Examining Mark Twain's Work to Determine If He Was Racist Essay

Ever since the humans have been separated into different ethnic groups racism has existed on Earth. The idea of racism has existed since the beginning of time but today racism is not as prominent as it once was but it still lives. Racism is kept alive through microaggressions or the eununciating of an offensive and racist comment. During the Great Depression, racism was in its prime, Harper Lee’s renown novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, brings the ideology of racism to light. Throughout the novel, Lee delivers a powerful message on the topic of racism which is the white community’s racist mindsets about black people has caused colored people to be unjustly tried in court, be dehumanized, and receive unnecessary hostility constantly by the white

Mark Twain was not a racist, yet it took me many years to realize that. I finally found a respect for him that I should have known before I turned that first page. Even though the book has many racial slurs, it shows that not just a friendship, but a strong bond could be formed between a young white boy and a black man. "They hain't no right to shut him up! Shove! - and don't you lose a minute. Turn him loose! He ain't a slave, he's as

These paragraphs mention a couple of immoral aspects of Twain’s life. When he buries his grandmother under the grapevine, he justifies his reasoning through common sense. “The vine needed fertilizing, my aunt had to be buried, and I dedicated her to this high purpose.” This justification is ironic because his deceased grandmother is providing life for the vines. He also refers to the Constitution in support of his actions. “Does that unfit me for the President? The Constitution of our country does not say so.” Irony also occurs when Twain admits that he dislikes the poor. “I regard the poor man, in his present condition, as so much wasted raw material.” This statement is ironic because the office of the presidency swears on oath to support and serve the entire population of the United States. Because of this, the ironies placed in these two paragraphs further bring out the humor of this

Samuel Langhorne Clemens better known by the name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. Twain was raised in Hannibal, Missouri, and served an apprenticeship with a printer and then worked as a typesetter, contributing articles to the newspaper of his older brother Orion Clemens. He became nothing less than a national treasure. He captured a world audience with stories of boyhood adventure and with commentary on man's faults that is humorous even while it probes the roots of human behavior. One of his most famous essays (satire) that I will analyze is, “A Presidential Candidate”, which was written on June 9th, 1879, in which he evokes a sarcastic tone to mock presidential candidates by using syntax, diction, irony, and examples from his own past.

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.

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.

Many critics agree that Twain's skilled use of the satirical literary style, defines himself as a writer. "If the prevailing spirit of Mark Twain's humor is not a sort of good-natured self-satire, in which the reader may see his own absurdities reflected, I scarcely should be able to define it" (Howells). This similarity was present in all three short stories.

Mark Twain has been seriously accused by many including Toni Morrison of being a "racist author," whose writing is offensive to black readers, which spreads cheap slave-era stereotypes.

Twain describes the time of war as “a glad and gracious time,” and the victorious soldiers as “bronzed heroes, welcomed, adored, submerged in golden seas of glory!” His positive description of imperialism represents the common belief that war is a glorious event and a source of pride for the victors. Twain also describes those against the war, but in a negative light: “the half dozen rash spirits that ventured to disapprove of the war and cast a doubt upon its righteousness straightway got such a stern and angry warning...” Twain’s description of anti-imperialists and the treatment they received from others shows how unpopular and seemingly insane their ideas were. Though Twain himself was an anti-imperialist, he describes them in a negative way to gain readers. Most Americans in the early 1900’s were imperialists, and through a positive and prideful description of imperialism at the beginning of his essay, Twain is able to draw in many readers he would have offended if he wrote only of the horrors of imperialism. Twain’s word choice drew in more readers, causing many to now question imperialism. Twain’s word choice describing both pro- and anti-imperialists widens his audience, and his thoughts on the effects of imperialism are seen by more readers. His word choice effectively spreads his message.

“All modern literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn,” this is what fellow writer had to say about this classic novel. Still, this novel has been the object of controversy since it was published more than 150 years ago. Some people argue that Huckleberry Finn is a racist work, and that the novel has no place in a highschool classroom. This feeling is generated because a main character in the story, Jim, and other slaves are referred to many times as “niggers.” When Mark Twain wrote this book, he was striving to show the general public that society was wrong in the past, that the way white people thought black people were less than human was a wrong viewpoint. The

The most obvious piece of evidence towards proving Mark Twain’s novel racist is his use of the “n” word. The word is used more then 200 times in the novel and the way it is used makes it look like

Mark Twain is one of the most prolific authors to grace the world of literature. Twain lived a life full of adventure and imagination that helped to shape the writings that were composed. Without the works of Mark Twain, hundreds of other American authors would likely not be around to this day as Twain was the motivation for many of the authors from the period. Twain’s life began in 1835, in Florida, Missouri as Samuel L. Clemens. Twain, as he will be addressed in this paper, had very humble beginnings and lived a life of several professions before finding the true profession that Twain would soon one day manipulate into master works. Living in Hannibal, Missouri developed an image in the mind of Twain, carnivals, the sound of steamboats arriving at the port, and other events helped to shape the image in Twain’s mind. However, it wasn’t until the age of twelve when Twain had to stop schooling due to his father’s death and find a profession that could support his family. Becoming an apprentice printer for the local newspaper company helped Twain to discover his love of writing at an early age, however it was the profession of becoming a steamboat captain that would help Twain to create the atmosphere and imagination needed to compose two of the greatest works America would ever lay witness to.

Mark Twain, while funny and chatty comes across as serious, especially about his writing. Many people thought he was weird or maybe they couldn't really understand him because of the way he spoke. He seemed polite when he talked to others. However, they might have thought he was unintelligent because he wasn't a wealthy business man or didn't seem serious about publishing his works. In one of his writing pieces he talked about his book " The Jumping Frog" which he said was one of his most joyful.

Many places have decided to ban The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain since the book first came out. They believed the book has foul language and portrays African Americans very rudely. They called Mark Twain racist because of that. But I believe Mark Twain isn’t racist and his writing was trying to change the point of view for everyone around the world.

Not everyone has the courage to embrace their mistakes and challenges in life. Turning that into classic art is something Mark Twain became known for. Creating masterpieces of humor, characterization, and realism is not easy, but it's something Twain mastered. Though he encountered many impacting and difficult obstacles, he was able to turn these experiences into engaging stories of mischief, adventure, and the beauty and rawness of life.