...My Friend, Mark Twain By Owen Pangilinan Dr. Hemington English 001A 21 July 2015 Owen Pangilinan 7/20/15 July 20, 2015 My friend, Mark Twain What are the characteristics of a good friend? A good friend is someone that is giving, not only with physical possessions but with their intellect as well. Someone that will loan you money without expecting to be repaid, let you borrow their clothes, and give you good advice. A true friend is honest and loyal. They will protect your secrets and “tell it like it is.” They will not mislead you because they have your best interests in mind. A real friend is a person who accepts you as you are. They know you are not perfect, because no one is. Flaws, imperfections and fears, are what make friendships such a beautiful thing, and these things are one of the many reasons why they love you. They aren’t expecting you to change and are understanding when you make mistakes. They are also always there for you, through the best and worst times in your life. Your true friends will be there by your side on the most boring of afternoons, and will be the first to come to your aid in the event of a disaster or in times of crisis. Mark Twain is a man that possessed many of the characteristics of a true friend. Through his books, articles, movies and personal friends you can get an insight as to what he was like in real life. Some people might argue you that his sarcasm and tenacity are not the makings of a true friend rather than a trouble...
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...all history is written is merely fluid prejudice.” (Twain n. pag.). In Following the Equator, Mark Twain uses this quote which represents the time period in which he lived. Twain lived with this family owning slaves and with the debates on slavery and popular sovereignty, he lived through the Civil War, and he lived through manifest destiny. The debate on slavery during the 1800’s deeply influenced Twain personally and in his literary works. Consequently Mark Twain greatly influenced later writers by his creation of a unique American style. The 19th and 20th centuries were full of controversy surrounding slavery. In the American south most of the residents were in favor of the continuation of using African Americans...
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...advice and direction also parallel that development to be age appropriate. There are some pieces of advice that are common enough to convey to a person that the majority of individuals are presented with the advice at one point or another in their life; however, it is the manner in which the advice is expressed that makes it beneficial and wholesome. In Mark Twain’s speech, “Advice to Youth,” the author provided youth with advice regarding some of the important matters that are commonly instilled in children at a young age: obey your parents, be respectful to your elders, do not lie, wake up early, be careful with guns, and read books. With each piece of advice, Mark Twain also provided reasons as to why and how the advice should be taken; however, the reasons expressed were unconventional in their nature. Twain expressed his advice in terms of acknowledging that these things are important to follow in life, but he also conveyed them in a way that was most beneficial to the person following the advice, rather than respectful. Twain discussed that, yes, children should obey their parents, but instead of putting a positive spin on the reason why, he discussed it as doing so in order to humor the parents. Additionally, Twain discussed the importance of being respectful to superiors and strangers but to only do so when they are looking,...
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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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...1. What does Twain imply by the lines “when they are present”? Ans: In this phrase Twain is referring parents. He says that we should always obey our parents, because they are well known and have experience in their life. As they are parents they give us better advice. 2. What is Twain satirizing when he states “if you have any superiors? Ans: According to Mark Twain, he said if we have supervisors then we should obey them and offer gratefulness to them. This is the most ideal approach to obey with elderly people. It is against the way that we reprimand and not offer gratefulness to supervisors. If we have people we should give more respect in light of the way that they manage ourselves when we were young. Most of the things people or seniors know not us. So in such way we should be particularly kind and obliging with them. 3. What satirical device is Twain using towards the end of paragraph three? Ans: He used an incredibly considerate path toward the end of the area to have the ability to see by all. He incited us not make any fierceness in the overall population as brutality destroys peace in the overall population. If anyone turn upon mercilessness then we should handle him/her in an amazingly amiable and humble full way so that he should swing to a serene character. 4. According to Twain, when should you get up in the morning? Ans: According to Mark Twain, one should ascend at a youthful hour in the morning. As one said "right on time to bed in front of calendar...
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...One has the right to live for who, what, where, why, and how one desires to which in simplicity is also known to be freedom. Depriving one of their basic human rights dependent on one’s skin pigment and complexion now to most of society is outrageous, inequitable, and unjust yet that was not always the case. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, the setting takes place before the Civil war, about 1835- 1845 in Petersburg, Missouri and along the Mississippi River. In the novel the main protagonist, Huckleberry Finn is a young, witty, intelligent boy despite his lack of an education. He is adopted by Widow Douglass, a civil and strict lady. Eventually Widow Douglas and her sister Miss Watson, the slave owner to...
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...Many authors utilize satire in their stories to express their emotions about certain topics of humanity. Mark Twain is concerned about societal issues, such as violence, racism, and slavery. In all of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Jim is treated with no respect and Pap has no sympathy for whenever he hurts Huck physically or emotionally. Twain's satire of human violence and racism/slavery is evident through the satirical techniques of situational irony and exaggeration. Twain satirizes human violence through situational irony. Pap decided to stop drinking and change his life by trying to...
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...Mark Twain’s widely known and appreciated novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn follow countless boyhood adventures between the rambunctious young boys, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. While Twain’s novels depict long playful summer days spent in the sun, his work is far from children’s literature. Twain’s novels include dark adult themes such as death, ignorance, physical punishment, deceit and most prominently, racism. Twain modeled both novels based on his own life experiences growing up along the Mississippi River (Frost), hoping to mirror how one's surroundings influence their character development, furthermore shaping who they will become. To do so, Twain creates a world of struggle for his protagonists,...
