Mark Twain Visual Description

The portrait provided of Mark Twain shows him in an all-white suite with a dark background. His facial features make him seem that he is a stern and serious gentleman. He possesses no smile which strengthens his serious demeanor. His wispy white hair gives him a more whimsical look, but also provides the viewer with information that is compatible with that of a mad man. Meaning that styling of Twain’s hair may lead people to view him as though he were crazy. The next attribute I noticed in the portrait that was not mentioned in the accompanying description were his hands. His hands were placed in a natural, almost relaxed position. Personally, this made me feel as though he is confident in who he was. Also, being that he has become an acclaimed writer, it is fitting that his hands seem relaxed yet confident. Lastly, the cigar in his left hand may signify a number of things. However, I believe it adds to his confidence. Overall, the

Before the description, I believed that he could be a somewhat snobby, rich, older man. I believe the written description helps to humanize him. The description does this through the anecdote that it provides about him dressing in all white like a ghost to see how long it would take for onlookers to forget about his garb. This shows that demonstrates that he may not be as confident as the portrait portrays him to be. The snippet introduction also gives him a more humorous side. This is done by Twain saying that he would love to dress in a costume of rainbow colored robes. This further humanizes him and shows the audience that he is not all serious like depicted in the portrait. Twain also discusses the privileges that he has been granted with age. This allows the audience and the author to recognize his mortality. In summation, yes, the writing does change the way I view the portrait of Twain. The writing exhibits how he is not all serious and further humanizes