Mark Twain Information for the Huck Finn Test

What term did Mark Twain coin?

"Gilded Age" in reference to the economically prosperous period after the Civil War (named this because of the corruption through monopolies, trusts, moments in Grant's presidency like the Whiskey Ring and the Salary Grab, Boss Tweed and his methods for getting votes, etc.)

In his early twenties, Twain gave up his printing career in order to...?

Work on riverboats on the Mississippi. He eventually became a riverboat pilot.

What are some of the arguments for removing the "n-word" from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?

1. It gets in the way of capturing the anti-slavery message and is used 219 times 2. Other versions without the word offer a "clean" alternative that is still powerful and allows more people sensitive to such language to read it 3. Teachers can still teach and deliver the message without the word being there 4. The word is extremely offensive to certain audiences

In what ways is Huckleberry Finn controversial?

1. It has been banned in some Southern states because of its critical take on the South and the hypocrisies of slavery 2. Others find the novel vulgar and racist (frequently uses the n-word)

What are some of the arguments for keeping the novel in its original form?

1. It is wrong to alter a literary masterpiece 2. It is more realistic and true to the time with the inclusion of the "n-word" 3. It made sense for Twain to bring out the harsh emotions of the time period through such language - the "n-word" brings a shameful connotation with it while its replacement, "slave," is simply a state of being. 4. Twain wants to get the attention of his audience and make them feel the discomfort and the harsh emotions as it was back in those times

When did Clemens start signing articles with the name Mark Twain?

1863

Over the next two years, Twain published two more popular novels. What were they?

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) and Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894)

In 1851, Twain finished his ______ and began to type for...?

Apprenticeship He began to type for his brother Orion's newspaper, the Hannibal Journal He left this printing job eventually and began to travel from place to place, seeking work in numerous American cities, including New York and Philadelphia.

When did Twain die?

April 21, 1910

When did Twain publish Huck Finn?

December 10, 1884

Twain spent his young life in a wealthy family with household slaves. The death of his ______ in 1847, however, left his family in hardship. What happened to Twain as a result of this?

Father Twain left school and worked for a printer

When Twain was ______ years old, his family moved to ______, a town on the Mississippi River much like the towns depicted in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Four, Hannibal

What did Twain join once the Mississippi was shut down?

He joined a Confederate cavalry division, although he wasn't an ardent Confederate. When his division split up, he left as well.

How did Twain's personal life begin to collapse in the 1880s?

His wife was sickly and they lost their first son after nineteen months. Twain made poor investments and financial decisions and was in debt by 1891. As his fortune dwindled, Twain devoted himself to writing. Within a course of a few years, his wife and two daughters passed away.

Where did Samuel Clemens get the pen name Mark Twain?

It is derived from the riverboat leadsmen's signal - "By the mark, twain" - that the water was deep enough for safe passage.

Where and when was Mark Twain born?

November 30, 1835 in Florida, Missouri

Twain became wealthy enough from his novels to buy a house for himself and his wife, ______, in ______, ______.

Olivia Hartford, Connecticut

Why did Twain stop working on Huck Finn for a time?

Perhaps because its darker tone did not fit the optimistic sentiments of the Gilded Age.

When does Huck Finn take place?

Pre-Civil War Era, 1840's

What is Mark Twain's real name?

Samuel Langhorne Clemens

What novel granted Twain acclaim and a position as a literary giant in America?

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

What two famous novels did Twain write?

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884)

Why did Twain stop working on the Mississippi River in 1861?

The Civil War exploded across America and shut down the Mississippi River for travel and shipping.

How did the political climate begin to change in America by the early 1880's?

The hopefulness of the post-Civil War years began to fade. Reconstruction, the political program designed to reintegrate the defeated South into the Union as a slavery-free region, began to fail. The harsh measures the victorious North imposed only embittered the South. Concerned about maintaining power, many Southern politicians began an effort to control and oppress the black men and women whom the war had freed.

Huckleberry Finn has a more serious tone and focuses more deeply on...?

The institution of slavery

What part of Twain's work, especially in Huckleberry Finn, sets it aside from other novels of the time and made his style of writing very unique?

The usage of dialect

What was Twain's dream job?

To be a riverboat pilot

Why did Twain write The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?

To capitalize on the popularity of the earlier novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Where did Twain and Orion go to work after Twain's cavalry division fell? What job did they take up?

Twain and Orion moved west. Twain started working as a silver miner in Nevada and then began to pursue journalism.