...Samuel Langhorne Clemens, also know as Mark Twain, was born in 1835 and died in 1910 (Student Handbook 379). He is best known as an American humorist and for his realistic view of America in the nineteenth century through his novels and other stories. He had the whole world captivated through his expert writing and lectures. "I never let my schooling interfere with my education (home.eathlink.net/…/twain.html)," Mark Twain once said. Mark Twain was a great inspiration to America in the nineteenth century and is still an inspiration to contemporary writers today. Mark Twain was born as Samuel Langhorne Clemens in the small town of Florida, Missouri. He lived in a small, two-bedroom house, and being the fourth of five children, it was obviously very crowded in their house (Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia 1). In 1839, at the age of four, he and his family moved to Hannibal, Missouri which is located directly adjacent to the Mississippi River (World Book 530). Here is where Twain grew up as a boy. This was where his inspiration of most his books came from. He witnessed things that would later make him the great author as we know him today. Without this period in his life, a huge chunk of literary history would be missing from America. By living on the banks of the Mississippi River, he experienced many wonderful things like colorful steamboats traveling down the river, some would just pass by, while many would stop and exchange cargo. These steamboats would bring...
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...Jenna DeSimone Ms. Smith English Honors Pd.6/7 8/31/16 The Camelot Critique Have you ever read about an engineer who travels back 1300 years in time and becomes King Arthur’s minister? Well, if not, prepare to embark on a journey you will not want to miss in the book, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, written by Mark Twain. This nineteenth-century novel is a humorous classic that you will not put down until you have finished it completely. Although this book was one of my favorite books, there were a few things that I wish were different. This includes the over-the-top description, confusion on certain scenes, and the sudden change in tone. Description is an essential part of making writing unique, except when it is...
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...------------------------------------------------- Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910),[1] better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist. He wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885),[2] the latter often called "the Great American Novel." Twain grew up in Hannibal, Missouri, which provided the setting for Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. After an apprenticeship with a printer, he worked as a typesetter and contributed articles to his older brother Orion's newspaper. He later became a riverboat pilot on the Mississippi River before heading west to join Orion in Nevada. He referred humorously to his singular lack of success at mining, turning to journalism for the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise.[3] In 1865, his humorous story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" was published, based on a story he heard at Angels Hotel in Angels Camp California where he had spent some time as a miner. The short story brought international attention, even being translated to classic Greek.[4] His wit and satire, in prose and in speech, earned praise from critics and peers, and he was a friend to presidents, artists, industrialists, and European royalty. Though Twain earned a great deal of money from his writings and lectures, he invested in ventures that lost a great deal of money, notably the Paige Compositor, which failed because of its complexity and...
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...also known as “Mark Twain” was born on November 30, 1835 in Florida but was raised in Hannibal, Missouri. Son of John Marshall Clemens and Jane Lampton Clemens was the seventh child. His brother Orion, Henry, and his sister Pamela managed to survive through their childhood. The other three siblings died before they could reach the age of eleven. Margaret (1830 - 1839) died when Mark was only three and then three years later his brother Benjamin (1832 – 1842) died tragically. Mark’s other brother Pleasant (1828 – 1829) died after six months of being born. When Mark was four years old his family moved to the city Hannibal in Missouri also known as the “slave state” where he was raised. Also Mark noticed the institution of slavery, which was a topic he would use in his writing later in the future. Mark’s father John Marshall Clemens died on March 24, 1847 of pneumonia when he was 11. His father was a local judge and attorney. Soon after his father passed away he became a printers apprentice for a newspaper owned by his brother Orion. He would work on the Hannibal Journal as a typesetter. Later at the age of eighteen he left Hannibal, Missouri to work as a printer in New York City and other states. He also joined the union and studied in public libraries when he could and learning more in the libraries than he could at school. When he was twenty two Mark returned to Hannibal...
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...Lincoln himself commented that Nast was his best recruiting sergeant. Likewise, many people are influenced by comedy, more than any other type of style. With great fame, Mark Twain, much like Thomas Nast, portrayed a comedic writing style to draw in the attention of his audience. Influenced by himself, and many areas of his life, such as his home, jobs, and experiences, Mark Twain greatly impacted American literature with his humorous commentaries on reality. Twains early life transformed him into the man we know today, was born November 30, 1835, in the small town of Florida, Missouri. He was the sixth child of John and Jane Lampton Clemens, who originally named him Samuel Langhorne Clemens .When Samuel was only three, his parents' seventh and last child was born, a son named Henry. A year after that, the family moved to Hannibal, Missouri. In 1847, Twains father died when he was only 12(Twain 12). By this time, there were only four children of seven left in the Clemens’ household. As soon as they were old enough, the Clemens children had to work. By the age of sixteen, Twain had left school for a job as an apprentice to a printer in Hannibal. Over time he traveled back and forth as a freelance printer. Even though printing was his main job the river, however, was always in his heart(Twain 36). As said by Twain,...
