His first popular book was "Innocents Abroad- (1869), followed by "Tom Sawyer- and "Huckleberry Finn- (1876). ... One of his last published works was "What is Man- in 1906. ... However, the setting of the novel was in 1830, a period called "Ante Bellum-, which was the time before Civil War and the time of slavery. ... Pettit gives a good overview on Mark Twain's life and his views on slavery. ... Pettit says that "his mother was distressed by the mistreatment of slaves - but that "she never spoke out against slavery as a social institution- (20). ...

• Word Count: 3258
• Approx Pages: 13
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Still, a man hears what he wants to hear And disregards the rest... In Hannibal, Missouri (as well as the rest of America) the romanticism of slavery and genteel white society was a charade that was best left a charade so that the civilization could operate without a catastrophic rending of the existing social fabric. ... Like so Many of Twain's protagonists, both black and white, including Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, Jim, Pap, The Boss, Pudd'nhead, Tom Driscoll, Chambers and Roxy, Sam Clemens was infected with a form of racism that has been with man since the beginning of time, or sin...

• Word Count: 3141
• Approx Pages: 13
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate