The Life an Writings of Mark Twain

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On November 30th , 1835 , in Florida, Missouri the prolific American author Samuel Longhorne Clemens was born. More commonly referred to by his pseudonym, Mark Twain has become one of the most recognizable authors ever . Twain's rise to fame is merely a tessera in his life, four other epochs of Twain's life are; his early years, Twain's young adulthood, financial decline, and his late life.

At the age of four, Samuel moved from Florida ,Missouri to Hannibal ,Missouri. Missouri, being a state four only 13 years had become heavily dependent on slave labor. While his father only owned one slave , his uncle owned a farm and owned several. As a child Samuel spent his summers on his uncles farm , and had come to enjoy tall tales and slave spirituals. In 1847 , when Samuel was 11, his father died. Soon after , he left school. Holding only a fifth grade education Samuel had found his first vocation at a newspaper. His job was to arrange the letters on each press. This allowed him to earn a decent salary and to read about local and global affairs. This sparked an initial interest in writing.(http://www.marktwainhouse.org/man/biography_main.php )

In 1854, Clemens moved to the north and wrote for local newspapers in both New York and Pennsylvania . Three years later, after moderate success in journalism, Clemens returned to his previous home to become a riverboat pilot on the Mississippi river. His initial destination was South America, but he stopped in New Orleans and ended up as a riverboat pilot,hence the name-Mark Twain, a piloting term which means “two fathoms”(Http://www.reference.com. Ask.com ). This occupation came to an end ion 1861 with the beginning of the civil war. For a two week period , Samuel was a volunteer in a co...

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...himself cannot be written” (Mark Twain). Moreover, the all that can be concluded is that Mark Twain experienced many extremes , all of which shaped him into the acclaimed author we know today.

Works Cited

LeMaster, J. R., James D. Wilson, and Christie Graves. Hamric. The Mark Twain Encyclopedia. New York: Garland Pub., 1993. Print.

"Mark Twain." Http://www.reference.com. Ask.com. Web. .

"Mark Twain Quotes - Page 2 - BrainyQuote." Famous Quotes at BrainyQuote. Web. 01 June 2011. .

The New International Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New York: Dodd, Mead &, 1930. 440. Print.

"Welcome to the Mark Twain House & Museum - Biography of Mark Twain." Welcome to the Mark Twain House & Museum - Home. Web. 01 June 2011. .

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