Loading...

Messages

Proposals

Stuck in your homework and missing deadline? Get urgent help in $10/Page with 24 hours deadline

Get Urgent Writing Help In Your Essays, Assignments, Homeworks, Dissertation, Thesis Or Coursework & Achieve A+ Grades.

Privacy Guaranteed - 100% Plagiarism Free Writing - Free Turnitin Report - Professional And Experienced Writers - 24/7 Online Support

Explain the analogy twain uses in paragraph 3

24/11/2021 Client: muhammad11 Deadline: 2 Day

Two Ways of Seeing a River

■ Mark Twain

Samuel L. Clemens (1835–1910), who wrote under the pen name of Mark Twain, was born in Florida, Missouri, and raised in Hannibal, Missouri. He wrote the novels Tom Sawyer (1876), The Prince and the Pauper (1882), Huckleberry Finn (1884), and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889), as well as many other works of fiction and nonfiction. One of America’s most popular writers, Twain is generally regarded as the most important practitioner of the realis- tic school of writing, a style that emphasizes observable details.

The following passage is taken from Life on the Mississippi (1883), Twain’s study of the great river and his account of his early experiences learning to be a river steamboat pilot. As you read the passage, notice how Twain makes use of figurative lan- guage in describing two very different ways of seeing the Mississippi River.

Reflecting on What You Know

As we age and gain experience, our interpretation of the same memory — or how we view the same scene — can change. For example, the way we view our own appearance changes all the time, and photos from our childhood or teenage years may sur- prise us in the decades that follow. Perhaps something we found amusing in our younger days may make us feel uncomfortable or embarrassed now, or perhaps the house we grew up in later seems smaller or less appealing than it used to. Write about a memory that has changed for you over the years. How does your interpre- tation of it now contrast with how you experienced it earlier?

Now when I had mastered the language of this water and had come to know every trifling feature that bordered the great river as familiarly as I knew the letters of the alphabet, I had made a valuable acquisition. But I had lost something, too. I had lost something which

1

C op

yr ig

ht b

y A

.F. B

ra dl

ey , N

.Y ./L

ib ra

ry

of C

on gr

es s

21_ROS_6784_ch19_487_516.indd 49321_ROS_6784_ch19_487_516.indd 493 22/10/14 4:29 PM22/10/14 4:29 PM

494 CHAPTER 19 – COMPARISON AND CONTRAST

could never be restored to me while I lived. All the grace, the beauty, the poetry, had gone out of the majestic river! I still kept in mind a certain wonderful sunset which I witnessed when steamboating was new to me. A broad expanse of the river was turned to blood; in the middle distance the red hue brightened into gold, through which a soli- tary log came floating, black and conspicuous; in one place a long, slanting mark lay sparkling upon the water; in another the surface was broken by boiling, tumbling rings that were as many tinted as an opal;1 where the ruddy flush was faintest was a smooth spot that was covered with graceful circles and radiating lines, ever so delicately traced; the shore on our left was densely wooded, and the somber shadow that fell from this forest was broken in one place by a long, ruffled trail that shone like silver; and high above the forest wall a clean-stemmed dead tree waved a single leafy bough that glowed like a flame in the unob- structed splendor that was flowing from the sun. There were graceful curves, reflected images, woody heights, soft distances, and over the whole scene, far and near, the dissolving lights drifted steadily, enrich- ing it every passing moment with new marvels of coloring.

I stood like one bewitched. I drank it in, in a speechless rapture. The world was new to me and I had never seen anything like this at home. But as I have said, a day came when I began to cease from noting the glories and the charms which the moon and the sun and the twilight wrought upon the river’s face; another day came when I ceased alto- gether to note them. Then, if that sunset scene had been repeated, I should have looked upon it without rapture and should have com- mented upon it inwardly after this fashion: “This sun means that we are going to have wind tomorrow; that floating log means that the river is rising, small thanks to it; that slanting mark on the water refers to a bluff reef which is going to kill somebody’s steamboat one of these nights, if it keeps on stretching out like that; those tumbling ‘boils’ show a dissolving bar and a changing channel there; the lines and cir- cles in the slick water over yonder are a warning that that troublesome place is shoaling up dangerously; that silver streak in the shadow of the forest is the ‘break’ from a new snag and he has located himself in the very best place he could have found to fish for steamboats; that tall dead tree, with a single living branch, is not going to last long, and then how is a body ever going to get through this blind place at night with- out the friendly old landmark?”

2

1opal: a multicolored, iridescent gemstone.

