Adventures on the Mississippi

Samuel Clemens was the real mane of the famous writer Mark Twain. Twain grew up in Missouri in the years before the American Civil War. During this time, Missouri still recognized slavery as legal. These conditions had a noticeable impact on Twain’s writing. They can be seen in the themes dealt with in his novels. At the time of the Civil War, Twain was in his late twenties. He did not actually fight in the war. He lived in Nevada and California during the war years.

Even though Twain was a successful writer, he held a number of other jobs over his lifetime. He worked as a miner, steamboat operator, and lecturer. His wealth of experiences across the United States provided him with much of the material used in his writing. Twain did not start out writing novels, however. He wrote for newspapers first.

Of his novels, many feel that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the best. The story takes place in a fictional town much like Twain’s own hometown in Missouri. Huckleberry Finn runs away to escape from his father. His father only wants to claim him as his son in order to get his hands on the money the boy has inherited. Huckleberry decides to escape by traveling down the Mississippi River. In doing so, he meets a runaway slave named Jim, and the two decide that they will head south to Cairo, Illinois. There they will take a steamboat up the river so that Jim may escape into a state where he will be legally free. The two have many adventures as they travel on the river and become friends.

However, Huckleberry is torn. He knows that Jim is a runaway slave, and in helping him, he is doing something illegal. Coming from a slave state, Huckleberry was taught through churches and schools that slavery was both right and legal. People who helped slaves escape were viewed as criminals themselves. Throughout the novel, Huckleberry is torn between what he has been told is right and what he knows is right in his heart. He finally throws off the ideas he was raised with and helps Jim escape. The novel ends with Huckleberry’s return to his hometown, where he finds that his father has died. Jim is freed, and Huckleberry states his plan to head westward.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is notable for a number of reasons. It explores the ties of family and friends. Further, Huckleberry can be seen as one of the most dynamic characters in American literature. Throughout the story, he struggles to reconcile the views he has been raised with and what he knows is actually right. Some critics have even suggested that Huckleberry’s experiences and internal struggles represent Twain’s own struggles with the practice of slavery.

The novel itself is also stylistically remarkable. It shown the true spoken language of the time; that is, Twain wrote the characters’ speech the way it was, rather than using the proper spelling. This gives the book a feeling of realism that was quite fresh at the time. However, the novel included a word for African Americans that was and still is considered "bad.” The main character also acts in ways that some parents and teachers do not prove of. As a result, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been banned at times from schools and libraries.

Twain wrote a number of books, but The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is by far the most popular. It continues to be widely read in public schools across the United States today. Its characters, settings, original use of language, and biting social commentary truly set the novel apart. Many consider it one of the most important books published in the United States.

Source: Reading the World Now Students’ Book 1. Page 6-7.

Slides of new vocabulary from the reading text

"Adventures on the Mississippi”

Reading Comprehension Quiz

Directions: Choose the best answer for each question.

1. What is the reading text "Adventures on the Mississippi" mainly about?

(Textually implicit comprehension)

    a. The Adventures of Mark Twain in the Mississippi River.

    b. The Adventures of Jim with his father in the Mississippi River.

    c. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Jim in the Mississippi River.

    d. The Adventures of Twain's father in the Mississippi River.

2. What was the real name of Mark Twain? (Textually explicit comprehension)

    a. Samuel Clemens                                       b. Huckleberry

    c. Jim                                                            d. Finn

3. Mark Twain used to do many jobs over his lifetime except ________.

(Textually explicit comprehension)

    a. a lecturer                                                   b. a miner

    c. a steamboat operator                                d. a diver

4. According to the reading text, which of the following is TRUE?

(Critical implicit comprehension)

     a. Twain only did the writings for his living.

     b. Huckleberry Finn was another name of Twain.

     c. Twain wrote news before novels.

     d. Twain did not like his hometown.

5. "The two have many adventures as they travel on the river and become friends."

What does "two" refer to? (Textually implicit comprehension)

     a. Twain and Huckleberry                           b. Twain and Jim

     c. Huckleberry and Jim                               d. Huckleberry and his father

6. According to the sentence "..., and the two decide that they will head south to Cairo, Illinois. There they will take a steamboat up the river ...”, the word "There” refers to ___________. (Textually implicit comprehension)

      a. California                b. Illinois                    c. Missouri                  d. Nevada

7. What makes Huckleberry Finn torn? (Textually implicit comprehension)

      a. Helping Jim.                                          b. Coming back his hometown.

      c. Traveling by a steamboat.                      d. Escaping his father.

8. Why did some people not approve of the language used in the novel? (Textually implicit comprehension)

    a. Twain did not use the proper spelling of words.

    b. Twain included a word that many people did not like.

    c. Twain put states where slavery was legal in a bad light.

    d. Twain used too many words that people did not understand.

9. Which one is TRUE about The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn?

(Critical implicit comprehension)

    a. The author of The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn is Mark Twain.

    b. Huckleberry Finn is the funniest character in American literature.

    c. Jim is a slave in the Huckleberry Finn’s house.

    d. This novel is not popular because of its language.

10. It can be inferred from the passage that Mark Twain __________. (Scripturally implicit comprehension)

    a. did not like slaves

    b. wrote the story for his father

    c. had very bad experience with his family

    d. represented his opinion throughout the story