selection focus 1-1 literary elements trans. 1-1

Andrew Jackson was a good pup with talent, who would have become famous if he’d lived.

Smiley was very proud of his frog because many well-traveled and knowledgeable people said it was the best frog they’d ever seen.

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• To read and analyze a humorous short story about a gambling man who is conned at his own game

• To identify and evaluate colloquial language

• To write a description and analysis of a setting

Mark Twain was born in 1835 and died in 1910.

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BACKGROUND


Did You Know?In the remote mining camps and frontier towns of the 1800s, life was hard and entertainment was scarce. To create some fun and laughter, people invented tall tales–stories containing such quirky, larger-than-life characters as Pecos Bill and Paul Bunyan. Such tales were often first passed by word of mouth, with each person adding a few details. Later these tales frequently appeared in newspapers.

The Time and PlaceThis story takes place in the early 1860s in a small mining town called Angel’s Camp, which still exists in Calaveras County, California. At Angel’s Camp, Twain first heard someone tell the story that he later developed into “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.”

VOCABULARY PREVIEW


garrulous: (adj) talkative; p. 462 conjecture: (v) to form an opinion without definite

evidence; to guess; p. 462 reminiscence: (n) an account of a past experience

or event; p. 462 dilapidated: (adj) fallen into ruin or decay; shabby;

p. 462 interminable: (adj) seemingly endless; p. 463 enterprising: (adj) showing energy and initiative,

especially in beginning new projects; p. 468 vagabond: (n) someone who wanders from place to

place, having no visible means of support; p. 468

FOCUS ACTIVITY


List IdeasJot down two or more examples of humorous exaggerations that you have heard and explain why you think each one is funny.

Have you ever heard someone use a humorous exaggeration, such as “I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse”?

Setting a PurposeRead to enjoy a story that is filled with humorous exaggerations.

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A B C D E F G H I J K L

A Active Reading

PredictRead the title and the first paragraph of the story.

What will the story be about?

Possible answer: The rest of the story is about Wheeler’s “long and tedious” reminiscence of his acquaintance, Jim Smiley. One might conclude from the title that the story will have something to do with a frog.


CharacterizationNotice the sharp contrast between the language of the narrator and the language of Wheeler.

Find examples of words or phrases used by the narrator that seem formal. What might this formal language suggest about the narrator?Some examples include “hereunto append the result,” “infernal reminiscence,” and “reeled off the monotonous narrator.” The language suggests that the narrator has some education.

Literary ElementsB

C Author’s Craft

ToneTwain’s tone helps make the story humorous. Although the tale of Smiley might seem absurd to most people, Wheeler relates it in a serious manner, as if he believes it is a true story. This juxtaposition between tone and content adds a comic element to the story.


Critical ThinkingD

Drawing Conclusions

What can you conclude about Smiley’s character and his attitude toward gambling based on the story about Parson Walker’s wife?

Possible answer: Smiley lacks empathy, is highly inconsiderate, and is so obsessed with gambling that he will place a bet at even the most inappropriate of times.

E Author’s Craft

SimileTwain makes absurd comparisons to add humor to the story. Using similes, he says that the underjaw of Smiley’s dog sticks out “like the fo’castle of a steamboat” and that his teeth “shine savage like the furnaces.”


Evaluate

F Active Reading

After reading the first four pages, do you think Wheeler’s story rings true? Why do you think Wheeler told it?

Possibly this story is a “tall tale,” told simply to amuse or entertain the stranger.

Drawing ConclusionsDraw a conclusion about Smiley’s character based on the stories about his animals.

Critical ThinkingG


What do you like about Smiley? What do you disklike?

Possible answers: • Smiley’s treatment of his animals

seems to show his cruelty.• Smiley seems foolish when he says he

can educate his frog.

PersonificationTwain endows the frog with the human qualities of modesty and straightforwardness. This technique, called personification, adds humor to the story.

Literary ElementsH

Predict

I Active Reading

Based on what you already know about Smiley, do you think the stranger or Smiley will win the bet?


CharacterThe fact that the stranger thinks of his plan while waiting for Smiley indicates that his decision to fill the frog with quail shot was premeditated.

Do you think Smiley would have done the same thing in the stranger’s situation?

Possible answer: Smiley has not cheated to win bets in the past, so he probably would not have acted as the stranger did.

Literary ElementsJ

EvaluatingEvaluate the story about the jumping frog by asking yourself if you agree with the narrator’s poor opinion of Smiley’s story.

Critical ThinkingK

Did you find the story amusing or interminable?


