Unit 2

Introduction on Mark Twain and

Talk about and analyze Chapter 1 of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”

Contents

News reporting An introduction about Mark Twain: his life; his works; his

language style; An overview on “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”; Talk about and analyze Chapter 1 of “The Adventures of

Tom Sawyer”.

Mark Twain’s Life

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, born on November 30, 1835, in Missouri. His father, a lawyer, originating from Virginia; his mother, from Kentucky. When he was four, his family moved to Hannibal, Missouri, a small township on the Mississippi. His formal education ended soon after his father’s death in 1847.

Jobs engaged: a printer’s apprentice; a journeyman printer; a licensed pilot; an army volunteer; a gold prospector in Nevada; a timber speculator and a journalist; a professional writer.

The pseudonym ‘Mark Twain’: the way of a boatman taking soundings, and meaning two fathoms, i.e. twelve feet, navigable depth of water.

Mark Twain’s Life Cont’d

He married in1870, and in 1871 he established himself, as a successful writer, in a large mansion in Hartford, Connecticut. He continued to live there for the next seventeen years. It was during this period that his most famous works were written.

He combined his writing with pubic lecturing and foreign traveling, becoming American ambassador at large, and acquiring an international reputation as humoristic-frontier-philosopher.

He indulged in frequent financial speculation, particularly in typesetting machinery and the Charles L. Webster Publishing House. Although his literary reputation became increasingly secure, his intellectual pessimism and despair of human nature increased with his success.

Mark Twain’s Life Cont’d

He was bankrupted by the failure of both the type-setting and publishing companies, and was compelled to restart his travels to raise the money to discharge his debts. It was during his absence on this voyage that his daughter Susy died. In 1898, the year he cleared his debts.

From this time until his death, he maintained a bitter skepticism, relieved at times by outraged commentary on world affairs, notably on Belgian atrocities in the Congo and American behavior in the Philippines. His last years were saddened by personal bereavement, his wife dying in 1904 and his daughter Jean in 1909.

In 1907 received an honorary doctorate of Oxford University. He dies at Redding, Connecticut, on April 21, 1920, t the age of seventy-five.

Mark Twain’s Works1. The celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County (1865) It comes from a story, which makes him famous as a humorous

writer.2. Innocent Abroad (1869)

It is an account of American tourists in Europe which pokes fun at the pretentious decadent and undemocratic Old World (Europe) in a satirical tone and also laughs at the innocent American tourists.

3. Roughing It (1872)It’s about his early life of experience.

4. Life on the Mississippi (1883)It’s a story of his boyhood ambition to become a riverboat pilot.

5. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876)It’s usually regarded as a classic book for boys about their particular horrors and joys. A lot of descriptions are the author’s own experiences.

Mark Twain’s Works Cont’d

6. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884)The book is Twain’s most representative work, describing a journey down the Mississippi undertaken by two fugitives, Huck and Jim. Their experience presents a sample of the small-town world of America and a survey of the social world from the bank of the river that runs through the heart of the country. In 1982, it was regarded as “one of the greatest American books”.

7. The Gilded Age (1873)It explores the speculation of America post Civil War.

8. The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg (1900)9. What is Man? (1906) 10.The Mysterious Stranger (1916).

In the three books the change in Mark Twain from an optimist to an despairing pessimist could be felt and his cynicism with what Twain referred to regularly as the “damned human race” became obvious.

Mark Twain’s Language Style

Mark Twain is a great realistic writer. He describes the common people and their life, and criticizes the social injustice.

The books are for their different language from rhetorical language, direct, simple yet poetic style, their wide-ranging humor, and their universally shared dream of perfect innocence and freedom. The author revises passages by replacing standard English with vernacular expressions (accent, dialect).

Overview on “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” (I)

Tom Sawyer, a plain American boy, lives with younger brother Sid and Aunt Polly in St. Petersburg, a remote town on the bank of the Mississippi River. Sid is a “model” boy. He is obedient, demure and sneaky. He leads a tedious life, fully satisfied with his school and the monotony of the little town.

Tom is quite the opposite of his brother. The stifling atmosphere of the well-bred petty-bourgeois family is too close for him and he is always on the alert to do some mischief. At school he disobeys the cruel and unjust teacher, Mr. Dobbins, and busies himself with outside matters at the lessons. Tom’s bosom friend is Huck Finn, a boy deserted by his drunkard of a father, and looked upon as an outcast in the town.