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...Huck Finn: Comparing and Contrasting the Controversies Surrounding Banning Books The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, deemed one of the great American novels, was published by Mark Twain in 1884. From the start, this novel has sparked a lot of negative criticism. There were heated debates among critics, and in schools debating whether or not to ban this controversial piece of literature. In today's society, this book still offends sensitive readers, because it was written in a time when people were not sensitive to the plight of African Americans. Just a month after it was published, The Concord, library in Massachusetts banned all copies stating that it was “Not suitable for trash.” (Ruta1) It was believed, that racism was at the heart of this book, and the content was, and still viewed as being harsh. Louisa May Alcott was a popular author who served on the very first library committee in Massachusetts, where The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was banned. She voted against this book from being sold, read or viewed. Criticizing Mark Twain saying that "Huck should not sweat. He should perspire." (Ruta1) Other libraries began removing their copies stating that it is inappropriate for children to read. The number of concerned citizens continue to debate on this subject today. Derogatory words are seen throughout this story in reference to showcase the difference between the two classes, white verses black. This book not only celebrates an unlikely friendship between...
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...these books are compared with respect to their point of view, it seems that both the authors have been able to portray the true purpose behind the book. When on one hand the autobiography seems more realistic, the third person point of view comes out as a bit more poetic, well-versed. However both the books are mines of facts about slavery and its malpractices and how these high spirited people were able to overcome slavery and prosper towards greatness. When an audience in 19th century reads the autobiography they are more compelled in believing the facts as it has been written from a first person point of view. The entire world that Frederick had experienced seems to come alive to the reader. However when one reads the book by Oliver Gilbert written from a third person point of view it is more of a reading through mere facts and incidents that had taken place in the life of Sojourner Truth. The author is hardly able to connect with the emotions or feeling of the Lady while in the first case they are actually able to sense the pain the Man is feeling. Moreover in Frederic Douglass’s book he shows that the whites did not want to understand that they were mistreating the blacks. It was only the fellow slaves who could feel the pain that they were going through. However in Sojourner Truth it shows that the people were able to understand the pain that the blacks felt. Frederick...
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...The Gilded Age The purpose of this essay is to show how the Industrial Revolution of the Gilded Age contributed to increased problems in gender, race and class in the latter half of 19th century America. Mark Twain coined the term "The Gilded Age" between the years 1870 and 1900 America in reference to the gold gilding that became popular in the era, but also masked very serious social conflicts that arose across the country (Twain, 1996). Ultimately, with economic growth came wider income gaps and brutal social issues with gender, race and class that divided the country. Throughout the Gilded Age, swift financial growth simultaneously increased the size of the labor force, which in turn increased wages (Roediger, 1991). Given that these wages were higher than in Europe, people immigrated to America en masse, which then increased the overall poverty rates (Roediger, 1991). The Gilded Age also transferred industry from independent craftsman toward railroads, factory manufacturing and mining, which created less skilled and more regimented labor forces. This meant that people were forced to work under poor conditions, which stripped workers of their independence, which was the American way prior to the Industrial Revolution (Twain, 1996). These mass-production methods were created as offshoots of the steam engine with technical advancements expanding the size of workforces, making them larger and set up to accommodate more production, which created new jobs with a higher...
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...states, “Slavery proved as injurious to her as it did to me. When I went there, she was a pious, warm, and tender-hearted woman. There was no sorrow or suffering for which she had not a tear. She had bread for the hungry, clothes for the naked, and comfort for every mourner that came within her reach. Slavery soon proved its ability to divest her of these heavenly qualities.” (Douglass 43). His mistress at long last turned out to be significantly more rough in her resistance than her husband. She felt compelled to surpass her spouse’s expectations. Nothing appeared to make her more furious than to see Douglass with a daily paper. She assumed that here lay the peril. She would rush at Douglass with a face made all up of fierceness, and grab the daily paper, in a way that completely uncovered her trepidation. She soon realized that "education and slavery" were not companionable. Additionally, Douglass also acknowledges the plight of the poor Irish children in Baltimore. He...
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...word. By teaching Huckleberry Finn, an outdated conveyance of anti-racism, it undermines the situations of slaves and paints the unrealistic picture of racial tensions for non African American students at Algonquin. In the story Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huckleberry fakes his death and flees his abusive father. While on the run, Huck means a runaway slave, Jim, who is fleeing his owner, Miss Watson, who wants to sell him subsequently separating him from his family. Jim hopes to run away to the North...
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...Entertaining Speech An entertaining speech is one whose sole purpose is to have the audience enjoy the presentation. The purpose of an entertaining speech is not to educate, inform or inspire … it is to make the audience smile, relax, enjoy and maybe even laugh their heads off. How do you make a speech entertaining? There are many ways to entertain an audience. You can: * tell jokes * tell funny stories * dramatize an anecdote * tell a scary story When it comes right down to it … there are probably as many ways to entertain as there are entertainers … and audiences. That said, there are some guidelines to creating an entertaining speech. * Chose an appropriate topic: You don’t want the topic to be too dense, complicated or heavy. Remember, you’re not trying to give your audience a greater understanding of anything. You’re there to help them have a good time. * Enjoy yourself: Believe it or not, it is hard for an audience to enjoy your presentation if it looks like you are not enjoying presenting it! * Keep it simple: Your presentation should be easy to follow. Don’t make it hard for your audience to keep up with you mentally … or in any other way. * Make it visceral: Use vivid word pictures. This is not the type of presentation where you can be lazy in your descriptions. Make your words pop with strong images that pop in their minds. * Say it like a roller coaster, baby! Add unexpected twists and turns to your presentation...
