Mark Twain s A True Story Essay - 1755 Words

A True Story and How it Addresses the Rhetoric of Race As one of the great American authors, Mark Twain is recognized for his unique contributions as a writer, one of them being his involvements in the racial debates during the 19th and 20th centuries. Some of his works such as an excerpt from his Autobiography, stories from â€Å"The Celebrated Jumping Frog from Calavaras County†, â€Å"Buck Fanshawe’s funeral† and â€Å"A True Story† have been particularly included in the selections of â€Å"The Heath Anthology of American Literature† to illustrate the nature of The American Society and its issue with race during the 19th and 20th centuries (Lauter 408). In â€Å"A True Story†, Mark Twain writes about the accounts of an elderly African American woman as told to him by an ex-slave that had previously worked at his sister-in-law’s plantation. â€Å"A True Story† is more than a fascinating tale of an old black woman with a nature for being jovial; it shows Twain’s unique way o f addressing racial legacies of the Civil War and Reconstruction through literature. Twain’s short story which is titled in full as â€Å"A True Story, Repeated Word for Word as I heard it† is a tale about Aunt Rachel, an African-American woman who recalls her ordeals of hardship and torment while leading a life of slavery. The story begins as Aunt Rachel is seated on the front porch with the children under her care. To the children, Aunt Rachel cuts across as being very happy and without troubles and so one child proceeds to ask her whyShow MoreRelatedHuckleberry Finn and the use of Satire Essay1109 Words   |  5 PagesHuck Finn and the use of Satire Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been controversial ever since its release in 1884. It has been called everything from the root of modern American literature to a piece of racist trash. Many scholars have argued about Huck Finn being prejudiced. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain uses satire to mock many different aspects of the modern world. Despite the fact that many critics have accused Mark Twain’s novel of promoting racismRead MoreThe Story as Told in The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn1279 Words   |  6 PagesThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By. 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