InterpretTwain once wrote, “The humorous story may be spun out to great length and may wander around as much as it pleases, and arrive nowhere in particular.”

L Active Reading

Does this story fit Twain’s description?

The story fits this description: Wheeler’s tale has no real purpose, he recounts a number of incidents in no particular order, and he only stops because the narrator refuses to hear any more.

Personal Response

Analyzing Literature

Literary Elements

Literature and Writing

Skill Minilessons

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PERSONAL RESPONSEWhat questions would you like to ask Simon Wheeler?

He thinks Wheeler is boring (Wheeler almost bores him to death) and ignorant (he thinks Wheeler does not realize that the story is absurd).

How does the narrator come to meet Simon Wheeler and to hear his story? How does the narrator describe Wheeler’s storytelling style?The narrator’s friend tells him to call on Wheeler to ask after Leonidas W. Smiley. He says Wheeler is monotonous but earnest.

RECALL

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INTERPRETWhat can you infer about the narrator’s attitude toward Wheeler? Support your answer using details from the story.

Smiley is obsessed with gambling, heartless (he bets on a sick woman), and naive (he leaves the stranger alone with his frog).


For what reason does Wheeler call Smiley “the curiosest man”? What evidence does Wheeler use to support his statement?

Smiley bets on anything. He even bets on whether the parson’s wife will live or die.

RECALL

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the next question.INTERPRETWhat conclusions can you draw about Smiley’s character, based on the tale Wheeler tells? Use details from the story to support your answer.

Wheeler wants to establish Smiley’s obsession with gambling first and then build up to the story.


Summarize the methods that Smiley’s mare and bull pup use to win. What eventually becomes of Smiley’s dog?

The mare falls behind and then scrambles to the end. The pup bites its opponent’s hind leg. Smiley’s dog dies of a broken heart.

RECALL

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the next question.INTERPRETWhy do you think Wheeler tells about the mare and bull pup first, before focusing on the frog?

Possible answer: It is absurd to call a frog modest and straightforward.


What amazing things can Smiley’s frog do? What personality traits does Wheeler attribute to the frog?

It can out-jump any frog, turn somersaults and land on its feet, and catch flies out of the air. Wheeler says the frog is modest and straightforward.

RECALL

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the next question.INTERPRETWhat aspects of Wheeler’s description of Smiley’s frog do you find particularly absurd?

The stranger cheats by filling Smiley’s frog with quail shot so that he is too heavy to jump.

Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the next question.INTERPRETWhat event or events determine the outcome of the encounter with the stranger? Explain your answer.


Summarize what happens after Smiley meets the stranger.

Smiley bets the stranger that his frog will out-jump any frog. When Smiley leaves to find a competitor, the stranger fills Smiley’s frog with quail shot, making him too heavy to jump. Smiley loses the bet.

RECALL

EVALUATE AND CONNECT


What funny exaggerations have you heard? Compare these with your favorite exaggerations from this story. Which ones are funnier? Why?

Humorous exaggerations from the story include that the mare “always had asthma, or the distemper, or the consumption,” and that the dog died of a broken heart.



How do Wheeler’s personality and manner of speaking add to the story’s humor? Use specific examples to support your ideas.

Wheeler’s monotone and sincerity, and the tale’s implausibility, make his story funnier.

EVALUATE AND CONNECTWould you have stayed to hear Wheeler’s story about Smiley’s “yaller one-eyed cow that didn’t have no tail”? Why or why not?



Think of a performer who uses exaggeration for comic effect. How does this person’s use of exaggeration compare with Wheeler’s?

Possible answer: Comedians exaggerate on purpose. Wheeler does not.



In this selection, one story serves as a frame for another story. Why might Mark Twain have chosen this structure? What role does the narrator play?

Twain contrasts Wheeler’s colorful regional language with the narrator’s dry Standard English. The frame structure permits Twain to comment on Wheeler and his story. The narrator’s departure also provides a logical conclusion.

• Colloquial language refers to the informal speech that people use in everyday conversation.

LITERARY ELEMENTS

• Often, the vocabulary and expressions people use, as well as their manner of speaking, are specific to a particular geographical region.

• To represent colloquial language accurately, writers often break the standard rules of punctuation, spelling, and grammar.

• Examples of colloquial language in this story include ketched and cal’klated.


LITERARY ELEMENTS


Identify at least two other examples of colloquial language in the story. Explain which rules of grammar, spelling, or punctuation are ignored in the characters’ speech.

