One Drop Rule

Ever since fifth grade, we have all been and continue to be educated about slavery. We have all seen the gruesome pictures in the history books and have read some upsettingly true literature. I would say that I have a reasonable amount of knowledge about slavery. However, it never really thought about how some slaves are only a small parentage of African American. I always assumed that slaves look and acted as they are portrayed in textbooks but it wasn't until reading Pudd’nhead Wilson I realized that some slaves don’t look, act and hardly even are of African dissent. After reading Pudd’nhead Wilson and engaging in the stories of Roxy and ‘Tom’ a new conflict of slavery was brought to my attention. Both Roxy and ‘Tom’ were only a small fraction of African dissent. “From Roxy’s manner of speech a stranger would have expected her to be black, but she was not. Only one sixteenth of her was black, and that sixteenth did not show” (63). Even though Roxy was only one sixteenth black, making Tom her son only one part black and thirty-one parts white. The fact that they were hardly even black did not matter and were treated no differently than the other slaves (Twain).

This tiny part of ancestry that haunts these slaves sparked my interest. I decided to look up the One Drop Rule which it an only term which later became a law that was used to classify anyone with African ancestry as a Negro. The idea behind this saying is that if you have a drop of African ancestor in your blood than that’s the only blood that counts. This idea created a concept called “invisible blackness” (One-drop Rule).  If I child was born to parents of different races then the child would still be seen as black. This is shown in Pudd’nhead though Tom’s character. This One Drop Rule law reinforced racial ideology and was used mostly in the court system when arguing racial identity and legal rights. The idea of “invisible blackness” stems from the language used within the courts (One ‘speck’).  This idea proposes the idea that being black is so much more than just skin color but a never ending trace of ancestry.

In Twain’s novel The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson he shows that this One drop rule was not only know and accepted by white people but also by the black population. An example of this in the text is when Roxy shouts at Tom saying “It makes me sick! It’s de nigger in you, dat’s what it is. Thirty-one parts o’ you is white, en on’y one part nigger, en dat po’ little one part is yo’ soul.” (157). This quote is evidence that the One Drop Rule was accepted and actually how people would define each other (Twain).

Citations:

"One-drop Rule." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 May 2014. Web. 14 May 2014.

"One 'speck' of Imperfection---Invisible Blackness and the One-drop Rule: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Examining Plessy v. Ferguson and Jane Doe v. State of Louisiana. Paperback – September 2, 2011." One 'speck' of Imperfection---Invisible Blackness and the One-drop Rule: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Examining Plessy v. Ferguson and Jane Doe v. State of Louisiana.: Erica Faye Cooper: 9781243518378: Amazon.com: Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014.

Twain, Mark. The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson. New York: New American Library, 1964. Print.

http://mulattodiaries.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/black-by-association.jpg

Biblical Allusions in "The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg"

                Biblical Allusions in "The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg"

              Let me start this blog post by saying I am in no way religious in any way, but through the works of Mark Twain in The Complete Short Stories, my interest has been somewhat peaked. In many of Twain’s stories that we have covered so far, he has paralleled and made allusions to religion – specifically Christianity - and stories in the bible. I would like to focus on the parallelism to the bible in Twain’s “The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg”. It can be argued that “The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg” concurs with the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

             Twain opens the story of “The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg” in an “incorruptible” “honorable supremacy”; a town called Hadleyburg (420). The “unsmirched” reputation and honesty of this town comes from the eradication of temptation for “three generations” running (419). Hadleyburg closely resembles the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve live a pure and honest life because they have not had any experience with evil. A stranger enters the town of Hadleyburg, regarded highly for being honesty and upright, and is treated wrong. Angry by the way he was treated, this stranger engineers a plan for revenge; to expose what he has experienced. The stranger concocts a plot to “comprehend the entire town, and not let so much as one person escape unhurt” by introducing its most pious citizens to temptation (420). The stranger is an allusion to the Serpent that corrupts Adam and Eve in Eden. The Serpent tempts and then persuades Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, resulting in Adam and Eve being banished from Eden. This is similar to the consequences faced by the men and women of Hadleyburg, when they are introduced to temptation and their golden reputation is forever lost.

