Closed Mind, Closed Doors
In 'Consistency' (1923), Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, stated, "Loyalty to petrified opinions never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul- and never will." Mark Twain- known for his open mindedness and the way he uses his open mind in all of his works- never one to have a biased opinion before he knows about everything he deals with. Little did many know he works for a greater purpose, not just to tell a story; Mark Twain writes his works with the great intent of giving advice. Just like in every other work, Mark Twain gives his readers a piece of advice; keep your mind and heart open. Open minds and open hearts, as Mark Twain tries to lead his audience to believe, lead to open doors and open windows
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Loyalty to petrified opinions- well, that may lead to more severe behaviors such as, misbehavior, dictatorship, and, depending on the opinion in mind, death or serious injury. A human soul depicts as a very valuable item and throwing it away because of close mindedness displays as a common yet, stupid move on their part. If everyone continue to evolve around petrified opinions, they may never "break a chain or free a human soul" so, anyone who can needs to open their minds up to the people around them and their ideas.
As humans, people make mistakes and, as Mark Twain displays, a major mistake humans make- loyalty to petrified opinions runs the world. If the world could get rid of all of the mistakes they make, the world would become a much better place.
Therefore, Mark Twain really does care about the world tremendously and he tries to give everyone advice on how to improve it. Humans have started ruining the world and the way many people look at certain groups of people. Petrified opinions may just cause humans to ruin the precious world they live in and so many people's long sought after reputations. People will never get anywhere in life if they do not open their minds to new ideas or try new
Even though the book shows immaturity I think the audience it's intended for is old enough to not be influenced by bad behavior in a book. This leads me into my next point The strength of writing of Mark Twain. Mark Twain’s writing is very unique because of the way he studies the background of the people the books are about. One of the best features of the book is the way Mark Twain uses dialect. "No! W'y, what has you lived on? But you got a gun. Oh, yes, you got a gun. Dat's good. Now you kill sumfn en I'll make up de fire." (Twain). As you can see in the quotes Mark Twain has a magical way of writing and giving an accurate picture of how it was in the mid 1800s.
In 1907 Bernard Shaw remarked to Archibald Henderson that, "Mark Twain and I find ourselves in the same position. We have to make people, who would otherwise hang us, believe that we are joking (Clemens 5)." This point is well illustrated by the fearless Twain
American author Mark Twain was one of the most influential people of his time. Twain is perhaps best known for his traditional classic, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a novel about an adventurous boy named Huck Finn as he traverses about on the Mississippi. Under first impressions, Huckleberry Finn would be considered nothing but a children’s tale at heart written by the highly creative Mark Twain. However one interprets it, one can undoubtedly presume that Twain included personal accounts within its pages, humorous and solemn opinions on the aspects of the diverse societies around him during his life. Throughout the entire story, Huck Finn would often come into conflict between choosing what was consciously right and what was morally
Twain mentions on how we as teenagers and smaller kids should consider on hearing and thinking more when adults try to give us advice, because most of them have already been through what we are living now. On the lesson he gives us an advice on how becoming a better liar can make you a much smarter person in a very humorous and entertaining way.
Society can have a huge impact on an individual's moral growth. Sometimes the impact is positive but other times the learned habits and set morals of society have a negative effect. In Mark Twain's novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the main character, Huck, struggles with what society teaches him and with what he knows to be good and true. During different conflicts concerning either the king and duke, various women or Jim, Huck's sound heart wins the battle over his conscience, which the reader knows to be ill-formed.
The first aspect of society Twain ridicules is its attempt at respectability. Huck Finn, a boy referred to as "white trash," has grown up totally believing what society has taught him. Society attempts to teach the
Mark Twain, although quite the comedian, makes a valid point in “Corn-Pone Opinions”. The observation of humanity and its tendencies to follow what society promotes is a relevant occurrence today. Twain leads on “. . . that it’s born of the human being’s natural yearning to stand well with his fellows and have their inspiring approval and praise . . .” (720). Humans are not equipped to stand their own ground; they prefer to follow the leader. Twain puts it simply, “we are creatures of outside influences; as a rule we do not think, we only imitate” (719). Twain clearly makes his point noticeable to his audience, holding back no opinion throughout the
Mark Twain's Pessimistic Views Exposed in Mark Twain's Pessimistic Views Exposed in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Twain attempts to show the reader that education is important to improve quality of life and avoid being exploited
Mark Twain seems to be more forgiving towards characters who have used necessary deception than the ones who have acted, in some way, hypocritical. Though hypocrisy and deception are both looked at as pessimistic actions in our society, Twain points out that sometimes lying or bending the truth is necessary in some cases. In a perfect world there would be no need for anyone to bend the truth, but this isn't a perfect world and Twain knows it. There is greed, selfishness, and no telling who can be trusted. Since there are such people in the world, Twain seems to find that deception, or the process of misleading others, is necessary at times for people have the potential of doing selfish and greed driven things, like Huck's father.
Mark Twain was a world renowned novelist and a beloved American Writer. He wrote things about what was happening in the world around him and is also a huge part of American Literature. Although Mark Twain is a famous novelist his home life, background/achievements, and greatest accomplishments are what made him who he is today.
Mark Twain is satirizing the advice young people are given by authoritative figures on different issues in life. The words of wisdom used to guide youth usually promote the same ideals and are repeated so often that in some sense they lose their strength. That does not mean though that the issues they touch upon are not important. Twain uses humor to actually make young people go beyond the banality and conformity and ask questions of importance.
In Mark Twain’s “Corn-Pone Opinions” essay he makes a valid point in the manner that he observes the tendencies humanity has to follow social trends and not differentiating themselves from one another and more or less playing follow the leader. Twain goes on to say “… that it’s born of the human being’s natural yearning to stand well with his fellows and have their inspiring approval and praise…”. Twains argument is that it is not in our nature to be unique and different, we want to follow others and be accepted by others. According to Twain we play copycat, he plainly states “we are creatures of outside influences; as a rule we do not think, we only imitate”. Twain is very forthcoming in this essay, he makes clear to his audience about his
In Mark Twain 's satirical essay, “The Damned Human Race,” Twain critiques human beings by declaring that “The human race is a race of cowards; and I am not only marching in that procession but carrying a banner.” The motif of cowardice and the cruelty of humanity is also present in another one of Twain’s most famous works: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Throughout this novel, Twain passionately decries the immorality and corruption of society through the employment of rhetoric and themes. He utilizes irony to draw attention to the hypocrisy and self-righteousness of many Christians and the detrimental effects this hypocrisy can have on society. He implements pathos to highlight the greed and
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by the pseudonym Mark Twain, has been central to American literature for over a century. His seemingly effortless diction accurately exemplified America’s southern culture. From his early experiences in journalism to his most famous fictional works, Twain has remained relevant to American writing as well as pop culture. His iconic works are timeless and have given inspiration the youth of America for decades. He distanced himself from formal writing and became one of the most celebrated humorists. Mark Twain’s use of the common vernacular set him apart from authors of his era giving his readers a sense of familiarity and emotional connection to his characters and himself.