Mark Twain

As stated by Mark Twain, “The elastic heart of youth cannot be compressed into one constrained shape long at a time”. People have many differing views regarding the way a child should be raised, yet there is a lack of consensus among these beliefs. Some of the most prominent commentaries regarding the development of youth came from Twain himself, a popular writer of the 19m century and most known for documenting the excitement of adventure, and memories of childhood, and satirizing common beliefs of the era. Twain titles his speech “Advice to Youth” as a way to satirize popular advice given by adults; his “advice” demonstrates to the members of the Saturday morning club that while there are general ideas of what youth should do, they should really make their own decisions, shown by giving examples laced with oxymorons, anecdotes, and mocking diction. In his second piece of advice, Twain first claims that youth should be “respectful to your superiors”; however, he then satirizes this common advice.

Therefore showing he doesn’t believe in it-by telling his audience to “hit him with a brick” if they offend you, and stating ”that will be sufficient”. Twain’s Horatian satire is both an understatement and hyperbole, as his instructions are too outrageous to be taken seriously by his audience; however, he treats it seriously as if it were serious advice, which makes it humorous. However, in reality, violence such as what he talks about happens all the time: putting it in such a context as his advice highlights the hypocrisy of adults. This lapse of weight in his speech forces his audience to question whether or not it is important to follow the advice of the adults if they themselves sometimes use violence to resolve problems. He goes on to say to his audience that if they realize they are in the wrong, they should act like a “man” and “say you didn’t mean to”. Twain understates the situation to add comical effect because when taken literally, someone hit with a brick would probably be very upset. Furthermore, using the term “man” suggests that adults are irresponsible about their actions. Twain questions whether the adults of the United States are fit to give advice.

We had chicken breast for lunch t Helvetica and then we left to our respective homes. It was early summer. So I went to sleep after a shower and didn’t wake up till 9 p. M. My Parents were leaving for Dad’s business tour to Delhi and they won’t be back for at least two weeks. My sister and I were quite happy about the fact that we can do whatever we want for two whole weeks. I was planning to stay awake till late night and watch movies. But little did we know that we were going to regret these feelings later. Mom and Dad left around 11. So it was only me and my elder Sister Sees In the whole apartment.

It’s a three storied old apartment building with only one unit per floor. But the apartments are really big considering they have almost 2500 sq feet space. Our apartment has four bed rooms, two Verandas, one dining room, one drawing room, one kitchen and 3 washrooms. My sister and I shared a common washroom between our rooms where our parents room and the guest room had an attached washroom. So right after our parents left. I went back to my room and started watching this movie called “The matrix”and Sees was talking to her friend on phone. A quarter passed midnight when iris heard it.

A knock in my door. I thought it was Sees so I did not bother to open up right away. Then I heard It again . This time louder and harder than before. I was both annoyed and a bit angry because I was really enjoying the movie. So I went rushing to the door and opened it. It was strange as I found no one outside my door. At first I thought Sees was trying to play a prank on me so I went to her room which was around 20 Ft away from my room and her door was closed. When I went inside , I found her lying on her bed talking to her friend loudly as usual. And she looked at e with a question in her eyes.

Asked her In a loud pap! Why did you knock so hard on my door? What do you want? This Isn’t funny you know’. She told her friend to hold for a second and asked me what I was talking about. When I told her again she replied angrily that she was talking with friend all the time and didn’t even get up from her bed. Obviously didn’t believe her and asked her to stay away. She then gave me the phone and her friend confirmed she was talking with her. Left without prolonging the argument shutting the door loudly. And I went back to watch my movie. Then it happened again after half an hour.

First a gentle knock and then followed by loud and hard knocks on my door. This time I almost ran towards the door determined to catch Sees pap on the act but found no one outside again. But I didn’t waste my time standing there. I kept on running towards Sees pap’s room 1 OFF Ana Tuna near again lying on near Dead still talking to near Eternal . Eater another neaten discussion Sees Pap decided to follow me back to my room and talk there on phone. She said, “Naval! Obviously you are not believing me when I am telling you I have not oft my room or my bed.

So I am going to your room now so you can’t blame me anymore. ” I agreed silently but still did not believe her. So I started watching my movie or what was left of it after all these interruption and arguments while Sees pap was lying on my bed now talking to her friend on phone. After ten more minutes the knocking started again. And then it got louder and louder until the door started shaking. Sees looked startled. I wasn’t moving from my chair either. We looked at each other and finally realized that both of us were not lying to catheter.

