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Group 3 - Reading Selection-1

The document summarizes the plot of Mark Twain's novel The Prince and the Pauper. It describes how a poor boy named Tom Canty meets and switches places with Prince Edward, experiencing each other's lives. Over time their true identities are discovered and they return to their rightful places, with Tom receiving lifelong privileges from King Edward in gratitude.

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21 views3 pages

Group 3 - Reading Selection-1

The document summarizes the plot of Mark Twain's novel The Prince and the Pauper. It describes how a poor boy named Tom Canty meets and switches places with Prince Edward, experiencing each other's lives. Over time their true identities are discovered and they return to their rightful places, with Tom receiving lifelong privileges from King Edward in gratitude.

Uploaded by

Biechard Alip
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Prince and

The Pauper
By: Mark Twain

Group 3
Reading Selection
Tom Canty, the youngest son of a very poor family living in Offal Court located in
London, has been abused by his father and grandmother but is encouraged by the
local priest, who taught him to read and write. Loitering around the Palace of
Westminster gates one day, Tom sees Edward Tudor, the Prince of Wales. Coming
too close in his intense excitement, he is caught and nearly 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 and are fascinated by each other's
lives. They have an uncanny resemblance to each other and learn they were even
born on the same day, so they decide to swap clothes "temporarily." Edward hides
an item, which the reader later learns is the Great Seal of England, then goes
outside to confront the guards who abused Tom; however, dressed as Tom, he is
not recognized by the guards, who drive him from the palace.

Tom, dressed as Edward, tries to cope with court customs and manners after being
mistaken for the prince. Edward’s father, King Henry VIII, his fellow nobles, and
the palace staff think the prince has an illness that has caused memory loss and fear
he will go mad. After King Henry dies, Tom is repeatedly asked about the missing
Great Seal of England, but he knows nothing about it. However, when Tom is
asked to sit in on judgments, his common-sense observations reassure them that his
mind is sound.

Edward eventually finds his way through the streets to the Canty home, where the
Canty family believes him to be Tom. There, he is subjected to the brutality of
Tom's alcoholic and abusive father, from whom he manages to escape, and meets
Miles Hendon, a soldier and nobleman returning from war. Although Miles does
not believe Edward's claims to royalty, he humors him and becomes his protector.
Meanwhile, news reaches them that King Henry has died and Edward has become
king.

As Edward experiences the brutal life of a London 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, under which 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 offences, and he vows to reign
with mercy when he regains his rightful place. When Edward declares to a gang of
thieves that he is the king and will put an end to unjust laws, they assume he is
insane and hold a mock coronation.

After a series of adventures, including a stint in prison, Edward interrupts the


coronation as Tom is about to be crowned king. The nobles are shocked at their
resemblance but refuse to believe that Edward is the rightful king wearing Tom's
clothes until he produces the Great Seal of England that he hid before leaving the
palace. Edward and Tom switch back to their original places, and Edward is
crowned King Edward VI of England. Miles is rewarded with the rank of Earl and
the family right to sit in the king's presence. In gratitude for supporting the new
king's claim to the throne, Edward names Tom the "King's Ward," a privileged
position that he holds for the rest of his life.

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