Mark Twain and The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County + Bret Harte and The Outcasts of Poker Flat

what is Mark Twain referred to as

lincoln of literature

where did Twain grow up

hannibal missouri

what forced twain to grow up and work as a printer’s apprentice

death of dad

how did he come up with Mark Twain and what does it mean

at twenty one he became a pilot on Mississippi riverboat, safe passage

where did twain go during the civil war and what story did he write there

west to nevada and California to search for gold and silver then stayed in San Fran where he wrote TCJFOCC

what story brought twain fame

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of calaveras county

what did twain write that cemented him as a popular writer

the innocents abroad, that poked fun at tourists

who did twain marry and where did he stay with her and write his next two novels

wealthy easterner Olivia Langdon in Hartford connecticut where he wrote TAOFTS and TAOHF which were inspired by childhood memories

what made twain bitter at the end of his life and what did it make him focus on

financial and professional setbacks, focused on depravity of human nature

what is the setting of the celebrated frog story

early 1860s in small mining town called angel’s camp

where is angel’s camp

calaveras county california

why did people move to california

the California gold rush- to strike rich

what was life like in a mining camp and how did they entertain themselves

very hard with no entertainment so they created tall tales and stories together in a group

what were some of the stories/tall tales about and how were they passed on

larger than life characters like Paul bunyan, characters who were physically strong or who had mental tricks, passed by word of mouth and newspapers all across the country that talked of western humor

what is a frame story

a story within a story

what did this story use

local color and dialect and colloquialism- the way in which people speak related to a particular geographical location

who is the story about and what is his problem

jim smiley, betting problem

who narrated celebrated frog story from the beginning

unknown narrator

who is the narrator seeking info on

rev. leonidas w. smiley

who is the focus of the frame story

jim smiley

what is the name of the frog

dan’l webster

what was the name of the bull pup

andrew jackson

how long did it take for smiley to educate the frog in order to make him a championship jumper

three months

why did andrew Jackson die

he was ashamed of being beaten by a dog with no hind legs

how much money was wagered in frog comp

40 bucks

why did dan’l Webster lose the comp

weighed down by 5 lbs of quail shot

what does the stranger say when he wins and leaves

i don’t know p’ints about that frog that’s any better’n any other frog

as the narrator is ready to leave what does the old man start talking about

a one eyed cow

who tells the story of Jim smiley

simon wheeler

when does jim’s story start

spring of ‘49-50

what was Jim described as and why

he was the “curiousest” man and he was uncommon lucky with whatever he bet on- dog fights, cat fights, chicken fights, birds leaving first, and even on the life of a (Parson Walker)preacher’s wife

how would Jim make money

double or nothing

how was the stranger able to win the frog comp

jim goes out to look for a frog for the stranger and while he’s doing that the stranger fills the frog with 5 lbs of quail shots and makes him swallow it so the frog is too heavy to jump and smiley loses

does smiley learn his lesson

no, he keeps on betting

what is bret known as a writer for

his colorful and romantic/glorified stories of the far west

where was bret born and what jobs did he have

albany, NY where he was a wells Fargo guard(protected stage coach from robbers since it was at first a transporting goods company), drugstore clerk, journalist and then an editor

where did bret become the editor of in california

northern californian

what did bret co found and who did he hire

weekly californian, twain

what story made bret famous

the luck of roaring camp

where did bret spend the rest of his life and what did he inspire

in Europe, his stories inspired many movies

what was bret’s portrait of the west like

seedy prospector, dance hall girl with a heart of gold, and the cynical gambler

what is the setting of TOOPF

1800s midwest

who are the main characters and what did they become

mr. oakhurst-gambler, uncle billy-drunkard/jerk, mother shipton and duchess-prostitutes, became outcasts

why did they get booted from poker flat and what is specific about oakhurst

the town committee deemed them improper persons, he won money from people and that made them upset

what is the mood of the outcasts of poker flat in the first paragraph

ominous, suspenseful, sabbath lull/quiet

does oakhurst know that people are after him and what is his attitude and what does this show

yes, he’s calm and rational which shows how he would handle high pressure situations

how does the town committee judge the outcasts

on easily established standards of evil where they only look at the outside and not the inside, labels

what is duchess’s and uncle billy’s reaction to being outcasts

they curse yet accept their fates

what is oakhurst’s reaction to being an outcast

calm, cool, collected

where do the outcasts decide to go and what is their main obstacle

sandy bar, go thru a mountain in the sierras during winter

what did oakhurst know about this journey to sandy bar

they can’t stop or have any delays because they don’t have enough supplies

who do the outcasts meet on the way to sandy bar and where are they going

tom and piney- runaway bride and groom who are very young, innocent and naive, going to poker flat

does oakhurst know tom

yes, he gambled with him and took advantage

what did piney think of Oakhurst and one of the ladies and who reacted

that they were together, billy was about to say something until he got kicked

where do they go when they see the weather getting bad and what does Oakhurst worry about

old mining cabin, the storm is changing they have no supplies

when Oakhurst woke up first who left and did he go after them

billy with all the supplies and horses, no because it was useless anyway

what happens when they run out of food

tom goes to get help and oakhurst went with him

why did mother shipton die

she starved herself to save her rations for piney

how do duchess and piney die

sleeping together to keep each other warm, exposure

why does Oakhurst kill himself

he couldn’t face his fate

what do the actions of duchess and mother shipton show about them

how the townspeople regarded them as improper people yet they took care of piney

what is a flat character and who is it in the story

one person stays the same thru out story, uncle billy

what is a static character and who is it in the story

remains mostly the same, piney

what is a round character and who is it in the story

varied traits and can be contradictory with the way they act, Mr oakhurst

what is a dynamic character and who is it in the story

grows and changes thru out story, mother shipton and duchess