Introduction of Mark Twain's Life and Career:
Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in 1835, was an American writer, humorist, and lecturer. He began his career as a journalist, working for various newspapers in the Midwest and East Coast. It wasn't until the publication of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" in 1865 that Twain gained national attention as a writer. He wrote some of American literature's most beloved and influential works.
Famous works,
Mark Twain's most famous works, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, have significantly affected American literature and culture. He set his novels in the American South and dealt with themes of race, identity, and morality.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, in particular, is often cited as one of the greatest American novels ever written. Its use of vernacular language and its portrayal of Huck's journey toward moral enlightenment have made it a staple of American literature classrooms. Twain's works continue to be read and studied today, and his legacy as a writer and cultural icon remains strong.
Conclusion on Twain's legacy:
Mark Twain's impact on American literature and culture is undeniable and still felt today. His use of humour and satire to address serious issues helped to shape American identity and establish a tradition of social commentary in American literature. Twain's legacy is evident in the works of countless writers and the many adaptations of his works in popular culture. His enduring relevance is a testament to the power of his writing and his ability to capture the essence of American life. As we grapple with race, class, and identity issues in America, Twain's works remain as relevant and insightful as ever.
A True Story, Word For Word As I Heard It”
“A True Story, Word for Word as I Heard It” is a short story by Mark Twain, first published in 1874 in the Atlantic Monthly. Mark Twain was an American writer known for such classics as Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. In its critique of slavery and racism, the story anticipates Huck Finn; it also explores themes of The Possibility of Human Connection, Black Women Defying Racism and Sexism, and The Complexity of Joy in an Unjust World.
Setting:
Taking place outside the farmhouse of the story’s narrator, “A True Story” is mostly told by Aunt Rachel, a 60-year-old Black woman who works for a white family. She tells her story to the narrator, who is only referred to as “Misto C—,” potentially the redacted name of Mark Twain’s real name, Samuel Clemens.
Summary:
One summer evening, Misto C is sitting on the porch of his farmhouse. Aunt Rachel is sitting “respectfully below” him and his family. The narrator describes Aunt Rachel as strong, especially for her age, and a “cheerful, hearty soul”. At the end of each day, she laughs.
Reflecting on the joy that Aunt Rachel exudes, the narrator asks her a question:
how she can have avoided all “trouble” in her 60 years of life. Aunt Rachel considers and then asks the narrator whether he’s being serious. Surprised, the narrator stammers and rephrases his question, noting that he has never heard Aunt Rachel sigh or seen her without a laugh in her eye. Aunt Rachel turns fully around and tells the narrator that she will answer the question and let him judge for himself.
Aunt Rachel explains that she was formerly enslaved and describes her husband and their affection for one another. They had seven children, about whom Aunt Rachel comments that “de Lord can’t make no children so black but what dey mother loves ’em”. She herself was raised in Virginia by a mother from Maryland, who could be “terrible” in certain moods. Aunt Rachel recounts a particular phrase her mother said at such times: “I wa’n’t bawn in de mash to be fool’ by trash! I’s one o’ de ole Blue Hen’s Chickens, I is”. Aunt Rachel will never forget those words, which her mother even said when Rachel’s son Henry was badly injured, sustaining scars to his wrists and head.
Later, Aunt Rachel’s enslaver sold her at an auction in Richmond. There, Aunt Rachel and others were put in chains and set on a platform in front of a crowd. The planters inspected the enslaved people, commenting on their age and ability. Rachel began to cry when her husband and six of her children were sold, prompting an enslaver to hit her on the mouth and tell her to be quiet. When the same man grabbed her son Henry, Aunt Rachel seized the man and threatened to kill anyone who touched him. Henry whispered to Rachel that he would run away and then purchase his mother’s freedom. However, the enslavers seized him, causing Aunt Rachel to beat them over the head with her chain.
