Hidden Identities Approximately sixty-one percent of all people posting comments online use a pseudonym or “pen name.” In the book The Gospel According to Larry, Josh Swensen unhesitantly decided to start an online blog where he wrote about controversial topics and used the name Larry to stay anonymous. Looking at literature other than online, Samuel Clemens used pen names in most of the books he wrote; his most famous pen name being Mark Twain. Josh Swensen and Samuel Clemens were alike and divergent in many ways considering that they both used a pen name and avoided having their work be directly associated with themselves, but Clemens did not feel as anxious about showing his true identity as Swensen. Swensen and Clemens used pen names …show more content…
Josh worked very hard to not include anything about himself in his sermons that would reveal anything too personal or give a clue about where he lives. In the book, Josh said “I already analyzed Larry’s sermons a thousand times before I sent them out, petrified I’d make some innocuous comment about street signs or great blue herons that could lead anyone to me” (Tashjian 116). Swensen remained very concerned about staying anonymous all throughout the book. He gave it his best shot but was not able to keep his real identity hidden forever. There was also an extensive list of controversial and sensitive subjects that Clemens covered in his books. “Twain was able to address the shameful legacy of chattel slavery prior to the Civil War and the persistent racial discrimination and violence after. That he did so in the voice and consciousness of a 14-year-old boy, a character who shows the signs of having been trained to accept the cruel and indifferent attitudes of a slaveholding culture, gives the novel its affecting power” (history.com Staff). Back in the time Clemens was around, slavery was a very touchy topic. Speaking or writing about these topics could cause other people to criticize his opinion. Utilizing pen names gave these two writers an escape from having their actual names associated with their works. Instead of saying Samuel Clemens had those …show more content…
Even when it became extremely hard not to tell someone that he was Larry, Josh still kept it a secret. In the book, Josh was thinking to himself about how he just could not tell his best friend Beth about his secret identity (Tashjian 126). Telling Beth could possibly ruin his relationship with her. He decided that not telling anyone about his secret would be the best choice. On the contrary, Samuel Clemens frequently gave lectures over his books as himself, not Mark Twain. History.com staff went further into this, stating “He went on his first lecture tour, speaking mostly on the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii) in 1866. It was a success, and for the rest of his life, though he found touring grueling, he knew he could take to the lecture platform when he needed money” (history.com Staff). The amount of money he made from going on book lecture tours may have been the biggest incentive for publicly speaking about his books. All of the lectures he gave spread his word even more and allowed readers to further understand his messages. Either way, Swensen and Clemens both wanted to get their message spread even though they talked about sensitive subjects. Josh Swensen and Samuel Clemens were alike and divergent in many ways considering that they both used a pen name and avoided having their work be directly associated with themselves, but Clemens did not feel as anxious about showing his true identity
What if I told you Mark Twain was not a real person and he never wrote the novel “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?” Samuel Clemons was his real name and Mark Twain was just his pen name. Clemons was cursed with death starting early in life. When he was young many of his relatives died and was not properly educated. As an adult, Clemons was able to write many famous novels and some lesser-known poems. He raised a family of his own, but would also suffer from financial problems. When he passed, many of his family went with him. He is still remembered today as one of the best writers of his generation. He wrote a poem, that he named To Jennie that was very true to the time it was written. Samuel Clemons had a full life, stood his ground against all of his challenges, and had many memorable experiences.
Mark Twain is a fictitious name of Samuel Clemens. Mark Twain was an American journalist, humorist, novelist, and lecturer. He acquired global fame because of his travel narratives, such as The Innocents Abroad of the year 1869, Roughing It of the year 1872, and Life on the Mississippi of 1883. He is also famous for his boyhood adventure stories, particularly The Adventures of Tom Sawyer of the year 1876 and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn of 1885. He was known to be a distinctive humorist, and irascible moralist, and a gifted raconteur. Before independence, America was marked by cultural and religious differences among small colonies, making a single nation from these diverse populations
Twain lectured in New York City in 1867 and in the same year he
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by the pseudonym Mark Twain, has been central to American literature for over a century. His seemingly effortless diction accurately exemplified America’s southern culture. From his early experiences in journalism to his most famous fictional works, Twain has remained relevant to American writing as well as pop culture. His iconic works are timeless and have given inspiration the youth of America for decades. He distanced himself from formal writing and became one of the most celebrated humorists. Mark Twain’s use of the common vernacular set him apart from authors of his era giving his readers a sense of familiarity and emotional connection to his characters and himself.
