“What Stumped the Bluejays” by Mark Twain Gathered by M.karami PNU of Khorasgan Autumn 1394

Mark Twain: A Brief Background Real name: Samuel Langhorne Clemens American author and humorist Wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn often called "The Great American Novel" Lived 1835-1910 Childhood—Hannibal, Missouri Worked on a riverboat—hence, the name Mark Twain Quotes : If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

Summery It is the story of how animals can speak. bluejays, as the author points out, are the smartest and best speakers of all. On one occasion there was a bluejay who found a hole on the roof of a house. The Bluejay decided to store his acorns here, however, when the bluejay put the acorn in the hole it didn't appear to be there when he looked down. The Bluejay tried several more times, but every time the acorn was not in the hole where he had placed it.

The bluejay grew more and more determined and stuffed in the hole enough acorns that could have fed his family for a very long time. Finally the bird cried out in anger. Another Bluejay flew by to see what was going on. This Bluejay tried what the first had done and agreed that it was indeed a perplexing situation. More and more Bluejays came from everywhere but no one could understand what the reason was. Then an old jay cam over, but instead of looking down the hole, he flew all the way around the house. He then discovered the reason for the disappearing acorns.

The hole had been in a chimney, in which the acorns would fall out from as they went downward. All of the Bluejays came to see and realized how foolish they had been. All of the Bluejays chuckled with one and other at their foolishness. Then one by one they flew away. But the author does point out that even now Bluejays come by that hole and tell others of the humorous story. Though the story was about Bluejays, it symbolizes the authors of that time period.

Vocabulary Reckon: (Infml) to think or assume Beast: animal with four feet Delivery: manner of speaking (in lectures, etc) Bristle: be thickly covered with sth Lockjaw: tetanus in which the jaws become rigidly closed Aggravating: annoying, irritating Metaphor: Irony Rattling: fast or brisk Rustle: making noise as rubbing against each other Strike: find Acorn: fruit of the oak tree with a cup like base Knothole: a hole in a board where a knot has fallen out Tilt: slope, slant Chimbly: chimney

Vocabulary Fetch: to go and bring sth back Confound: confuse Muttering: whispering, murmuring Tackle: deal with or overcome To get the upper hand of sb: control sb To break loose: escape confinement or restriction Hove: threw Tucker out: tire or exhaust sb Dispute: argue about sth Whoop: loud cry Cock: to tilt or slant Absurdity: stupid, laughable, ridiculous Guffaw: to laugh very loudly

Technical Terms Point of view : told in the First-person by a speaker who matter-of-factly and conversationally tells the reader about a friend of his, Jim Baker, who is able to understand animal talk. Theme: It explores themes of determination and language Setting: 1- An empty house in an abandoned area near the blue hills, California US 2- a sunny Sunday morning in a summer

Technical Terms Plot Internal conflict: the bluejays Rising action: begun when the bluejay didn’t hear the acorn fall Climax: the point at which five thousand bluejays gathered to resolve the mystery of that hole Falling action: occurred when an old bluejay discovered the perplexing enigma Conclusion: Baker concludes the story by telling the reader that all of the birds enjoyed their visits, except an owl from Nova Scotia who failed to see the humor in it. But the same owl was also disappointed in his visit to Yosemite.

Technical Terms Dynamic character: the first bluejay Static Character: Jim Baker protagonist: the first bluejay Moral point: to solve a problematic situation you must have a good and serious determination and use other’s point of view and advice. Proverb: “Fall. Stand. Learn. Adapt.”