the prince and the pauper.doc

The Book Report 2012年5月21日 Book Review The Prince and the PauperRecently, I finished a novel which named the Prince and the Pauper. The Prince and the Pauper is one of the great works of Mark Twain. As far as I know, Mark Twain (1835-1910) is one of the Americans greatest writers. He is also a journalist and humorist: He traveled a lot of places and had a great deal of working experience, which made him see much of the reality of American society; When talking of Mark Twain, “humor” is an inevitable word to be discussed, as for Twain, the goals of humor often go beyond entertainment and can be aimed at satirizing and debunking and it also embodies his wit and wisdom. Twain used contemporary language in his books to bring his characters to life. This realistic prose style influenced numerous American writers. Ironically, for his timeTwain was liberal on racial and many social issues. Mark Twain was an incredibly prolific American author who lived through the times that played an important role in shaping American culture. Mark Twain is called “the father of American Literature”. Mark Twains the Prince and the Pauper is a popular novel and a classic from American Literature. Produced in 19th century, the novel based on the 16th centurys England society. However, it is naturally for readers to associate the plot with 19th centurys America. Because of the dilemma that the people get though in the novel is a counterpart of that of America in 19th century; the unscrupulous behavior of the ruling class is similar with America bourgeoisies arbitrary government and severe racial discrimination. It is the social condition of America that Mark Twain wants to show us in the novel. Just like Twain always dose, he makes the art of literature close to real life. The plot begins with the birth of two boys Tom Canty and Edward Tudor on the same day in the same town: London, England. But what is different is that Tom is a pauper, the unloved son of a beggar and thief, while Edward is the long-awaited male heir to the throne of England. Then it tells us the story of the adventures of two young boys. To get a “feeling” of the others life, they exchange clothe and discover that they look deadly alike. Each boy has strong misconceptions of what the other boys life is like. After they exchange their clothe, their life changes, too. Edward is treated as a pauper; Tom istreated as a mad prince. There are three main characters in the Prince and the Pauper; they are Tom Canty, Edward Tudor, and Miles Hendon. What we can learn from them are braveness, innocence, warm, and mercy. Tom Canty, a pool boy who is under the maltreatment of his peremptory father and grandmother is forced to be a beggar. And what he must to do is to beg for money and food to his father, if he cant, he will get a beat. Fortunately, father Andrew, a poor priest who is kind to Tom, treating him well and teaching him not only right from wrong, but reading and writing as well. From the priest, Tom learned kings and princes. As a result, he imaginatively relives them in his daydreams. He was so innocent that he dose many things to solve peoples problems and makes many laws that helpful to people when he is taking for the king of England after the death of Henrry IIV. Because of his miserable experience as a pauper, he exactly knows what people want most. Finally, much as he like the position of king, he helps Edward to regain his crown.Edward Tudor, a boy who is confined by the royal apartment, long for having a freedom life just as Tom dose. He is innocent and kindhearted. When he is forced to wander on the street, he discovers many unfair things are put on the stage every day. When he sees his people under pressure, he will save them without thinking. He gets though a lot of miserable time, such as: people mocking, Toms fathers mistreating, throwing to prison and so on. Under the help of Miles Hendon, he survives and has the chance to get him throne back. Owing to the adventure, Edward becomes a real man. He benefits a lot from the bitter experience. After Edward regain his royalty, he keeps his promise of permitting Miles Hendon to sit in the kings presence. After that, he titles Tom as Kings Ward and carries out merciful polity. The last but not the least, Miles Hendon, Edwards good friend who gets to know Edward when the pool boy is mocked by a crowed. Hendon thinks that the boy who always confidently said that he is the prince is a mad guy. Due to Hendons kindness, he treats Edward very well and makes every effort to protect him. Reasonably, Edward dubs him Earl. Hendon accounts the title is given in love, so he take it in love. He never images it is the real prince who dubs him, and he can sit the kings presence one day. He just helps Edward out of mercy and love. Whats more Hendon is a brave man. More than once, he risks death to save Edward out of danger. Hendons ending is what a nice man should deserve to.The most outstanding writing technique of the Pauper and the Prince is comparison. Twain is interested in