Life On The Mississippi And The Notorious Jumping Frog Of Calaveras County

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Mark Twain’s memoir, Life on the Mississippi, and his short story “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” utilize the definitive styles of a great American writer. Twain’s signature style of writing are found within these two pieces, as he incorporates the language and themes from the American South to depict where he is from. Twain, being a humorist and entertainer, includes comedic dialogue and scenes in nearly all of his writings, each containing various degrees of jest. Life on the Mississippi and “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” both share numerous features commonly found in Twain’s work, but differ greatly in their manipulations of humor. One method Twain uses to apply humor in his writing is through the depiction …show more content…

An example of exaggeration in the short story “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” includes, “if there was two birds setting on a fence, he would bet you which one would fly first” (Twain 420). This exaggeration shows that character, Jim Smiley, will wager on all, not matter how meager or futile. It also reveals that Simon Wheeler’s character does not see the reason behind Smiley’s gambles. Another use of exaggeration is in Life on the Mississippi is when Twain describes his town before the steamboat arrives. He says “the white town drowsing in the sunshine of a summer’s morning; the streets empty, or pretty nearly so: one or two clerks sitting in front of the Water Street stores, with their splint-bottomed chairs tilted back against the wall, chins on breasts, hats slouched over their faces... “ (Twain 409). Twain uses realistic and graphic details to emphasize the setting. By using humorous descriptions, Twain is able to amuse the reader and keep them engaged. In order for the reader to understand the writer’s life on the Mississippi, the reader must feel the connection between Twain, the river, and its

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