Lesson 9 nMark Twain - Mirror of AmericaObjectives of Teaching:nTo comprehend the whole textnTo lean and master the vocabulary and expressionsnTo learn to paraphrase the difficult sentencesnTo understand the structure of the textnTo appreciate the style and rhetoric of the passage.Important and difficult pointsn1. II. Questions for Text Understandingn1. What is a biography?n2. If you were asked to write a biography of sb., how are you going to arrange all the material available. What is the general way of writing a biography?n3. What kind of language do you expect to encounter and why?n4. What is the authors appraisal of Mark Twain?II. Questions for Text Understandingn5. Who was Mark Twain ? What had he been before he became an author? And where did his pen name come from?n6. Say something about the historical background of Mark Twains time.n7. How many stages do you think the author divide Mark Twains life into?III. Background Information: nNational Geographic Magazine, with a circulation of more than 10 million copies annually, is the third biggest only next to TV Guide and Readers Digest (more than 16 million ). It is a monthly journal run by the National Geographic Society based in Washington DC, a non- profit scientific and educational organization.III. Background Information:nA biography is, by definition, an account of someones life that has been written by someone else. Or a written history of someones life.nGenerally, a biography is about sb. who enjoys certain reputation, who has acquired certain fame by his / her success in certain area. The protagonist can be a positive or negative character.III. Background Information:nA brief outline of TomnTom lives with his younger brother Sid and Aunt Polly in St. Petersburg, a remote town on the banks of the Mississippi river. While his brother Sid is a “model” boy, Tom is quite the opposite of his brother. III. Background Information:nAt school he disobeys his teacher and always busies himself with outside matters at the lessons. Toms bosom friend is Huck Finn, a boy deserted by his drunkard of a father and looked upon as an outcast in the town.II. Background Information:nBut Tom has read many books and wants to make his life just as bright as it is depicted in the stories. He devises games in which the boys play the role of brave outlaws and warlike Red Indians who are the terror of the rich and the oppressors.II. Background Information:nOne night the boys involuntarily witness the murder of Dr. Robinson. An innocent man is charged with the crime. But on the day of the trial Tom fearlessly exposes the real criminal the Indian Joe who escapes through an open window of the courtroom.II. Background Information:nAnother night, the boys went out to dig for hidden treasures near a deserted house three miles from town. There they almost fall into the hands of the murderer who accidentally finds a box filled with gold coins.II. Background Information:nShortly after the incident Tom goes to a picnic with a party of schoolmates. Exploring a cave, he gets lost with Becky Thatcher, the daughter of the Judge. Tom behaves like a brave boy, calms Beckys fears and finds the way out of the cave.II. Background Information:nIn a few days time Tom and Huck return to the cave. They find the dead body of the murderer, who could not have found the way out of the cave and also the hidden treasures. II. Background Information:nA brief outline of HucknTom and Huck find the money. They each get six thousand dollars, which they deposit with Judge Thatcher. The Widow Douglas takes Huck for her son and tries to “civilize” him. II. Background Information:nIn the meantime, Hucks father tries to get the money and succeeds in kidnapping the boy and imprisons him in a lonely cabin. To free himself from both the boring widow and the brutal father, Huck runs away to a deserted island in the middle of the Mississippi river.II. Background Information:n In doing so, he makes it appear that he has been murdered by some robbers. On the island he meets Jim, Miss Watsons runaway slave, and the two become close friends.II. Background Information:n They started down the river, come across all sorts of people and have lots of fun and adventures. Toward the end of the novel Jim is caught and imprisoned at a farm, and Huck and Tom make a spectacular but unsuccessful attempt to rescue him. II. Background Information:nAt last it turns out that Hucks father has died and Miss Watson has also died, but not before setting Jim free in her will. III. Detailed study of the text:n1. Mirror of America: nA mirror reflects or reveals the truth of something or somebody.III. Detailed study of the text:n2. Most Americans remember Mark Twain as the father.nFather: metaphor. nEndless: hyperbole. nThe whole sentence: parallelism.III. Detailed study of the text:nMark Twain is famous to most Americans as the c