The Sandwich Islands
I really enjoyed the picture Twain painted when he was describing the Sandwich Islands. I've been to Hawaii before and while I was reading I felt like I was back there.
But then there is a dramatic switch from a description of a paradise to the proposed annexation of the island so the United States could benefit from their exports. Twain continues to joke about what America does is better than what everyone else does and if it isn't American culture than it is wrong and should be changed to be just like America as soon as possible.
Overall, I thought it was a very interesting piece and I can see how it would be a popular article when it was published in 1873.
My Debut as a Literary Person
I have mixed reviews about this piece. First, I find it entertaining that Twain believes in order to be a literary person one must be published in a magazine, not just a newspaper. As a news/editorial journalism major it is a big deal to get published in a newspaper or magazine, but it doesn't matter which one it is. This idea that the magazine is more prestigious than the newspaper is interesting to me as a journalist. Secondly, I like how Twain framed the text by retelling the original story he had published, but I felt it was distracting when he added his own thoughts throughout. It made it harder to read and follow what was going on.
It is interesting that he wrote this because the original story was so successful and he was in debt at this time. "My Debut as a Literary Person" was written 32 years after the original and Twain sold it to Harper's again to make more money.
I would have enjoyed reading the original before reading "My Debut as a Literary Person." I believe I would have understood what was going on and enjoyed the story more.
I completely agree with you about "My Debut as a Literary Person". It was difficult to follow and reading the original before would have helped a lot. Leave to Mark Twain to come up the best scheme to make money from something he has already published. What a businessman. In this time and age, it seems as though being published is such a great honor rather than being in a magazine. It is funny how the times are changing and continue to change.
ReplyDeleteCould you imagine living somewhere like Michigan at the time or Minnesota and reading about The Sandwich Islands? It would be like a complete fantasy world, almost like a modern day Disneyland only with naked women.
ReplyDelete