Possible answers:• Curiosest is an incorrect superlative

form of curious.• Summerset is somersault spelled and

pronounced incorrectly.

LITERARY ELEMENTS


Why might colloquial language be inappropriate in a formal essay or an article that explains how to do something?

Colloquial language, by definition, departs from Standard English; therefore, it may be difficult for people in other regions to understand it.

Analyze the Effect of SettingIn three paragraphs, describe the setting in which Simon Wheeler tells his story, and explore the following questions:

• Why might Twain have selected this setting?• How might the story have been different if

the narrator had met Wheeler in a city?

Support your opinions with details from the selection.

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Practice: The Latin root ject means “to throw.” Use your knowledge of the root ject and familiar prefixes to answer the following questions.

A dejected person would feel sad.

Does a person with dejected spirits feel hopeful, sad, or outraged?

He or she might say something funny.

What might a person giving a speech do to inject some humor?

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Practice: The Latin root ject means “to throw.” Use your knowledge of the root ject and familiar prefixes to answer the following questions.

A cannonball is used as a projectile.

Which is used as a projectile–a cannonball, a life raft, or a rocking chair?

“Oh!” is an interjection.

In the following sentence, which word is an interjection? “No, I did not tell him what I thought; but–oh!–how I wanted to!”

This feature is found on page 471 of your textbook.

After listening to the introduction, read the excerpt from the book Frogs, by David Badger, on page 471 of your textbook and respond to the questions on the following slides.

Photography/Science Book

Which fact about frogs surprised you the most? Explain.



Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the answer.This feature is found on page 471 of your textbook.


Why do you think frogs have developed so many ways of getting around?

Frogs may have developed several ways of getting around to adjust to their environments.

The author uses a quote from Twain’s story to introduce the article because his scientific description of different kinds of frogs reveals that there are “p’ints” that distinguish one frog from another. Note that science also plays a role in Twain’s story. The stranger uses scientific knowledge to win the bet: he knew that making Smiley’s frog heavier would hinder the frog’s ability to jump.


A short story is a brief piece of fiction, usually focusing on a single major event and on a few characters. Learning the language of literary analysis can help you understand and discuss how short stories are created and what makes them effective.

This feature is found on pages 472–473 of your textbook.

Short Story

Look at the following slides to see how “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” can be analyzed in terms of these elements.

Short Story

SettingSetting is the time and location of a story’s events; it may also include the ideas, beliefs, and values of the characters or of the particular society.

ELEMENT MODEL:

Since the story is a tale within a tale, it has two settings. It opens in the mining community of Angel’s Camp, California, some years after a particular frog-jumping contest.

Corresponding text for this feature can be found on pages 472–473 of your textbook.Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information.

“The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”

Short Story

CharactersCharacters are the actors in a story. Most characters are people, but they can also be animals, elements of nature, or other forces.

The protagonist of the inner story is Jim Smiley, and the antagonist is the stranger who bets against Smiley’s frog.

• The protagonist is the main character.

• The antagonist is the person or thing that opposes the main character. Not all stories have antagonists.

ELEMENT MODEL: “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”


Short Story

ELEMENT MODEL:

Point of ViewPoint of view is the perspective from which the narrator tells a story.



Short Story

ELEMENT MODEL: • First-person: the narrator is

a character in the story referred to as “I.”

• Third-person: the narrator is not a character, but describes the action and the characters from outside the story.

• Third-person omniscient: the narrator is all-knowing.

• Third-person limited: the narrator describes only what one character could know.

The narrator describes his visit with Simon Wheeler from a first-person point of view.

Point of View



Short Story

ELEMENT MODEL:

ThemeTheme is the central message of a story–an insight about life that readers can apply to their own lives. Most short stories have one major theme.

The main theme is implied by the stories that are told: even those who should know better can be outsmarted.

• Stated themes are directly presented in a story.

• Implied themes must be inferred by considering all the elements of a story.



Short Story

ELEMENT MODEL:PlotPlot is the series of related events through which characters explore a problem and solve it. The plot grows out of a conflict, a struggle that may involve people, ideas, or other forces.



• An external conflict is one between a character and an outside force.

Short Story

ELEMENT MODEL:

• An internal conflict takes place in the mind of a character who is torn between opposing feelings.

The events that make up the plot of the inner tale are shown on the diagram on the following slides. The conflict is external– Smiley versus the stranger, betting on whether Smiley’s frog can jump farther than any other frog in the county.


Plot


Short Story

PlotMost plots develop in five stages:


fell

begun

sought

saw

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