            It is clear to see the parallels in “The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg” and the story of the Garden of Eden, but is this what Twain wanted us to see? My interpretation of this text and this allusion were fortified, however, until our class discussion on Thursday. Is that what Twain wanted us to see? Or was he trying to point out something quite the opposite?  Was the town really honest, if they had never known temptation? Or was the town dishonest from the get-go?

Works Cited:

Twain, Mark. The Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain. New York: Bantam Books, 1957. Print.

Casual Violence and Twain

Chris Schlosser

5/8/14

Engl161

Casual Violence and Twain

Mark Twain offers a comic theme of casual violence throughout his works, this theme depicts the rough life on the western frontier as well as the rebuilding South during the reconstruction and antebellum time periods. The consistency of this theme presents the idea of a barbaric American culture during these times. It also is used to desensitize the reader and to expose the inconsistencies of the time era including political, economical, and social issues.

In “Cannibalism in the Cars” Twain the brutality of politics during the reconstruction era. The story depicts a horrific, yet hilarious plot of a large group of congressmen traveling on a train which after a snowstorm leaves the congressmen stranded in the snow without food. (Twain 12) Twain uses this scenario to demonstrate the flawed processes of congress on the deciding of anything. The men are so involved with the process of food selection that they don’t realize the severity of the issue of cannibalism. Mr. Sawyer: "Gentlemen-I protest earnestly against these proceedings. They are, in every way, irregular and unbecoming. I must beg to move that they be dropped at once, and that we elect a chairman of the meeting and proper officers to assist him, and then we can go on with the business before us understandingly" (Twain 14). Twain uses a nonchalant description of the violent acts to show barbarism on Capitol Hill in this era.(Twain 15) Later the story insinuates that story was a mere exaggeration of really how brutal the politicians are, but leaves the reader stuck between fact and fiction, a key theme in Twain’s work. What do you think?

“Journalism in Tennessee” is a dramatized stereotype of the Confederate South as a “wild west” setting. The story starts with a northern journalist being sent to Tennessee on Doctor’s orders to rest and improve his health with a little southern hospitality. The irony is overwhelming once the new editor finds out that it is not what he expected. "People were shot, probed, dismembered, blown up, thrown out the window. There was a brief tornado of murky blasphemy, with a confused and frantic war-dance glimmering through it, and then all was over."  (Twain 38) The exaggerated madness and violence met with exaggerated politeness creates a humorous and clever piece that provides laughable brutality in American society. What are 

some other examples in Twain's works that supports this theme as well as other themes that

intertwine with this one?  

The Portrayal of the Irish in Mark Twains Collection of Short Stories

The Portrayal of the Irish in Mark Twains Collection of Short Stories

            In multiple short stories we have read, Mark Twain -or rather his characters- continuously take a stab at the Irish. This particularly occurs in both A Day at Niagara and Buck Fanshaw’s Funeral. We touched on this briefly in class but I think the use of Irish characters symbolized much more. The role the Irish play in A Day at Niagara alludes to the political problems Irish immigrants endured during that time. To be Irish was to be Catholic and it was believed that being Catholic at that time was to be a “menace to national security” (Dolan, Jay). They were regarded as inferior beings and could only hold degrading jobs if they could even manage to get one. 

            This is depicted in Twains work by the Irish holding mockery jobs as “Indians” at A Day at Niagara. It is again shown in Buck Fanshaw’s Funeral by Buck’s favorite quote, “No Irish Need Apply” (Twain, 76). As we discussed in class, this phrase was very common during this era. It was displayed on signs outside of restaurants, bookstores, butchers, etc. In a way, the way the Irish were treated during this time was much like how African-Americans were treated. In fact, they were often referred to as the "white-Negroes". Apart from actually being enslaved, they were still exposed to segregation and were treated very poorly and seen as lesser beings. They were even drawn with ape-like faces in anti-Irish cartoons as a way to dehumanize them and show they were less evolved. 

