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Samuel Clemens Impact

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Samuel L. Clemens and His Historical Impact
Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain) was one of the most prominent writers of, what he termed, the Gilded Age (approximately between 1870 and 1900). He had a unique writing style which, compared to others, helped to expose some of the harmful social normality’s of the Gilded Age (particularly racism). He also turned many of his experiences in life into his writings. Samuel L. Clemens started out with a simple life, gained popularity through his books, and went on to show off his wealth; Samuel L. Clemens was historically significant considering he was controversial, and had a unique writing style; but his impact was not worldwide. Samuel L. Clemens was born in Florida, Monroe County, Missouri on November …show more content…

These works were inspired by events he experienced while living on his uncle’s farm. There are several examples of him incorporating the residents of the farm or even the farm itself into his books. For example; the characters Jim from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Aunt Polly from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer were both based on two slaves on his uncles’ farm, named Sandy and “Uncle Dan’l.” His book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was controversial since he used racial slurs (Nigger). An example is, when Clemens first introduces the character Jim, Huckleberry Finn …show more content…

Clemens was historically significant since, his writings were occasionally controversial, but at the same time they convey to the reader a vivid image of what went on during the Gilded Age. There has been a debate over whether his works should be taught in schools because of their racial slurs even though they are an important works of classic American literature. Often people forget, or do not consider because of personal prejudices, how most of the diction Clemens utilizes is simply how people talked in the Gilded Age. Even though in today’s culture people may not use the word nigger anymore, unfortunately people in the Gilded Age used the racial slur in everyday life; considering, during the Gilded Age and before, the word did not have the same connotation as it does to Americans now. Samuel Clemens also hid some social commentary within his works which proved to work in his favor, since he was able to create a vivid depiction of many of the major issues during the Gilded Age, particularly slavery. Although he was not a leading influence in abolishing slavery, he did point out through his books the tough laws and conditions of being a slave. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, while talking to Huckleberry Finn, Jim says “Well, you see, it ’uz dis way. Ole Missus – dat’s Miss Watson – she pecks on me all the time, en treats me pooty rough, but she awluz said she wouldn’ sell me down to Orleans…en I hear ole missus tell de wider she gwyne to sell ne down to

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In the book "The Adventures if Huckleberry Finn", Mark Twain's writing mirrors the society and problems it had in that time. This book promotes seeing African-Americans as people, which is absolutely groundbreaking and unheard-of in the time it was written, right after the Civil War. Throughout the book,, Huck has a complete change in his feelings towards Jim, starting with his highly influenced young mind, only able to view Jim as a slave, all the way to seeing Jim as a father-figure who can protect and provide for him. Although Huck tries to see Jim as a friend and fatherly-figure, society's beliefs don't allow him to see Jim as anything but a slave.

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The readers could also tell that Twain was against slavery when is showed Huck helping Jim out so many times. Huck risked his own life to save Jim’s life multiple times The Mississippi River truly provides the ultimate freedom. They’ve spent a lot of time on the raft to try to get to freedom which is why Mississippi River symbolizes freedom. Huck considers “civilization” to be unnatural because he doesn’t like it when people tell him what to do, how to act, and how to

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478 Words | 2 Pages

Samuel Clemens born in 1835 acquired the name Mark Twain in Virginia City after taking a job at a leading daily newspaper making $25 a week. It was during that time that he began signing the name "Mark Twain" to his columns. Mark Twain referenced the late 1800’s the "Gilded Age." The Gilded period once was considered to be a temporary era between Reconstruction and the Progressive Movement. The Gilded era became known as the beginnings of modern America.

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This shows how people view Jim and the severity of his escaping. The views of slavery are so set in stone that the black boy escaping is more heinous a crime than that of a white man killing his son. Twain uses figurative language throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. One example would be when he is describing a summer storm in chapter 9. Twain talks about the trees looking “dim and spider-webby,” and how when the wind blows through, it “set the branches to tossing their arms as if they was just wild.”

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865 Words | 4 Pages

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkein is a fantisy novel that explores the message of steriotypes. Through characters such as dragons,elves,goblins and a hobbit Tolkein uses their similarities and differences to convay that people cant be defined by steriotypes. The novel uses the mystical journey of 13 dwarfs and a hobbit to show how people can change and defy steriotypes through their own experiences and adventures. The elemnt of setting created defined good and evil settlements, this allowed characters to have a journey where they could learn and develop. Three examples of deifing steriotypes are Biblo a young Hobbit who discovers his courage and defies his respectable timid nature, Thorin who was thought to be "king under the mountain" was united by

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The Declaration of Independence says that all men are created equal. That is, unless you are a slave like Jim. Jim, the slave from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, is a very important character. He becomes not only a good friend to the main character, Huck, but also something of a father figure to him. Jim and Huck tend to get themselves into tricky situations, but they always find a way to work through the hard times together.

