Lesson9MarkTwain—MirrorofAmerica.ppt

Lesson 9 Mark Twain — Mirror of America Teaching Aims Background knowledge Comprehension of the text and the mastery of the important language points Paraphrase of certain complicated or difficult sentences Enlargement of the students vocabulary Familiarization with the styles of composition and devices Mirror of America --- Metaphor. A mirror can reflect or reveal the truth of something or somebody. Mirror here means a person who gives a true representation or description of the country. Why? All literary giants in human history are also great historians, thinkers, and philosophers in a sense. Their works often reveal more truth than many political essays put together, and their names usually live in people’s memory long after the names of all kings and queens that ruled the country are forgotten. Mark Twain was one of these giants, and his life and works are a mirror of the America of his time. Background knowledge General introduction to Mark Twain What do you know about Mark Twain? Have you ever read his works? Can you tell us sth. about his books? the pseudonym (pen name) of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835-1910) America’s most famous humorist and the author of popular and outstanding autobiographical works, travel books and novels. General introduction to Mark Twain The first 36 years of Clemens’ life: as a boy in a little town in Missouri as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi as a reporter on the far western frontier as a traveler abroad All kinds of life experience supplied him with copious (plentiful/abundant) material which he used later for his best and most successful writings. General introduction to Mark Twain He began life as Samuel L. Clemens and ended it as Mark Twain. He was Americas foremost humorist, philosopher and man of letters (literature). 1) Boyhood Born in the small village of Florida, Missouri on Nov. 30, 1835, young Clemens was the third son and sixth child of a lawyer. As Father’s business faile