What should you do since we didn't have class?

First, debrief about the day... talk to your parents, read the news, do what you need to do to feel normal again... then:

Follow your reading schedule and write the mini-essay due Wed.
I know you missed today's conversations, but you can still write the min-essay.  Wed is a minimum day, but we;ll work hard to get you guys caught up, so don't worry :)

Please pass the word along to your friends who might not think to check the blog.   See you Wed.
-Ms Ohana

What others have said about Twain

".the first truly American writer, and all of us since are his heirs."
-- William Faulkner

"All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called "Huckleberry Finn." all American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since."
-- Ernest Hemingway

"The mark of how good '"Huckleberry Finn" has to be is that one can compare it to a number of our best modern American novels and it stands up page for page, awkward here, sensational there - absolutely the equal of one of those rare incredible first novels that come along once or twice in a decade."
-- Norman Mailer

"I believe that Mark Twain had a clearer vision of life, that he came nearer to its elementals and was less deceived by its false appearances, than any other American who has ever presumed to manufacture generalizations, not excepting Emerson. I believe that he was the true father of our national literature, the first genuinely American artist of the royal blood."
-- H.L. Mencken

Do you agree with these people?  Why or why not?

What did Twain sat about Thanksgiving?

Here's what Mark Twain wrote about Thanksgiving:

• "The observance of Thanksgiving Day--as a function--has become general of late years. The Thankfulness is not so general. This is natural. Two-thirds of the nation have always had hard luck and a hard time during the year, and this has a calming effect upon their enthusiasm."
  - Following the Equator
  
• "Thanksgiving Day, a function which originated in New England two or three centuries ago when those people recognized that they really had something to be thankful for--annually, not oftener--if they had succeeded in exterminating their neighbors, the Indians, during the previous twelve months instead of getting exterminated by their neighbors, the Indians. Thanksgiving Day became a habit, for the reason that in the course of time, as the years drifted on, it was perceived that the exterminating had ceased to be mutual and was all on the white man's side, consequently on the Lord's side; hence it was proper to thank the Lord for it and extend the usual annual compliments."
  - Mark Twain's Autobiography
  
• "THANKSGIVING DAY. Let us all give humble, hearty, and sincere thanks now, but the turkeys. In the island of Fiji they do not use turkeys; they use plumbers. It does not become you and me to sneer at Fiji."
  -The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson
  
• "No one ever seems to think of the Deity's side of it; apparently no one concerns himself to inquire how much or how little He has had to be thankful for during the same period; apparently no one has had good feeling enough to wish He might have a Thanksgiving day too. There is nothing right about this."
  - A Thanksgiving Sentiment

Things for true Twain fans

Would you like a Mark Twain screen saver? 
To watch Ken Burns movie about Mark Twain (in 24 parts, but still good)? 
Play a Mark Twain trivia game?
Visit the Huck Finn web page?

Thinksgiving Reading

You have been given quite a few pages to read over Thanksgiving.  What questions come up as you're reading?  How is Huck changing?  Does anything strike you as strange in the story?  Post questions and comments about the reading in response to this post.  I encourage you to comment on your classmate's comments.

Twain's Other Works

Read another text by Twain ( He wrote TONS of material--I suggest an essay or short story).  Comment on it:
Ideas:
Was it funny?  If so why?
How did it relate to Huck Finn?
What did it reveal about Twain? 
What was the theme or message of the piece?
How does the way he wrote it relate to his message?

Other Things by Twain

Mark Twain in the News

Even though he's been dead for decades, there are still regular mentions of Twain in the news.  Whether it's the publication of his autobiography, a new book about his affair, a bit about Tina Fey winning the Mark Twain Prize for humor, or an allusion to one of his short stories in a local newspaper, he's everywhere!  Find a contemporary news text which refers to Twain and post the link in the comment section for all of us to see.  Along with your post, give a brief (1-2 sentence) explanation.