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Corn pone opinions mark twain analysis
Corn pone opinions mark twain analysis
Research on conformity suggests that
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In Mark Twain's essay “Corn Pone Opinions”, he defines the concept of “corn pone opinions”, those of which are plain and unoriginal, and how they are ultimately impacted by our surroundings. Twain supports his ideas by stating how “a man conforms to the majority view”. In this, he explains how we, as humans, naturally conform to the behaviors and to the ideas to those around us. Because of this conformity in ideology, he suggests that “he must get his opinions from other people”. He then leads to express his shock in the matter, stating that an original opinion is “the most rare thing -- it it indeed ever existed”. From Twain’s direct word choice and diction, his critical view of forming one’s personal opinions is expressed with absolute confidence.
Are personal opinions made up from your own personal thoughts or are they developed from what others think or feel? The essay Corn-pone Opinions by Mark Twain, shows how corn-pone or every day opinions are formed. It was written in 1901, but was not published until after his death in 1923, in Europe and Elsewhere. The author’s main argument is that opinions are developed from conformity with what their family, neighbors, and society around them thinks. In general, people have a need for self-approval.
Ernest Hemmingway once described a novel by Mark Twain as, “…it is the ‘one book’ from which ‘all modern American literature’ came from” (Railton). This story of fiction, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is a remarkable story about a young boy growing up in a society that influences and pressures people into doing the so-called “right thing.” It is not very difficult to witness the parallels between the society Huck has grown up in and the society that influences the choices of people living today. However, what is it that gives society the power to draw guidelines to define the norms, trends, and what is morally right and wrong in life? Is it always the best choice to listen to your consciences, which is under the influence of society, or is it sometimes just as important to listen to your heart and what you think is right?
The only impulses that Twain intends to stir are a person’s moral compass in an attempt to rid society of their negative outlook toward African Americans. In the Explanatory of the novel, Twain tells the readers that “several different ‘dialects are used,’ which have been written ‘painstakingly,’ based on his own ‘personal familiarity with these several forms of speech’” (Adventures 3). Twain grew up in a setting similar to that of the
Mark Twain, a famous American writer-satirist wrote many books highly acclaimed throughout the world. For his masterpiece, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the literary establishment recognized him as one of the greatest writers America would ever produce. This novel is about a teenage boy by the name of Huck Finn whose father is an alcoholic. Because of his violence, Huck runs away and finds a runaway slave Jim. Instead of turning Jim in, Huck goes against society and makes a decision to help Jim break free from slavery. As they travel together, Huck learns more and more about Jim and starts to understand that the common stereotype of black people is wrong. Huck sees there is no difference between Jim and any white man he knows except for skin color. Risking his life and overcoming many difficulties on the way, Huck succeeds in freeing Jim. Focusing on racism, alcoholism and mob mentality, Mark Twain uses his enthusiastic style of writing and satirizes the three traits throughout the novel.
In Mark Twain’s intriguing essay “Corn-Pone Opinions”, he discusses the issue of conformity. Twain utilizes repetition and direct claims in order to effectively form a strong opinion on conformity.
Mark Twain’s purpose in “Corn-Pone Opinions” is to inform the reader that it is human nature to conform to the rest of society. According to Twain,”self-approval is acquired mainly from the approval of other people. The result is conformity.” (Twain 720). While humans provide opinions, many of them are based from the association with others. Twain claims that it is a basic human instinct to receive approval, mostly that of others. In his essay, Furthermore, Twain is attempting to persuade the reader to stop conforming to what society wants. It is through this process that many individuals abandon their own beliefs and principles.
It seems like a never-ending question. When will we ever let it rest? You know the question I'm talking about; should the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn be banned from American Literature courses? It's been argued from so many different standpoints, but it has never been settled. Is Huckleberry Finn really a controversial book?
Mark Twain writes this essay in order to shed light onto his belief that people’s thoughts and actions are influenced by those around them. His belief that people conform to the rest of society fuels his essay. This can be seen when Twain includes his idea that “It is our nature to conform; it is a force which not many can successfully resist” (718). Twain shows that people are beginning to conform without using their own minds to process their decision.
“Things like morals, religion, and politics, get their following from surrounding influences and atmospheres.” (pg. 4) Twain says this to show that anything you can possibly think of, even things commonly found in everyday life stemmed from some sort of opinion. Furthermore, he asserts that self-approval is achieved mainly through public approval, which is the definition of conformity. Paragraph seven states that political emergencies create the greatest example of conformity because being in the majority means that you’ll never be in the wrong. So to speak, no one will judge you for a difference of opinion because most people agree with yours. Once again Twain uses an example that appeals to logos, and can be applied to everyday life. Paragraph eight continues the issue of politics by saying men think with their parties, not their brains. No one will seek out the opposite argument because that isn’t what their party believes, therefore it doesn’t
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, is a novel that is read by many students in high school classes all across America every year. However, when you have a book that popular among schools, you will start to gain some controversy over it. There has been a recurring debate over the topic of banning this novel from being read in schools due to its 'offensive racial epithets' and other reasons, like poking fun at religion and challenging authority. I disagree with those who say the novel should be banned, and believe that schools should continue to read it and disregard those who say otherwise.
middle of paper ... ... Works Cited The "Mark Twain Quotes." BrainyQuote.
Mississippi Twain tells us of a man with a dream. As imperfection has it this
...he refused to acquiesce to convention in his writings. Though he viciously attacked the wrongs that permeated his world, he did not solve the problems of humanity with his literature. But the vital voice of his literature is not dead, and it offers guidance for those seeking to fathom Twain's mark.
The southern way of speech had yet to have been captured skillfully until Twain’s writing. Twain went into detail in L...
Twain’s qualification of Jerry’s statement is ironic because people believe they are thinking independently by calculating their opinions, but they are really calculating how to conform with the majority. He says, “It was his idea that a man conforms to the majority view of his locality by calculation and intention” (Twain). While many people believe they think independently, this quote argues that people’s views are just a matter of conforming and careful, calculated and intentional response to what everybody else thinks. 7. Paragraph 11 is so long because it breaks down how corn-pone opinion affect morals, religion, and politics.