              It is also interesting to note the way the Irish are addressed in Twain's stories. They are very often referred to as "Micks" or "Paddys" which is as degrading as using the "N-word" to refer to a black person. They way Twain depicts their dialect also leads the reader to infer they are of low intelligence. In A Day at Niagara, an Irish man is mistaken for an "Indian". His response is " An' is it mesilf, Dennis Holligan, that ye'd be takin' for a dirty Ijin, ye drawlin', lantern-jawed, spider-legged divil! By the piper that played before Moses, I'll ate ye!" (Twain, 19). His use of slang, poor grammar, and incorrect pronunciation makes him look less intelligent when it is really the narrator who is a fool mistaking the Irishman for a "Indian".
                 In all, it is again unclear as to what Twain's political and social beliefs are regarding this topic. Most of the time, his beliefs are unclear and up for interpretation. Is he showing that the Irish are these "lesser beings" that are dumb and only useful for simple, low-paying jobs or does he believe members of the American society are the close-minded fools who can't see what's right in front of them?

Works Cited 

Twain, Mark.  The Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain.  New York: Bantam Books, 1957.  Print.

http://www3.nd.edu/~jdolan/IRISHCONFERENCE-CORK.html

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Humor in Twain's work!

Hello fellow bloggers! My name is Violet Miehle and today I will be blogging about Mark Twain’s use of humor. After reading some of Mark Twain’s short stories a significant of his work it pretty dark and pessimistic. Twain also uses a great deal of exaggeration when it comes to violence to show the significance of the flaws within the government and writes about conflicting gender roles without ever proposing a solution situation. Although Twain often writes using a dark dispositions on topics leaving a sour and unresolved taste in your mouth, he also uses a good amount of humor. Twain uses humor to show the reader the importance of something whether it’s making fun of a stereotype, a particular race or exaggerating a serious situation to a point where the reader can grasp the controversial logics that lie beneath the surface.

One way Mark twain shows humor in his work is by using satire. Twain uses satire as a tool to make fun of a fun of destructive situations with hopes of creating a positive outcome. An example of Twain using satire in The Complete Short Stories Of Mark Twain is in the story Cannibalism in Cars.  Twain writes this story as if the congress men trapped in the train are literally eating each other. As absurd and extremely uncomfortable that image is, this is not what he was actually he was trying to convey to the reader. Twain used Cannibalism in Cars as a satire to teach the narrator a lesson about the corruption within the government. If he had just explained the ruthless and cold hearted ways of congressmen the narrator would have just brushed off the conversation and returned to Washington and carried on his normal ways. However, since the he used satire, the narrator was left with an everlasting memory and a deeper understanding of the workings of congress.

Now, the fact that he is comparing congressmen to cannibals shows that he has a sense of humor. Twain incorporates humor in Cannibalism in Cars by his uses language. He is telling a story of people pushed to the point of deportation that they are actually eating each other and personally I would say this is a pretty serious situation, but Twain writes it in such a nonchalant tone. He explains his meals as “…Baker of Georgia was chosen. He was splendid! Well, well--after that we had Doolittle, and Hawkins, and McElroy (there was some complaint about McElroy, because he was uncommonly short and thin), and Penrod, and two Smiths, and Bailey (Bailey had a wooden leg, which was clear loss, but he was otherwise good, and an Indian boy, and an organ-grinder, and a gentleman by the name of Buckminster” (Twain, 18). With a description like this you can’t help but chuckle at the insanity.

Twain also uses exaggeration as a way to incorporate humor in his writings. Exaggeration is a reoccurring theme throughout Mark Twains work. Twain uses exaggeration not only for humor but also to show importance, beauty and negativity. For the purpose of this blog I am going to stick to his use of exaggeration way to bled humor into his stories. Twain will be explaining an intense battle or someone’s death and will use humor to show the absurdity of the incidence. In the story of Buck Franshaw’s Funeral Twain uses humor when the narrator is explaining the death of Buck Franshaw. The narorator explains “that Buck Fanshawe, in the delerium of a waisting typhoid fever, had taken arsenic, shot himself through the body, cut his throat, and jumped out of a four-story window and broke his neck-and after due deliberation, the jury, sad and tearful, but with intelligence unblinded by its sorrow, brought in a verdict of death 'by the visitation of God.' What could the world do without juries?" (Twain, 86). In this example twain is using humor to make light of a dark matter. Twain is able to focus the reader’s attention on specific plots or grasp a deeper meaning of the situation by using exaggeration.

sources

Twain, Mark, and Charles Neider. The Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain. New York: Bantam, 1981. Print. 

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