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Laura Post Huck Finn Scholarly Article “I didn’t want to go back to the widow’s any more and be so cramped up and sivilized, as they called it.” (35). Huckleberry Finn, the protagonist of the famous novel by Mark Twain, deliberately averts being “sivilized” by the adults of the story. While closely analyzing Huck Finn’s society, there is no wonder why. Mark Twain’s novel, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” should be studied in high school because it shows the hypocrisy in a so called “civilized” society.

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These reasons show why Twain may have intended to discourage racism. In the novel Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain it is a story of a troubled young boy and his good friend Jim. In the story Twain is not trying to portray racism toward the character Jim but rather is discouraging it. We see examples in the novel where Twain shows how Jim differs from other White men who cheat others, how he describes the white and black symbolism, and shows empathy for Jim.

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Slavery cannot be seen as only affecting slaves but all the institutions connected to it, which is why it’s important to realize the indirect experiences of other types of people. Douglass was against just conforming to the society who stripped him of this powers. In realizing that what he did was wrong, Huck realizes the humanity in Jim, and disregarded his Southern belief and just felt a human connection, “It made me feel so mean I could almost kissed his foot to get him

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In the world there are amazing regions to explore and see. However, we usually don’t see them in person. Writers use the fact that readers may not know anything about their region, but are able to read or experience the region the writers provide. In fact, Twain uses this to his advantages to talk about his home village near the Mississippi River, as well as, Jewett shows us the wilderness in Maine. Jewett and Twain uses regionalism throughout both of their writings, by creating their own types of settings.

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The black man on the back porch is afraid of the rattle snake because it is bad luck, or the innocent little slave is quick to believe everything one tells them at the drop of the hat. These are just some of the many racist stereotypes of the 1840s. A character named Jim is the star African American whom Twain bestoys the mission of being the stereotypical black man to prove a point. He along with his much more pallor companion Huck go on exciting adventures that unfold the events which expose the racist conduct of the time. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain saturates his novel with potent images of acute racism severe enough as to create a satirical mien that exposes the absurdity of prejudice.

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Although he wrote the novel in the 1880s, Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, still remains a controversy today because of Twain’s use of the “N-word.” Why does Twain use the word “nigger” over 100 times in his novel? What impact is he trying to create by using this derogatory term? Although a multitude number of schools banned Twain’s novel because of the use of the derogatory “term,” Mark Twain’s utilization of the “n-word” satirizes the white American society in the 1880s by reminding his readers that racism was considered a social norm and illustrates how much society attained in terms of racism and discrimination from when slavery was prominent. Furthermore, Twain utilizes the “n-word” because it is his work of literature and changing his words deprives the reader of its purpose and is considered to be a form of censorship.

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807 Words | 4 Pages

History have shown many rebels fights for what they believed in. They fought for their freedom, their rights, and their dignity. But there are some people who selflessly fought for others, and one of them is Mark Twain. Samuel Langhorne Clemens or Mark Twain was born November 30, 1835 in Florida, Missouri. He is one of the most iconic figure in literary.

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2011 Words | 9 Pages

Mark Twain will often add slavery elements into his writing and hint at how wrong slavery really is. Since Twain’s writings are made in the late 1800’s early 1900’s, no one realized what he is really getting at with certain writings, such Mark Twain’s brilliant novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, featuring the two boys escaping society; Huckleberry Finn and Jim. In the novel, a country boy raised by Widow Douglas, Huckleberry Finn, is brought back to his abusive and drunk father, who left him when he was younger. Huckleberry then proceeds to escape his father by taking his canoe to the isolated Jaxson’s island, where he meets an African-American slave that had also runaway; Jim. Huck and Jim then leave Jaxson’s Island on a raft and start their long trek towards freedom from society and slavery.

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1388 Words | 6 Pages

The Life of Mark Twain Called “The Father of American Literature” by William Faulkner, Mark Twain was the one of the greatest writers of the nineteenth century and realized the accomplishment of the American Dream that has eluded so many other authors. “He was America 's greatest humorist, yet he ended up mankind 's darkest cynic and most savage critic”(Otfinoski). Mark Twain stands out as one of the most impactful writers of his time and depicted the America that he knew with his literature and with his life. Mark Twain became one of the greatest and wealthiest writers of his time but was originally born under the name Samuel Langhorne Clemens to a poor family in Florida, Missouri. He was born two months premature under the light of Halley’s Comet, a sign of good things to come and was sickly for the first ten years of his life.

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