P3 & P4 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

We are viewing the movie entitled "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" as part of The Big Read sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts. The setting of the story is in the 1830's. Examine Tom's life and adventures and compare them to the life of a child in the in the 21's century. What things are similar? What things are different? Why do you think that the author created Tom's character as an orphan? Do you think he would have had such adventures if he lived with his mother and father? Are there advantages to being and orphan? Are there advantages to growing up with two parents? What else did you learn about American history from viewing this film?