In the passage The War Prayer by Mark Twain he tells a satirical story in which a mysterious man comes before a crowd of ignorant mass. Through this story and his setting he satirizes human logic when it comes to war and our tendency to not think our decisions through ; especially patriotic thoughts of war and glory. Twain satirically writes of the unseen and unthought-of horrors with a mock diction‚ excessive hyperbole and vivid imagery. At first glance it seems Twain seeks to write of glory and
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depending on the person’s perspective‚ the period in history‚ or simply how a person was raised. Within Howells’s “Editha” and Twain’s “The War Prayer” one can find contrasting examples to illustrate the multiple perspectives of patriotism. To begin with‚ Twain describes our country’s attitude towards the war throughout his short story‚ “The War Prayer.” He starts by describing the scene of a patriotic parade. He writes‚ “The drums were beating‚ the bands playing‚ the toy pistols popping‚ the
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passionate; it was quiet. Before this mysterious figure delivers his speech‚ the church people are praying for the safety of their soldiers and the defeat of their war opponent. This is an ironic situation‚ because in Christianity (and many other religions)‚ murder is a sin and the people in church are asking God for everything he’s against: war and destruction of humanity. Also‚ even though the identity of this man isn’t exactly confirmed‚ he introduces himself as God’s messenger who is supposed to have
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In Mark Twain’s‚ The War Prayer‚ readers are exposed to an overlooked point of view about war‚ that some believed to be unpatriotic or only for the weak of heart. Mark Twain depicts the patriotic majority as a group of men and women‚ who encourage the “stern advance‚ the gathering momentum‚ the rushing charge‚ the flashing sabers‚ the flight of the foe‚ the tumult‚ the enveloping smoke‚ the fierce pursuit‚ [and] the surrender” (322). In his descriptions‚ Twain elicits feelings of pride‚ patriotism
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Twain’s morbid narrative calls to action of the silent outcome of wishing for death when praying for war. Twain’s cynical argument‚ weaves the ironic idea of praying for peace and doing it in the most obscure way possible by killing. In the morose argument‚ Twain’s usage of rhetorical questioning is a major impact because it allows the readers to think in a new prospective rather than allows looking on the bright side: Everything has a ying yang‚ in this case a good and evil‚ which illuminates his
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“The War Prayer” Analysis “The War Prayer” by Samuel L. Clemens‚ is his attempt to force the public to realize the implicit outcome of praying for victory in war‚ which inevitably is death. His use of irony and hyperbole is evident in this clever narrative. The passage satirically describes how a very religious town comes together during a time of war to pray for the downfall of the enemy and the triumph of their men. An old man then comes into the church and prays the same exact prayer that the
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text] [Type text] [Type text] Tuttle 1 Bryson Tuttle Professor Crandon Written Comm III 15 September 2014 The War Prayer Essay The short story "The War Prayer" was written by Mark Twain but not published until after his death in 1923 as it could be considered sacrilegious and could have been detrimental to his writing career. The narrator’s unspoken thoughts reveal his view on war‚ and possibly Christianity itself. Any Christian wanting to grow in their faith should read this short story as it
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My fellow Americans‚ we stand today on the brink of war‚ grieving both for ourselves and for the people in Afghanistan‚ who have been hurt longer than we have. Ten days ago‚ the World Trade Center was attacked by a group of extremists based in Afghanistan. Since then‚ we have shown the strength of our people‚ who have intercepted the aims of the terrorists to prevent visions of democracy and self-government on which this country stands. Yet while our principles continue‚ unscarred and secure
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Alexie’s tone throughout the story impacts the reader’s perception of it. Throughout the text‚ there are many corrupt incidences told that ends with laughter. For example‚ there was one situation in which a Maori soldier had lost both of his legs but he tries to humor his condition by joking that his legs had ran away in heaven. Jackson’s grandmother then proceeds to be witty back and tell the soldier that “you have got to get your arms strong... so you can run on your hands” (Alexie 4). Another
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from Twain incorporated the current era of time or shared his viewpoints on certain moral aspects such as racism‚ religion‚ and war. War is noted all throughout American History with several authors composing their positions on the issue. One piece from Twain that discusses war is “The War Prayer.” In the poem‚ Twain uses a unique strategy in sharing his viewpoints on war and religion. This approach should be examined to gain a full understanding of how Twain’s piece relates to social‚ cultural‚ and
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