Mark Twain: Thematic Response
"To be a patriot, one had to say, and keep on saying, 'our country, right or wrong,' and urge on the little war. Have you not perceived that phrase is an insult to the nation? Only when a republic's life is in danger should a man uphold his government when it is in the wrong. There is no other time" (Geismar vi). Mark Twain was an idealist who used his writings to demonstrate his concern for the direction and condition of the United States. Twain had always hated the cruelty of slavery. He wanted to keep American democracy pure, and was distrustful of other systems such as the English monarchy. Twain was also distrustful of religion, and he wanted to make sure the Catholic Church did not develop dominion over the United States' churches and government. In Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," and "The L1,000,000 Bank-Note," his strong hatred of slavery, hatred of English Monarchy, and hatred of Catholicism are stressed; these satirical works present his American patriotism through his use of character images, humorous burlesques, satirical allusions, and symbolism between the nineteenth and sixth centuries.Growing up in Hannibal, Missouri, Mark Twai
Twain also uses burlesque to poke fun at the English habit of betting. In "The L1,000,000 Bank-Note," the gentlemen bet on if Henry Adams would survive for thirty days without any real money and just a bank-note that was impossible to cash. Although this just appears to be part of the silly plot, Twain is trying to point out how foolish the practice of betting has become among the English. Perhaps even stronger than his hatred of slavery was Mark Twain's hatred of monarchy; more specifically, English monarchy. Twain took pleasure out of seeing monarchies fall and saw it as the most grotesque swindle by man (Geismar 170). He despised the feudal system created by the kings and the inequality required to make it work. He disliked the idea of knighthood and the class segregation caused by it. Twain knew it was impossible to create a perfect government, because that would be the "despotism of Heaven" (Scott 148), but he wanted everyone to know how much he detested the English government and how worried he was that it would sink into the United States culture and government. The lower class of medieval England was just as oppressed as the slaves of the nineteenth century. Twain loathed any authority who used power to oppress (Cox 169). The way the peasants were forced to live on the land of their Lord was very similar to plantation life. The peasants had to follow the orders of their Lord, and put their Lord's affairs in front of their own. They were dependent upon their Lord, whether the peasants could admit that or not. The slaves were dependent on their masters as well, not sure how to survive without their presence. Again, just like the English peasants, they also had to do the work for their masters, and having to neglect their own. "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all monarchs are usurpers, and descendants of usurpers; for the reason that no throne was ever set up in this world by the will, freely exercised, of the only body possessing the legitimate right to set it up--the numerical mass of the nation" (Geismar 171). Although King Arthur does see his fault, he cannot see the solution and does not truly understand why it is such a problem. Twain wanted the American people to see their fault in slavery. He knew they were blind to the crimes they were committing and wanted them to be informed. Just as King Arthur could not see past the tradition of the feudal system in Europe, many American people could not see past the "peculiar institution" of slavery.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Mark Twain, King Arthur, Arthur's Court, Twain American, Henry Adams, Twain Yankee, Heaven Scott, God Cox, Mark Twain's, Pope Catholics, king arthur's court, king arthur's, arthur's court, connecticut yankee king, yankee king arthur's, connecticut yankee, yankee king, king arthur, english monarchy, catholic church, mark twain, feudal system, american people, jumping frog calaveras, frog calaveras county,
Approximate Word count = 3348
Approximate Pages = 13 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
