The Notorious Jumping from of Calaveras County

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“The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”, written by Mark Twain, uses language specific to certain locales, in this case, the eastern and western regions of the United States. This use of specialized language is also known as dialect, which in this story, exaggerates regionalism as well as gives the audience auditory imagery, allowing them to be more engaged in the story. Mark Twain’s short story, The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, Twain uses syntax and dialect to shape and propel the central characters, plot of the story, and double meanings or themes. Samuel Langhome Clemens, more widely known by his stage name, Mark Twain, was a humorist writer commonly referred to as the “Father of American Literature” due to his exquisite use of the English language. In Twain’s early years as a writer, he mainly worked as a journalist, which explains his realist approach to later pieces. “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County“ was based off of a story Twain had heard at Angel’s Camp, a mining camp, which is featured in story when the narrator “… found Simon Wheeler dozing comfortably by the bar-room stove of the dilapidated tavern in the decayed mining camp Angel's…” (Twain). When Twain moved to the West, he was a miner for a short period of time and mined at numerous areas including Angel’s Camp. Twain had moved from his home state, Missouri, to the West because in 1861, his brother, Orion, became secretary of James Nye, the governor of Nevada. Much of the material he observed about the West was used for this story. For example, Twain “Like many of his contemporaries, he decided that the way to a fortunate future was to move West” (Camfield). This exemplifies an attitude of getting rich quickly and was seen in “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” through the main character’s, Jim Smiley’s, love of betting. He would always bet even

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