Samuel Clemens Advice To Youth Analysis
In Samuel L. Clemens, Advise to Youth, Clemens presents a commencement speech at an all-girls school. He was told to give a good and “instructive” advice to the youth.When one gives an advice to the youth, it is the typical long speech about how important it is to obey and be honest with authorities, most importantly never question them. It is the traditional mindset that has been passed down from generations. One must obey these rules that are set by the adults because they are the wisest with more experience. That is the twist. Clemens seems like he is giving advice to the youth, but really it is not directed to them. Rather, it is to educate the elders by mocking them so they can learn and change their traditional rules that they have set
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That was what readers thought Clemens was going to advise when he started with, “always obey your parent” , but unexpectedly continued with, “when they are present”. This is not the traditional rule that is given to the youth. He follows with, “This is the best policy in the long run, because if you don’t, they will make you.” Emphasizing the power that the authorities think they have over the youth, Just because they are your parent or superior authorities it does not mean that obeying them is an obligation because sometimes that does not teach anything. People should just think and do things for themselves instead of following some traditional rule that is set out for them by an authority figure that thinks, “they know better than you do” which makes the readers question the power that the authorities have over them. He continues to show the authorities absurdness by implying that their ideology is useless. “ Some authorities say get up with the sun; some say get up with one thing, others with another. But a lark is really the best thing to get up with.” By adding but a lark is really the best thing to get up to Clemens is showing us how ridiculous the authorities sounds. His mocking them by saying you might as well wake up with a lark because it is as effective as whatever the authorities tell us to wake up
That was what readers thought Clemens was going to advise when he started with, “always obey your parent” , but unexpectedly continued with, “when they are present”. This is not the traditional rule that is given to the youth. He follows with, “This is the best policy in the long run, because if you don’t, they will make you.” Emphasizing the power that the authorities think they have over the youth, Just because they are your parent or superior authorities it does not mean that obeying them is an obligation because sometimes that does not teach anything. People should just think and do things for themselves instead of following some traditional rule that is set out for them by an authority figure that thinks, “they know better than you do” which makes the readers question the power that the authorities have over them. He continues to show the authorities absurdness by implying that their ideology is useless. “ Some authorities say get up with the sun; some say get up with one thing, others with another. But a lark is really the best thing to get up with.” By adding but a lark is really the best thing to get up to Clemens is showing us how ridiculous the authorities sounds. His mocking them by saying you might as well wake up with a lark because it is as effective as whatever the authorities tell us to wake up