Mark Twain “greatest American humorist of his age”

Mark Twain“greatest American humorist of his age” By: Rachel, Liz, Dean, Scott, Mitch huckfinn huckfinn

Write a story just like him! • Take an event in your life that was interesting and that you enjoyed. • Now try to add to the story with funny events that may not have happened • You can also add characters • Now try to write all of these things in a realist style • Make the reader feel like they are there are there

Mark twain’s early years • Mark Twain’s birth name was Samuel Clemens. • Born on November 30th, 1835. • He was the sixth of seven children. • Mark Twain was an American author and humorist. • His parents were John and Jane Clemens. • The family moved to Hannibal when he was 4. • He spent a lot of his time on the west bank of the Mississippi river.

He attended school in Hannibal • He was forced to leave school at the age of 12 • His dad passed away and he had to help his family • His first job was in a printing shop that his brother worked at • That is how he got involved with and interested with writing • The rest of his education was learned in the print shop and newspaper offices where he worked. • Mark twain was an old term used on the river. It meant two fathoms or twelve feet, which indicated safe water.

The Life of A young MAn • Went to Cincinnati in 1856 to as an assistant in a printing shop. • Became an apprentice river pilot under Captain Horace Bixby of the Paul Jones. • Became a fully licensed pilot in 1859. • River days ended with start of Civil War. Travelled by stage coach to Carson City, Nevada, with brother Orion who had been appointed Secretary to the Territorial Governor of Nevada. • After a failing try to become a miner, Mark became a reporter on the Virginia City, Nevada, on Territorial Enterprise.

Change Of Name • Samuel Langhorne Clemens started using the pen name Mark Twain. • Worked for Sacramento Union, sent by the paper as a correspondent to the Hawaii. Upon return to California gave his first lecture on trip experiences.

Works OF Art • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was published in 1876. • Adventures of Huckleberry Finn published. Also Mark Twain's publishing firm releases a best-seller, Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, an autobiography that returned more than $350,000 to the Grant family. All in 1885. • In 1888 he received a Master degree in Art from Yale. • Received honorary doctorate degree at Yale University in 1901.

Personal Life • Married Olivia Langdon in Elmira on February 2, 1870. Son, Langdon, born November 7; died in infancy in 1872. • Daughter, Susy, born March 19, 1872. Built large house which is preserved today as Mark Twain House in Hartford. • Daughter Clara born June 8, 1874. • Daughter Susy died of meningitis August 18, 1896. • In 1903 Mark and his wife sailed to Florence, she dies in 1904 and he returns home. • His last trip was to Bermuda, for health, he returns home due to heart complications, he dies April 21, 1910. Halley’s Comet was in the sky again.

Writings • Adventures of Tom Sawyer • Plot: A boy name Tom Sawyer now lives in Mississippi with his Aunt and half brother and tends to get into a little bit of trouble. He “falls in love” with a girl name Becky Thatcher. Unfortunately she is turned off by his former “lover,” so Tom and his friend Huckbleberry go on an Adventure and see the murder of a young doctor by Injun Joe. They feel very anxious so they go off to be pirates, but while this happens everyone thinks they are dead, so they come back and surprise everyone. Becky and Tom fall in love again, and they go into a cave and almost get lost and die. Injun Joe comes in and he is trapped inside but Tom and Becky escape. Tom and Huck continue there adventures in Huckelberry Fin. • First Movie was made in 1930 followed by some remakes. Also there was a lot of Tom Sawyers that were made in different countries. Countries such as Russia Canada and Germany. • It was made into a musical in 1956. The musical was only mainly showed in England. In toured in 2010 as a part of a centennial of Twains passing. • Google used the The Adventures of Tom Sawyer as a google doodle on November 30, 2011 to celebrate Twain’s 176th birthday.

Writings • Adventures of Huckleberry Finn • Plot: Huckleberry Finn appeared as the friend of Tom in the Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Now he Is a boy in Mississippi with a friend named Jim, who is a black slave. Tom and Jim go to an island to escape, but they have to go on a raft because the island is being flooded. They go on Adventures through the Mississippi, where people are trying to catch Jim as a reward for a run away slave. In the end the run into Tom, and Tom says that Jim’s slave owner claimed him dead, so there is no reward for Jim. Tom’s aunt wants to adopt Huckleberry, however, he decides to head out west. • The main theme is escaping slavery and racism. In there travel s throughout the Mississippi river they encounter a lot of racist people that want to capture Jim ads a run away slave. This shows how bad racism was In the south when it came to slaves. • Controversy over saying the “n word” in the book frequently. Many schools in the U.s. have tried to get the book to be banned because of it. Many teachers want it removed from there curriculum even in recent times such as cases in 2003 and 2009. • The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was first made a silent movie in 1917. It became an actually movie in 1930 by paramount pictures. • Ernest Hemmingway said about the book that “All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn.”

Other Notable Writings • A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court • The Story is about a guy named Hank Morgan who wakes up and finds himself transported back in time to medieval England. • In the book this character believes a lot in idealism, but by the end of the book idealism is no longer something that the guy takes pride in. He realizes that technology actually falls short and isn’t always the answer. • Pudd'nhead Wilson • This story is also about racism in the south and how white people have very little traces of black in them. A white kid, but has some black, is grown up only knowing that he is white, until he meets his mother and she tells him that he is part black. However the story turns into a murder novel that is foreshadowed in the beginning of the book.

Why is He Notable • . • Mark Twain is the iconic American Author. • His work has been said to have started the modern trend to all American Authors including the great • This was stated by his ability to relate to the modern man by using realism. • He also used a humorous style that had rarely been done in authors before his time. • For example most of his short stories where funny and will make you laugh.

Father of Realism Realism is a true form of American writing. Mark twain was a leader in this movement with his impressive way of captivating the reader to imagine that they where there doing it themselves. This is shown in his novels and short stories.

Communication • Telegraph- 1837 • Typewriter- 1867 • Radio- 1901 • Industry • Alternating Current (AC)- 1888

Civil War (1861-8165) • • Over 620,000 Americans died • • Families torn apart • • Most casualties of any war in American history • • Slavery ended

Reconstruction and after • Sharecropping • Plessy vs. Ferguson- “seperate but equal”- 1896 • Jim Crow Laws

Do something every day that you don't want to do; this is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain.

Mark Twain “greatest American humorist of his age”