Samuel Clemens, more commonly known as Mark Twain, was born on November 30th, 1835. He lived with a large family of five older siblings. During his young life, he and his family moved to Hannibal, Missouri, where he spent much of his childhood. At the age of twelve, Samuel’s father died, and he left school to start working and help his family. He held various jobs until he reached the age of 21. At this age, he started working on a steamboat.

During the Civil War, demand for the boats dropped and he had to find other means of work. Eventually, he got a job as a reporter at the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise where he quickly became known as Mark Twain. Before he led a life of fame, he had an eventful childhood where he held several interesting jobs, “The secret to getting ahead is getting started.”- Mark Twain

As a writer, his wealth quickly grew after writing a book on Ulysses S. Grant. He would add many of his opinions about matters of the day into his books, such as his opinion on slavery. He was a great influence on many people from all over the world. The fame and riches he received for his books wouldn’t last his entire life though, he would lose almost everything, including his wealth and family. He stopped writing for a time to explore other careers in which he could benefit. People loved the stories that Mark Twain told.

In February of 1870, Samuel Clemens married his wife Livy. Family meant a lot to him but he also had a love for money. Soon after their marriage, Livy became pregnant with their first son Langdon, however, before he was very old, he died. Throughout Twain’s life, most of his family members died of various disease and illnesses. In fact, when his wife became sick, the doctors only allowed him to see her for two minutes a day because his personality would upset her illness. After several people he knew died, he grew depressed and became mad at God. He cared deeply for his family and was very nostalgic.

After he stopped writing, he attempted to become a businessman to increase his fortune. However, he was not a good businessman. When he made several poor decisions, his money quickly started to vanish. He loved money but was not wise with it. He made multiple bad investments at the same time, and his investments never took off. He started a publishing company to help make money, but it didn’t work, he was still losing money.

That and the combination of him spending over $30,000 monthly, and he eventually went bankrupt. After bankruptcy, he decided he would still pay the people he owed money to. Like Twain said, “Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection” He went around the world speaking at various events, earning money until, a few years later, he had paid back all of his debts, which had started at over $200,000. Although he managed his finances poorly, his strong moral compass helped him pay back what he owed, even when he was not required to.

Mark Twain has been known very well mainly for his books, but also, his numerous quotes. His first novel was titled, The Innocents Abroad. It quickly became a popular book. Other popular books by Mark Twain included Tom Sawyer, Life on the Mississippi and Huck Finn.
Samuel Clemens accomplished much over the course of his life. He went from having a lot, to losing everything, to working hard to get his wealth back. Most of his family died while he was still living.

The only one of his children to live longer than he was his Daughter, Claria Clemans. Samuel Clemens was born when Halley’s Comet was at earth and he said he wished to leave with it, “I came in with Halley’s Comet in 1835. It’s coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it.” -Mark Twain. He did. The day after Halley’s Comet had made its closest approach to earth, Mark Twain died of a heart attack. During his life, he was extremely successful, and never gave up in the face of difficulty, not even after his family died and his wealth was lost.

The Head Vs.. The Heart The sounds of tools and chains clink and Jingle not too far off Slaves are in the fenced off field picking the soft cotton from the dry earth. The dust coming from the path that leads from the big, white house to the field gets picked up in gusts of wind making them squint their eyes. The owners of the house are chatting and laughing on their dusty porch sipping on their tea while their children play tag and hide-and-go-seek with each other on the grass below.

The sun Is beating down on them with Intermittent periods of shade from the passing clouds blocking the suns harsh rays. To the left, there Lies the Millponds river. The water calmly passes by. Carrying branches and logs that slowly drift down the river passing quacking ducks swimming to keep from the heat. Hanging over the cool, dark water are willow trees that one could lie under peacefully in the shade. It is quiet there and is the perfect place to unwind and forget all the worries of the day.

This mixed setting is something that is easily seen in Mark Twain’s book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Huckleberry Finn does not need d quiet place Eke that to get to thinking about his day, his upcoming decisions, his past choices, and his life In general. He constantly thinks about what Is right and what Is wrong, but In his society, there are often conflicting answers, the things his head tells him to do, which Is what society tells him, and the things that his heart tells him, the Ramirez 2 things that he believes to be right.

