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Samuel Clemens Influences

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“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect,” is a very well-known saying by Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain). Throughout his life and career, Clemens lived up to this quote. Many of his works were not only uniquely written, but they also dealt with social and political issues in a way that wasn’t in everyone’s face. Rather, it was an undercurrent in much of his writing. For example, In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Clemens spoke out against racial discrimination at a time when America was greatly conflicted. He was a pioneer to truly American writing and was not afraid to speak out against societal wrongs. Through his writing, Clemens not only entertained, but also taught important life lessons and commented on issues in the world. Due to its unique style, understated hilarity, and the way it dealt with serious matters in a comically realistic fashion, Mark Twain’s writing greatly impacted many Americans and inspired generations of authors.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born on November 30, 1835 in Florida, Missouri to John Marshall and Jane Lampton Clemens. At age four, they moved to Hannibal Missouri, a town just 35 miles away. Hannibal is a city that runs along the Mississippi river. …show more content…

The river trade came to a standstill and being a river boat pilot was no longer a job that could make any money. Clemens left St. Louis and began to travel all over America as a newspaper reporter (The Official Website of Mark Twain). He would write columns and stories that held people’s rapt attention and captured their imaginations. Eventually, Clemens became very famous for his columns. On February 3rd, 1863, Samuel Langhorne Clemens first signed his name as Mark Twain when he wrote Letter from Carson City. He got this pseudonym from his riverboat pilot days. Mark Twain means “two fathoms (12 ft.) deep” which is the point at which it is okay for a riverboat to navigate the

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