Mark Twain Short Stories Essay Essay Example for Free

Mark Twain Short Stories Essay Essay Mark Twain has composed a myriad of short stories over a long period of time. Twain writes with the passion to charm and amuse the reader. Every single sentence he writes makes one want to keep reading on to see what happens next. His stories also offer a comment on human nature and Twain often questions conventional wisdom. Just because someone’s life did not attach to with what many people see normal, Twain seems to be asking if that makes them lucky when they don’t fail. He responds to that question and challenges the reader to think twice in his short stories. Mark Twain’s stories seem to never be lacking hilariousness. In Luck, for example, he brings out the subject, Lieutenant-General Lord Arthur Scoresby, as a dignified and decorated soldier but then makes a quick turn by quoting the town Reverend saying, â€Å"Privately – he’s an absolute fool† (Twain 265). This blunt change allows Twain the chance to recount the tale told by the Reverend concerning Scoresby’s many failures in battle. Additionally, he sets up the reader in The Story of the Bad Little Boy by painting a dreary picture as to what could happen to the main character. Twain then excitedly breaks the ice with an amusing reveal of what actually happened. Twain writes, â€Å"Is it right to disobey my mother? Isn’t it sinful to do this? Where do bad little boys go who gobble up their good kind mother’s jam?† and then he didn’t kneel down all alone and promise to never to be wicked any more, no that is the way with all other bad boys in the books†¦ He ate that jam, and said it was bully; and he put in the tar, and said that was bully, also, and laughed, and observed that the old woman would get up and snort† (11). This process of creating a sullen circumstance and then flamboyantly reversing course is depicted in most of Twain’s stories and was used to have a great effect. Mark Twain used humor to thrill the reader, which he did effectively and consistently, but he also used it make a clear point. The most frequent point he was trying to make was that society is too uptight. In The Story of the Bad Little Boy, he underlines a wide range of â€Å"bad† things that the main character does but wraps it up that it had little bearing on him when he became a man. Twain writes, â€Å"And he grew up and married, and raised a large family, and brained them all with an ax one night, and got wealthy by all manner of cheating and rascality; and now he is the infernalest wickedest  scoundrel in his native village, and is universally respected, and belongs to the legislature† (13). This was Twain’s way of getting at the notion that a naughty child will always be a bad person. He does this again in Science vs. Luck in which he pokes fun at the over-the-top laws against gambling and games of chance. Twain does this through the main character, a nifty attorney, who argues that the game of seven-up is actually a game of science rather than chance so should not be considered gambling. Twain writes, â€Å"We, the jury in the case do hereby unanimously decide that the game commonly known as old sledge or seven-up is eminently a game of science and not chance†¦ In demonstration where of it is hereby and herein stated, iterated, reiterated, set forth and made manifest that, during the entire night, the â€Å"chance† men never won a game† (73). By using humor to sink in the message, Twain was able to poke fun at the conservative folks that ruled his day, and ours. Conservative thinking includes the presumption that people who succeed while acting in an unconventional manner must be lucky. Twain also poked fun at that thinking as well. The hero in Luck, Lieutenant-General Lord Arthur Scoresby, was privately thought to be a fool and the luckiest man on earth to survive in the military for decades. Twain then brings up nearly a dozen events in which Scoresby went against conventional wisdom and managed to live, leaving the reader to wonder the question, â€Å"Was it really luck or was Scoresby just good at what he did?† He also attains a familiar and similar goal in The Story of the Bad Little Boy in which the main character survives many near-fatal events to become a pillar of society. Twain seems to ask, â€Å"Was the boy really lucky to survive his childhood or was society too uptight?† Finally, in Science vs. Luck, Twain points out that games of â€Å"chance† are nothing more than complicated science or math problems. Once again, Twain intrigues the reader to consider whether the conservative view is the one and only view. Mark Twain wrote short stories with strong intent. He had a critical yet comical perspective that allowed him to see the humor in serious matters. Twain wrote about them in a way that was entertaining while also serving to share his perspective on his literature. For those readers who took themselves too seriously, they probably only saw the humor part. To those who chose to read between the lines laughed, but also probably stopped to reflect on the message. In his unique way, Mark Twain may have changed the course of human nature and society with his writings. Works Cited Twain, Mark. The Complete Short Stories. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2012. Print.

