Mark Twain. The Prince and the Pauper.

• A. Read the first sentences and guess:

What book is it?

Who is it written by?

• B. Read the text and do the tasks.

Tom Canty is the youngest son of a poor family living with the drags of society in Offal Court. He has always aspired to a better life, encouraged by the local priest who has taught him to read and write. Loitering around the palace gates one day, he sees a prince (the Prince of Wales – Edward VI). Coming too close in his intense excitement, Tom is caught and beaten by the Royal Guards. However, Edward stops them and invites Tom into his palace chamber. There the two boys get to know one another, fascinated by each other’s life and their uncanny resemblance. They decide to switch clothes «temporarily». The Prince goes outside, quickly hiding an article of national importance (the Great Seal of England), but dressed in Tom’s rags, he is not recognized by the guards. They drive him from the palace, and he eventually finds his way through the streets to the home of the Canty’s. There he is subjected to the brutality of Tom’s abusive father, later he manages to escape from him. Then he meets Miles Hendon, a soldier and nobleman returning from war. Although Miles does not believe Edward’s claims to royalty, he humours him and becomes his protector. Meanwhile, news reaches them that King Henry VIII has died and Edward is now the king.

Tom, posing as the prince, tries to cope with court customs and manners. His fellow nobles and palace staff think «the prince» has an illness, which has caused memory loss and fear that he will go mad. They repeatedly ask him about the missing «Great Seal», but he knows nothing about it. However, when Tom is asked to sit in on judgments, his common-sense observations reassure them his mind is sound.

After a series of adventures (including a stint in prison), Edward interrupts the coronation that Tom is about to celebrate as King Edward VI. Tom is eager to give up the throne. However, the nobles refuse to believe that the beggarly child Edward appears to be the rightful king until he produces the Great Seal that he has hidden before leaving the palace. Tom declares that if anyone has described the seal he could have given it at once, since he had found it inside a decorative suit of armor (where Edward has hidden it) and has been using it to crack nuts.

Edward and Tom switch back to their original places and Miles is rewarded with the rank of earl and the family right to sit in the presence of the king. In gratitude for supporting the new king’s claim to the throne, Edward names Tom the «king’s ward». This privileged position he holds for the rest of his life.

As Edward experiences the brutish life of a pauper firsthand, he becomes aware of the stark class inequality in England. In particular, he sees the harsh, punitive nature of the English judicial system where people are burned at the stake, pilloried, and flogged. He realizes that the accused are convicted on flimsy evidence and branded – or hanged – for petty offenses, and vows to reign with mercy when he regains his rightful place.

Mark Twain.

The Prince and the Pauper.

Mark Twain. The prince and the Pauper.

Task 1. Match the beginning and ending of each sentence.

Task 2. Who are they?

Task 3. True/ False/ Not stated?

Task 4. Fill in the gaps. Write the words.

Task 5. What is it?

Keys

Task 1. Match the beginning and ending of each sentence. 5

Task 2. Who? 5

Task 3. True/ False/ Not stated? 5

Task 4. Fill in the gaps. Write the words. 5/5

Task 5. What is it? 3*5=15

Max - 40