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Investigating Mark Twain and Life on the Mississippi

Students investigate Mark Twain and the cultural and physical geography of the Mississippi River while reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Introduction

Mark Twain received worldwide acclaim during his lifetime for his work as an author, lecturer, satirist, and humorist. He wrote a wide variety of literature including Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Prince and the Pauper, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Twain was raised in Hannibal, Missouri, on the Mississippi River. Several of his novels, including Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, utilize the Mississippi as their setting.

In this investigation, you are a time traveler. You will be going back in time to the era where Mark Twain was growing up along the Mississippi. The purpose of the investigation is to gain an understanding of what it was like to live along the Mississippi River, how Twain was affected by his experiences there, and what is the current physical and cultural environment around the Mississippi today.

In order to complete this investigation and assignment, you must complete the following tasks. You should utilize online resources and other materials (textbook, public library, oral histories, etc...) as necessary to access information.

1. Research and investigate the following questions. Prepare notes on what information you find to answer the questions.

• What are some key geographical features in the Mississippi region of the United States, specifically in Missouri? You may discover physical (mountains, land forms, flora, fauna, etc...) and cultural (cities, human-made structures, tourist attractions, specific cultures, etc...) geographical information.
• What aspects of life on the Mississippi did Mark Twain depict in his writings?
• How has the Mississippi River been utilized in the past, and how is it utilized in the present?
• Why was Mark Twain's life when he lived along the Mississippi so significant to his writings?
• How has the setting been important in other novels by Mark Twain?
• What might Mark Twain's life have been like while being raised in Hannibal, Missouri, along the Mississippi River?

2. As a time traveler, you are able to travel back in time to the era when Mark twain was growing up in Hannibal, Missouri. It is your task to relate what it might have been like to live along the Mississippi River during Twain's time there, and to compare it to the current environment around the Mississippi. Complete the following in order to do this.

• Design a visual using the computer (or draw, paint, build) that represents life along the Mississippi in the past. Your visual can represent the people, environment, culture, etc.. of the period.
• Design a second visual using the computer (or draw, paint, build) that represents life along the Mississippi in the present. Your visual can represent the people, environment, culture, etc.. of the period. The visuals should show similarities and differences between the times.
• Write a fictional account of your meeting with Mark Twain. This can be designed as an interview or story. What do you learn about the time from Mark Twain? What do you learn about the inspirations for his writing?

Utilize the following online resources in order to complete the assigned investigation and tasks. Students are encouraged to locate other resources at the library or on the Internet.

• Mark Twain and the Web
• Mark Twain in His Times
• Samuel Langhorne Clemens
• Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn
• Hannibal, Missouri
• Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center
• Mississippi River Project
• Mississippi River HomePage
• Old Man River
• Mississippi River Aerial Photos

As you look through the above resources and other resources you find in the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and at the library, remember to take notes and take the time to reflect upon your research. Your intent has been to access information and gain understanding from a variety of resources on Mark Twain and the Mississippi. Mark Twain has left his mark on American Literature by writing about what he knew. By researching about Twain and the Mississippi River, it becomes possible to understand the motivations and factors that might have influenced the author.