Christians Dons Have the Answer :: essays research papers

Irrefutable Questions that Christians Can't Answer 1. Explain why your god's only son had to die so we can go to magic happy land when we croak. 2. Did everyone who died before Jesus died go to Hell? Justify your answer. 3. If a Catholic, justify the Inquisition and other persecutions of "heretics" throughout the centuries, concentrating on why the Pelagianists, the Priscillianists, and the Manichaeans were persecuted; if a Protestant, justify the witch trials and the way that Protestants constantly hunted down native Americans until there were so few that the government could simply take their land; if a member of an Eastern Orthodox church, justify the persecutions of the Old Believers after the reforms of the seventeenth century. 4. Explain why your sect (whether Catholic, Protestant, or Eastern Orthodox) pursued, tortured, and killed people who were not Christian. 5. Explain why your sect (whether Catholic, Protestant, or Eastern Orthodox) pursued, tortured, and killed people who were not members of your particular sect. 6. Explain why I should believe that your god is all-good when the only real information we have about him is the Bible, which clearly describes him as both good and evil. (See Isaiah 30:32, Luke 14:26, Numbers 31:17-18, Matthew 10:34, Amos 3:6, Deuteronomy 18:8, Deuteronomy 20:16, Exodus 20:5, Exodus 32:27, Isaiah 45:7, Psalms 52:5, Luke 22:36, and Jeremiah 18:11 for a small sample of Biblical passages which describe Jehovah as having an evil morality at times). 7. Explain why, when racism is clearly wrong, Jesus was clearly a racist (see Mark 7:25-29). NOTE: under no circumstances will I believe the idea that racism is morally acceptable. 8. Explain why, when discrimination against women is clearly wrong, the Bible clearly supports the oppression of women. Answering this question entails refuting 1 Cor 11 and 1 Tim 2:11-15. NOTE: under no circumstances will I believe that discrimination against women solely on the basis of sex is morally acceptable. 9. Explain why, when slavery is clearly wrong, the Bible clearly supports slavery. Answering this question entails refuting 1 Peter 2:18. NOTE: under no circumstances will I believe that slavery is an acceptable way to run a society. 10. Explain why children should submit to their parents' decisions even when those decisions are clearly evil. Answering this question entails refuting Deuteronomy 21:18-21, Proverbs 13:24, and Hebrews 12:7-8. 11. Explain why, if your god loves us all, more than half of us are going to Hell after we die. Specifically, refute or explain the following words of Christ, as presented in the New Testament: "Many are called but few are chosen," and "Straight is the gate,