Mark Twain satires d society that forces d child to go to hell” In order to do what Is morally right. Husks caretakers wanted Heck to be well educated, go to church, and learn about the bell_ Ironically, he never found anything interesting. When the Widow Douglas tried to “learned [ћ_him] about Moses and the Bulrushes and [… He] was in a sweat to find out all about him,” he found out “that Moses had been a considerable long time, so then [… He] didn’t care no more about him because [… He] don’t take no stock in dead people” (cal).

Heck wanted to learn about religion, but he could never bring himself too it because of his lack of Interest. He also did not believe In It because Miss Watson told him that whatever he prayed for, he would get. “But It warrant so. [… Hell tried It. [… Hell tried for the hooks three or four runes, but somehow [… Hell couldn’t make It work” (chi). Heck viewed the slaves In a different light. He did not Just see them as objects to be owned and sold. He knew he could not do whatever he pleased with them because to him, unlike the majority of socio’, they were actual people with feelings and emotions.

When Jim ran way from Miss Watson, even though Heck knew him to be “most ruined for a servant, because he got stuck up on account of having seen the devil and been rode by witches” (chi en still gave him a chance and treated m as t en were anyone else to go along with him on his adventures. He believes what he is told until he finds that it actually is not the case. Even though the rest of society wanted him to and would have turned Jim in, Husks kind heart told him that the people were wrong and to do what he thought was morally right.

Authority was also a challenge for young Huckleberry. He disobeys his father which is a young boys largest role model as well as authority figure. Pap tells him to “look here–mind Ramirez 3 how [… Heck] talks to [… Him]; [… He is] a-standing about all [… He] can stand now– so don’t game no sass” (chi) because Heck wan not giving his father the respect that he deserved. When Heck ran away, he knew he was going against his father’s wishes, but did not care that he was going against authority because he was following what his heart was telling him to do.

Throughout the book, Heck knows what is right and hat is wrong according to the world he lives in, but according to him, “What’s the use you learning to do right, when it’s troublesome to do right and anti no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is Just the same? ” (chic). It was difficult in that time period to distinguish the difference between true right and wrong, but Heck broke the standard and questioned what he knew in order to do what he found to be the truly right way. Works Cited Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. De. Thomas Nash. New York: Penguin, Ltd. , 1985. Print

Book Review on: Incarceron Author: Catherine Fisher Number of pages: 442 Publisher/Year: Dial Books 2010 Imagine a living prison so vast that it contains forests, towns, and even seas. This is Incarceron. It is a self- sustaining prison like no other. Incarceron’s prisoners live in cities, not cells, and they live normal lives. The prison has been sealed for centuries and only one man, in legend, has ever escaped. The story starts with Finn, a seventeen year old, who is convinced he doesn’t belong in Incarceron.

This is because he has dreams where he sees stars, and there are no stars in Incarceron. He thinks he came from the outside and got stuck there somehow. The story tells that Finn is part of a tribe with his oath brother, Keiro. They just caught a prisoner who turns out to be a Maestra, or leader, of another tribe so they trade her back to them for her weight in goods like coins and treasures. Finn finds a strange key in the treasures and decides to keep it. The other “key” part of this book is a character named Claudia who is the warden of Incarceron’s daughter.

She sneaks into her father’s study and finds a key in one of the drawers of his desk. She quickly takes it and goes to her teacher, Jared. He says that he has never anything like it and that he will have to do research to see what it does. That is when the story really takes off because Finn decides he has to find a way out of Incarceron and Keiro, Attia, a prison girl who lives on the street and a prophet who always wanted to see stars and the outside named Gildas follow him. Finn then began to fiddle with the key and it started to glow. Claudia pops up out of nowhere as a holographic image because she also had a key.

She tells them that she wants to help them escape and their journey soon comes to an end near the edge of Incarceron, the wall. Claudia goes back to her father’s study to search for clues. She sits down in the chair in the middle of the room and is instantly transported to Incarceron. She had no idea what was going on but she soon found Finn and the others. Her father couldn’t stand that she was in there so he told them how to get outside. He said that the keys are actually transporters so that when you press the eye of the eagle on the keys you teleported out.

