Assignment 1 – Close Reading of Twain

Assignment: Close Reading of Twain

Assignment
Re-read the following passage from Twains Roughing It: (FULL READING ATTACHED)
Nowlet us remark in parenthesisas all the peoples of the earth had representative adventurers in the Silverland, and as each adventurer had brought the slang of his nation or his locality with him, the combination made the slang of Nevada the richest and the most infinitely varied and copious that had ever existed anywhere in the world, perhaps except in the mines of California in the early days. Slang was the language of Nevada. It was hard to preach a sermon without it, and be understood. Such phrases as You bet! Oh, no, I reckon not! No Irish need apply, and a hundred others, became so common as to fall from the lips of a speaker unconsciouslyand very often when they did not touch the subject under discussion and consequently failed to mean anything. (63)
In a response between 500 and 700 words, demonstrate how you can focus on one or two specific examples of the literary structure of this passagethat is, the words it uses, the emphasis it places on them, its way of arranging them, particularly in relation to metaphor and the images and feelings such words generate. How does such literary language shapeindeed, make uniquethe idea the passage is conveying? By answering this question, you will be doing a close reading of the passage: an analysis that pays sustained attention to the language of a text and the way such literary language produces effects. To weave your discussion together, relate the passage to the concept of America as we discussed it in our first lecture. What kind of America is being imagined here?

(NO OUTSIDE READINGS/ SOURCES)

Submission Instructions

a double-spaced Word document in 12-point font. Be sure to give your response a title.

Rubric

Good: You use 500 to 700 words to focus on one or two specific examples of the passages literary structure and make a strong observation about how such language shapes the point of the passage. Further, you use this close reading to explain how the passage is projecting a particular version of America, recalling ideas from our first lecture. It is proofread well for errors and clarity.

Average: You use 500 to 700 words to focus on one or two specific examples of the passages literary structure but dont quite explain how such language shapes the point of the passage. Further, you note that the passage is projecting a particular version of America but dont explain how. It is proofread passably for errors and clarity.

Poor: You use less than 500 words to address the passage and fail to focus on one or two specific examples of its literary structure and how that shapes the main idea. Further, you dont consider how the passage relates to representations of America. It is proofread poorly for errors and clarity.

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