Music in the Late 90s and 2000s

Compare and Contrast Music in the Late 90s and 2000s As all of us know, music is the universal language. It is the art of expressing and interpreting an opinion or expression through the creation of sound; and it certainly has histories of many centuries and periods since the existence of human. The question is- would you consider music as a necessity in your daily life? Well, I would easily agree to it; with more quotes popping up recently that are related to music, such as, ‘No Music, No Life’, and ‘Music is the Essence of Life’.These quotes never fail to prove how strongly music influences in all our daily lives. However, music is created very uniquely and differently in every century and here we are now, to compare and contrast between music in the late 90s and in the late 2000s, in terms of the style, the presentation, and the genres. From J. S. Bach, to W. A. Mozart, to Ludwig Van Beethoven, to Claude Debussy, to Scott Joplin, to Miles Davis, to The Be atles, and then to the current Justin Bieber; these people are to be said as the ‘icon’ of their century.Each of them showed progression of music along the century; portraying individualistic in music of the century. As for music in the late 90s and 2000s, contrasts in their musical style and elements have been clearly shown through their music. Judging by the music in the late 90s music, musical instruments used seemed to be more original in the sense of its sound and timbre produced compared to the more technology infused music in the 2000s.This creates a huge contrast in both musical style as the sources of the sound produced is very much differ from each other. Besides that, the song lyric in the late 90s music can be judged as more meaningful compared to the 2000s- more insightful lyrics were incorporated in the 90s with more decent vocabulary compared to the more trendy lyrics style in 2000s with more foulness and wildness usage of vocabulary in expressing a music .This clearly shows the influences of generation in the past and in the present that indirectly influence their musical style in music of the century. Next, how do we audience perceive a kind of music? This is a general question with a general answer; which is presentation of the music itself. A presentation of the music is affected mainly by its outlook- recording. In the 90s, the quality of the music recording seemed to be not as excellent as the ones in 2000s; due to the progression of technology at that period.However, music in the late 90s provides and instills good vibes and awareness of quality music into the society with its positively contented music compared to music in the 2000s which concentrated more on catchy and trendy music videos for publication to attract more audiences while neglecting the education of music towards the society’s mind- videos are recorded with more sexual and violent actions incorporated are indeed deluding and corrupting the generation of the century.This shows how a presentation of a music recording affects the perception of the audiences towards the music in the late 90s and the 2000s. Last but not least, technology does play a critical role in music. Evidence could be seen with the increment of music genre that is well equipped with technology influences, especially through the music progress from the 90s to the 2000s.In the 90s, the music produced are played with more authentic musical instruments, such as piano/keyboard, drums, guitars, and etc; while in the 2000s, the music are more technology based with frequent usage of synthesizer which is capable of switching to many types of instruments’ sounds and even have a function to play the drum beats in the background while you play the synthesizer, thus replacing the role of few musical instruments.The dominance of contrast between music in the 90s and the 2000s is clearly seen with the genre of music the century focused on, which is pop/rap/rock music in t he 90s and trance/techno/rock metal music in 2000s which obviously prove the influences of technology in music of 2000s. Music is deeply engaged in our daily lives without any doubts, whether we are in the 90s or the 2000s.There is no ‘better’ music through comparison of music from different era. It is purely based on one’s preferences and understanding towards it. Music from the late 90s and the 2000s has strongly showed the musical style of their own with the contrasts found in their music, as stated above. Let us just embrace and appreciate music as it is instead of holding grudges towards them! Reference http://www. thepeoplehistory. com/90smusic. html

