Reading
Mark Twain
Before you start reading, study the following vocabulary:
Get along with
Constitution
Admire
Skills
Violent
Essential
Proof
Delight
Mark Twain was the pen name of the American author Samuel Longhorn Clemens, who was born in 1835 and died in 1910.
Is getting along with Americans important to you? To get along with Americans you have to respect two things. One of them is the Constitution, which is the basis for the government of the United States. The other is the writer Mark Twain. Every American respects these two things. No American wants to accept lack of respect for them.
Some Europeans ask me why they should read books that Twain wrote for children. Of course, children know about Huck Finn, his friend Jim and their trip down the Mississippi. Huck and Tom Sawyer have adventures and fun. Children admire their independence and their skills. Tom, Huck, Twain and the like stand together on one side. The adult world stands on the other. So Twain did write for children. No child wants to miss the fun. Children read his books to enjoy them.
However, I think Twain also wrote those books for adults. The fun is for everyone. The darker sides of the stories are for grown-ups. Huck's father is a drinker. Tom lives in a limited and hypocritical world. Aunt Polly and Jim may be very good people, but Twain wrote about violent adults too.
If you saw the Mississippi, you would understand. There is nothing like the Mississippi in Europe. The river gave Samuel Longhorn Clemens his first profession, riverboat pilot. Later he took his pen name from the call signaling water deep enough for a riverboat. By the mark twain!
The river is great and Twain used it to write about the great problems of American life. Reading Twain is essential to understanding America.
Do you still want proof? An intellectual Czech friend of mine has just finished a book by Mark Twain. The smooth writing style and the intelligent story delighted her. Sharing all my Twain books with her is going to be fun.
I want you to read books by Mark Twain too. Any book will do to start.
Questions
Choose the correct explanations...
- The author writes about Twain because…
- Why should Europeans read Twain?
- Why does the article say that Tom and Huck "have adventure and fun?"
- Why does the article say that nothing in Europe is like the Mississippi?
- Why does the author name some of Twain's characters?
Are the following statements about the article correct?
1. For Twain the Mississippi was a symbol.
2. The article says Twain actually wrote only for adults.
3. The author is trying to explain part of American culture.
4. The author thinks no European understands Twain.
5. The author denies that Twain wrote adventure stories.