Literature insight 1: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer – Mark Twain

BEFORE YOU READ

  • 1Read about Mark Twain. How old was he when he left school? What was his first job?

    When Mark Twain left school, he was twelve. His first job was as a printer.

    2Read the background to the story. Who does Tom live with?

    Tom lives with his Aunt Polly and his half-brother Sid.

About the author

Mark Twain (real name Samuel Langhorne Clemens)

Born: 1835 in Missouri, USA

Died: 1910

Important works: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), The Prince and the Pauper (1881), The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889)

Did you know? Mark Twain grew up in Hannibal, Missouri, on the Mississippi River. The Mississippi is a very important river in the USA. When Twain was growing up, many slaves escaped from their owners on this river. The river offered them freedom. This is where he set the story of Tom Sawyer and many of his other books.

Like Tom, Twain didn't like school. He left when he was twelve and got a job as a printer. He had many jobs in his life. He worked on boats on the Mississippi and he was a journalist. He also fought in the army during the Civil War. Later he became a writer. He had lots of pen names before he chose the name Mark Twain. He signed some of his stories Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass and W. Epaminondas Adrastus Blab.

Mark Twain loved cats. There were nineteen of them in his house when he was a child. Later, he had three dogs. He called them 'I know', 'You know' and 'Don't know'. He also loved science. His book A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is about a time traveller. He travels back in time to the court of King Arthur and introduces modern technology to the King.

BACKGROUND TO THE STORY

Tom Sawyer is a twelve-year-old boy. He lives with his Aunt Polly and his half-brother Sid in St Petersburg, Missouri. This is a town in America on the Mississippi River. Tom likes swimming in the river, fishing and having adventures with his friends. He doesn't like school and he's always in trouble. Aunt Polly is often angry with him. One day, she makes him paint the garden fence. Tom doesn't want to do this. He thinks of a clever plan. He tells his friends that painting is fun. Soon all his friends are helping.

Try again
1Read the extract from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Where is Joe going? 

Joe is going down to the river.

'I am sorry, Tom.'

Tom said nothing.The paint brush moved up and down.

'Working for your aunt?' said Joe. 'I'm going down to the river. I'm sorry you can't come with me.'

Tom put down his brush. 1___.

'Painting a fence?' said Joe. 'Of course it's work!'

'Perhaps it is and perhaps it isn't. But I like it,' said Tom.

2___. I can't paint a fence very often.'

Joe watched Tom for about five minutes. Tom painted very slowly and carefully. He often stopped, moved back from the fence and looked at his work with a smile. 3___:

'Tom, can I paint a little?'

4___. 'I'm sorry, Joe. You see, my aunt wants me to do it because I'm good at painting.My brother Sid wanted to paint, too, but she said no.'

'Oh, please, Tom, just a little. I'm good at painting, too. Hey, do you want some of my apple?'

'No, Joe, I can't—'

'OK, you can have all my apple!'

Tom gave Joe the brush. He did not smile, but for the first time that day he was a very happy boy. 5___.

6___, but soon they all wanted to paint, too. By the afternoon Tom had three balls, an old knife, a cat with one eye, an old blue bottle, and a lot of other exciting things.

7___, and the fence – all thirty metres of it – was a beautiful white. He went back to the house.

From The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Oxford Bookworms. Text adaptation by Nick Bullard.

Try again

2Read the extract again. Match sentences A–G to gaps 1–7 in the extract. 

  • AMore friends came to laugh at Tom.

  • B'You call this work?' he said.

  • CHe was the richest boy in St Petersburg.

  • D'I can go to the river any day.'

  • EJoe began to get interested and said:

  • FHe sat down and ate Joe's apple.

  • GTom thought for a second.


'I am sorry, Tom.'

Tom said nothing.The paint brush moved up and down.

'Working for your aunt?' said Joe. 'I'm going down to the river. I'm sorry you can't come with me.'

Tom put down his brush. 1B.

'Painting a fence?' said Joe. 'Of course it's work!'

'Perhaps it is and perhaps it isn't. But I like it,' said Tom.

