The American Journey © 2012

Chapter 20: An Urban Society

Student Web Activity

"The Literature of Realism"

Introduction
In this chapter you learned about the urban society that developed as a result of the Industrial Revolution. The literature of realism exposed the gritty aspects of society by describing the lives of people. Many of these authors and newspaper publishers became highly influential and the themes they explored are still relevant today.

Destination Title: The Official Web site of Mark Twain

Note: Clicking on the link above will launch a new browser window.
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Directions
On the home page, click the link located under the paragraph entitled "Mark Twain." Read the biography (you will need to click the "More" link to open the full biography) about Mark Twain and answer the following questions.

1
Where did Samuel Clemens get the idea to use the name Mark Twain?
2
What happened to the family of Mark Twain?

Under the drop down box entitled "About Mark Twain", find the "Fast Fact" link. Read some of the facts and answer the following questions.

3
Did Twain participate in the Civil War? If he did, what exactly did he do during the war?
4
Where and when was Twain born? Where and when did he die?
5
Mark Twain spent time in Bermuda, Europe, and many places in the United States. In what ways do you think his travels helped his realist approach to his writing?
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