The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Is the Novel Relevant to a Modern Audience?

In the final episode of Season 2 Mr. Fernando and Coach Bart discuss the ending of the novel and the final major essay for the quarter. Through the use of The New York Times article, "The Idea of America" by Nikole Hannah-Jones, they discuss the issues of American hypocrisy and racism to arrive at the prompt question at issue: Is the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as a satire of slavery and the racist ideologies upon which the country sits still a relevant and appropriate text for the modern classroom? Through Hannah-Jones' historical context, as well as the commentaries of Jane Smiley ("Say it Ain’t So, Huck: Second thoughts on Mark Twain’s 'Masterpiece'") and Toni Morrison("Introduction to The Oxford Mark Twain: The Adventures of Huck Finn"), they examine the novel's ironies in formulating the scathing satires, while also weighing the consequences of the inherent racism perpetuated by the book's unflinching use of the N-word and stereotypical portrayals of its characters. The last half of the podcast, Mr. Fernando and Coach Bart provide specific tips on how to build and finalize the major essay. Special thanks to Kanye West for the introductory song "Good Morning" from his 2007 album Graduation, and to Frank Sinatra providing the sweet outtro melody of "My Way (lofi remix)."

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