There are numerous similarities in the way in which both Stowe and Mark Twain use religious symbols and allusion in their respective works. The emphasis of Christianity outside of the church is also common in both works. While Stowe used this to show the problems and misinterpretation of the church during this time period, Twain also used this concept to expose what was wrong with the view of religion during his time period. This presentation did an excellent job of sharing the way in which Twain created religious symbols and allusions outside of the chapel. I also find the way Twain makes his comments about social issues interesting. Instead of having a more serious tone like Stowe, Twain is able to inject some humor in his writing because of the satire he uses. This contributes to a more lighthearted and adventurous tone in his novel while still being able to take a stand on what is wrong with society. I believe that both authors are effective, although they use different tones to present their arguments. The poems that were chosen thematically parallel both of Twain’s works and their analysis clearly shows this connection.
At the relative beginning of your presentation you did a good job of tying Mark Twain’s Missouri background, along with him witnessing brutalities including murder, to his writing style. Furthermore I thought you had an extremely effective and arguable thesis that was centralized and complex, yet not confusing, overreaching, or overwhelming. It was good that you distinguished Horatian and Juvenalian satire which will help us for the AP exam. You applied the wise and witty nature of Horatian satire to Twain’s writing, and I liked how you then mentioned how it was applied in his writing via the criticism of themes like religion, romanticism, and racism.
Furthermore you did a good job of explaining how the respective boy characters learned life lessons and spirituality outside of church, which, as you argued, was a reflection of Twain’s disdain for contemporary religious practices. Your poetry related to the point in your thesis about his use of religious allusion/metaphor especially when you tied in the culturally specific dialogue in “Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church” by Emily Dickenson and also the argument of religious leaders hindering growth in “The Prayer of Cyrus Brown” by Sam Walter Foss. With Emily Dickenson’s poem you also mentioned the presence of nature as means of moral and spiritual growth, which was relevant to Twain’s writing. I though this was dead on however you didn’t bring up the nature aspect until you brought in the poems. Nonetheless it was a complex argument that enhances ideas you had already alluded to, which is what you want out of the poetry analysis/synthesis.
Your presentation was probably my favorite of the class, and not just because the goldfish, though the connection you made with your novel was impressive and amusing. Your creative use of color scheme as it tied into the symbolism of your novel was both eye catching, and professional looking. Marc Twain’s background and personal history were all very well summarized and nicely tied associated with his writing style and use of literary devices you discussed in your presentation and seen in the well-integrated textual support and literary critics’ evidence. Your description of these literary devices is most appreciated for when we take the AP Literary Exam this spring. The explanation between Horatian and Juvenilian satire was well discussed and surely dire information for later. Your further examples of each satire as it related to Twain’s works personally were additional help and very well executed. Overall your analysis of the complexity of your novels was very well done and visible in the evidence and commentary you presented.
I thought that you did a very good job of explaining two American classics: The Adventures of Huckleberry-Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Obviously, I have heard of these books all my life, but I never knew why they were so great. You did a very good job of showing the complexity of the two novels through the idea of finding Christian values outside of a church setting. I also thought that it was interesting how both of the main characters in each of these novels appears in the other’s book. I was just a really cool fact I learned and I am glad that you shared that with us.
There are numerous similarities in the way in which both Stowe and Mark Twain use religious symbols and allusion in their respective works. The emphasis of Christianity outside of the church is also common in both works. While Stowe used this to show the problems and misinterpretation of the church during this time period, Twain also used this concept to expose what was wrong with the view of religion during his time period. This presentation did an excellent job of sharing the way in which Twain created religious symbols and allusions outside of the chapel. I also find the way Twain makes his comments about social issues interesting. Instead of having a more serious tone like Stowe, Twain is able to inject some humor in his writing because of the satire he uses. This contributes to a more lighthearted and adventurous tone in his novel while still being able to take a stand on what is wrong with society. I believe that both authors are effective, although they use different tones to present their arguments. The poems that were chosen thematically parallel both of Twain’s works and their analysis clearly shows this connection.
ReplyDeleteAt the relative beginning of your presentation you did a good job of tying Mark Twain’s Missouri background, along with him witnessing brutalities including murder, to his writing style. Furthermore I thought you had an extremely effective and arguable thesis that was centralized and complex, yet not confusing, overreaching, or overwhelming. It was good that you distinguished Horatian and Juvenalian satire which will help us for the AP exam. You applied the wise and witty nature of Horatian satire to Twain’s writing, and I liked how you then mentioned how it was applied in his writing via the criticism of themes like religion, romanticism, and racism.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore you did a good job of explaining how the respective boy characters learned life lessons and spirituality outside of church, which, as you argued, was a reflection of Twain’s disdain for contemporary religious practices. Your poetry related to the point in your thesis about his use of religious allusion/metaphor especially when you tied in the culturally specific dialogue in “Some Keep the Sabbath Going to Church” by Emily Dickenson and also the argument of religious leaders hindering growth in “The Prayer of Cyrus Brown” by Sam Walter Foss. With Emily Dickenson’s poem you also mentioned the presence of nature as means of moral and spiritual growth, which was relevant to Twain’s writing. I though this was dead on however you didn’t bring up the nature aspect until you brought in the poems. Nonetheless it was a complex argument that enhances ideas you had already alluded to, which is what you want out of the poetry analysis/synthesis.
Your presentation was probably my favorite of the class, and not just because the goldfish, though the connection you made with your novel was impressive and amusing. Your creative use of color scheme as it tied into the symbolism of your novel was both eye catching, and professional looking. Marc Twain’s background and personal history were all very well summarized and nicely tied associated with his writing style and use of literary devices you discussed in your presentation and seen in the well-integrated textual support and literary critics’ evidence.
ReplyDeleteYour description of these literary devices is most appreciated for when we take the AP Literary Exam this spring. The explanation between Horatian and Juvenilian satire was well discussed and surely dire information for later. Your further examples of each satire as it related to Twain’s works personally were additional help and very well executed. Overall your analysis of the complexity of your novels was very well done and visible in the evidence and commentary you presented.
I thought that you did a very good job of explaining two American classics: The Adventures of Huckleberry-Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Obviously, I have heard of these books all my life, but I never knew why they were so great. You did a very good job of showing the complexity of the two novels through the idea of finding Christian values outside of a church setting. I also thought that it was interesting how both of the main characters in each of these novels appears in the other’s book. I was just a really cool fact I learned and I am glad that you shared that with us.
ReplyDelete