. Once the article is read and we have our own discussion on the word we will draw connections to the text. Should the characters in The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
be deemed uncivilized because they use the word? In what ways can we see past the use of the word as hostile and offensive and see its worth in the text? How does the use of satire affect the use of the word? Can a character be moral and still use the word? How so?
Huck Finn's language is clearly not standard English yet he is a moral and civilized citizen. Jim too is a good person but uses language that is not considered to be of the educated and superior class of society. On the other hand there are characters like Pap Finn that are not morally sound and use non-standard even hostile language. The language of each character can be seen in somewhat complex terms of civilized and wild at the same time. Nevertheless it is fairly clear that Standard English is thought to be the most civilized manner to communicate. Characters like Tom try to sound like a model citizen by attempting to use inflated language while Judge Thatcher is a truly educated and moral citizen and uses the language to prove it. Even though Judge Thatcher's language is an indicator of high status the mainstream of the text is of speakers of non-standard English. The folk language is the predominant language. (Sewell)
It should prove interesting to discuss the issue of switching language. This is when an individual can switch from using non-standard English to using standard English. For the students it will be interesting for them to explore their own ability to switch from using one form of the English language to another. We will discuss the importance of such a trait as it applies to the lives of students today. Students should be able to speak one way with their friends and another way when applying for a job or writing a paper for class. It is a skill that apparently Huck does not have but some of the other characters do have.
We will spend approximately three weeks on
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
. In this time one of the strategies I will use with the students to get them thinking critically is to have them generate their own questions about the text. I will guide them through the process of creating questions worth discussing. We will focus on interpretive and "big idea" questions. Students will guide discussion with questions they generate on their own.
