“The Celebrated Jumping Frog of

Calaveras County”Mark Twain

What place does Mark Twain have in the

history of American literary humor? How does "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of

Calaveras County" draw from earlier works of American humor in both form and content?

Guiding Questions

situational irony

Situational irony exists when the outcome of a set of actions is the opposite of what is intended or when actions are humorously inconsistent with the situation. Watch for situational irony in “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.”

frame story In a frame story, two plots exist. The outer story establishes a

situation that leads to the plot of the inner story. When the inner story’s plot is resolved, the outer story resumes. The two stories provide support or contrast to one another. “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” uses the frame story technique. Does the outer story support or contrast with the inner one?

Literary Terms

Regionalism/ local color

Regionalisms are descriptions of setting, dialect, or character actions that indicate a specific location for a story. “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” is set in a California gold rush mining town. Watch for regionalisms that support that setting.

Vernacular/ Dialect the language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a

particular country or region Colloquialism

a word or phrase that is not formal or literary, typically one used in ordinary or familiar conversation

Literary Terms

Define these terms:

Spigot Davenport Grinder Catty corner Pop Billfold Directly Fix

Yonder

Potlatch Spendy

Vernacular Quiz

Afeared Ary Cat-head Counterpane Cove Dope Haint Holler Nary Lay out Piece

Poke Right Smart Slap Tote

Appalachian Dialect

Scavenger Hunt

With a partner find . . . 2 similes 1 metaphor 2 allusion examples Regional Dialect (1 of each)• Misspelling• Grammatical Errors• Inventive Punctuation• Loose sentence structure• Colloquial Phrase

LABEL EACH WITH

HEADINGS FROM LIST ON LEFT

Simile

“he was a different dog, his underjaw’d began to stick out like the fo’castle of a steamboat,…”

“…and his teeth would uncover , and shine savage like the furnaces.”

“you’d see that frog whirling in the air like a doughnut…”

“…if he got a good start, and come down flat-footed and all right, like a cat,…”

“…he’d spring straight up . . . And flop down on the floor again as solid as a gob of mud”

Metaphor

Well, Smiley kept the beast in a little lattice box…”

Allusions

Andrew Jackson 7th president, war hero, known for his determination and strong

will, a strong believer in democracy and the rights of the “common”

people Daniel Webster -a senator who supported the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 that required federal officials to recapture and return runaway slaves.

Possible point ---- a common, uneducated frog wins against an educated frog with a great name- Dan'l Webster

Regional Dialect -Misspellings

cal’klated edercate foller curiosest solittry

Regional Dialect -Grammatical Mistakes

“…because he hadn’t no opportunities to speak of,…” “… the asthma, or the distemper, or the consumption…” “…and his teeth would uncover, and shine savage like the

furnaces.”

Regional Dialect - Inventive

Punctuation

cal’klated thish-yer m-o-r-e feller’d reg'lar

Regional Dialect –Loose sentence

structure

“Why, I've seen him set Dan'l Webster down here on this floor Dan'l Webster was the name of the frog and sing out, "Flies, Dan'l, flies!" and quicker'n you could wink, he'd spring straight up, and snake a fly off'n the counter there, and flop down on the floor again as solid as a gob of mud, and fall to scratching the side of his head with his hind foot as indifferent as if he hadn't no idea he'd been doin' any more'n any frog might do.”

Regional Dialect –Colloquial or Conversation

phrases

“…but only jest grip and hang on till they thronged up the sponge, if it was a year.”

“Smiley always come out winner on that pup,…” “And when it come to fair and square jumping on a dead

level,” “Jumping on a dead level was his strong suit” “. . .but always at the fag-end of the race she'd get excited

and desperate- like…”