Mark Twain Essays

Submitted By Megan-Hale
Words: 2047
Pages: 9
Open Document
Mark Twain

Christened as Samuel Langhorne Clemens, Mark Twain was born on November 30, 1835 in the small river town of Florida, Missouri, just 200 miles from Indian Territory. The sixth child of John Marshall Clemens and Jane Lampton, Twain lived in Florida, Missouri until the age of four, at which time his family relocated to Hannibal in hopes of improving their living situation.

Like the steamboat on which Mark Twain adopted his pen name, the industrial growth that swept America in the latter half of the nineteenth century prompted Americans to react variously with delight, awe, fear, excitement for the future, and nostalgia for a simpler time. The author states “In many ways Twain was a full and eager participant in the dynamic age into which he had matured, an age of machinery and cities, of steam and electricity, of big business, big money, and big schemes.” (Page 7) The author suggests that Twain’s life symbolizes our nation’s dual identity as a nation of frontiers and adventures, and we as a nation of inventors and capitalists. These ideas are perfectly illustrated in the book in two ways.
First, nowhere in the book do we find a more telling example of Twain’s identity as a frontiersman and adventurer than in the story of his trips up and down the Mississippi River as a steamboat captain. In Life on the Mississippi, Twain summarizes what it meant to him to learn the river’s ins and outs, but also what it cost him. As a young boy Mark and his boyhood friends had always dreamed and fantasized of becoming steamboat pilots on the great Mississippi. As a man, Twain was living that dream. In a passage from Life on the Mississippi Twain states,
“When I had mastered the language of this water and had come to know every trifling feature that bordered the great river as familiarly as I knew the letters of the alphabet, I had made a

valuable acquisition.” (Page 36) Twain also shares with the reader the exquisite beauty of the river that was forever engraved on his mind when he states “I stood like one bewitched. I drank it in, in a speechless rapture.” (Page 36) It’s true that Twain saw the beauty in the untouched landscape of America as he travelled the waterway known as the great Mississippi River, but his time as a steamboat captain also had a negative effect on him. Where he once looked at the river through child-like eyes full of innocence and wonder, the steamboat captain now lamented “the romance and beauty were all gone from the river. All the value any feature of it had for me now was the amount of usefulness it could furnish toward compassing the sage piloting of a steamboat.” (Page 37)
The late 19th century was a time of great expansion for America both in new technologies, inventions and in the business ventures that made a lot of people very wealthy. For all of his love of the river and the frontier, Twain was also a man who enjoyed utilizing these new technologies and inventions of the day. He was well known for being a gambler, a risk taker, and sinking large sums of money from his book royalties into the latest get rich quick scheme. The author shows us this side of Twain, the “industrialized” Mark Twain when we read about Twain’s involvement with James Paige, an inventor, who was convinced he could produce a machine that would automatically set type. Twain was obviously interested in this new invention since he had once worked as a typesetter as young boy, and now since he was a wellestablished writer. Twain was certain this machine would revolutionize the publication industry.
For over fourteen years, he poured money into the project waiting for it to be completed. In all, we learn that Twain invested almost $200,000 in the project before the project failed and Twain was left in financial ruin. The author tells us that Twain “always had faith in the wonders of modern mechanical invention and a boyish eagerness to try out the latest gadget” but in regard to

Paige “the episode accentuated the doubts about
Show More

Related Documents: Mark Twain Essays

Mark Twain Essay

Barnes English 3H November 11, 2014 Mark Twain Biography and Literary Criticism Mark Twain is a man who has seen it all and done it all. He lived in Missouri, Iowa, Louisiana, California, Connecticut and even Germany. Twain has doctorate degrees at three different universities despite quitting school at age twelve. He worked as an editor, a river boat captain, and a gold panner to name a few. Twain was also a journalist and a lecturer. However, Mark Twain is remembered for being one of the most profound early American authors…