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...Power of Success The unflinching conflict of obtaining success is eloquently portrayed throughout Arthur Millers “Death of a Salesman”. In this modern tragedy, Miller successfully depicts the human condition in midst of denying failure. The play unfolds around a washed- up salesman named Willy Loman, whose obsession with reaching concrete evidence of success, creates unfortunate repercussions on his family, and himself. Willys conviction that a man must not only be like, but he must be well liked (Miller, 1250), along with his uninterrupted focus on prominence, reflects on his two sons, Biff and Happy, as he infuses them with values of social status as well as future success. Willy’s sense of self value depends on the response of others. Such gestures of recognition provide signals that society is a comfortable home for him, one where he hopes to make his sons as happily at ease as he (Jacobson, 249). This is doubtlessly a mirage of security for Willy, as he desperately suppresses his inner motions of regret, and refuses to embrace his conscious identity. Ultimately, Willy Lomans self- delusion of success disabled him to obtain his true identity, and influence a displacement of identity in his sons. Most people in today’s society develop a constant necessity to better their lives, as well the quality of life for their family. For many, this necessity stems from their core beliefs of what a comfortable life should contain in our society, along with secure elements for their...
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...NORTH AMERICAN FICTION BRIEF INTRODUCTION: Before starting our study of American Fiction we must understand what American Literature is in itself and which pieces of writing we can include within this label. It is believed that when a piece is written in North America, more precisely in the USA, it would automatically be given this epithet. But it should be taken into account that this idea is quite broad and doesn’t reflect the real essence of the term. However, there is also another definition that gathers this essence: American Literature is the one that represents the Americanism, the singularity of the USA philosophy and culture. This way, instead of focusing on who the author is, it is focused on the content of the writing. In that which concerns Fiction, the following documents are the ones considered as narrative: Speeches Letters Short Stories Essays Political Documents Sermons Novels Diaries 1 FIRST LITERARY EXPRESSIONS The first documents in which the idea of Americanism is very present are the Sermons. They respond to the strict Protestantism settled in the New Continent after the arrival of the Pilgrim Fathers and Puritans in the Mayflower (1620) and the Arabella (1630). They established a theocratic community whose main and only point of reference was the Bible. That is why the idea of the ‘city upon a hill’ is still very present in American mentality. As we all know...
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...mass communication. Newspapers can reach greater masses of public. They allow readers to control exposure. This not only gives us the facts about an event or issue but also explains and interprets them. In 1947, Pakistan inherited a weak press with very little law for controlling and regulating the press. Very few news were published in the newly born Pakistan. In East Pakistan and Baluchistan not a single newspaper was published. The NWFP had two daily papers. Newspapers owned by Muslims came to Pakistan. These include Daily Azad and morning news (shifted to Dhaka), Dawn, jang and anjam (set up in Karachi). After independence, a number of newspapers were published but due to financial constraint and many other reasons, their publication did not continue i.e. Roshni, inqallqb, musalman. There were only three radio stations in Lahore, Peshawar and Dhaka. English press was not so healthy at the time of independence due to educational under development. Not a single daily newspaper could be published from the area of East Pakistan from 1947 till 1971.The first news agency of Pakistan was associated press of Pakistan (APP). It was established in 1947 by an Eastern news trust. It was a private agency from 1947 to 1961. Government took over its control on 5th June 1961 by an ordinance called “Associated Press of Pakistan...
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...1. Literature of the 17th century. John Milton. “Paradise Lost”. John Bunyan. “Pilgrim’s Progress”. The peculiarities of the English literature of the 17th century are determined by the events of the Engl. Bourgeois Revolution, which took place in 1640-60. King Charles I was beheaded in 1649& General Oliver Cromwell became the leader of the new government. In 1660, shortly after Cro-ll’s death, the dynasty of the Stuarts was restored. The establishment of new social&eco-ic relations, the change from feudal to bourgeois ownership, escalating class-struggle, liberation movement and contradictions of the bourgeois society found their reflection in lit-re. The main representatives of this period is: John Milton: was born in London&educated at Christ’s College. He lived a pure life believing that he had a great purpose to complete. At college he was known as the The Lady of Christ’s. he Got master’s degree at Cambridge. It’s convenient to consider his works in 3 divisions. At first he wrote his short poems at Horton. (The Passion, Song on May Morning, L’Allegro). Then he wrote mainly prose. His 3 greatest poems belong to his last group. At the age of 23 he had still done little in life&he admits this in one of his sonnets. (On his 23d B-day) In his another sonnet he wrote on his own blindness. (On his Blindness) Milton wrote diff. kinds of works. His prose works were mainly concerned with church, affairs, divorce & freedom. The English civil war between Charles...
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