A Confederate general bought Aunt Rachel and brought her to Newbern to work as a cook. During the Civil War, the Union army took over the town and the general ran away, leaving Rachel and the other enslaved people in “dat mons’us big house”. The Union soldiers asked if Rachel would cook for them, and she agreed happily. The soldiers were high ranking, and one of the generals told her that she was now safe and could scold anyone who gave her trouble.
Aunt Rachel reflects on Henry, who she was confident would have made it to the North if he ran away. She talked with the Union soldiers and asked them if they had seen him, mentioning the scars on his left wrist and head. They asked when she lost him, and she said it was 13 years prior. The general commented that Henry would be a man by now, a thought that hadn’t occurred to Aunt Rachel. The men hadn’t seen her son, who she later learned had escaped to the North and became a barber. When the Civil War started, Henry quit his job, resolving to find his mother. He joined the army as an officer’s servant and fought throughout the South, all without Rachel knowing anything about it.
When the Union Army had a soldier’s ball at Newbern, a lot of soldiers were making noise in the kitchen. On a Friday night, a Black regiment of soldiers was guarding the house, dancing and having a good time. The soldiers were making fun of Aunt Rachel’s “red turban” and playing music too loud. Aunt Rachel got so upset that she upbraided them with her mother’s saying. When she did, a young man looked at the ceiling as if in thought. The young man told another soldier that he had something on his mind and couldn’t sleep.
At seven o’clock in the morning, Aunt Rachel was still working over the stove when she saw a Black man approaching her. They locked eyes, and Aunt Rachel trembled. She dropped her pan of biscuits and grabbed his sleeve to see his scar and forehead. After seeing the scars, she recognized him as Henry. Aunt Rachel concludes her story, saying, “Oh, no, Misto C—, I hain’t had no trouble. An’ no joy!”
Themes:
Beauty of simplicity
Equality
Desire to escape
Power of optimism
Wisdom of experience
Working class struggles
Lost love and honour
Fate
Aunt Rachel: An african-american 60 year old woman who has been a slave for as long as she can remember, although she is a slave she obtains a optimistic and cheerful
attitude with a hearty soul.
Henry: One of the seven kids that got separated from Rachel at slave auctions, ran away from his owner and joined the army. Henry is stubborn yet is kindhearted and well mannered.
Misto C: This is Mark Twain’s character and he is the owner of Rachel because she is his servant. Misto C is a curious guy so he questioned Rachel one why she was so happy all the time.
Mark Twain’s Purpose:
● Wanted to create a story that gives African-American lives greater dignity created a more life-like African-American story than any other author in his time.
● Wanted to represent that slave families care for one another just as immensely as white families did.
● Wanted this story to represent the torture and difficulties that every slave encountered throughout their lives.
● Wanted to show the importance of being positive and optimistic.
Style
Mark Twain uses descriptive and narrative writing within this short story.
What is Descriptive:
● Describes places, people, events and
situations
● Author visualises the five senses to the
readers
What is Narrative
● A person tells the story/event (Rachel)
● Narrative writing often has situations like disputes, conflicts, actions, motivational events, problems and their solutions
Mark Twain’s Unusual Use of Diction:
Mark Twain displayed the southern twain and the lack of education that Rachel presented when she talked throughout his diction, by doing this he brought the story to life and put the audience in his shoes.
● “An’ when I heah dat dey gwyne to sell us all off at auction in Richmon’, oh de
good gracious! I know what dat mean!”
● “An’ dey sole my ole man, an’ took him away, an’ dey begin to sell my chil’en an’
take dem away, an’ I begin to cry”
● “Henry, what is you doin’ wid dis welt on yo’ wris’ an’ day sk-yar on yo’ forehead?
De Lord God ob heaven be praise’, I got my own ag’in!”
Vocabulary
● Bawn = born
● Chil’en = children
● Dat = that
● Dey = they
● Gen’l = general
● Nuffin’ = nothing
● Mouf = mouth
● Norf = north
● Gwyne = going
● Frens = friends
● Hisse’f = himself
● Befo’ = before
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