Thesis Statement:
The story I am explaining is “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” by
Mark Twain, and the literary element I am focusing on in this story is Personification.
3 pieces of Literary Evidence to support the use of Personification:
1. “He give Smiley a look, as much as to say his heart was broke, and it was his fault,
for putting up a dog that hadn't no hind legs for him to take bolt of, which was his
main dependence in a fight, and then he limped off a piece and laid down and
died. It was a good pup, was that Andrew Jackson, and would have made a name
for hisself if he'd lived, for the stuff was in him, and he had genius I know it,
because he hadn't had no opportunities to speak of, and it don't stand to reason
that a dog could make such a fight as he could under them circumstances, if he
hadn't no talent.”
2. "You never see a frog so modest and straightfor'ard as he was, for all he was so
gifted."
3. “Dan'l give a heave, and hysted up his shoulders so like a Frenchman”
Task 1 Answers:
Part A: In what ways can this story be considered a satire?
Satire is used in many works of literature to show foolishness or vice in humans,
organizations, or even governments - it uses sarcasm, ridicule, or irony. For example,
satire is often used to effect political or social change, or to prevent it. The use of satire
in this story helps the reader understand how the characters act.
Part B: What role does the use of dialect play in the story?
In all large countries, regional dialects exist that differ from the standard form of the
national language in pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. Nevertheless, as we know,
pronunciation does differ in different sections of the United States. In the nineteenth
century, and still today, Americans in one part of the country often find another region's
dialect or other characteristics odd and even humorous.
Part C: Would Twain’s story be as effective if there was no use of dialect?
Twain has several distinct stylistic traits. One is his excellent and frequent use of dialect.
Dialect is the distinctive way that a group of people from a local area speaks. For
example, people in Northern Minnesota have a different dialect than people from West
Virginia; they have different accents. Twain was an excellent recorder of dialects, and
was passionate about recording the way people spoke exactly.
Part D: Does this story seem realistic, or does it seem more like a tall tale?
The story ' The celebrated jumping frog of calaveras country' is more of a tall tale and is
not really realistic. It is based on Greek story and is about two or three thousand years
old. The story is narrated by a person who is in search of a reverend leonidas smiley, he
visits the a miner named Simon Wheeler in hopes of learning reverend leonidas smiley's
whereabouts. Instead of helping him Simon tells him a story of a different man named
Jim Smiley, who trained his frog Daniel Webster to jump and used to win money by
betting on the frog since by nature he was a gambler. In the end the self proclaimed
gambler, was eventually duped by a quick-thinking stranger. There is no proof in the
history of this story therefore it cannot be realistic. It is more of a tall tale where there is
a good lesson in the end. In this case the lesson being that if you deceive someone there
is a chance of being deceived.
Part E: How do you sense the narrator feels about his encounter with Simon Wheeler?
The narrator in the story has a companion who is still in "the East," rather than the West,
where the storyteller is living. The storyteller's companion composes and requests that
he look into a man named Simon Wheeler to discover how his, the storyteller's friend's,
companion Leonidas W. Smiley is. Leonidas Smiley is a childhood companion of the
storyteller's companion.
Part F: What similarities, if any, do Jim Smiley and the narrator share?
They have the tendency to mask their views at first glance. Though they have different
personalities, they tend to mask or hide their views. Smiley had pulled an indifferent face
when the bet started while the narrator had tried to understand his friend. He doesn't
trust him but yet they were friends.
Part G: What kind of commentary on social class and circumstance does Twain’s story
provide?
Its main point is a humorous anecdote about an encounter between the narrator and a
talkative man who tells him a seemingly pointless story. However, the social undercurrent
can't be ignored. First of all, the narrator is an educated Easterner who came to the West
to inquire about his friend's friend. He stumbles upon a Westerner, an uneducated guy
who is a common worker. A clash of cultures happens, embodied in language differences
between two interlocutors: Simon Wheeler talks in dialect, whereas the narrator has an
elaborate and flamboyant style. Eventually, Wheeler tricks the narrator into listening to
his trivial story about the gambler Jim Smiley. The story is pointless - just like the
narrator's visit itself. The two men, who epitomize two social classes, just can't get along.
The winner of the conversation is Wheeler, who got to tell his story and kill some time. His
simplicity, wit and common sense are something that the refined narrator doesn't have.
