Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses

1) Mark Twain is a believer in realism and accusing Cooper of using very little realism. First he states that dialog should be written in formal conversation. He also brings up the fact that if characters have miracles and possibilities they have to be possible and reasonable. He feels that the writer should make the reader like the good people and hate the bad people but Cooper makes them hate both. Using simple and straightforward style is another aspect of realism that Cooper does not follow.

2) I learned that even though Cooper wrote many books he was still not the most experienced writer and did not follow many of the rules governing literary art. He did not put a lot of research into his books making them less realistic and inaccurate. It also seemed as if he did not put a lot of thought into his writings and just wrote what he thought would make sense. He also seemed to have the problem of repeating himself and using the same ideas through out his many books. His story outlines never really flowed, accomplished anything, and arrived no where. All of these conclusions come from the point of Mark Twain so it is hard to say if many of these are true but it is very likely.

3) This essay influences my understanding of Huckleberry Finn by letting me know that it is very realistic and reliable because Twain followed the rules of governing literary art. It also helps me know he put much thought into this book and wanted to make it as real as possible. It informs me that all of the characters in the story have a purpose are there for a reason. He also talks in great detail and this essay let me know that his story development is well put together. Having Twain write this essay helps us know that he knew what he was doing and wanted to help us understand his writings.

vocab. sentences

1) The girl's temperance lasted for only a few days.
2) The histrionic scream of the girl made many heads turn in her direction.
3) The man was mused when he came across a math problem that stumped him.
4) Henry David Thoreau wrote with brazen words and was not afraid to be himself.
5) The contrite letter he wrote touched the girls heart.
6) The town was flooded due to the calamity of the tsunami.
7) I felt bad for the ponderous girl who got made fun of at school.
8) The stealthiest boy never got caught sneaking out late at night.
9) The blitheful girl never stopped talking.
10) Huck did not understand the idea of heaven and the infernal world.
11) Martin Luther King Jr. was a abolitionist trying to make blacks and whites equal.
12) The year 2009 will be afoot before we know it.
13) The coach was confound when his MVP basketball player punched his teammate.
14) The frivolousness piece art displayed at the museum.
15) The boy was very languish after using a pulled muscle.
16) The haughty school president made everyone want to replace him.
17) The girl liked to consider herself as having divinging beauty.

The Damned Human Race

Twain writes this essay to state how animals are a higher species than man. The first point he states is how evil man is. Animals kill for a purpose of survival when man kills with out reason. Next he reminds us that man will store, as in money, more than he can ever use. Man remebers injuries and insults so he gets revenge. The passion of revenge is unkown for animals. Man has has feelings that he has invented that animals know nothing about. Man is the only animal that engages in warfare and offers to fight when animals only fight when it is needed. Animals rob for survival and man is the only one that has ever robbed someone of their country. Man has people do work for them, unlike animals. Man murdered humans around the globe due to religion for centuries when animals have no idea of religion. Man is unreasoning when animals learn to get along. Twain states that man has a defect called Moral Sense and is the only animal that has it. Moral Sense is the quality that enables man to do wrong. It also gives men the ability to distinguish good from evil. Twain finds that we have descended from some far ancestor and are the lowest species living.

I think Twain had many great and true points. I especially agree with the point that man will store more money than they can even use when animals only store the amount of food they need. I also strongly agree with the fact that men get other people to do their work when animals hunt for their own food. I do not agree with the point that animals rob for food and man is the only one that has ever taken over someone's land. I believe that animals will also fight for a place to live and man is not the only animal to take over someone elses home. I think that this is an effective essay because he gave points that were easily believable and well discribed. Twain's points made me think that men really are the lowest of all species.