Mark Twain

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Mark Twain's satirical remarks about religion can be found throughout his major works including "Innocents Abroad", "Tom Sawyer", "Huckleberry Finn" and his one "Letters to Earth, which contains his opinions of the Bible and remains relatively unknown. The author points out that Twain was highly critical of imperialism whether it was performed under the flag of a hereditary monarch or under the name of America's monetary royalty: Twain's "Innocents Abroad" and "Prince and the Pauper" are veiled satirical criticism of Victorian Imperialism; whereas, "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" is considered a criticism of early European Feudalism. The paper relates that "Huckleberry Finn" is considered to be Mark Twain's masterpiece; through the illiterate speech of his young protege Huck Finn, Samuel Clemens makes pointed social commentary on the rich, the poor, the sober and the drunk and pokes at the church, the farmer, and the good "towner "as well. Many long quotes.

Table of Contents
Mark Twain as a Social Critic
Mark Twain's World
Karl Marx
Mark Twain on Religion, God and the Bible
Slavery and Prejudice Which Came First?
A View of Post Civil War American Economics or Twain as Prophet of Profits
Twain's Political Economy or a Tale of a Traveling Salesman
Huckleberry Finn - A Tribute or a Trial of Transcendentalism

From the Paper:

""Letters from Earth" continues outlining the injustices performed by the Human's God during the Great Flood, to the Jews during their exodus from Egypt and finally gives a detailed description of how God dealt with an enemy of his people, the Midianites. God did not just destroy these people; he destroyed all of their belongings and their animals. The only survivors of this massacre were the Midianites virgin daughters who were sold into prostitution and slavery. Satan completes his narration with a notation that the merciful the Christian Son of God who preached peace and love in the Sermon on the Mount is really the hypocritical mouth piece of the original God war who slays and slays the innocent along with the guilty and seems to enjoy every minute of it."

More papers on Mark Twain:

• Research Paper # 94642 : "Mark Twain"
• Analytical Essay # 122887 : "Mark Twain's "The Prince and the Pauper"
• Essay # 36188 : "Mark Twain"
• Analytical Essay # 9916 : "Mark Twain--A Man and his Literary Politics"

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