Mark Twain Research Paper Outline

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Recommended: The role of Mark Twain in American literature

Have you ever wondered about Mark Twain? Did you know Mark Twain’s life included bankruptcy, writing, and economic struggles? Did you know that Mark Twain is considered one of America’s best authors and humorists? Below I’ll be explaining Mark Twain’s life in a whole. My thesis is that Mark Twain’s writings reflect his life through his pen name and modeling on his childhood. To understand Mark Twain you first need to read an overview. Below will be the overview of Mark Twain’s life. Mark Twain was born to Jane, and John Clemens. (Liz Sonneborn 21) I’ll first point out that Mark Twain’s famous pen name; Mark Twain is really a pen name. Mark Twain’s real name is Samuel Clemens (21). Clemens was born 2 months early and was predicted …show more content…

(28) He was a typist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. (29) Twain then moved to Washington, D.C. Mark Twain only stayed in Washington, D.C for several months because of the high cost of living and the high competition of jobs. (29) Twain then went to work for Orion; however Orion refused to pay him like before. (29) After leaving Orion he started spending time in numerous cities. (29) Twain visited St. Louis, Chicago, and then Cincinnati. (29) After visiting those places he boarded a river boat and planned to take another river boat from the destination to Brazil where he’d engage in coco bean trade. (29) However he spoke to the river boat pilot about becoming a river boat pilot. (29) Eventually they agreed on five hundred dollars for the training, two hundred fifty upfront, and two hundred fifty after Twain was working. (32)
As Twain learned the Mississippi Twain came up with his pen name. While training Twain memorized the entire Mississippi. (33) Eventually his brother Orion and Henry both lose their job due to Orion closing down his printing business. (33) Mark Twain found Henry a job as a clerk aboard a river boat. …show more content…

(34) The civil war broke out and the Mississippi was blockaded by the Union effectively shutting down all riverboat traffic. (35) Twain out of fear of being forced to be a pilot for the Union fled to the south. (35) Twain in the south joined a militia group that wasn’t really soldiers. They pretty much spent their days hiding in the woods and even if the slightest chance of the Union soldiers is near; they would flee. (35) Some of his friends enlisted in the army; (35) however he decided not to and moved to Nevada. (35)
After a three week trip he arrived in Nevada. (36) Twain tried working for the Nevada legislature, but that was too conventional for him. (36) Twain tried starting his own lumber business but to no avail. (36) Their lumber business was over once they lit a campfire and lit their forest on fire. (36)
Twain then left for Virginia City, Nevada. (36) After arriving in Virginia City, he wrote several stories for a paper and was hired to be an editor for the paper. (36) Making twenty five dollars a week twain was unable to live the way he did. (36) While working in Virginia City Twain trotted out his newest and most popular pen name, Mark Twain. (37) He used it for a political report from Carson City (37) Mark Twain eventually thought his rival was going to challenge him to a duel. (38) So Twain left Nevada for San Francisco.

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