NAME
INSTRUCTORS NAME
COURSE
DATE
jumping frog of the Calaveras County
The “jumping frog of the Calaveras County” is a very humorous story, rich with stylistic devices such as irony, sarcasm and satire. Mark Twain being the narrator, tells his story of how he had sent Simon Wheeler to interview Leonidas w smiley, but he instead found Jim Smiley. The latter loves to gamble and would give anything on a bet telling wheeler about how his frog could jump higher than the other frogs. In conclusion to the two stories mark, twain makes the reader wonder about the humour portrayed by Jim Smiley about his frog when Simon Wheeler went to interview him instead of rev.leonidas smiley.
The story is full of humour as seen from various instances, for example, it is hilarious how the character Jim Smiley was addicted to betting to a level of turning a frog into a pet in which he used to bet on (Masset and Pete.,pg14). It is even funnier for a person who thought he is intelligent by tricking others on betting with his frog, meeting another person who has another level of tricking and ended up poisoning the frog to win the bet. The choice of words by Simon Wheeler at the start of the story is full of humour. Example of such words is,”feller” and “curiosity”.
Another humorous bit is where we see Jim Smiley’s list of things that he could bet on, for example, catfights, chicken fights and where a straddle bug would go is quite hilarious. Mark twain found Simon Wheeler in a travin and asked him about reverend Leonidas smileys then wheeler turned his chair to trap him in the corner to narrate to him how Jim Smiley tried to win a bet on his jumping frog but lost, is very humorous.
Mark twain goes to Simon Wheeler at the tavern to inquire about Leonidas smiley, but instead, wheeler starts narrating to him the tales of the Jim Smiley. They bet that his frog would jump higher than the other frogs but instead wheeler won the bet because he filled the frog’s stomach with quail shots(Blaisdell and Bob .,pg60). We find humour in this because mark twain did not get the information that he went to inquire about but instead was told about a man who tried to win a bet on his frog pet and lost his bet.
It is also funny how the narrator describes Simon Wheeler as a man who never smiled and never frowned neither did he change his voice. It leaves the readers wondering what wheeler was like.
Another humour is when Simon Wheeler exaggerates about the jumping from for example; when he said that the frog was so modest and straight forward compared to the other frogs. Personification is also found in the story when Jim Smiley’s dog is described to be a proud, determined and strong.
Jim smiley made betting his source of earning, and therefore he would bet on anything like which bird would fly being the first if two birds were sitting on the fence which makes it fun for the readers. Verbal irony is found in the narrative when mark twain talks of how his friend would bore him to death at work when he started talking about Jim Smiley’s frog.
Mark Twins story about the jumping frog is full of humour which makes the story interesting to the readers.
REFERENCE
Blaisdell, Bob, ed. The notorious jumping frog of Calaveras County. Courier Corporation, 2014.
Messent, Peter. “Caught on the Hop: Interpretive Dislocation in” The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”.” Thalia 15.1 (1995): 33.