Who is this?

Mark Twain

One of the most influential American authors of all time, Mark Twain wrote about slavery and other controversial topics. However, he was never short on providing humor and insight in his writing. He is famous for using humor as a tool to engage his readers and to take on difficult topics in an interesting way.

What is an adjective that you would use to describe Mark Twain’s tone as a writer?

Who could we compare him to in our society today?

Audience

The writer’s intended audience is very much related to the tone of their writing. In the particular essay that we are about to read, Twain’s audience is a group of high school females who attend an all girls boarding school.

While Reading…

We will read this essay a paragraph at a time. While doing this, you will:

1. Circle any words that you do not know. 2. Highlight important words and phrases, that

indicate the author’s tone. 3. At the end of every paragraph you will write

a quick summary in your own words of what the paragraph is about.