The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

Regionalist writers, such as Mark Twain, were most interested in a particular region of the United States, and they fed the curiosity of Americans in other parts of the country. In “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” Twain shows what life was like in the Old West during the Gold Rush.

Create a list of things that make your own neighborhood, town, or region unique. Consider a variety of elements, such as the people, languages and ways of speaking, beliefs, and customs. Also pay attention to elements that make the place humorous. Use your list and Twain’s story as inspiration to write a journal entry about your neighborhood. Your entry should include the retelling of an incident or encounter and include traditional literary devices such dialect, descriptive language, and humor.