Words 2207 - Pages 9

Essay on Mark Twain

Mark Twain (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910) Twain grew up in Hannibal, Missouri, which would later provide the setting for Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. He was the son of Jane (née Lampton; 1803–1890), a native of Kentucky, and John Marshall Clemens (1798–1847), a Virginian by birth. His parents met when his father moved to Missouri and were married several years later, in 1823. He was the sixth of seven children, but only three of his siblings survived childhood: his brother Orion (1825–1897)…

Words 1341 - Pages 6

Mark Twain Essay

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pen name, Mark Twain, was born on November 30, 1835, in the tiny village of Florida, Missouri, the sixth child of John and Jane Clemens. When he was 4 years old, the Clemens clan moved. John Clemens worked as a storekeeper, lawyer, judge and land speculator, dreaming of wealth but never achieving it, sometimes finding it hard to feed his family. According to one legend, young Sam never saw him laugh. His mother was the complete opposite. She was a fun-loving…

Words 363 - Pages 2

Mark Twain Satire

knowledgeable person. The two satires, both effective, “next of course god america i” by e.e. cummings and “The War Prayer” by Mark Twain, explore and analyze the tragedies of war and the things we do to justify and distract ourselves from them. In his short story, “The War Prayer”, Mark Twain argues that some things are immoral to be prayed about, namely war-related things. Twain supports his argument by depicting a man, claiming he has a message from G-d himself, and that G-d has heard the terrible…

Words 982 - Pages 4

Mark Twain Research Paper

Martin AP English III 1 November 2013 Mark Twain’s Great Novel Samuel Clemons, also known as Mark Twain, was born on November 30, 1835 in the border state of Missouri although he was raised around the Mississippi River. He became a printer, working in many different states before becoming a steamboat pilot later on in his life. Samuel Clemons was a steamboat pilot in many southern states and we can see his southern background even in his writing. Mark Twain was motivated by a few things to write…

Words 425 - Pages 2

Mark Twain Hyperbole Examples

Mark Twain uses hyperbole and understatement. It makes the story more exciting because it gives more examples and expression. Also it makes it funnier because the exaggeration of the characters and how they express everything. Lastly it makes it more interesting because it gets the readers more into the book instead of being bored. In conclusion, Mark Twain uses hyperbole and understatement.…

Words 62 - Pages 1

Mark Twain Research Paper

Name -- Professor Reber English 1113 10 October 2012 Mark Twain Mark Twain was a world renowned novelist and a beloved American Writer. He wrote things about what was happening in the world around him and is also a huge part of American Literature. Although Mark Twain is a famous novelist his home life, background/achievements, and greatest accomplishments are what made him who he is today. Mark Twain was more than the man we all know. For one thing, he was born as Samuel Langhorn Clemens…

Words 899 - Pages 4

Mark Twain Research Paper

Lit 4 November 28, 2014 Mark Twain Throughout all of history, slavery and race has always been an issue. During the era of Mark Twain, This was no different. Mark Twain lived during a time period called the “Jacksonian Democracy” which was the political movement toward greater democracy for the common man symbolized by American politician Andrew Jackson and his supporters. Mark was born Samuel Clemens in Florida, Missouri in 1835. When he was just four years old, Twain and his family moved to Hannibal…

Words 1698 - Pages 7

Mark Twain Essay example

Mark Twain A famous man once said, “Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company.” This man is considered to be one of the most influential American writers in history. His two most famous works are The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. His real name is Samuel Clemens, but most know him by his pen name, Mark Twain. Samuel Clemens was born on November 30, 1835, in Florida, Missouri. His father worked in many different jobs, never managing to obtain the wealth…

Words 562 - Pages 3

Mark Twain Essay

9/12/12 Aim: How do scientist “do” science? By using the scientific method -Scientist study the environment by using the scientist method Scientific Method 1. State the Problem 2. Research and Gather Information 3. Form a Hypothesis 4. Design and carry out an experiment 5. Record and Interpret Data 6. Draw a Conclusion * Application * Share Results * Any Scientific Theory or hypothesis is only as good as the evidence that supports it - Coperwicus͢͢͢ → Heliocentric “Sun Central”…

Words 1606 - Pages 7