The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

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The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

• Scott Essen
• Kyle Anderson
• Jordan Mellin

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Thesis or Claim

• There was no obvious thesis to the story
• Twain seems to have no purpose in righting this
  story

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Attitude/Tone

• The attitude of this story is humorous
• It depicts a man who gambled on anything and was
  finally coned into a loss
• The tone gives the reader the idea at the
  beginning of the story that the notorious Smiley
  is not real, making the story more of a myth
• The attitude is one of humor that borders on
  contemptI have a lurking that Leonidas W.
  Smiley is a myth, that my friend never knew such
  a personage and that he only conjectured that
  if I asked old Wheeler about him , it would
  remind him of his infamous John Smiley

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Purpose

• Twains purpose for writing this story was to
  relay a lesson that people are equal and the
  winner is not always the civilized and educated
  one.
• I dont see no pints about that frog thats any
  bettern any other frog.

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Audience and Occasion

• The audience was most likely supposed to be
  people who are gullible to show them that not
  everything they hear is true
• ? The story might also have been for people who
  told tall tales to show them the wrongs of doing
  so
• And of course the story was also to amuse the
  masses
• and he used to win money on that horse, for all
  she was so slow and always had the asthma, or the
  distemper, or the consumption But as soon as
  money was up on him he was a different dog

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Evidence or Data

• Andrew Jackson The name of the bull pup who
  fights other animals. This creature personifies
  Twains views towards the real Andrew Jackson.
  Andrew Jackson was the first westerner to become
  president
• The frog,Danl Webster is named after the
  Daniel Webster who was greatly responsible for
  the slavery law. A common frog wins against an
  educated frog and has the conclusion that an
  ordinary frog is equal to the educated frog with
  a special name. The senator webster was educated
  as well and yet the time of slavery is now gone
• Evidence of the satirical hints that Twain weaves
  into the story. His righteous indignation is
  implemented in all of his works

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Assumptions

• Twain assumes that the reader views gambling to
  be a bad habit

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Style

• Twains style is full of satire and humor.
• He uses vernacular speech to create a more
  authentic setting
• Complicated intro disorients the reader and
  he/she does not know if he/she is reading about a
  lie or the truth.
• In compliance with the request of a friend of
  mine, who wrote me from the East, I called on
  good-natured, garrulous old Simon Wheeler, and
  inquired after my friends friend, Leonidas W.
  Smiley, as requested to do, and I hereunto append
  the result. I have a lurking suspicion that
  Leonidas W. Smiley is a myth that my friend
  never knew such a personage and that he only
  conjectured that if I asked old Wheeler about
  him, it would remind him of his infamous Jim
  Smiley, and he would go to work and bore me to
  death with some exasperating reminiscence of him
  as long and as tedious as it should be useless to
  me. If that was the design, it succeeded.

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Appeals

• Twain appeals to logos by having Smiley bet on
  ridiculous events. His actions are obviously
  illogical to the reader
• Any way that suited the other man would suit him
  fine any way just sos hes got a bet
• Twain appeals to the ethics of the reader by
  having the main character have a gambling problem

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Bibliography

• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_twain
• http//www.malakoff.com/jumpfrog.htm
• http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Notorious_Jumping
  _Frog_of_Calaveras_County
• http//www.ncteamericancollection.org/awg_twain_ma
  rk.htm
• http//www.malakoff.com/jumpfrog.htm