Question

Read the excerpt from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.

His aunt Polly stood surprised a moment, and then broke into a gentle laugh.
"Hang the boy, can't I never learn anything? Ain't he played me tricks enough like that for me to be looking out for him by this time? But old fools is the biggest fools there is. Can't learn an old dog new tricks, as the saying is. But my goodness, he never plays them alike, two days, and how is a body to know wha's coming? He 'pears to know just how long he can torment me before I get my dander up, and he knows if he can make out to put me off for a minute or make me laugh, it's all down again and I can't hit him a lick."

Based on the context, explain the meaning of one of the idioms used in the excerpt. How does Twain's use of this idiomatic expression affect readers' understanding of the story or situation?

Answer 1

Answer: Mark Twain is a realist writer. In this excerpt, he uses the regional-specific idioms "before I get my dander up" and "to put me off.""To get someone's dander up" is an idiomatic expression that means the following: Literal meaning: to ruffle someone's hair so that their dander, or skin flakes, are loose Figurative meaning: to arouse anger in someone"To put someone off" is an idiomatic expression that means the following: Literal meaning: to cancel or postpone an event with someone Figurative meaning: to delay, discourage, or dissuade someone from thinking something Aunt Polly uses these idioms to express that Tom always teases her just enough to make her angry but also make her laugh and forgive him. The use of such idiomatic expressions in the dialogue help Twain to give his characters a more realistic and lifelike voice that is distinct to the real-life exchange between people during that time.

Explanation: plato/edmentum

Answer 2

The idiom I will be using is "Hang the boy, can't I never learn anything?" Based on the context, hang the boy means that the speaker is already getting annoyed, frustrated and irritated. She can no longer hide her annoyance because she thinks that it's impossible to change old people's habits, mindsets, or traits. As defined, idiom is an expression with a figurative meaning that differs from the literal meaning. In the above excerpt, I can say that the idioms amplify the author's messages in a way that draws readers in and helps awaken their senses to better understand the meaning of the literary piece as well as the context. Idiomatic expressions convey complex and abstract ideas in a concise, succinct but creative way that will make it easier to understand for the readers. It also adds dynamism which could make the readers engage more with the literary piece.

Step-by-step explanation:

Idiom: Hang the boy, can't I never learn anything?

Meaning of the idiom: Based on the context, hang the boy means that the speaker is already getting annoyed, frustrated and irritated. She can no longer hide her annoyance because she thinks that it's impossible to change old people's habits, mindsets, or traits.

How Twain's use of this idiomatic expression affects the readers understanding of the story: As defined, idiom is an expression with a figurative meaning that differs from the literal meaning. In the above excerpt, I can say that the idioms amplify the author's messages in a way that draws readers in and helps awaken their senses to better understand the meaning of the literary piece as well as the context. Idiomatic expressions convey complex and abstract ideas in a concise, succinct but creative way that will make it easier to understand for the readers. It also adds dynamism which could make the readers engage more with the literary piece.