Southern Sympathy

Mason Labash
English 48B
February 25, 2011
Journal: Mark Twain

“In my own view, the whole “miscegenation money” hoax was little more than a desperate insult to the Union cause issued by a confused and increasingly unrepentant Confederate sympathizer.”

“I have no color prejudices nor caste prejudices nor creed prejudices. All I care to know is that a man is a human being, and that is enough for me; he can't be any worse.” –Mark Twain

               From this sudden attack on the Union cause it’s easy to assume Twain is a racist because miscegenation by itself is clearly racist. He was born in The South in the late 1800’s so obviously he came from a racist background and was raised to permeate those beliefs. I strongly believe Twain was extremely intelligent and knew that racism was wrong as he got older. Not only that but he was also a visionary. He could see into the future and knew that slavery had to end at some point. He was highly unsatisfied with the way Lincoln decided to go about it though as he was upset when he was once again able to float down the Mississippi River after the war only to discover it had been ravaged beyond belief by the Union.

               I agree with your stance that Twain was still a bit confused and not completely sure who to side with, the Confederacy or the Union. There is strong evidence to support this. He was just recently somewhat won over by his new found friends, the legendary “Virginians.” They had taken him in as one of their own and seemed to offer true companionship. They were very similar to Twain in many ways in that they were both southerners and both left The South to escape the war and head west. This coupled with his nostalgia for the Antebellum South, which was now slowly growing farther and farther out of reach making it all the more desirable. You can’t hate the man for not wanting his roots to die off. Also he had begun gaining fame as a writer for the “Territorial Enterprise” and such works as “Doings in Nevada” which was published in one of the, if not the biggest city in America. He knew his writing would have considerable impact and seized the opportunity to gain support for the Confederacy by disrespecting the Union.

               Hoffman and Sanborn come off as cowards a little bit in my humble opinion. They don’t want to admit that Twain really was siding with the Confederacy. It seems to me that they are frightened by the truth. I don’t know what they are scared of. I personally love The South and am not afraid to admit it. I like the use of the word “unrepentant” as it definitely defines Twain’s sentiment of the time. The Confederacy had basically lost and Twain hated that fact. He certainly didn’t feel the need to show the Union any sympathy. It’s funny that Hoffman goes as far as to call Twain a “borderline schizophrenic.” I don’t think that could be farther from the truth. Everyone is more reckless when they are young or placed in a position of desperation, that doesn’t mean they are mentally insane.

             Mark Twain Quotes - BrainyQuote." Famous Quotes at BrainyQuote. Web. 22 Feb. 2011. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mark_twain.html>.

Mason Labash
English 48
February 24, 2011
Journal: Mark Twain

“It was cunning of them, it was neat; for they got all that was worth having out of the apple without tasting it and afflicting themselves with the disastrous Moral Sense, the parent of all the immoralities.”

"Don’t go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first." –Mark Twain

Satan is pointing out the obvious flaws with Adam learning how to eat and have sex by eating an apple. You don’t have to read Satan’s reflection on it to realize how ridiculous that sounds. It is impossible to gain that kind of knowledge by eating some plant material. I haven’t read that part of the Bible but I think it does say that Adam got this knowledge by eating the apple. Apparently it also says that animals learned the same things as Adam did by watching him eat the apple which is absolutely absurd. We all know that you can’t observe someone learning something. You especially couldn’t learn to “multiply and replenish” by watching someone eat an apple.

It is entertaining that Satan speaks as if he observes this whole event. I’m pretty sure the Bible doesn’t infer that this is actually what happened. I have always assumed that the Bible tells you these stories to help you understand some sort of moral message and doesn’t suggest that the event actually took place. I think Twain is poking fun at the fact that many people do indeed interpret these fables as an actual historical account of reality. If I’m wrong and the Bible actually does suggest these events took place I have no idea why so many people believe in it so deeply and faithfully.

The animals in this passage seem to be a whole lot smarter than Adam which I find funny as well. Satan calls the animals “cunning” because they know that eating the apple has negative consequences. They somehow know that the apple contains knowledge but don’t want to take on the risky task of eating it. So they wait for some dupe who happens to be Adam to come around and complete the deed for them while they just sit back and reap all the benefits. In a way the Bible is placing all the moral responsibility on the shoulders of the human. Of course an innocent little furry animal can do no wrong, but they needed to learn the evil ways of having sex somehow. What better scapegoat than a human who can handle all the blame one wishes to place upon him.

