Mark Twain Introduction for Kids

1. Mark Twain
1835-1910
•Born on November 30, 1835
in Florida, MO
•Real name: Samuel Clemens
•
•At the age of 4, the Clemens
family moved 35 miles east to
the town of Hannibal, MO
•Clemens’ father, a judge,
died of pneumonia when
Clemens was 12

4. Welcome to Hannibal
Home of Mark Twain

5. Mark Twain
Interesting Facts…
•By the time he was 9, Clemens
had explored the vast caves
south of Hannibal. It was said to
be the hideout of Jesse James
and his gang.
•It is said that most of the
incidents described in Tom
Sawyer were taken from
Clemens’ adventures as a child.
“Mark Twain Cave”

6. Mark Twain
Interesting Facts
•Clemens spent most of his childhood in this home in Hannibal, MO
•It is said that he once
spent the night in Judge
Clemens’ office with the
corpse of a stabbing
victim.
Boyhood home in Hannibal, MO

7. Mark Twain
Early Childhood
•At 17, Clemens left
Hannibal for a printer’s
job in St. Louis
•While in St. Louis, he
became a licensed river
pilot.
• Clemens began working
as a newspaper reporter
for newspapers around
the U.S.

8. Riverboats

9. Mark Twain
•Clemens’ pseudonym, Mark Twain, comes
from his days as a river pilot.
•“Mark twain” means it is safe to navigate.

10. Mark Twain
•Twain began to get famous when his story, “The
Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calavaras County”
appeared in the New York Saturday Press.

11. Mark Twain
•Twain’s first book, “The Innocents Abroad”
was published in 1869.
•1870 – Marries Livy Langdon.
•1870-80s – Becomes a father of one boy and
three girls. (Some die at an early age.)
•He wrote 28 books and numerous short
stories, letters and sketches.

12. Mark Twain
Famous Novels
•“The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”, 1876.
•  “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, 1885.
•“A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court”,
1889.

13. Mark Twain
•Passed away
April 21, 1910
•Childhood home in
Hannibal, MO is
open to the public as
a museum

14. TwainTwain’s Use of ’s Use of SatireSatire
•Satire:
–Criticize people and society through ridicule.
–Point out the hypocrisy of people and make
them look ridiculous.

15. Words that may surprise you:
•Injun means Indian: we would say Native
American
•Gay means happy
•Negro means African Americans
slang: nigger

16. Background KnowledgeBackground Knowledge
– Speech Patterns– Speech Patterns
The characters in the book speak very differently
from the way most Americans do today. They speak
in a different dialect.

“He’s a-going up there. Say-look! He’s a-going to shake
hands with him—he is shaking hands with him! By
jings, don’t you wish you was Jeff?” page 35
“Huck, he must mean us both—we ’re right together.”
“Oh, Tom, I reckon we ’re goners. I reckon there ain’t
no mistake ‘bout where I’ll go to. I been so wicked.”
page 74
“Hucky, do you das’t to go if I lead?” “I don’t like to,
much, Tom, s’pose it’s Injun Joe!” page 75