With the release a few years ago of a new edition of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn that changes “the n word” to “slave,” the debate has been reignited about the importance of this novel and perhaps the need to remove it from our schools.
Write an essay in which you fairly present the three sides of the issue: should The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn be allowed in the classroom in its original form – or- should it be removed in its original form? Should “the word” be replaced with
“slave”? Incorporate research that fairly depicts the three sides of the debate, and then argue for which side you believe is strongest. Avoid using logical fallacies as you argue, but utilize the rhetorical toolbox that you have acquired on our road this year (anaphora, epistrophe, chiasmus, antithesis, periodic sentences, parallelism, rhetorical questions, anadiplosis, appeals to ethos, pathos, logos, etc.).
Please have at least 4 credible sources of support.
Utilize those EBSCO databases and cite! The novel should be a cited source as you will quote or discuss specific passages or scenes. I will check your research as I grade your essay, so please make sure every fact and quotation from another source is parenthetically cited and is correctly cited on your works cited page.
Using 1-inch margins, 12-pt. Times New Roman font, double spacing, and MLA requirements, your essay should be between
5-8 pages plus the works cited page. This is formal writing, so please avoid second-person pronouns and most “I” statements.
Avoid contractions and vague words, casual words (thing, things, something, anything, stuff, guys, folks, etc.).
Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1
Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1.A
Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1.D
Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

For this debate, you will be assigned to one of two sides of an issue or to the school board. The school board will be hearing arguments and will be deciding the outcome. The first side of the issue would be arguing in the Affirmative, agreeing that the resolution should in fact be followed. The second side of the issue would be arguing in the Negative, believing that the resolution should NOT be followed. The third group of people will act as the school board, who will ask questions after each set of speeches and then deliver a judgment with rationale based on the evidence presented in the speeches.
Please support with your arguments with research, examples, and as many persuasive rhetorical strategies as you believe to be effective.
1 st Constructive Speeches: These are pre-written speeches made to present your argument to the board, complete with your side of the resolution, facts, and analysis of how the facts prove your side. These are similar to opening statements. These speakers will be the first to construct the argument. Analogy: this is the foundation of the argument.
2 nd Constructive and Rebuttal Speeches: These are speeches created ahead of time, but revised and finalized during planning time. These speeches further develop and construct the group’s argument while addressing and refuting (rebutting, disproving) any counterarguments/counterclaims that may have been brought up by the opposite side or by the School Board.
New information may be brought up during these speeches, as long as it supports or expands upon what was already presented in the 1 st Constructive.
Q and A from School Board: These are questions from the School Board members addressed to either or both sides of the issue that clarify stances, facts, and analysis as well as address any incongruities made in arguments.
Closing Speeches: These speeches (which are continually revised during planning times) act as final arguments and may address anything already presented by either side. No new facts or information may be brought up.
School Board Delivery of Judgment: This speech explains the judgment the School Board has made on the resolution, citing evidence and analysis from the previous speeches and Q and A sessions.
3 minutes
3 minutes
5 minutes
5 minutes
3 minutes
3 minutes
5 minutes
5 minutes
2 minutes
2 minutes
1st Affirmative Constructive Speech
1 st Negative Constructive Speech
1 st Q and A from School Board
Planning time with sides
2 nd Affirmative Constructive and Rebuttal Speech
2 nd Negative Constructive and Rebuttal Speech
2 nd Q and A from School Board
Planning time with sides
Closing Affirmative Speech
Closing Negative Speech
5 minutes
3 minutes
School Board Deliberation Time
School Board Delivery of Judgment
CA Standards:
Reading Comprehension:
2.4 Make warranted and reasonable assertions about the author’s arguments by using elements of the text to defend and clarify interpretations.
Writing Strategies:
1.3 Structure ideas and arguments in a sustained, persuasive, and sophisticated way and support them with precise and relevant examples.
1.4 Enhance meaning by employing rhetorical devices, including the extended use of parallelism, repetition, and analogy…
1.5 Use language in natural, fresh, and vivid ways to establish a specific tone.
1.6 Develop [texts] by using clear research questions and creative and critical research strategies (e.g., field studies, oral histories, interviews, experiments, electronic sources).
ESLRs:
Critical & Creative Thinkers- Receive and evaluate information
Effective Communicators- Articulate ideas and thoughts clearly
Write effectively across the curriculum
Respect- For self and others