2D. I can't paint a fence very often.'

Joe watched Tom for about five minutes. Tom painted very slowly and carefully. He often stopped, moved back from the fence and looked at his work with a smile. 3E:

'Tom, can I paint a little?'

4G. 'I'm sorry, Joe. You see, my aunt wants me to do it because I'm good at painting.My brother Sid wanted to paint, too, but she said no.'

'Oh, please, Tom, just a little. I'm good at painting, too. Hey, do you want some of my apple?'

'No, Joe, I can't—'

'OK, you can have all my apple!'

Tom gave Joe the brush. He did not smile, but for the first time that day he was a very happy boy. 5F.

6A, but soon they all wanted to paint, too. By the afternoon Tom had three balls, an old knife, a cat with one eye, an old blue bottle, and a lot of other exciting things.

7C, and the fence – all thirty metres of it – was a beautiful white. He went back to the house.

From The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Oxford Bookworms. Text adaptation by Nick Bullard.

Try again
3SPEAKING Read the questions and give your opinions.
  • Why is Tom painting the fence?
  • Why do Tom's friends help?
  • What do you think happens next?

  • Tom is painting the fence because his aunt wants him to, and because he is good at painting.
  • Tom's friends help because he makes painting the fence sound interesting and exciting.
  • Students' own answers
4Read what happens next. What do the boys decide to do? 

READ ON

One evening, Tom climbs out of his bedroom window. He goes to the graveyard with his friend Huckleberry Finn. They are looking for ghosts. They don't see any ghosts, but they do see a murder. Injun Joe murders Doctor Robinson. Tom and Huck don't tell anyone, because they're afraid. Injun Joe is a dangerous man. Then it's the summer holidays. There's no school and Tom wants to do something exciting. Tom, Huck and Joe Harper run away to Jackson Island.

The boys decide to run away.

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5Play the recording and listen to the next part of the story. What are the two activities they do in the river? 

The two activities are swimming and fishing.

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Audio script

After breakfast they walked through the island, swam some more, talked, fished, and swam again. They came back to their fire in the afternoon. Suddenly, Tom looked up and said, ‘Listen.
Can you hear boats?’
There were twenty or more boats on the water. Every boat in St Petersburg was out.
‘What are they doing?’ asked Joe.
‘They’re looking for a dead body, I think,’ said Huck. ‘They did that last summer when Bill Turner fell in the river and drowned.’
‘Who’s dead, do you think?’ asked Joe.
The boys watched the boats. Suddenly, Tom cried, ‘I know who’s dead! It’s us! They’re looking for us!’
Tom looked at his friends. ‘We’re famous!’ he said. ‘Everybody in St Petersburg is talking about us. And they all feel sorry for us!’
Night came, and the boys went to sleep. But Tom did not sleep, and when morning came, he wasn’t there!
‘Huck, where’s Tom?’ cried Joe.
‘I don’t know,’ Huck began, ‘but—Look! There he is. He’s swimming across to the island now. Hey, Tom!’
At breakfast Tom told his story.


6Play the recording and listen again. Are the sentences True or False? Correct the false ones. 
You need to use normal letters and capital letters correctly in this task. You also need to use correct punctuation.

  • 1Tom can hear planes.

     Tom can hear boats.

  • 2All the boats from St Petersburg are on the river.

  • 3Bill Turner fell in the river last winter.

     Bill Turner fell in the river last summer.

  • 4Huck can't sleep that night.

     Tom can't sleep that night.

  • 5The next morning Joe isn't there.

     The next morning Tom isn't there.

  • 6Tom tells them his story at lunch.

     Tom tells them his story at breakfast.

Try again
7SPEAKING Read the questions and give your opinions.
  • Why do the three boys go to Jackson Island?
  • What do they do on the island?
  • When do they see the boats? How many boats are looking for them?
  • Where does Tom go?
  • The three boys go to Jackson Island because they want to do something exciting.
  • They swim, fish and talk on the island.
  • They see the boats after breakfast. Twenty or more boats are looking for them - every boat in St Petersburg.
  • Tom goes home.