Unit 6 Mark Twain –Mirror of America

1. Unit 6 Mark Twain –Mirror of America Noel Grove (para.16-end)

2. Mark Twain _____ and experimented with his new writing  _____, but he had to leave the city for a while because of  some ______ columns he wrote.  His descriptions of the rough-country settlers there ______ familiarly in modern world accustomed to ________ on the West Coast. 

3. It was a ______ population – for all the slow, sleepy, ______-brained ______ stayed at home... It was that population that gave to California a name for getting up ______ enterprises and ______ them through with a magnificent dash and ______ and a recklessness of cost or ______, which she bears unto this day – and when she ______ a new surprise, the grave world smiles as usual, and says ‘Well, that is California all over. ’

4. Two year s later the opportunity came for him to take a _____ American look at the Old World. In New York City the steamship Quaker City prepared to sail on a ______ cruise to Europe and the Holy Land.  Twain was______ to accompany them, as ___________ for a California newspaper. If readers expected the usual _______ travelogue, they were ______surprised. 

5. Part 3 (Para. 16-18) Huck Finn Function of sentence 1 Transitional sentence

6. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The Widow Douglas and her sister, Miss Watson, have taken Huck into their home in order to try and teach him religion and proper manners. Instead of obeying his guardians, however, Huck sneaks out of the house at night to join Tom Sawyer’s gang and pretend that they are robbers and pirates.One day Huck discovers that his father, Pap Finn, has returned to town. Huck is worried about Pap’s intentions, especially toward his invested money. When Pap confronts Huck and warns him to quit school but, Huck continues to attend school just to spite Pap. Huck’s fears are soon realized when Pap kidnaps him.

7. Although Huck becomes somewhat comfortable with his life free from religion and school, Pap’s beatings become too severe, and Huck fakes his own murder and escapes down the Mississippi. Huck lands a few miles down at Jackson’s Island, and there he stumbles across Miss Watson’s slave, Jim, who has run away for fear he will be sold down the river. Huck and Jim soon escape down the river on a raft. Jim’s plan is to reach the Illinois town of Cairo, and take the Ohio River up to the free states. The plan troubles Huck and his conscience.

8. However, Huck continues to stay with Jim, despite his belief that he is breaking all of society and religion’s tenets. Huck’s struggle with the concept of slavery and Jim’s freedom continues throughout the novel. The only time that Huck and Jim feel that they are truly free is when they are aboard the raft. This freedom and tranquility are shattered by the arrival of the duke and the king, who commandeer the raft and force Huck and Jim to stop at various river towns in order to perform confidence scams on the inhabitants. Huck and Jim escape and are soon joined by the duke and the king

9. Disappointed at their lack of income, the duke and the king betray Huck and Jim, and sell Jim back into slavery. When Huck goes to find Jim, he discovers that Jim is being held captive on Silas and Sally Phelps’ farm. The Phelps think Huck is their visiting nephew, Tom Sawyer, and Huck easily falls into the role of Tom. Tom Sawyer soon arrives and, after Huck explains Jim’s captivity, Tom takes on the guise of his own brother, Sid. After dismissing Huck’s practical method of escape, Tom suggests they concoct an elaborate plan to free Jim. Tom’s plan is haphazardly based on several of the prison and adventure novels he has read, and the simple act of freeing Jim becomes a complicated farce(闹剧) with rope ladders, snakes, and mysterious messages.

10. When the escape finally takes place, a pursuing farmer shoots Tom in the calf. Because Jim will not leave the injured Tom, Jim is again recaptured and taken back to the Phelps farm. At the farm, Tom reveals the entire scheme to Aunt Sally and Uncle Silas. Readers learn that Miss Watson has passed away and freed Jim in her will, and Tom has been aware of Jim’s freedom the entire time. At the end of the novel, Jim is finally set free and Huck ponders his next adventure away from civilization.

11. Part 3 (Para. 16-18) Huck Finn the juvenile pariah : the young social outcast puritanical： relating to Puritanism: excessively strict in matters of morals and religion

12. Part 3 (Para. 16-18) Huck Finn Fleeing a respectable life : Huck was adopted by the kind-hearted widow Douglas who was determined to have him and turn him into a “respectable” boy . But Huck could not stand it . Eventually he ran away to seek his freedom .

