The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer -by Mark Twain Background knowledge

What do you know about the author Mark Twain? On Nov. 30, 1835, Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born in Florida, Missouri. Born the same day that Halley’s Comet was visible in the night sky 4 years later his family moved to Hannibal, Missouri.

Where is Missouri?

Where is Hannibal?

When Samuel was 12, his father died of pneumonia. At 13, Samuel left school to become a printer's apprentice. After two short years, he joined his brother Orion's newspaper as a printer and editorial assistant. It was here that young Samuel found he enjoyed writing.

Mark Twain’s boyhood home http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=U 6 zd 1 Fq. JN 6 A http: //earthcam. com/marktwain/# http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=O 0 fhh 2 p_NUY

At 17, he left Hannibal behind for a printer's job in St. Louis. While in St. Louis, Clemens became a river pilot's apprentice. He became a licensed river pilot in 1858. Clemens' pseudonym, Mark Twain, comes from his days as a river pilot. It is a river term which means two fathoms or 12 -feet when the depth of water for a boat is being sounded. "Mark twain" means that is safe to navigate.

Because the river trade was brought to a stand still by the Civil War in 1861, Clemens began working as a newspaper reporter for several newspapers all over the United States. In 1870, Clemens married Olivia Langdon, and they had four children, one of whom died in infancy and two who died in their twenties. Their surviving child, Clara, lived to be 88, and had one daughter. Clara's daughter died without having any children, so there are no direct descendants of Samuel Clemens living.

Twain began to gain fame when his story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calavaras County" appeared in the New York Saturday Press on November 18, 1865.

Twain's first book, The Innocents Abroad, was published in 1869. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in 1876 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1885. He wrote 28 books and numerous short stories, letters and sketches. http: //www. pbs. org/marktwain/index. html

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer When does the book take place? 1830 -1840 What significant event came after this time period? (20 years) Civil War

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer What does Antebellum mean? Ante = before Bellum = war

Did you know? In the years before the Civil War (1861– 1865), Missouri and other southern states allowed slavery. Enslaved African Americans were a common sight in Mark Twain’s boyhood home of Hannibal. However, even though many people in Missouri were immigrants from southern states and supporters of slavery, many others opposed it. Missourians’ mixed feelings about slavery prevented the state from joining other slaveholding states in the Confederacy and made Missouri a battleground during the Civil War.

Language/ Dialect = Change Over Time What is dialect? a particular form of a language that is peculiar to a specific region or social group. Language Some language in the book is not appropriate for modern-day audiences. (It wasn’t really appropriate then either, but it was more commonly used. ) At NO time should I hear ANYONE using

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer What was life like back then? Imagine Winston Salem in the 1800 s. Do you think your life would be the same?

Tom Sawyer Rules Arrive to class with your Tom Sawyer book EVERYDAY. Stay up-to-date with your Tom Sawyer Portfolio. Save all of your answers because you will use it as a study guide at the end of the unit! Constantly use your vocabulary preview as a guide when reading Tom Sawyer. Be prepared for pop quizzes on the previous night’s reading assignment.

Tom Sawyer Rules Continued You have NO EXCUSE if you forget your book at school. There is a copy of the book on my website!!! If you like to LISTEN while you READ, i. Tunes has a free copy of the story that you can download. It’s so simple!! Just go to the i. Tunes store and search The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and it should pop right up!