Advice to Little Girls Analysis
Advice to Little Girls
By:Brenden Medders
In Advice to Little Girls, Mark Twain satirically delves into the stereotypes society allocates with females, especially young ones. Although the short paragraphs make one assume this story was meant to be taken in a serious sense, the satire hidden in them, and the humor associated with Twain can corroborate that Twain was writing this story in a joking manner. In the short story, he humorously uses diction and satire to make the story come across the way he wanted it to. It assembles a serious tone, while keeping its actual mocking tone hidden in his diction. He thought the stereotypes women’s behavior was mocking to women, so he followed that pattern throughout his writing. In this piece, Twain instructs little girls on proper etiquette in various situations and advises them on proper reactions to different circumstances. However, in doing so he also provides a humorous, mocking tone to a few of the situations he gives. Such tone is evident when he says, “You ought never to take your little brother's "chewing-gum" away from him by main force; it is better to rope him in with the promise of the first two dollars and a half you find floating down the river on a grindstone. In the artless simplicity natural to this time of life, he will regard it as a perfectly fair transaction. In all ages of the world this eminently plausible fiction has lured the obtuse infant to financial ruin and disaster.” In this quote, he wittily states that young children are not wise and the little girl shouldn’t take his gum by force, rather she should trick him with a farcical monetary agreement. This is ironic because, in doing so, the little girl contradicts what little girls are stereotypically known for. Little girls, in society’s eyes, don’t trick people or be rude. Another example of Twains, cleverness in this piece is in the following quote, “If your mother tells you to do a thing, it is wrong to reply that you won't. It is better
By:Brenden Medders
In Advice to Little Girls, Mark Twain satirically delves into the stereotypes society allocates with females, especially young ones. Although the short paragraphs make one assume this story was meant to be taken in a serious sense, the satire hidden in them, and the humor associated with Twain can corroborate that Twain was writing this story in a joking manner. In the short story, he humorously uses diction and satire to make the story come across the way he wanted it to. It assembles a serious tone, while keeping its actual mocking tone hidden in his diction. He thought the stereotypes women’s behavior was mocking to women, so he followed that pattern throughout his writing. In this piece, Twain instructs little girls on proper etiquette in various situations and advises them on proper reactions to different circumstances. However, in doing so he also provides a humorous, mocking tone to a few of the situations he gives. Such tone is evident when he says, “You ought never to take your little brother's "chewing-gum" away from him by main force; it is better to rope him in with the promise of the first two dollars and a half you find floating down the river on a grindstone. In the artless simplicity natural to this time of life, he will regard it as a perfectly fair transaction. In all ages of the world this eminently plausible fiction has lured the obtuse infant to financial ruin and disaster.” In this quote, he wittily states that young children are not wise and the little girl shouldn’t take his gum by force, rather she should trick him with a farcical monetary agreement. This is ironic because, in doing so, the little girl contradicts what little girls are stereotypically known for. Little girls, in society’s eyes, don’t trick people or be rude. Another example of Twains, cleverness in this piece is in the following quote, “If your mother tells you to do a thing, it is wrong to reply that you won't. It is better