"Mark    Twain Quotes - BrainyQuote." Famous Quotes at BrainyQuote. Web. 22 Feb. 2011. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mark_twain.html>.

A Suspiciously Narrow River

Mason Labash
Mark Twain
February 22, 2011

"Did they notice that they could make money by climbing down out of that arched sapling and just stepping aboard when the ark scraped by? No; other Indians would have noticed these things, but Cooper's Indians never notice anything."

"A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way." - Mark Twain

Mark Twain is making a point that Cooper's situations are extremely unrealistic.  Indians are known for their keen observation skills. When they are in nature they are in their element. They can jump on the back of a wild, galloping horse, why wouldn't they be able to execute dropping onto a hundred and sixty foot vessel traveling at the swift speed of one mile per hour in a river that can barely contain it? In reality the vessel would not even be able to scrape by with merely a foot to spare on either side because the difference between shore and water is gradual, not a sudden drop off as Cooper would apparently like the reader to believe. The Indians would never bother hanging six men deep on a fragile limb across a river and risk drowning when they could  make a baby step and be aboard hassle free. Twain uses the term "Cooper's Indians" to make it even more obvious that these Indians are NOT real Indians. So far from reality that it is shocking as well as hilarious.

I interpreted Twain's use of the words "could make money" as a slang term from the 19th century. I figured he must mean that they would be undoubtedly successful. I came to this conclusion because first of all Indians would have no interest in making money for it would be of absolutely no use to them. Being successful is also automatically associated with making or having lots of money. Thirdly, Twain states that the Indian's goal is to murder some people aboard. I assume that is their complete ambition without any motivation for monetary gain.

One of my favorite parts of the quote is how Twain adds his extra touch of humor by calling the tree from which the branch is growing a "sapling." As dumb as Cooper is it would be just a little too absurd to suggest that six full grown men could be supported by a sapling limb. Not only that but it would never be long enough to extend fifteen feet across a river. I am almost curious to see if Cooper did indeed refer to the tree as a sapling because I would turn red in the face from laughing so hard.

I can say with confidence that even though I have yet to read this passage out of Cooper's original text from Deerslayer, I completely agree with Twain's interpretation of it. This situation just could not happen. Indians are just as mentally capable as you and I, if not not more. In this situation dealing with nature where they are at home, it is all the more ridiculous. If Indians were as dumb as Cooper makes them they would have surely died off before Columbus stumbled upon America. The fact that Cooper's mistakes are this obvious makes me lose pretty much all my respect for the man.

"Mark Twain Quotes - BrainyQuote." Famous Quotes at BrainyQuote. Web. 22 Feb. 2011. <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mark_twain.html>.

Daisy: The Story of a Wildflower

“As I have already had occasion to relate, he was angry at finding himself reduced to chopping logic about this young lady; he was vexed at his want of instinctive certitude as to how far her eccentricities were generic, national, and how far they were personal.”

“In Winterbourne, however, she has found a gentleman for whom she has special interest and to whom she desperately wants to convey her true feelings. Unable to communicate her feelings, Daisy resorts to her standard technique of playing childish games in a futile attempt to win affection.”

            Winterbourne wants desperately to be able to put Daisy into a category of women that he is familiar with. She at first seems to be a coquette; a girl who is easily wooed into submission. As time goes on he realizes she is much more complex, making her all the more attractive and hard to forget about. Although she is extremely rude most of the time he is deeply intrigued by her confusing and mysterious ways. Winterbourne uses the term “reduced” because he regards himself to be of the highest caliber of men. In his eyes, he should have little trouble getting a cute, young girl to like him because he is intelligent, handsome, rich, and eloquent. When Daisy retorts with one of her clever remarks, he can't help but be perplexed. It is obvious he is very inexperienced in dealing with a female of her magnitude. It flat out angers him to have to put so much thought and effort into seducing a girl whom he assumed couldn't possibly have a mental capacity to be reckoned with. Daisy's “eccentricities”are obvious to Winterbourne but he can't, for the life of him figure out what is responsible for her acting in such a manner. By using the word “national”, he is again trying to categorize her into an “American girl.” This would of course explain why she acts this way, but he knows there is more to it than that. Because of this he is “vexed.”