13. a moving panorama for exploration of American society: a moving and constantly changing picture for close examination of American society

14. Part 3 (Para. 16-18) Huck Finn pace: the speed at which something happens deplore： feel sorrow about

15. Part 3 (Para. 16-18) Huck Finn Life’s regularities: life’s regular activities energy-sapping: energy-consuming. Sap means to drain away The long walk sapped the old lady’s strength. clamour： loud and persistent outcry 喧闹，大声的要求

16. On the river, and especially with Huck Finn, Twain found the ultimate expression of escape . . .: By describing the river (the Mississippi ), and especially Huck Finn, Twain best expressed the desire of escape… 通过对密密西西比河，尤其是对哈克的描写，马克吐温的淋漓尽致地表达了解脱的愿望，从他为之悲哀而又不得不遵循的生活常规中解脱出来，从耗尽心血的名利追逐中解脱出来。 通过对密西西比河，尤其是对哈克费恩这一人物的描写，马克吐温将自己想从那束缚着自己并常常令自己苦恼的生活步调中摆脱出来，从生活中的各种清规戒律以及为了事业成功而进行的艰苦挣扎中解放出来的愿望表达得淋漓尽致

17. Para. 19 lay ourselves on the shelf occasionally and renew our edges: edge: the sharp part of a blade relax, rest, or stay away from all this crazy struggle for success occasionally and keep our edges sharp. Mark Twain thinks the Americans should keep their daring and enterprising spirit. “我们只消偶尔地躺下来好好放松休息一下，保持锋棱利角，我们将有可能成为一个多么朝气蓬勃的民族，一个多么富有思想的民族啊!”

18. Part4 (Para.20-22) Function of sentence 1 Personal tragedy haunted his entire life : Personal tragedies occurred repeatedly throughout his life. haunt： ① She was haunted by sad memories. ② Poverty and poor health haunted that famous musician.

19. Bitterness fed on the man who had made the world laugh: Bitterness---laugh The man who had made the world laugh was himself consumed by bitterness. feed on ( upon) : take as food, eat up. ( personification) 这个曾给全世界带来欢笑的人却饱尝了人世间的苦难。

20. Part4 (Para.21) The moralizing of his early writing had been well padded with humor. Now the gloves came off with biting satire. In his early writing，the moral teaching was concealed in great humor，but now he became mercilessly bitter and satirical.

21. padded with humor : covered , stuffed, filled with humor the glover came off: but now he became mercilessly bitter and satirical . “an iron hand in a velvet glove” (ruthlessness concealed by good manners, soft speech, etc.) 口蜜腹剑，笑里藏刀

22. 神秘的陌生人 奇怪，真的，你们竟会没有怀疑到你们的宇宙和其中的东西都只是梦，幻景，虚空！奇怪，因为它们都那么显然，那么歇斯底里地不合理——跟所有的梦一样：一个上帝，他可以造出好孩子——跟造坏孩子一样轻而易举——却情愿造出坏孩子来；他可以叫他们每个人都快乐，却从来不曾叫一个人快乐过；他叫他们珍视他们痛苦的生命，自己却吝啬地把它们截得短短的；他给天使们永久的、不劳而获的快乐，却需要他的其他的孩子用劳力去获得它。他给天使们无痛无苦的生命，却用精神上跟肉体上剧烈的困苦跟疾病来折磨他的其他的孩子；他高呼正义，却创造了地狱——高呼慈悲，却创造了地狱——高呼‘宝训’，高呼要饶恕人七十个七次，却创造了地狱；他对其他人民高呼道德，自己却一点儿也没有；他横眉怒目地斥责罪恶，自己却犯了所有的罪；他自作主张地创造了人类，却把人类所作所为的责任推卸到人类头上——而不是光明正大地把它放在它应属的地方——他自己的头上；最后，他利用一切神圣的愚蠢，引诱这个可怜巴巴、受尽虐待的奴隶来崇拜他！……

23. Part4 (Para.22) a crushing sense of despair : an overwhelming sense of despair , e. g. a crushing defeat Despair---desperation In a horrible flood: despair might make you give up and resign yourself to drowning. Desperation might drive you to steal the neighbor's boat.

24. final release from earthly struggles : euphemism for death earthly : adjective, worldly

25. of no consequence : of no value lament : to feel or express deep sorrow for e.g. lament a death.

26. they vanish from a world where they were of no consequence; where they achieved nothing; where they were a mistake and a failure and a foolishness; where they have left no sign that they had existed – a world which will lament them a day and forget them forever