"The secret of getting ahead is getting started."
-Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens or more commonly called, Mark Twain, was known to be an American humorist, journalist, lecturer, and novelist. He was born on November 30th, 1835 in Florida, Missouri, and died from a heart attack at the age of seventy-four in Redding Connecticut, on April 21st, 1910.
The Start of Mark Twain's Writings
From the time he was a boy, Twain experienced many tragedies such as death, murder, slavery, and many more injustices, even within his own family. Despite these adversaries, his mind, spirit and humor refused to wither away and was able to resonates with people of then and now.
Mark Twain first started to write at the age of fifteen at his brother's newspaper, where his first short story entitled "A Gallant Fisherman" was published. Then he made his debut with his first novel "The Innocents Aboard" which was published in 1869.
"Mark Twain: The Penname
The name Mark Twain is a penname Clemens used on February 3rd, 1863. Mark Twain is a riverboat term for two fathoms or twelve feet in depth. Mark means "measure" and Twain means "two". A habit of his was to stride into the Old Corner Saloon yelling out "Mark Twain" to the barkeep, which was a phrase Mississippi river boatmen sang when their crafts were in two fathoms of water, however, in Virginia City meant two blasts of whisky for Sam Clemens and make two chalk marks against his account on the saloon's back wall.
Summary of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"
One hundred and twenty poems, twenty-eight books, and numerous short stories were written by him, however, the novel that gains the most attention and love is the famous novel "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." The story follows young Huck who is a troubled boy with a drunkard for a father and no mother. He is technically an orphan who wants freedom and to be carefree. In his journey, he is met with several challenges which help him become a more caring and mature young man as he takes on the role of leader though it is not suited to him.
He admires his friend Tom Sawyer's assertiveness and the fact that he came from a good family and education. Huckleberry is seen to be a dynamic character in the story as he matures gradually. Racism is used as one of the many themes within the story with the literary devices: diction and characterization.
Twain's Writing Style and Legendary Works
Twain often wrote with humor, strong narrative, and vivid descriptions. Other of his legendary works are: "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", "Roughing It", "The Gilded Age", "A Tramp Abroad", "Following the Equator" and "The Mysterious Stranger".
In today's age, his works have become popular classics that everyone has read and enjoyed. Such excellent novels, poems, and short stories will forever be remembered.
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