Overview on “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” (II)

But Tom is not only engaged in mischief and tomfooleries. He has read many books and wants to make his life just as bright as it is depicted in the stories. He devises games in which the boys play the role of brave outlaws and warlike Red Indians who are the terror of the rich and the oppressors.

One night, while testing their pluck in a grave-yard, the boys involuntarily witness the murder of Dr. Robinson. An innocent man is charged with the crime. But on the day of the trial Tom fearlessly exposes the real criminal the Indian Joe who escapes through a open window of the court-room.

Overview on “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” (III)

Fearing revenge and pursuit, the boys go to through a lot of scares, but are lucky in all their enterprises. They sally out several times at night to dig for hidden treasures near a dilapidated house three miles from town. There they almost fall into the hands of the murderer who accidentally finds a box filled with gold coins.

Shortly after the incident Tom goes to a picnic with a party of schoolmates. Exploring a cave, he gets lost with Becky. Tom behaves like a brave boy, calms Becky’s fears and finds the way out of the cave.

In a few days’ time Tom and Huck return to the cave. They find the dead body of their pursuer, the Injun Joe, and the hidden treasures. Although the boys become rich, they are still possessed with the idea of piracy and we see them at the end of the house was filled with non-participating scholars.

Chapter 1

Pre-reading Questions:

1. What kind of boy was Tom?

2. Say sth. about Tom’s family.

3. Did Tom play hooky to go swimming?

4. What happened on pages 14-16?

While-reading Analysis:

Main Idea (I)

Tom’s mother died. He and his younger brother Sid lived with their aunt Polly. Tom was very naughty. He disliked school and often played hooky. He liked adventures. But Sid was different. He was quiet and was no adventurous and troublesome. He was a model boy. Their aunt Polly was gentle and kind-hearted.

As the story opens, she was calling for Tom, who didn’t answer. She continued her search for Tom. She heard a noise behind her and turned quickly to catch Tom. When she was ready to punish Tom, Tom tricked her and was gone.

Main Idea (II)

At supper Polly tried to find out for sure whether Tom cut school and went swimming as she suspected. She questioned him about how warm it was during the day and tried to catch him in some kind of admission that he went off to the river. But Tom was cleverer than she was. He agreed that it had been a very warm day; it had been so warm, in fact, that he and some other boys pumped on their heads to cool off. This was the reason why his hair was still damp. Polly felt happy that Tom had been a good boy for once. It was at this point that Sid called Polly’s attention to the fact that Tom’s collar was sewn with black thread, whereas Polly had sewed it with white. Tom didn’t wait o hear Polly’s reaction and ran to the door.

Main Idea (III)

Tom forgot his troubles soon. He saw a strange boy, who was a trifle bigger than himself and quite well dressed. They had a fight and Tom won the fight. When Tom got home it was late. He climbed in his bedroom windows and was met by his aunt, who took one look at his clothes and decided he would have to be punished the next day, Saturday.

Teacher’s Comments

The author tells us about Yom not by describing his outward features, but by showing how he acted in specific situations.

He was clever enough to carry thread to sew up his shirt collar after he went swimming. This is an important element in tom’s character—is different from “good” boy like Sid.

He was not a tattle-tale, let alone a sneaky squealer like Sid who pretends to be making an innocent comment while he’s obviously “ratting”. Nor did he attack people while their backs were turned, like the stranger who heaved a rock at him when his back turned and then ran home to his mother for protection.

And yet, like any normal boy who was to be disciplined, Tom tried to put off his punishment as long as he can, hoping vainly that all would be forgotten. He got into all kinds of troubles --- stole jam, played hooky, went swimming and got in late at night with his clothes all mussed. When he was about to be punished for doing these things, he ran off. But this is normal.

Homework

Read Chapters 2&3 of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”; Do newspaper reading; Finish supplementary reading:

1. Gender Differences; 2. Communication and Gender in Business; 3. Education for the 21st Century; 4. Reforming China’s Higher Education; 5. The Secrets of A Very Long Life;6. Exercises about Rhetorical Devices