AP Lang - Mark Twain (Corn-Pone Opinions)

Find examples of understatement and hyperbole. Discuss their effects.

An example of understatement: "It was deeply impressed upon me. By my mother. Not upon my memory but elsewhere." The effect of this example is to play off the 5importance of the fact, so he just briefly acknowledges it. A hyperbole would be: "They think with their party, not independently" (Twain p.801). This helps to exaggerate the point of how common not thinking for one's self is.

Trace Twain's use of the personal pronoun. What is the effect of changing from I to we?

Twain's effect of changing the personal pronoun from "I" to "we" is to emphasize how "we" in society are unoriginal and conforming. Twain begins his essay with the first few paragraphs consisting of the pronoun "I", but as Twain continues to explain that society is conforming he switches the pronoun to "we" to emphasize this point. Even he can't resist but to find self-approval through the approval of others. Changing from "I" to "we" shows direct conformity and that Twain, himself, cannot resist the pressure of conforming with society and receiving acceptance.

What is corn-pone?

corn bread and rustic, unsophisticated

What is the effect of capitalizing "public opinion" and the "voice of god" at the end of the essay?

At the end of his text, Twain capitalized two ideas: "Public Opinion" and "Voice of God." He does this in order to catch the reader's attention and focus it on the great importance he believes is held by public opinion, or as some people call it, the voice of god. Capitalizing these phrases makes them seem much more important and critical to his argument, and it shows that some people consider public opinion to be so important that it overshadows everything else in their lives as the "Voice of God."

How does Twain expand Jerry's definition of corn-pone opinions? What is the effect of numbering the two items in which he begins o expand Jerry's definition?

He separates them and adds his own definition. The effect of numbering the two items was to split up the idea of man conforming to the majority of societies views on facts and the idea that a man comes up with his own analysis of these facts (someone, somewhere had to). This was Twain could give his opinion on each separate point easily and concisely.

What is Twain's purpose in "Corn-Pone Opinions?"

His purpose in "Corn-Pone Opinions" is to inform the general public that it is human nature to conform with what is the popular belief of society. His assertion is that people only conform only to gain the approval of others and that life-long dreams and principles are dumped away for this reason. He uses many examples to convey his purpose, such as society confirming to a ridiculous style of fashion.

What is the effect of the parallelism in the two long sentences that make up paragraph 12?

The effects of parallelism in the two long sentences or paragraph 12 is persuade the reader through repetition. The author states, "They swarm with their party, they feel with their party, they are happy in their party's approval." He repeats what a person tends to do many times when following the crowd. This parallelism effects the essay in a positive way because the author gets his point across.

Twain's claims he got the idea of corn-pone opinions from a young slave with a talent for preaching. What does the anecdote add to his argument? Does it detract in any way?

This example is the baseline and inspiration of Twain's argument. Although he does not fully agree, it is where his idea was imprinted which adds to the argument that all opinions are unoriginal and inspired. Twain carries the idea that men are made up of society's thoughts and opinions. Twain feels that everyone will accept public opinions only for the satisfaction of one's "self-approval". Twain expresses to the reader that we all in a sense of sacrifice our own uniqueness to be accepted by society. Corn Pone Opinions are a group of beliefs with which we each join as an impulsive mode to fit in, as Twain says " the instinct that moves to conformity did the work. It is in our nature to conform; it is a force which not many can successfully resist; what is it's seat, the inborn requirements of "self-approval"

How does a phrase such as "helping to inhabit" in the first paragraph contribute to the tone of this essay?

This phrase sets a tone of humbleness. The opening paragraph states, "when I was a boy of fifteen and helping to inhabit a Missourian village on the banks of Mississippi." Twain is inviting the reader by setting this tone to come and explore with him about public opinion.

Why is paragraph 11 so long? Where, if anywhere, could Twain have broken it up? What is the effect of the series of subordinate clauses in the middle of the paragraph?

Twain starts to reveal his own thoughts on why the public opinion could be bad for society. The effect of the subordinate clauses in the middle of the paragraph are to separate his ideas and give them an order of importance.

Identify Twain's appeals to logos. Do the subjects of the appeals (hoop skirts, bloomers, wine glasses) strengthen the appeals or weaken them?Explain your response.

Twain's appeals to logos through the discussion of trends and societies habit of conforming to them. I firmly believe Twain could have found more enhancing examples of this versus his simple examples of clothes and style. However, I do not think this weakens Twain's argument; he wanted to express his opinion through easy to understand and follow examples, something past readers could possibly relate to.