Advice to Youth by Mark Twain Essay Example

📌Category: Child development, Psychology, Writers
📌Words: 904
📌Pages: 4
📌Published: 03 September 2021

In 1882, Mark Twain had the opportunity to share a few essential lessons he had learnt during his life. Requested to write something "appropriate" for young adults. In his advice to the youth of America, he conveys his concerns by satire. Troubled by how the youth are becoming more uniform and lacking in expression. He exposes the standards that shape a child’s ability to prove their uniqueness. He does so through his illustrations of irony, humor, and extreme exaggeration. Hoping to inspire the youth to begin to think for themselves.

Mark Twain's irony addresses how societal standards are molding the youth.  He details, “Be respectful to your superiors; if you have any, strangers and sometimes to others.” The expression encourages the audience to think for themselves. Suggesting that an individual's own advice could be the wisest choice. He tries to get the audience to think for themselves. To become their own beings with distinctive thoughts and individualistic personalities. He aims the comments at adults as he tries to depict the errors of adult distrustfulness. Developing an argument towards a more honest, and rational society. “If a person offends you, and you are in doubt as to whether it was intentional or not, do not resort to extreme measures; simply watch your chance and hit him with a brick.” The statement made by Twain is another great example of his use of irony. He satirizes the aggressive and violent behavior of humanity. Understand that he does not want us going around hurting people. He writes it so that we should think before we do and clarify that violence is never the solution to the problem. “Now as to the matter of lying. You want to be very careful about lying; otherwise, you are nearly sure to get caught.” From a satiric standpoint, Mark Twain is making the audience reevaluate their behaviors. To abstain from actions such as asserting false statements (lying). The ironic message is that you should be proficient in lying so that you do not get caught. Yet, he implies that lying is wrong.  Their behaviors and actions, shameful. 

Mark Twain also applied a great deal of humor to his writing. “Always obey your parents, when they are present.” The format of this essay uses a set of established principles. Twain subverts expectations and contradicts the initial statement. Offering a new take on known clichés after mentioning a piece of advice. He tells his audience to "always obey your parents." But then adds, "when they are there," making this time-honored piece of advice appear absurd. Criticizing the methods of restrictive parenting and the controlling nature of adults. He gets both society and the child to think. Mindlessly following the held standards and expectations. He jeers at the youth because he knows that they do not obey their parents when they are not around. He does this so that the audience can realize that they should obey their parents whether they are there or not. To form discipline and self-control, which are beneficial behavior in society. He suggests that without their parents, which can be symbolic of the societal standards to which the youth are somewhat held to, do whatever they want or in better words follow their own individualistic choices.  He implies that adults do not always know what is best for their children or more than their children. Creating an image of simplicity for the parents to let their children be. Later on he says, “confess yourself in the wrong when you struck him” Mark Twain posits that we need to think before we act because we can not always take back our actions because what good will it do if you have already hit someone with a brick. This goes back to Mark Twain’s ongoing purpose of thinking for oneself. As discussed in the quote about not taking offense to extreme and violent measures, thinking allows an individual to break away from expectations. It also allows them to create their moralities to which they can depend on. Rather societal lessons and principles that have been forced onto them.

Aiding his use of irony and humor is his proficient use of hyperbole. Twain employs extreme exaggeration, a trademark of satire, to criticize hypocrisy. He does so to make the satire's subject appear easily dismissible. “"Don't you meddle with old unloaded firearms; they are the most deadly and unerring things that have ever been created by man. You don't have to take any pains at all with them; you don't have to have a rest, you don't have to have any sights on the gun, you don't have to take aim, even. No, you just pick out a relative and bang away, and you are sure to get him.” Twain is implying that irrational fear is a frequent trait among adults, particularly women, as seen by the tale about the little child and his grandmother preceding this remark.  “A youth who can’t hit a cathedral at thirty yards with a Gatling gun in three quarters of an hour, can take up an old empty musket and bag his grandmother every time, at a hundred.” He exaggerates the scenario in order to mock absurdly fearful people. Such as when people warn against old empty muskets rather than a working new musket. This is obvious when he asks us to consider "what Waterloo might have been" if the battle had been fought with empty muskets fired at ladies. He also uses exaggerated commentary such as, “Beseechingly and urgingly,” to create an overemphasis on the advice he is to give.

The satirical piece by Samuel Clemens, he criticizes adult behavior, and/or possibly generalized conformance. Despite the direct audience being the youth, Mark Twain singles out the adult population. With irony, humor, and exaggeration, he exposes adult flaws in the hopes of making society more genuine, constructive, and logical for future generations.

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