Autobiography Stolen from Autobiography "Writing grand tales about Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn and the mighty Mississippi River, Mark Twain explored the American soul with wit, buoyancy, and a sharp eye for truth. He became nothing less than a national treasure.Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pen name, Mark Twain, was born on November 30, 1835, in the tiny village of Florida, Missouri, the sixth child of John and Jane Clemens. When he was 4 years old, his family moved to nearby Hannibal, a bustling town of 1,000 people. John Clemens worked as a storekeeper, lawyer, judge and land speculator, dreaming of wealth but never achieving it, sometimes finding it hard to feed his family. He was an unsmiling fellow; according to one legend, young Sam never saw him laugh. His mother, by contrast, was a fun-loving, tenderhearted homemaker who whiled away many a winter's night for her family by telling stories. She became head of the household in 1847 when John died unexpectedly. The Clemens family "now became almost destitute," writes biographer Everett Emerson, and was forced into years of economic struggle—a fact that would shape the career of Mark Twain.
Sam Clemens lived in Hannibal from age 4 to age 17. The town, situated on the Mississippi River, was in many ways a splendid place to grow up. Steamboats arrived there three times a day, tooting their whistles; circuses, minstrel shows and revivalists paid visits; a decent library was available; and tradesmen such as blacksmiths and tanners practiced their entertaining crafts for all to see. However, violence was commonplace, and young Sam witnessed much death: When he was 9 years old, he saw a local man murder a cattle rancher, and at 10 he watched a slave die after a white overseer struck him with a piece of iron."
HONORS: (3/17/15) HONORS: Homework Due: Read Twain and think of a theme. Bellringer: Silent Discussion- each student will write the theme they came up with on a piece of paper and briefly describe how that theme is developed by the frame narrative. This piece of paper will be passed along for other students to add on to until it has at least two entries (theme & development) and two responses (constructive feedback). In-Class Writing: Which movement do you believe your novel fits? Use the Realism PPT and discussion to model your answer. Exit Slip: Which movement does Twain's piece fit? How do you know- be sure to use quotes from the Power Point. REGULAR: (3/17/15) Due today is a page length summary on Mark Twain's "The Notorious/Infamous/Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" designed to help you rewrite for your Tiered Writing Project. You are to choose which project you believe you'd like to complete and write a summary which includes pertinent information for that project.
If writing a newspaper, summarize plot events and identify historical events found in the story.
If writing a journal/diary, summarize plot events and identify the narrator/POV the text is written in as well as listing other characters.
If writing a letter of complaint, summarize plot events and evaluate the animals in the text for possible abuses.
REGULAR: For tomorrow (3/18/15) read Chopin's "Story of an Hour" (p. 642) and complete the following questions on p. 646: #3 (A and B), #4 (A and B), #6 (A and B) AND #1 and #3 on p. 647. The questions will be due 3/18/15 at the beginning of class.