Mark Twain and "The Aged Pilot Man" Poem

This is a Rising Stars Pop Up Credit activity. The prompt is as follows: Goggle Mark Twain, study his background. Visit more than one page on Mark Twain. Read "THE AGED PILOT MAN". Review it ! Share how his background impacts his poetry. What did Twain have in mind when he wrote this poem ? Did you learn anything about this poet's personal life ? What do you take away from the poem you've read ? Why was he in Australia ?

Study Twain's background 100 credits
Share how his background impacted this poem
Is there anything about the times during which Mark Twain lived and this poem that seem relevant ?
What about Australia influenced this poem --give an example. 300 credits
Read and write a lively review of this poem with a minimum of 300 words +
Was he famous while he was still alive ?
Do you see how Twain earned his fame ? 300 credits.
What is his legacy ?

Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910 ) in Florida, Missouri, the man later to be known as Mark Twain, is one of the greatest literary minds of America and rivals most authors in the world. Though Mark Twain has no progeny legacies as of his four children, only one survived long enough to have a daughter of her own, who in turn had no children, Mark Twain leaves a literary legacy larger than most authors could ever hope for.

In 1884, he wrote "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," often called "The Great American Novel." This book has been published in 75 different languages. According to Twain scholar Tom Quirk, English professor at MU College of Arts and Sciences, “Ernest Hemingway once wrote, ‘All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn.’ The chances Twain took, the quality of his dialect, his adoptive persona and his prose are important literary elements other writers can learn from.” Twain was considered "the people's author" because of his anti-aristocratic attitudes as well as his personable writing. He was also friends with Thomas Edison and was one of the first public figures to embrace a new technology called the typewriter when many didn't like it. Perhaps his love for the typewriter even helped change the history that could have been had he shunned it.

Mark Twain wrote about common men and women--people who were largely ignored by writers of his time, unless it was to make fun of them or otherwise compare them negatively to those of high society. He was also the first major American author to write in dialects. In addition, he addressed heavy themes like racism, something that continues to be a poignant concern today. His impact on American literature brought William Faulkner to dub Mark Twain "the father of American literature." What a legacy that is!

Twain was famous in his day--considered to probably be the most famous American during that time. He not only wrote, he was an entrepreneur, a publisher, and a lecturer. During his lifetime, he was also a typesetter, journalist, miner, and riverboat pilot, among other things. His varied interests all managed to weave themselves into his writing. This is perhaps part of what helped him become so popular. A story he overheard in a hotel in Angels Camp, California where he was a miner became his internationally famous short story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." Among other languages, this story was even translated into classic Greek.

Twain worked at becoming famous and had an image he liked to uphold. Part of that image was his commonly worn white suit. He loved it so much and wanted it to become a part of his personal brand. He even wore it to a lecture in the winter during a time when no one wore white in the winter. He was pleased that it seemed to only take about ten minutes before people forgot his social indiscretion and focused on his lecture. Twain traveled throughout the nation, as well as internationally. These travels also made it into his writing such as "The Innocents Abroad" (1869) which was inspired from a newspaper sponsored trip to the Mediterranean, "A Tramp Abroad" (1880) from a trip to Europe, and "Following the Equator" (1897) from his time in India.

Twain was world famous, in part because of all the years he'd spent living and writing abroad. By 1895, he set out on a world lecture tour. He lectured in Canada, Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, India, Republic of Mauritius, and South Africa. This only helped to cement him as the most famous American of his time. His wit and stories made him a popular lecturer. That particular lecture tour lasted fourteen months with 150 lectures. From a baby born two months premature and sickly most of the first ten years of his life, as well as a youth spent mostly with financial distress hanging over the family, who could have expected that this sixth son of a justice of the peace would have had such an impact on the world?

As a part of my Rising Star assignment, I'm to review his poem, "The Aged Pilot Man" and discuss what about Australia influenced this poem. To be honest, I see nothing of Australia in this poem. But I admit, I'm quite poor at reading and understanding poetry. Because of this and because this poem is so long and has a number of words that might be difficult to understand today, I'm writing my comments between each stanza.

Overall, this is a poem about a boat being towed through the Erie Canal during a storm.

On the Erie Canal, it was,
All on a summer's day,
I sailed forth with my parents
Far away to Albany.

The Erie Canal was built between 1817 and 1825. It connected the Hudson River (which lead to the Atlantic Ocean--is that how this poem connects with Australia? The trip could have continued on?) in Albany, New York, to Lake Erie at Buffalo, New York. It's 524 miles long and has thirty-six locks. It's forty feet wide, but only four feet deep. In this poem, the speaker is traveling with his parents to Albany, NY, perhaps from Buffalo.

