Mark Twain: Essays Literary Elements

Mark Twain: Essays Literary Elements

Genre

Essays

Setting and Context

19th century

Narrator and Point of View

Mark Twain is the narrator.

Tone and Mood

Thoughtful, discerning, diagnostic, observational, convincing

Protagonist and Antagonist

‘Man’ is the subject in “What is Man” and “Man’s Sole Impulse-the Securing of His Own Approval.”

Major Conflict

The conflicts in “What is Man" and "Man's Sole Impulse-the Securing of His Own Approval" relate to the dynamics which influence the quality of a man’s contentment and life in general.

Climax

In “What is Man?” the climax ensues once a man has been refined, like metals, by way of education.

The climax in “Man’s Sole Impulse-the Securing of His Own Approval” relates to Alexander Hamilton's impulsive betrayal of his dear ones in the quest for approval from the public.

Foreshadowing

Mark Twain mostly focuses on the present in his essays.

Understatement

Mark Twain understates the weightiness and implication of Cooper’s writing.

Allusions

Literary and biographical allusions.

Imagery

Mark Twain visualizes the inherent attributes of men and their flaws in “What is Man” and “Man’s Sole Impulse-the Securing of His Own Approval.

Paradox

N/A

Parallelism

N/A

Metonymy and Synecdoche

“Man” refers to human beings in general.

Personification

In "What is Man."Metals (e.g iron) are personified

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