The dilemma was that there were only two keys and five of them. After a lot of fighting Finn and Claudia promise to return for the rest of them and they left. We later find out that the prison is actually inside the watch that the warden carries around with him. All in all, I truly believe that this is an awesome book. The way that the author melds two story lines into one plot amazes me and I had a great time reading this story I would recommend Incarceron to anyone that likes fantasy books with twists. I can’t wait to start reading the second one. Reviewed by: Andrew Caldwell ***** English IV Period 4

Houlihan 1 Mike Houlihan Ms. Fledderman English H April 15, 2013 Nobility at the Bottom of Society Someone who is noble is defined as a distinguished person noted for feats of courage and heroism. The character of Jim in Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain certainly fits that description. He risked his life in order to free himself from slavery, and in doing so, helps Huck to realize that he has worth. Huck becomes aware of Jim’s sense of love and humanity, his basic goodness, and his desire to help others.

Jim faces discrimination based on the color of his skin and is faced with the challenges of racist stereotypes. Twain characterizes Jim as a sincere yet naive character, representing the runaway slave as a fatherly figure who maintains his integrity as being one of the sole characters of the novel who wouldn’t be described as hypocritical, despite the fact that Jim also retains a childlike mentality. Throughout the novel Jim expresses nobility through his selfless nature, his strength to good while resisting evil, and his ability to bear with any misfortune that may befall on him or his loved ones.

Mark Twain allows Jim to break racist stereotypes by showing more human qualities of him when he expresses his selfless nature. by assuming a role as a father figure to Huck, who he watches over throughout the bulk of the novel. Jim protects Huck by shielding his view from the dead body that turned out to be Huck’s father Pap. “I went in en unkivered him and didn’t let you Houlihan 2 come in? Well, den, you kn git yo money when you wants it kase dat wuz him” (320).

This show of consideration and paternal care for Huck makes Jim out to be more humane. Jim demonstrates his humanity by not only caring for Huck physically, but also mentally and emotionally in shielding him from a sight that could have been mentally or emotionally strenuous on someone like Huck. Jim’s actions are partly a result of his inability to distance himself from the society which he has been conditioned. There are countless opportunities for Jim to leave Huck during the story, yet he remains by Huck’s side.

When Huck and Jim are separated in the fog, Jim says “When I got all tired out wid work, en wid de callin you, en went to sleep, my heart wuz most broke because I was los, en I didn’t kyer no mo what became er me or der raf” (85). Jim’s freedom is then not worth the price of Huck’s life, and let’s people know that he would readily risk his life for Huck. Twain represents Jim as a paternal figure who maintains his integrity as being one of the only sincere characters of the novel, while contrasting this quality with the typical stereotypes of an uneducated slave during the American slave era.

Jim is one of the sole characters of the novel who wouldn’t be described as hypocritical, for he has the integrity to do what’s right when everyone around him choose not to. After Jim and Huck decide to travel together on the Mississippi river; the pair has to depend on each other for survival as they encounter people who cause obstacles and jeopardize Jim’s freedom. For example when Jim is forced to accompany the king and the duke during their scams he says “But Huck dese kings o ourn is jus reglar rapscallions; dats what dey is deys reglar rapscallions” (153).

Although Huck is simply putting on an act and appeasing them in order to prevent turmoil. Jim thinks that it is ridiculous for someone to be entitled to a servant and recognizes that this is wrong by calling them “rapscallions”. This could also be twain making a jab at slavery, which is Houlihan 3 ironic because Jim has been a slave all his life without asking questions. When Jim talks about his family, he mentions his daughter whom he had hurt due to the misunderstanding that she was deaf and dumb; this proves to be pivotal point in the novel to see what kind of man Jim truly is. Oh, she was plumb deaf en dumb, Huck, Plumb deaf en dumb en I’d ben a treatn her so” (156). Jim, like most fathers wanted his child to have manners and due to his ignorance of his daughter’s condition hurt her, for he believed she was just being rude. After coming to the realization of her condition, he begins to feel guilt for being unintentionally cruel. By being simple minded and at the very bottom of the social order, Jim is able to see right wrong, while others who claim to be above him cannot see this. Jim continues to show his nobility by enduring the hardships that he is faced with throughout the novel.