From out the clouds at noon that day
There came a dreadful storm,
That piled the billows high about,
And filled us with alarm.

It's possible that this trip originated at Lake Erie because the Great Lakes are known to have sudden and severe storms. This stanza talks about the storm coming at noon and people being alarmed.

A man came rushing from a house,
Saying, [1]'Snub up your boat I pray,
Snub up your boat, snub up, alas,
Snub up while yet you may.'

Someone comes out of a house and yells to them to tie up their boat. Apparently, they do not, or so it appears from further in the poem.

Our captain cast one glance astern,
Then forward glanced he,
And said, 'My wife and little ones
I never more shall see.'

Here the captain looks toward the back of the boat or perhaps behind them, then forward again and, apparently after seeing the storm, says he'll never see his wife and children again. This was probably not comforting to any nearby passengers.

Said Dollinger the pilot man,
In noble words, but few,-
'Fear not, but lean on Dollinger,
And he will fetch you through.'

I'm not sure of the difference between the pilot man and the captain, except that a harbor pilot guides ships into their harbor, so perhaps this was the canal pilot and he was going to guide the boat through the canal. Interestingly, Dollinger is derived from a word meaning "grave." I'm not sure if that's a coincidence.

The boat drove on, the frightened mules
Tore through the rain and wind,
And bravely still, in danger's post,
The whip-boy strode behind.

Until 1880, mules were used to tow the boats through the canal, walking to the side along the towpath and, I assume, the whip-boy is the boy who drove the mules. This would be a difficult and dangerous job in a terrible storm with frightened animals and the lives and cargo on board the boat at stake. Here Twain breaks from his full ABAC type of rhyming and uses approximate rhyme.

'Come 'board, come 'board,' the captain cried,
'Nor tempt so wild a storm;'
But still the raging mules advanced,
And still the boy strode on.

Here I believe the captain is calling to the boy for him to board the boat for safety. But the boy and mules continue their work. Again, Twain uses approximate rhyme with "storm" and "on."

Then said the captain to us all,
'Alas, 'tis plain to me,
The greater danger is not there,
But here upon the sea.

The captain had just told the boy to come aboard for his safety, but now he tells his passengers that he realizes that it's actually safer on land.

So let us strive, while life remains,
To save all souls on board,
And then if die at last we must,
Let . . . . I cannot speak the word!'

The captain is speaking, but is so scared they might die, he can't say what he's thinking. Here in lines two and four, he again uses approximate rhyme.

Said Dollinger the pilot man,
Tow'ring above the crew,
'Fear not, but trust in Dollinger,
And he will fetch you through.'

The pilot man (or perhaps navigator in today's language) again assures them that he will get them through the storm.

'Low bridge! low bridge!' all heads went down,
The laboring bark sped on;
A mill we passed, we passed church,
Hamlets, and fields of corn;
And all the world came out to see,
And chased along the shore
Crying, 'Alas, alas, the sheeted rain,
The wind, the tempest's roar!
Alas, the gallant ship and crew,
Can nothing help them more?'

This call of 'low bridge" was probably intended for those who were on top of the boat as the boats often were filled with people during the days and they would be on crates, the roof, and practically everywhere else. They would call out "low bridge" to warn passengers to get down so that the boat could safely pass under the bridge. A hamlet is typically a settlement smaller than a village. Here the people are all coming out to see the danger of the boat. This is the first time his poem breaks from a four-line stanza. Using approximate rhymes, he has an interesting rhyming scheme where the 2nd and 4th lines are approximate rhymes and the 6th line is an approximate rhyme of the 4th, but not of the 2nd. The 8th and 10th lines rhyme with the 6th.

And from our deck sad eyes looked out
Across the stormy scene:
The tossing wake of billows aft,
The bending forests green,
The chickens sheltered under carts
In lee of barn the cows,
The skurrying swine with straw in mouth,
The wild spray from our bows!

Here he describes the scene on the boat. He uses full rhymes in the scheme of ABCBDEFE.

'She balances!
She wavers!
Now let her go about!
If she misses stays and broaches to,
We're all'-then with a shout,]
'Huray! huray!
Avast! belay!
Take in more sail!
Lord, what a gale!
Ho, boy, haul taut on the hind mule's tail!'
'Ho! lighten ship! ho! man the pump!
Ho, hostler, heave the lead!

Here direction are given to help maintain their safety and stability, including manning the pump in case (or because) they are taking on water.

'A quarter-three!-'tis shoaling fast!
Three feet large!-t-h-r-e-e feet!-
Three feet scant!' I cried in fright
'Oh, is there no retreat?'