21_ROS_6784_ch19_487_516.indd 49421_ROS_6784_ch19_487_516.indd 494 22/10/14 4:29 PM22/10/14 4:29 PM

No, the romance and beauty were all gone from the river. All the value any feature of it had for me now was the amount of usefulness it could furnish toward compassing the safe piloting of a steamboat. Since those days, I have pitied doctors from my heart. What does the lovely flush in a beauty’s cheek mean to a doctor but a “break” that ripples above some deadly disease? Are not all her visible charms sown thick with what are to him the signs and symbols of hidden decay? Does he ever see her beauty at all, or doesn’t he simply view her professionally and comment upon her unwholesome condition all to himself? And doesn’t he sometimes wonder whether he has gained most or lost most by learning his trade?

Thinking Critically about This Reading

In the opening paragraph, Twain exclaims, “All the grace, the beauty, the poetry, had gone out of the majestic river!” What is “the poetry,” and why was it lost for him?

Questions for Study and Discussion

1. What method of organization does Twain use in this selection? (Glossary: Organization) What alternative methods might he have used? What would have been gained or lost?

2. Explain the analogy Twain uses in paragraph 3. (Glossary: Analogy) What is his purpose in using this analogy?

3. Twain uses a number of similes and metaphors in this selection. (Glossary: Figure of Speech) Identify three of each, and explain what Twain is comparing in each case. What do these figures of speech add to Twain’s writing?

4. Now that he has learned the trade of steamboating, does Twain believe that he has “gained most or lost most” (paragraph 3)? What has he gained, and what has he lost?

5. Twain points to a change of attitude he underwent as a result of seeing the river from a new perspective, that of a steamboat pilot. What role does knowledge play in Twain’s inability to see the river as he once did?

3

Twain / Two Ways of Seeing a River 495

21_ROS_6784_ch19_487_516.indd 49521_ROS_6784_ch19_487_516.indd 495 22/10/14 4:29 PM22/10/14 4:29 PM

496 CHAPTER 19 – COMPARISON AND CONTRAST

Classroom Activity Using Comparison and Contrast

Using the sample outlines on pages 487–88 as models, prepare both subject-by-subject and point-by-point outlines for one of the following topics:

dogs and cats as pets Facebook and Twitter an SUV and a hybrid car your local newspaper and the New York Times or USA Today a high school–level course and a college-level course the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat basketball teams

Before starting your outline, determine the key points you wish to com- pare and contrast. Be prepared to explain any advantages you see of one organizational plan over the other.

Suggested Writing Assignments

1. Twain’s essay contrasts the perception of one person before and after acquiring a particular body of knowledge. Different people also usually perceive the same scene or event differently, even if they are experiencing it simultaneously. To use an example from Twain’s writing, a poet and a doctor might perceive a rosy- cheeked young woman in entirely different ways. Write a com- parison and contrast essay in which you show how two people with different experiences might perceive the same subject. It can be a case of profound difference (such as a musician and an electrician at the same pyrotechnic rock concert) or one more subtle (such as a novelist and a screenwriter seeing the same lov- ers’ quarrel in a restaurant). Add a short postscript in which you explain your choice of subject-by-subject comparison or point- by-point comparison for your essay.

2. Learning how to drive a car may not be as involved as learning how to pilot a steamboat on the Mississippi River, but it has a tremendous effect on how we function and on how we perceive our surroundings. Write an essay about short trips you took as a passenger and as a driver. Compare and contrast your percep- tions and actions. What is most important to you as a passenger?

21_ROS_6784_ch19_487_516.indd 49621_ROS_6784_ch19_487_516.indd 496 22/10/14 4:29 PM22/10/14 4:29 PM

Homework is Completed By:

Writer Writer Name Amount Client Comments & Rating
Instant Homework Helper

ONLINE

Instant Homework Helper

$36

She helped me in last minute in a very reasonable price. She is a lifesaver, I got A+ grade in my homework, I will surely hire her again for my next assignments, Thumbs Up!

Order & Get This Solution Within 3 Hours in $25/Page

Custom Original Solution And Get A+ Grades

  • 100% Plagiarism Free
  • Proper APA/MLA/Harvard Referencing
  • Delivery in 3 Hours After Placing Order
  • Free Turnitin Report
  • Unlimited Revisions
  • Privacy Guaranteed

Order & Get This Solution Within 6 Hours in $20/Page

Custom Original Solution And Get A+ Grades

  • 100% Plagiarism Free
  • Proper APA/MLA/Harvard Referencing
  • Delivery in 6 Hours After Placing Order
  • Free Turnitin Report
  • Unlimited Revisions
  • Privacy Guaranteed

Order & Get This Solution Within 12 Hours in $15/Page

Custom Original Solution And Get A+ Grades

  • 100% Plagiarism Free
  • Proper APA/MLA/Harvard Referencing
  • Delivery in 12 Hours After Placing Order
  • Free Turnitin Report
  • Unlimited Revisions
  • Privacy Guaranteed

6 writers have sent their proposals to do this homework:

Finance Homework Help
George M.
Math Specialist
Engineering Mentor
Calculation Guru
Academic Master
Writer Writer Name Offer Chat
Finance Homework Help

ONLINE

Finance Homework Help

Being a Ph.D. in the Business field, I have been doing academic writing for the past 7 years and have a good command over writing research papers, essay, dissertations and all kinds of academic writing and proofreading.