            I strongly doubt that Winterbourne has ever been treated so rudely in his entire life. Especially by a woman as attractive as Daisy. She keeps him hanging on with her flirty smiles and innocent eyes. She shows just enough interest in him that he wants to see her as much as possible. He thinks he can “tame the beast” and get her to change her sassy nature. When he discovers just how difficult a task this will be, he is appalled, but it only strengthens his desire for her. Because Winterbourne thinks of himself as being very well educated he is annoyed at his inability to fully understand what Daisy is all about. It is part of his character to be sure of his thoughts and actions, but when he is engaging in conversation with Daisy all of his certainty goes out the window and his brain is scrambling to keep up with her two-faced personality. An important aspect of Daisy's personality that allures Winterbourne is her unwillingness to conform with society. She disregards others opinions of her and is a free spirit. Winterbourne on the other hand conforms to all the social norms of upper class society which makes Daisy's rebelliousness all the more appealing. He thinks he is better than human nature. He thinks that he couldn't be attracted to a woman that treats him so cruelly, but he forgets the fact that he is no better than any other man simply for the fact that he doesn't care enough about inner beauty. She is beautiful and has the grace of a princess which sadly overshadows basically all of her obvious personality flaws. We can see that Winterbourne is quite shallow showing he isn't so innocent after all either. 

"A Wild Daisy: Daisy Miller by Henry James." HubPages. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. <http://hubpages.com/hub/A-Wild-Daisy-Daisy-Miller-by-Henry-James>.

"Hans Makart." Bruce and Bobbie's Home Page. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. <http://hoocher.com/Hans_Makart/Hans_Makart.htm>.

A Final Plea

Mason Labash

Maria Amparo Ruiz De Burton Journal

February 2, 2011

“All I want to do is to save the few cattle I have left. I am willing to quit-claim to you the land you have taken, and give you cattle to begin the stock business, and all I ask you in return is to put a fence around whatever land you wish to cultivate, so that my cattle cannot go in there.”

“The growing complexity of public affairs and the increasing tendency of Congress to intrude into matters of transportation, education, overseas shipping, rivers and harbors improvements, agriculture, and industry were absorbing the time of members of Congress who could no longer give the detailed attention of the past to private land claims or to the great number of private financial claims that were deluging it.”

Don Mariano has very few cattle left and is desperate to maintain his business that has been passed down for many years. Because he is desperate as well as generous he is even going to give away much of his prized grazing land to squatters that have only recently began inhabiting the region. He must also give them cattle to start their businesses or else the squatters will surely never stop planting grain based crops. Because they are white he has basically no choice, but to negotiate with them as opposed to just booting them off. It is a shame that Don must go through so much sacrifice to put up fences that are so unnecessary. His cattle may occasionally nibble on the neighbor’s grain, but that is so very far from the real root of the problem-jealousy. The squatters are jealous that Don is making money, but it is only because he knows how to work the system and he is extremely willing to share his knowledge.

As a Californio, Mariano knows that arguing with the whites would be as good as kicking himself off his land because of the unfairly worded laws such as the Land Act of 1851. The squatters look past the fact that the Don has already given up much of his land to them and it very much seems like they took that gift completely for granted. I would mainly attribute this greediness to their knowing that the state of California’s ridiculous laws are completely in their favor. With the law on their side they could easily take the Don to court knowing he would undoubtedly lose all of his land because of the color of his skin. All of the whites save for a select few such as Clarence Darrell and Mr. Mechlin, come off as completely stubborn and arrogant as well as extremely rude. They snicker at his desperation so it is no wonder they would refuse anything he proposed (even free cattle!). Don Mariano was once a proud, flourishing farmer and out of pure kindness he has gotten himself to the point of pure despondency.

Works Cited 

Gates, Paul. The California Land Act of 1851. California Historical Quarterly.Vol. 50, No. 4. (Dec., 1971), pp. 395-430) .Published by: California Historical Society. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25157352

FoundSF. Web. <http://foundsf.org/index.php?title=Category:Bernal_Heights>.