Mark Twain, one of the most famous and influential American writers, was born in Hannibal, Missouri on November 30, 1835 and died April 21, 1910. Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, he eventually adopted his famous pseudonym in 1863. Shortly after his father's death in 1847, when Clemens was twelve, his father passed away. After his father death, he applied for an apprenticeship at the local-printing shop. While working in the printing shop, Twain learned the skills required to be a printer and developed an aptitude for witty short essays and responses. Mark Twain was enthralled by his opportunity to develop his skills as a printer, and later he realized that he had a unique talent for writing. By working as an apprentice printer, he
After his father passed ¨the Clemens family 'now became almost destitute' wrote biographer Everett Emerson, and was forced into years of economic struggle—a fact that would shape the career of Mark Twain,¨ (Biography). When his father passed, it caused Twain to keep up with his schooling until the age of 12. This is due to ¨his [fatherś death] and the family needing a source of income—he found employment as an apprentice printer at the Hannibal Courier, which paid him with a meager ration of food. In 1851, at 15, he got a job as a printer and occasional writer and editor at the Hannibal Western Union, a little newspaper owned by his brother, Orion¨(Biography). Because of all that had happened in Twain's life he was able to find his way into becoming an author. When Twain was younger he witnessed the actions toward slaves often in Missouri. He once saw there ¨was a dozen men and woman chained together waiting to be shipped down river to the slave market¨(Aftunion). Many of these memories became ¨some of his most lasting childhood memories,¨ and then later put into his
As typical of the time period, both sides commonly wrote under pseudonyms; it is a fictional name used to keep one’s identity concealed. “Keeping one 's identity concealed can force readers to focus on the quality of your arguments, rather than on personalities. It is harder to get ad hominem about a writer you cannot identify. So a pseudonym can serve a good purpose in public discourse.” Also, because the practice was common there was less concern about who authored the piece. When selecting a pseudonym, the authored was very deliberate on who they selected to represent them. The names were selected for symbolic meaning; a practice which was employed by almost all writers from both the Federalists and Anti-federalists.
Mark Twain was more than the man we all know. For one thing, he was born as Samuel Langhorn Clemens on November thirtieth eighteen thirty-five and given the nickname “Little Sam.” In addition, his birthplace was “a two-room frame house in Florida…Missouri” (Cox, 7) to a John and Jane Clemens. After reaching the age of eighteen he took on an
Samuel Clemens or Sam is one of the six children of John Clemens who was a farmer in Tennessee. Sam's dad had bought few acres of land for his kids and he thought these land will make his kids rich one day. When Sam was 5 years old, his dad signed him in school where he did very well in reading and spelling, and his teacher wanted him to be a writer. Sam did become a writer, but his heart was not there. After his dad's death, Sam helped his brother in printing job. One day he told his mother that he wanted to go out and
Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born on November 30, 1835, in Florida, Missouri. He is better known by his pen name “Mark Twain”, which is a nautical term which means two fathoms deep. As a child he learned to smoke and led a gang, leaving school at age 12 to become an apprentice at a printing shop. He became a free lance journalist and traveled around country until age 24, when he became a river boat pilot on the Mississippi, his childhood dream. During the Civil War, Twain joined the Confederate Army, but left and went west in search of gold. When that failed him, he became a reporter and comedian. His book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published in 1885. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is narrated from Huck’s perspective,
Samuel Langhorne Clemens died peacefully on April 21, 1910, in the presence of his daughter Clara. Throughout Clemens life, he used the impacts made by his hometown Hannibal along with other life experiences, to shape his characteristics and influence his writing. Although Clemens suffered tragic events in his life, he kept pushing to continue doing the things he loved. Writing being one of the things he loved to do. Clemens wrote about what he believed in without the thought of critics downgrading his writings. He wrote about his beliefs pertaining slavery and women's rights. Two controversial topics that caused many arguments back in his time. To support his disliking of slavery, Clemens wrote a book by the name The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Within this book, Clemens uses his
He started to use the pen name Mark Twain while he was on the Enterprise. Changing names during this time was common for writers. "When readers saw that name they looked for a unique perspective upon people and events, and usually a comic one. It signified an invented personality, a mask." He mostly signed humorous journalism and other personal writings by Mark Twain. For his political reporting, he signed himself Samuel L. Clemens. Samuel
After this episode his family moved to Hannibal, Missouri. Clemens had become quite mischievous and usually found himself in trouble with his friends. Not too long after the move, his family went bankrupt and sold their house. Soon after his father passed away. This just caused Twain to rebel even more and cause more havoc. After he got his life together, he began to work with his brother for several news companies. He started out as an apprentice to his brother and worked his way up to a writer. Clemens felt the paper should have humor in it so he put some humor into his writings. However, his brother thought the paper should be serious and not satirical. He then quit working with his brother, and traveled around working at various journalism jobs. Twain gave up on full-time journalism because it was too time consuming. He then decided to follow his childhood dream, which was histp become a riverboat pilot, so he did. His flight instructor was a "mean spirited and foul mother man". He also blamed Henry (Twain's brother) for something he
Twain, Mark, pseudonym of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910), American writer and humorist, whose best work is characterized by broad, often irreverent humor or biting social satire. Twain's writing is also known for realism of place and language, memorable characters, and hatred of hypocrisy and oppression.
Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, was born John and Jane Clemens on November 30, 1835. His father had many professions which include: storekeeper, lawyer, judge, and land speculator; however, he, much like his son, was never able to reach what he desired most, wealth. Samuel Clemens’ father passed away when he was twelve years older his father died and to help support the family he obtained a job was at the Hannibal Courier as an apprentice printer. In 1859, Clemens was licensed as a steamboat pilot; however, when the Civil War broke out he could no longer work on the river and joined a volunteer unit for the Confederates. He moved to the west coast and began to writing for the Virginia City Territorial Enterprising, publishing his