$48 Chat With Writer
George M.

ONLINE

George M.

I will be delighted to work on your project. As an experienced writer, I can provide you top quality, well researched, concise and error-free work within your provided deadline at very reasonable prices.

$23 Chat With Writer
Math Specialist

ONLINE

Math Specialist

I can assist you in plagiarism free writing as I have already done several related projects of writing. I have a master qualification with 5 years’ experience in; Essay Writing, Case Study Writing, Report Writing.

$45 Chat With Writer
Engineering Mentor

ONLINE

Engineering Mentor

I am an elite class writer with more than 6 years of experience as an academic writer. I will provide you the 100 percent original and plagiarism-free content.

$29 Chat With Writer
Calculation Guru

ONLINE

Calculation Guru

I am an academic and research writer with having an MBA degree in business and finance. I have written many business reports on several topics and am well aware of all academic referencing styles.

$27 Chat With Writer
Academic Master

ONLINE

Academic Master

I am a PhD writer with 10 years of experience. I will be delivering high-quality, plagiarism-free work to you in the minimum amount of time. Waiting for your message.

$45 Chat With Writer

Let our expert academic writers to help you in achieving a+ grades in your homework, assignment, quiz or exam.

Similar Homework Questions

Corneal suture removal cpt code - Unit 2 Problem Solving & Research Paper Outline - What is an interpretive text - Mc escher floor tiles - Synthesis of dibenzalacetone lab report - Ppat task 2 - Executive phd in information technology - A worn path annotations - Main rules of badminton - Grv employee enterprise agreement - First Draft: expository essay - How to do the tablecloth trick - How does curt lemon died - Literacy narritive - 1 pound in kgs - Humn 8660 - How to find true stress - Road safety ottawa charter - I need 100 words Letter for Job - Charles inglis response to common sense - Is moreover a subordinating conjunction - The divine command theory implies that - Summary Of attached case 1 page - Apply blue tissue paper texture excel - Genesis 9 20 27 - Penn foster cheating policy - Classroom accommodations for students who stutter - Good palliative geriatric practice algorithm - 10 langford street surrey hills - Prowarm underfloor heating manual - Tarasoff v regents of university of california full case - Yarra valley water gis - Penn foster math answers - Nursing initial assessment form - Power sonic ps-1270 f1 charger - Southeast medical center case study - Integrated delivery network vs aco - Http kohls com bra quiz - Discussion question in-cite text - American synchronized swimming team robot - Cite your sources using apa format week 5 assignment - Sheffield parking permit zones - Meiosis and crossing over in sordaria answers - Planning the Project-2 - Blue eyes vs brown eyes - Seated tricep extension with cambered bar - Company Financial Appraisal - Response to Union Organizing Campaign (Paper) - A clock face has negative point charges - Boundary trap design nsw - Discussion: Sampling and Collecting Quantitative and Qualitative Data - Protecting Intellectual Property - Thought Responses - 3874 #5 9-10 - Half page discussion, Due in 2 hours - Lane cove theatre company - Optimal olefins m sdn bhd - Social media marketing a strategic approach edition free - Simcon by inside out forensics - Ohp 1 rep max calculator - Regression Exercise in Python - Learning in psychology ppt - Operators or verbal false limbs - 605 45 principal agent considerations - International trade feenstra answer key - What is world literature david damrosch summary - Firefly serenity ship blueprints - Nursing research - Hive dual channel receiver - Looking at philosophy donald palmer free download - Triage assessment form crisis intervention - 7 habits of highly effective college students looseleaf 2nd 19 - Mcdonalds french fries contain beef - How to calculate pooled variance for t test - Financial management of hospitals and healthcare organizations - Hammer finish paint colour chart - 7 principles of business ethics - Forgot my sace number - Canadian Human Resource Management - New sat essay rubric - Density of vulcanized rubber - Tv recycling atlanta ga - Www ucr in gov ucrhome html - Rat snake natural selection - Case Study paper - 6 stages of pre-referral process - Fundamentals of probability with stochastic processes - Titration for acetic acid in vinegar - 2 iodopropane sodium hydroxide - Statistics - Sherry turkle reclaiming conversation summary - Nca credo for ethical communication summary - Case memo example - Alignment of IT Strategy and Business Strategy- Case - Utrecht centre for water oceans and sustainability law - SOCS185N: Culture and Society - Double pipe heat exchanger parallel flow - Mcgraw hill connect homework answers - Hadoop streaming python word count example - Capella dissertation milestones - An frg provides activities and support that encourages