Comparing Portrayals of Slavery in Nineteenth-Century Photography and Literature

Huck Finn's moral journey parallels Mark Twain's own questions about slavery. Like the photographers of the nineteenth-century, Twain, a Realist, struggled with how best to portray fictionalized characters, while still expressing truth and creating social commentary. In this lesson, students use a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast Mark Twain's novel and/or excerpts from Frederick Doulgass' narrative to original photographs of slaves from the late-nineteenth century. Then they write an essay to compare the different portrayals, arguing to what extent art can reliably reflect truth. In addition, they will discuss art as social commentary.
Resource ID#: 31998 Type: Lesson Plan
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Direct Link: http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/comparing-portrayals-slavery-nineteenth-30527.html?tab=4#tabs

General Information

Subject(s): English Language Arts
Grade Level(s): 11, 12
Intended Audience: Educators educators
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter, Computers for Students, Internet Connection, Interactive Whiteboard, LCD Projector
Instructional Time: 4 Hour(s) 15 Minute(s)
Resource supports reading in content area:Yes
Freely Available: Yes
Keywords: Mark Twain, Frederick Douglass, slavery, slaves, compare, contrast, African American history, photographs, photography, The Adventures of Huck Finn
Instructional Component Type(s): Lesson Plan,  Virtual Manipulative,  Assessment,  Presentation/Slideshow,  Image/Photograph,  Text Resource
Instructional Design Framework(s): Direct Instruction, Writing to Learn, Argumentation
Resource Collection: General Collection

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