Today, we are going to compare the definition of humor by Mark Twain to our modern day definition of humor. Follow the steps below to complete today's assignment:PART ONE
- Read Mark Twain's "How to Tell a Story."
- Make a list of the ways Twain says you can make a story humorous.
- Read "SoYouWanna do stand-up comedy?"
- Make a list of the ways SoYouWanna says you can make a story humorous.
- Create a Venn Diagram comparison of Twain vs. modern humor.
PART TWO
In the film Mark Twain, Samuel Clemens is described as “an enormous noticer.” Much of what he noticed as a boy growing up in the small Mississippi River town of Hannibal, Missouri, found its way into his writings in books such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He was always noticing whether people had their hands in their pockets or not, how they dressed, walked, spoke or presented themselves to others.
In the film Mark Twain, Samuel Clemens is described as “an enormous noticer.” Much of what he noticed as a boy growing up in the small Mississippi River town of Hannibal, Missouri, found its way into his writings in books such as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He was always noticing whether people had their hands in their pockets or not, how they dressed, walked, spoke or presented themselves to others.
- Let’s find out how much you notice on a typical day. Try to recall all the details, large and small, of your route home from or to school, of places, buildings and people. Make a list of what you saw.
- Write a short passage that changes some of the details of what you noticed on your route home into something humorous.
- Think about the Five Types of Humor we went over on Monday.
- Click "Modern humorists" below to access a compilation of how famous comedians use humor in their individual acts.
Lesson Inspiration: PBS.org