Essay on Franklin D Roosevelt - 1402 Words

Franklin D. Roosevelt In the 1932 election, the Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelt collected 57.4 percent of the popular vote to easily defeat the republican opponent, Herbert Hoover. He strove to be a symbol of confidence and a new hope for the nation, declaring in his inauguration day speech on March 4, 1933, quot;the only thing we have to fear is fear itselfquot; (Norton, p.727). By incorporating this theory into politics, he attempted to pick America off the ground, and set America back on track with two sets of programs called the First and Second New Deals. During the first hundred days of his presidency, Roosevelt set forth his plan for national recovery, known as the First New Deal. Designed and administered by Roosevelts†¦show more content†¦May 18 saw the passing of one of the New Deals most well known programs, creating the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), a plan to develop and conserve the Tennessee Valley, and use its resources for energy purposes (Norton, p.730). The hundred days lasted until June 16, on which date another very important piece of legislature was passed, the National Industrial Recovery Act, which created the National Recovery Administration (NRA) to manage the recovery of the industry and finance economies (McElvaine, p.112). Among many agricultural measures, the creation of the AAA stood out as the most important. Under the leadership of Secretary of Agriculture Henry Wallace and AAA head Chester Davis, the AAA controlled the production of crops, and thus prices, by offering subsidies to farmers who produced under set quotas (Leuchtenburg, p.121). This funding was financed by a tax on food processors, which transferred to high prices for processed goods for consumers (Leuchtenburg, p.121). The major act in the industrial and finance area was the creation of the NRA. The NRA brought together representatives of the nations major industries, â€Å"who together drafted codes of fair competition† (McElvaine, p.113). Under its head administrator, Hugh Johnson, the NRA established the regulations that held industry together during the New Deal. Reassured by the overwhelming Democratic victory in the midterm elections of 1934, Roosevelt laidShow MoreRelated Franklin D. Roosevelt2924 Words   |  12 PagesWorld War II. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the man who was capable to lead the country through these challenging times. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the adored only child of James and Sara Delano Roosevelt born on January 30, 1882 at Hyde Park, New York. Both sides of the family, the Delano and the Roosevelt had business associates of shipping interests in coal and railroads. They both had long English-Dutch patrician pedigrees (Franklin D. Roosevelt 1). The estate where Franklin grew up had everythingRead MoreThe Legacy Of Franklin D. Roosevelt1333 Words   |  6 Pages Wisdom, knowledge, greatness and power are a few words that come to mind when thinking about our 32nd president of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He’s one of America’s greatest presidents who accomplished more than we could have hoped for. A man of few words citizens would say, yet each word was a something to remember. I believe that he was in fact the most effective president the US has had so far. This president was the most precise, straightforward president; he got what was neededRead MorePresident Franklin D. Roosevelt959 Words   |  4 Pagesidentified an individual as a great leader. President Franklin D. Roosevelt is a prime example of a great leader. In 1933 Roosevelt became the 32nd president of the United States, and led Americans through various series of events. But like many accomplishments every great leader faced challenges and Roosevelt was no exception. This paper will analyze Franklin D. Roosevelt accomplishments, challenges, and lead ership style. During his presidential time Roosevelt led Americans through the Great Depression andRead MoreEssay on Franklin D. Roosevelt531 Words   |  3 Pages Franklin Delano Roosevelt was born January 30, 1882. He was the only child. His parents were James Roosevelt and Sara Delano Roosevelt. He was raised very fortunate because his family had a lot of money. Franklin, at age fourteen, attended Groton School. For his undergraduate degree he attended Harvard University. At Harvard he was elected editor-in-chief of the college paper. Franklin looked up to his distant cousin, Teddy Roosevelt. He wanted to be in office just like Teddy was. He ran for hisRead MoreThe Life of Franklin D. Roosevelt1005 Words   |  5 PagesA mention of the name, Roosevelt D. Franklin to most Americans, rekindles the memories of the Second World War, the Manhattan projects and the subsequent bombing of two Japanese cities. 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Roosevelt777 Words   |  4 PagesAngela McLinton AP U.S. History Pd 1 Galvin 3/16/15 President Franklin D. Roosevelt is commonly thought of as a liberal and President Herbert C. Hoover as a conservative. To what extent are there characterizations valid? It is a commonly held belief that Roosevelt was liberal and Hoover, conservative. However, as their respective presidencies progressed, it was shown through their proactivity and reservations that they attained a versatility between the two. Both wanted to pull the economy awayRead MorePresident Franklin D. Roosevelt969 Words   |  4 PagesPresident Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States since 1933, died yesterday afternoon at Warm Springs, Georgia. A White House announcement stated that the President died suddenly from a cerebral haemorrhage. The stories you need to read, in one handy email Read more Mr. Harry Truman, the Vice-President, has already been sworn in as the 33rd President. After stating that an immediate meeting of the Cabinet had been called the White House statement said that the four Roosevelt sons inRead MoreThe Legacy Of Franklin D. Roosevelt868 Words   |  4 PagesFranklin D. Roosevelt has gone down in history as one of the greatest presidents to serve our country. He was president from 1933 to 1945, the longest any president has ever served. With the establishment of the new deal, he was able to not only bring the American economy out of the depression but also the people themselves. But it is his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt, was a leader herself. She did not stand in the foreground of her husband’s presidency; she actively fought for her beliefs and becameRead MorePresident Franklin D. Roosevelt917 Words   |  4 Pages　　From the year of 1933 to 1941, president Franklin D. Roosevelt enacted a series of reforms called the â€Å"New Deal.† The New Deal was aimed to help the social and economic recovery of the United States after the Great Depression. Different groups of people were treated differently during the New Deal. Some groups benefited from the reforms and some did not. Certainly, not all groups of people experienced the New Deal similarly; some perfect examples of this are old people, farm laborers, and theatre