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...Recommended but not Required The probability of a student being able to understand and appreciate the value of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn if having been introduced to it too young and with a poor teacher is like a seed being able on to grow on concrete: improbable and disappointing. Similar to a student, a seed needs conducive and nurturing conditions in order to grow— that’s why only a small few end up reaching their full potential. Seeds need access to direct sunlight, water, and proper soil. Students need access to passionate teachers who are invested in educating their students properly—especially when it comes to challenging literature. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel that has immense value and meaning; however, it is also one of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted stories of all time. Twain’s classic is continuously accused of supporting the prejudiced attitudes it is actually criticizing. This is especially apparent when these confusing passages are not properly explained and put in context by an inspirational teacher. Huck Finn has the ability to become detrimental when it is put in the hands of students who lack enough academic experience to understand the book’s purpose on their own and/or lack a teacher who can properly explain it to them. Educators need to be able to illustrate to students that through satire, Twain shares his beliefs about racism, religion, and other topics that plagued America at the time – all important subjects...
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...being a well-known author and impacting American literature no one else comes to mind more quickly than Mark Twain. He has influenced American literature immensely by just one of his books, which all American literature comes from. “What has changed in our own climate to make Twain look bigger? Partly, it's that the one very good book now seems so very good a book that it would be mean-spirited to ask for too much more books like it. Hemingway's assertion that all modern American literature comes from "Huck" seems even more nearly true now than when he said it, back in the nineteen-thirties.” This is explaining why Mark Twain is such a titan in American literature, he has paved the way of all modern American literature. Every book from...
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...Langhorne Clemens: Mark Twain (pen name) Mark Twain"—steamboat slang for twelve feet of water. I. Personal Background 1. When was the author born? Where was the place he grew up? Mark Twain was born on November 30, 1835 in Florida, Missouri, U.S. but grew up in Hannibal, Missouri. 2. Describe the childhood and educational experiences of the author. In his youth, Twain was a mischievous boy, the prototype of his character, Tom Sawyer. Though he was plagued by poor health in his early years, by age nine he had already learned to smoke, led a small band of pranksters, and had developed an aversion to school. Twain's formal schooling ended after age 12, because his father passed away in March of that year. He became an apprentice in a printer's shop and then worked under his brother, Orion, at the Hannibal Journal, where he quickly became saturated in the newspaper trade. Rising to the role of sub-editor, Twain indulged in the frontier humor that flourished in journalism at the time: tall tales, satirical pranks, and jokes. II. Influences of the Writer The following were the persons, things, places and events that influenced Mark Twain. -his connection to the mississippi river as a boy and the fact that he became a riberboat pilot -time spent traveling the world -the nice life he led shortly after he married -tragedies in his family -financial problems -problems he saw in the south during reconstruction Hannibal inspired several of Mark Twain's fictional...
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...Mark Twain’s first successful piece of work was a book about a young boy named Tom Sawyer. Tom and his best friend, Huckleberry Finn, went around, getting in trouble and going on exciting adventures. It was a popular children's book. So, when Mark Twain came out with his next book; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a story of Huck running away from home and going on new adventures with a slave, everyone was surprised by its controversial topics and offensive racial slurs. Now, 130 years later, the book is the number one most banned book in America. The question of whether it should still be taught in school is being brought up again. The themes in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain are still relevant today, and therefore, the book should still be taught in school. Some of the themes in the book are argued to be inappropriate. A boy running away from home, the bad language, a white boy and a black man being friends, the scheming and scamming; these are all topics that some may think shouldn’t be taught in school. These are themes that need to be addressed because they are real life topics. They may have been hard to talk about in the past but now, they are good teaching devices. The controversial topics in the book...
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...Throughout Twain’s book, the mention of religion is prominent; Twain satirizes religion by specifically discussing different types of Providences and explaining Huckleberry Finn’s personal struggle with beliefs. Different types of Providences are mentioned throughout Twain’s book; varying from the all-forgiving God, to the harsh condemning God, and even mentions Satan as a possible Providence. By describing each Providence indivually and including Finn’s personal opinion regarding each one, Twain suggests that each person sees God in their own specific way; “Sometimes the widow would take me one side and talk about Providence in a way to make a body’s mouth water; but maybe next day Miss Watson would take hold and knock it all down again. I judged I could see that there was two Providences, and a poor chap would stand considerable show with the widow’s Providence, but if Miss Watson’s got him there warn’t no help for him any more” (Twain 11). By describing how each person sees God, Twain satirizes with a deeper question in mind: which God is the real God, if this God even exists. Not only does Twain satirize religion by including how individuals see God, but also by including Huckleberry Finn’s personal struggle in terms of belief. As Finn’s journey continues, his struggle to choose what he beliefs also continues and increases...
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...In the events of Tom Sawyer, written by Mark Twain the reader follows Tom through his adventures of trickery, pirating and overall disobedience. There are two different perspectives to look through. The “Good” Tom, keeping Becky safe in the cave and helping Muff Potter by giving him hope when no one else cared, on the other hand, we have mischievous Tom, sneaking out after dark, running away letting the entire town think he was dead, and getting the other kids to his chores. Tom is merely a good boy, he just does naughty things with good intentions. For evidence, pointing to page ten can prove a lot, where Tom is falsely agreeing with Aunt Polly about school when he was really swimming outside.Tom goes far enough to change his shirt but as...
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...Mark Twain, the author of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, uses descriptive figurative language to enhance the differences between Huck’s experiences on the shore versus on the river. These two settings provide Huck different environments to judge his own morals and they also affect his decisions. While the shore acts as a place of chaos and danger, the river provides Huck a sense of peace and safety in order to make logical decisions. The author overall uses the shore as a symbol of reality which is shown through the danger that Huck experiences. While Huck is at the Grangerford house, he begins to be a part of dangerous things, such as a family feud. In the passage, the author states, “All of a sudden, bang! Bang! Bang! Goes three...
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