Mark Twain And Jack London Essay

     "Mark Twain, which is a pseudonym for Samuel Langhorne Clemens, was born in 1835, and died in 1910. He was an american writer and humorist. Maybe one of the reasons Twain will be remembered is because his writings contained morals and positive views. Because Twain's writing is so descriptive, people look to his books for realistic interpretations of places, for his memorable characters, and his ability to describe his hatred for hypocrisy and oppression. HE believed he could write. Most authors relied on other people and what they said, but because Twain was so solitary, he made himself so successful. 1"

He was one of the first to descriptively verbalize southern speech in writing. Not only was it uncommon for people of Twain’s era to write in vernacular, it was new-fangled for him to write about the subject of vernacular itself. It is a difficult task to write about, much less in, a dialect to which one is foreign without appearing foolish. Twain’s ability to both with ease marked him as an authority on the subject.

Many critics agree that Twain's skilled use of the satirical literary style, defines himself as a writer. "If the prevailing spirit of Mark Twain's humor is not a sort of good-natured self-satire, in which the reader may see his own absurdities reflected, I scarcely should be able to define it" (Howells). This similarity was present in all three short stories.

George Heinrich Crist, a resident of Kentucky, was settled with his family in a well-built house when the New Madrid Earthquake of 1811 came across their path, unlike a storm this “thing” had no warnings. He chose to share his account of this quake, or quakes. This was part of his life and also a part of history in the making so that is why I believe he shared his personal essay. It’s not an argumentative account but rather short entries from 5 months from his life. Kentucky wasn’t the only state that was hurt, 6 other states were involved. The term “New Madrid Earthquake” refers to portions of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi. This was the biggest earthquake (series of earthquakes) as it changed the course of the Mississippi river.

One writing that Mark Twain is not as famous for, but is still a well known piece of work for showing the use of humor in his writings is, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”. This work starts off slow without much humor until later on in the writing. The humor picks up as Twain includes bits of sarcasm to the mix. The humor in this short work is not so hidden or subtle as it may have been in some of Twain’s other writings. One example of this sort of dry humor is, “And Smiley says, sorter indifferent like, ‘It might be a parrot, or it might be a canary, may be, but it an't it's only just a frog.’” (Jumping Frog). This shows a side and type of writing that is not usually seen with Twain. Usually the humor in his writings was always sort of hidden away and harder to pick out, but in this work, it is more obvious that he is trying to make it humorous. “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” may not be as widely known as some of Twain’s other work, but it is a good example of how he includes humor into his writings to catch the reader’s attention and to provide some comic relief from, at times, tense situations.

Starting with an anecdote Twain begins, “Fifty years ago, when I was a boy of fifteen and helping to inhabit a Missourian village on the banks of the Mississippi, I had a friend whose society was very dear to me” (Twain, 799); opening with an anecdote captures the reader’s attention and leads to the point he is trying to pursue. “Anecdotes authenticate in a way mere quotations cannot” (Schweninger, 24) and are consequently extremely important in convincing the readers. Using this story in particular helps the reader to see the point Twain is making from his perspective and from where it originated. Twain’s young friend stated, “You tell me whar a man gits his corn pone, en I’ll tell you what his ’pin- ions is.” (Twain, 799). This quotation introduces the main point of the piece and because it is introduced within the story the reader is more apt to be open to the opinion. The use of anecdotes throughout the paper engages the reader from the first moment and keeps the audience captivated throughout.

The two works of Mark Twain are similar in terms of style, syntax, and diction. They both have the same type of formatting in terms of overall writing style, and use the wording to represent how they would speak in that time and use their slang.

Some of the most riveting books in not just American literature but in all of history, was written by this famous author. Twain, an American writer, is one of the major authors of American fiction. Also, he is considered the greatest humorist in American literature (Alan Gribben, np). Mark Twain was influenced by the society’s conditions he lived in, hence the incorporation of much of it in his writing.

Mark Twain is known as a great author from his own unique style of writing. All his

Mark Twain, unlike any other famous novelist/writer, has his very own accomplishments. The two of his greatest accomplishments is what everyone knows him famous for. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as being his greatest and most popular works were also to quickly become his greatest accomplishments. Likewise, both books corresponded with the other about adventures of both low class, Huck Finn, and middle class, Tom Sawyer, had together and of their friendship. Another believed greatest accomplishment was his hidden eulogy that hadn’t

A well-known Gilded Age author of satirical pieces, Mark Twain, in his text “Dreams Dissipated”, argues the elite and other influential groups he despises, should not be idolized by the public. Twain’s purpose is to reveal the true intentions and behavior of these groups at the face of tragedy in order to stop the public from aspiring to be like them or seek guidance from them. He adopts a connotative tone for his audience who may be unaware of the immoral behavior the elite display during the “great” earthquake in San Francisco. Twain supports this claim by first referring to a tragic event using connotative diction to hint at the animal-like behavior of these groups, then he illustrates a chaotic scene and the ill-fitted reactions of the

Mark Twain a famous writer of the past uses distinct amount of words to be able to reflect the environment to visualize a western setting. He is able to utilize diction to allow the reader to feel as they are put inside of the story and be part of the story. During the beginning of the story the narrator walks in into the tavern and describes how the tavern looks like and his friend Simon Wheeler. He says”,... I found Simon Wheeler dozing comfortably by the bar room stove of the old

The first few seconds of your first earthquake are disconcerting. You don’t know what’s happening. The undulation, the noise, the inability to focus -- it’s all disconcerting. But once you’ve been in a few, you know the feeling. You don’t relax, but you don’t panic, either.

Well-known essayist and writer, Joan Didion, in her essay, The Santa Ana, acknowledges the Santa Ana winds and the effects they have on human behavior. Writing poems, stories, and essays for twenty five years, Linda Thomas, in her essay, Brush Fire, addresses the Santa Ana winds and the beauty it has on nature and the devastating disaster it has on human construction. Didion’s purpose is to inform her readers how the winds themselves influence the way people act. Thomas’s purpose is to arouse her readers on the beneficials of the Santa Ana winds on nature. Didion adopts an anxious tone in order to specify to her readers that the winds are catastrophic and their effects are inevitable. Thomas, however, adopts an ambivalent tone to convey to

”- Emma Burke. This proves that Emma Burke has a more optimistic view on the 1906 San Francisco earthquake than Fred Hewitt because in both of the quotes from Emma Burkes story, Comprehending the Calamity she tries to help others before