The canal is supposed to be four feet deep and they allowed boats with up to a three and a half foot draft. Apparently it is only three feet deep here, so, depending on their draft, they are in danger of running aground and taking on water. Here Twain goes back to his ABCB rhymes and four line stanzas.

Said Dollinger, the pilot man,
As on the vessel flew,
'Fear not, but trust in Dollinger,
And he will fetch you through.'

Again, this is a four line stanza with an ABCB rhyme scheme.

A panic struck the bravest hearts,
The boldest cheek turned pale;
For plain to all, this shoaling said
A leak had burst the ditch's bed!
And, straight as bolt from crossbow sped,
Our ship swept on, with shoaling lead,
Before the fearful gale!

Those where weren't scared before now become terrified too. They realize that it was getting too shallow. "A leak had burst the ditch's bed!" The Erie Canal was sometimes called a ditch because it was so shallow. Also, it had a lot of problems with leaks. I assume that is why it is getting so shallow here. Here he uses and entirely different rhyming scheme ABCCCCB.

'Sever the tow-line! Cripple the mules!'
Too late! There comes a shock!
Another length, and the fated craft
Would have swum in the saving lock!

They are trying desperately to stop before it becomes too shallow, but it's too late. They almost made it to the lock which could have been flooded to raise the water depth. They end up shipwrecked.

Then gathered together the shipwrecked crew
And took one last embrace,
While sorrowful tears from despairing eyes
Ran down each hopeless face;
And some did think of their little ones
Whom they never more might see,
And others of waiting wives at home,
And mothers that grieved would be.

This stanza talks about the hopelessness everyone feels as they face impending doom.

But of all the children of misery there
On that poor sinking frame,
But one spake words of hope and faith,
And I worshipped as they came:
Said Dollinger the pilot man,-
(O brave heart, strong and true!)-
'Fear not, but trust in Dollinger,
For he will fetch you through.'

As everyone is losing hope, Dollinger, the pilot man, begins to speak words of hope and faith and everyone hangs on them.

Lo! scarce the words have passed his lips
The dauntless prophet say'th,
When every soul about him seeth
A wonder crown his faith!

He's just said for them to have faith and they begin to see his words come true.

And count ye all, both great and small,
As numbered with the dead:
For mariner for forty year,
On Erie, boy and man,
I never yet saw such a storm,
Or one't with it began!'

Dollinger is saying he's been a mariner for forty years and had never seen such a storm.

So overboard a keg of nails
And anvils three we threw,
Likewise four bales of gunny-sacks,
Two hundred pounds of glue,
Two sacks of corn, four ditto wheat,
A box of books, a cow,
A violin, Lord Byron's works,
A rip-saw and a sow.

To save themselves, they begin throwing things (and animals) overboard.

A curve! a curve! the dangers grow!
'Labbord!-stabbord!-s-t-e-a-d-y!-so!-
Hard-a-port, Dol!-hellum-a-lee!
Haw the head mule!-the aft one gee!
Luff!-bring her to the wind!'

They are coming up on a curve, which is even more dangerous. "Labbord" means the left side of the ship. I couldn't find the meaning for "stabbord," but I assume it means the right side of the ship (starboard). "Hard-a-port" is probably instructions to turn to the port (left) side. The lee side is the side away from the wind. I believe "haw the head mule" means to slow it down and I know to have "the aft one gee" means to make the back one go faster. Basically, lots of instructions are being given to prevent further damage.

For straight a farmer brought a plank,-
(Mysteriously inspired)-
And laying it unto the ship,
In silent awe retired.

A farmer brings a plank for them to walk across to safety.

Then every sufferer stood amazed
That pilot man before;
A moment stood. Then wondering turned,
And speechless walked ashore.

They go ashore speechlessly.

I still see no reference to Australia in this poem.

It's interesting to note that Samuel Clemens used a number of pen names such as Josh, Rambler, Soleather, Sergeant Fathom, Thomas Jefferson Snod­grass, W. Epaminondas Adrastus Blab, and A Son of Adam before finally settling on Mark Twain (taken from his steamboat days, the phrase means that the river is twelve feet deep and safe to navigate). I do wonder if he would have still been as large a figure in American literature, as well as throughout the world, if he'd stuck with a name such as W. Epaminondas Adrastus Blab.


http://www.history.com/topics/mark-twain

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/how-mississippi-river-made-mark-twain-and-v...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-aged-pilot-man-2/

https://nbsubscribe.missouri.edu/news-releases/2010/0302-100-years-after-his-dea...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erie_Canal

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_Bridge_(song)