He talks about how he feels to Huck to the extent where he forces Huck to stop and think over how he treated Jim. After talking down to Huck after playing a trick on him, Jim tells Huck how he feels and Huck even thinks that “I wouldn’t done that one if I’d a knowed it would make him feel that way” (142). After thinking this, Huck himself subverts the racist stereotype by humanizing Jim and acknowledging that the black man has the capacity to feel, and Huck allows his mood to be negatively influenced by the thought that he hurt the feelings of a man he considered his friend.

Jim’s condition as a human being is improved even more when Huck considers Jim as his friend, making him equal to a white boy. By making Jim equal to himself, Huck is able to humanize Jim and break the cultural perception that Jim is bound to. Another example of how the book illustrates this theme is when Tom kept Jim locked up as a slave when he clearly could have been set free at any moment. Tom was aware Jim was freed from being a slave but decided to keep it a secret. This caused Jim unnecessary poor treatment. Houlihan 4

He was forced by Tom to do things he didn’t want to do. This is shown when Tom forces Jim to have rats, spiders, and snakes in his room. Tom says to Jim “But Jim, you got to have ‘em- they all do. So don’t make any more fuss about it” (263). This was cruel because Jim was forced to live with the creatures that traumatized him in his past. Though Mark Twain breaks some racist barriers with Jim, other stereotypes about blacks in the era are reinforced throughout the novel and Jim still maintains the strength to endure.

Throughout the novel, Mark Twain both reinforces and disputes racist stereotypes of the time period through the portrayal of Jim as a noble character. Jim is depicted as a genuine yet unsophisticated character. Twain represents Jim as a selfless, paternal figure that is able to see right from wrong and maintains his integrity as being one of the only sincere characters of the novel. Twain contrasts this quality with stereotypes typical of an uneducated slave during the American slave era.

Though he is a stoic character, Jim is able to p the entire novel as a father figure who protects Huck both physically and emotionally and, even after Huck plays tricks on him, forgives Huck and continues to protect him. Nobility is reinforced when Jim’s simple nature is revealed in various parts throughout the novel. Jim’s gullibility and his language relay the stereotypes of the antebellum south that blacks were somehow not people and were much lower than whites. These ideas become relinquished in the end, for readers are able to see the distinguished human being that Jim characterized.

A persistent theme throughout Pudd’nhead Wilson is nature versus nature. This covers the social issues of identity and reputation in a broader sense than man versus man. Mark Twain does not lean towards one side more than the other, however. Racial distinctions are a major topic discussed in this story. This contributes to the other themes of honor and betrayal.. Mark Twain was able to discuss many complex themes in this story.

I believe that one of the most persistent themes in Pudd’nhead Wilson is nature versus nature, rather than man versus man. This is because rather than focusing on how men interact with other men, Twain asks why they act a certain way. What determines a person’s identity? What do they inherit from their surrounding environments? Tension between nature and nurture is most clearly seen in the character of Tom Driscoll. Tom was raised as a rich, spoiled kid. He eventually grows to become a lazy, untrustworthy man.

These characteristics were said to come from his inherited “slave” qualities, which shows how racial distinctions play a part in this theme. There is a beautiful, intelligent woman in Pudd’nhead Wilson named Roxy, who appears to be white. However, due to a tiny fraction of her blood being black, she is condemned to a life of slavery. But she is incredibly clever and could be very successful. The racial classification is seen through the switching of babies.

Roxy’s baby is destined to a life of slavery; while her master’s son, Tom, is guaranteed fortune and luxury his whole life. Honor and betrayal is seen specifically when Tom gets himself into trouble with gambling debts. Roxy is willing to make a huge sacrifice for her son. She offered to forfeit her freedom and to be sold back into slavery in order to raise enough money to pay off Tom’s debt. Twain portrays Roxy as an honorable woman by emphasizing on how she- a slave- is willing to sacrifice for Tom- a fortunate, dishonest man.

She asks two things of him by making this sacrifice: that she is sold up north and that he buys her back a year later. Tom expresses gratitude for his mother, but is quick to betray her. The theme of man versus man could not cover the complexity of the themes in Pudd’nhead Wilson. Nature versus nature is a major theme in the story. This includes racial distinctions and other social issues. Honor and betrayal is another theme revealed in Pudd’nhead Wilson. Twain did an excellent job at “weaving” all these themes together in this story.