January 24, 2013

     The first assignment we had in English 222 contained two short stories from arguably the most prominent and influential author of the Gilded Age (he even co-coined the phrase "Gilded Age"), Mark Twain. These stories were "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," which I have read twice before in my lifetime, and "Journalism in Tennessee," which I had never even heard of. Having read a couple of Twain's more popular novels, I can say that I've always enjoyed his writing style and substance. "Jumping Frog," a tall-tale about a gambling addict seemed somewhat silly to me as I was reading it. But after Vince explained how the fictitious work emphasized the exaggerated "big fish" stories, I understood the concept of the stories of the lame horse, smart dog, and trained frog. "Journalism in Tennessee" made me chuckle a few times, because Twain made his satirical wit evident in the countless injuries that the narrator endured and reacted to as if they were mere finger-pricks.

     The second assignment we read was "The Luck of Roaring Camp," by Bret Harte. This story featured a baby that was born of a prostitute, who happened to be the only woman in the mining camp. The baby was taken care of by one man, who had had two families prior to the newborn. The baby ultimately changed the character of the camp as a whole. The men of the camp began to pay special attention to the words they said and how loud they said them; they also took the baby out to lay by the river while they worked and began to bathe regularly, being thoughtful about the baby's immune system and cleanliness. In a sense, I almost believe this could actually happen. Just as we see most obviously in Kentuck, the men in this situation would act manly and seem anti-baby, but one after another, each man would begin to create a sense of intimacy with the baby, and would begin to care more about not only the baby, but themselves, their appearance, and their character, as well.

     The third and most recent assignment we read was Ambrose Bierce's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" and The Devil's Dictionary. "An Occurrence..." was quite an interesting little drama short that captivated me and put me in the scene. Bierce eloquently describes the scene of the hanging on the bridge, and pulls the reader in, only to have a flashback in the second section, relieving the reader of the suspense while still leaving him or her to wonder what happened. In the third section, the hangman, Peyton Farquhar escapes and makes it home to see his wife. Then all of a sudden, you find that Bierce has taken you on a heartwarming journey only to kill the vibe by depicting Farquhar hanging by the noose, daydreaming just a second before. While this story seems like the typical movie plot, it's amazing to think that Bierce was probably one of the firsts to use this writing technique, keeping a suspenseful and dramatic essence about the story the entire time. This assigned reading was the first time I had ever heard of The Devil's Dictionary -- and what a shame, too. The Dictionary appeals to my humor, even though I don't think I'm quite as cynical as Bierce. The definitions gave these common words witty euphemisms and literal, informal meaning. I think the dictionary should be rewritten to fit today's modern language. I feel like it would give people different perspectives on themselves, others, and the world they live in.