Mark Twain Reaction

Unlike many of my peers, I enjoyed my first experience reading Mark Twain. Maybe because it came in a small dose. Adding to this was Wit and Wisdom's structure. Twain's top quotes were organized by topic. This prevented me from running into any of the roadblocks that my classmates did with symbolisms or language. Instead it was quick and thought provoking. Moreover, it fit well with Tales of Juha. While the two readings are unique, they share many themes and mirror one another in their illogical logic. Both made me stop for a minute to think.

The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain couldn't have a more appropriate name. Each quote/short story was packed a philosophical punch. Below are two of my favorite quotations. One is humorous, the other prophetic.

Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered- either by themselves or by others.

This sums up everything we're told from our youth. "Push yourself." "The sky is the limit." "You can be anything  you set your mind to." Etc. Etc. The point is, our parents, teachers and friends want us to tap into our potential.

A visitor to Mark Twain's house in Hartford observed mountains of books stacked on the floor.
The author apologized for the disorder. "But you see," he lamented, "it is so very difficult to borrow shelves."
For Mark Twain, borrowing was a more convenient and economical means of acquiring property than buying. But his friends and neighbors soon grew wary of him. When he once asked a neither if he could borrow a certain book, the neighbor, aware of Twain's reputation as a notorious book-borrower, replied archly, "Why, certainly, Mr. Clemens, you are welcome to read it. But I must ask you to read it here. I make a rule never to let a book leave my library."
A few weeks later, the same neighbor asked if he could borrow Mark Twain's lawn mower.
"Why, certainly," was Twain's answer. "You're welcome to use it. But I must ask you to use it here. I make it a rule never to let my lawn mower leave my lawn.

I feel like you could find a similar short-story in Tales of Juha. I got a good laugh out of this as it produced a cognitive shift. I feel like we've overused that term throughout this semester, but that how most humor is produced. I wasn't expecting Twain to turn the man's words around on him, but it was humorous when he did.

Altogether, I've found Mark Twain to be an insightful and thought-provoking author. I didn't have to put up with the lengthy Twain readings that many of my classmates did or sift through a mound of symbolism, which may be why I am so pro-Twain.

Mark Twain Quote

My favorite quotation can be found under the sub-title “Ambition” on page 10.

Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.

-       MacLaren, Morally We Roll Along, 1993, p. 66

Lately, I have spent a great deal of time examining leadership and vision. As part of my upper-division honors class, I have conducted a series of interviews with individuals who have exemplified leadership and vision within the TCU and Fort Worth community. The idea is to capture the oral history of TCU’s exponential growth over the past several decades. This process has taught me quite a bit about the concept of leadership, the definition of which is hard to pin down. The subject must be approached carefully as it takes a variety of forms.

This quote aptly summarizes my view of leadership. A leader is an enabler. He or she should not only succeed individually, but also promote a culture of responsibility and success. I could go on with my description of leadership, but I think Mark Twain’s quotation can do so more eloquently. The idea, simply put, is that leaders make others around them great.

Twain’s quotation has special significance as we (students in this class) are all in a place to cultivate growth in those around us. A college campus is a place of learning, most of which takes place outside of the classroom. Whether or not we hold a title in one organization or another, we have an opportunity to foster progress in those around with our unique skill set. More importantly, Twain hints that nothing a leader's actions are free. Those who make you feel that "you, too, can be great" ask nothing in return.

Tales of Juha

Below, I’ve assembled some of my favorite passages from Tales of Juha. Based on our in-class discussion on Monday, the selected short stories are interesting, stupid, or provocative, or some combination of the three.

“Which is more useful,” someone asked Juha, “the sun or the moon?”

            He didn’t hesitate for a moment.

            “The moon,” he answered firmly. “No question about it.”

            “Why’s that?” they asked.

            “Because,” he answered, “the sun rises during the day, when you don’t need it. But the moon comes out in the dark. And that’s when you need it.

A literal analysis of this passage, found at the top of page 80, produces a negative reaction. The sun is the day. If the sun did not come up there would be no day. Conversely, nighttime is the absence of the sun. All this is to say that our days and nights are not determined by time, rather by the presence or absence of the sun in the sky. This principle can be observed in daylight-savings time. Juha should not be read critically, however. Juha (the character) is brimming with illogical logic. Juha is prophetic in this passage, which reminds me of the parable of the prodigal son. I’m sure many of you are familiar with this famous parable so I’ll spare you the summary. This passage and the parable present the same “lesson.” That is, it is less relevant to do something noticeable when the conditions are easy. On the other hand, it is much more noble to go against the grain. Rosa Parks, for example, lead when she was most needed, whether she knew it or not. As Dr. Williams mentioned in class, Juha transcends all time periods and cultures. He is ubiquitous and his tales are diversely applicable.

That’s a lot to get out of a six-line story, but that’s part of what makes Tales of Juha such an enjoyable read. It will come out and punch you in the face with wisdom, then give you ice to nurse your wounds. This passage is provocative.

Juha was searching for his lost donkey, muttering the whole time, “Praise be to God!”

            “Why do you keep saying that?” people asked him.

            “I’m praising God I wasn’t riding my donkey,” he said. “If I had been, I would have been lost too.”

This brief passage is located in the middle of page 78. It executes a cognitive shift in just a few short lines. I’m not exactly sure how I expected Juha to reply, but it sure wasn’t in the manner that he did. His answer interested me because it was simple, but true. Much like the funny children’s quiz answers that we looked over in class, this narrative is packed with wisdom.

One day Juha appeared dressed in black.

            “Why are you wearing black like that?” an acquaintance asked him. “Has something terrible happened?”

            “Yes,” Juha answered. “My son’s father died.”

Despite being minimal, the majority of Juha’s tales pack a philosophical punch, or an often-neglected truth, something that makes me stop for a second to reflect.  This passage, towards the top of page 67, did none of these things. It didn’t even make me laugh. I’ve heard this joke too many times, where someone describes himself or herself in a roundabout manner. Perhaps Juha was its inventor. Regardless, I found this to be one of the few dumb stories.

Tales of Juha is quickly making a case for best book of the semester for it’s simple wisdom and illogical logic. Somehow it’s intricate, but so simple.

Gift Shop

My journey to construct a meaningful life from items found in gift shops lead me to Lawrence's. Having never stepped foot inside Lawrence's, I was unprepared for the overwhelming amount of miscellanea collected under one roof. The shop was crammed with of varying vintages: shiny plates, custom letterhead, wine bottles, necklaces, tote bags, and more. You name it, Lawrence's probably has it. Despite a surplus of gifts to choose from, I struggled to identify items indicative of a meaningful life. After all, the gifts are not intrinsically significant. Rather, it is the experience surrounding a gift that adds value. Who gives the gift, how its used, how its given or even when it's given, make a gift special. Each item I chose represents a portion or component of a healthy life.

Stuffed animals represent a joyful childhood. These fuzzy creatures are the source of hours of entertainment, and also bring comfort. Children hold them tightly when they are scared at night. A child with a stuffed animal is a happy kiddo with attentive parents.

The cross pictured above represents faith. Religion brings meaning to life. It tempers action and fosters community. In my eyes, a person with faith is a balanced person. Their time spent in service acts to clear the mind of work or school. Furthermore, they are a part of something much larger, a community of like minded individuals. These people act as friends and mentors.

I selected this last gift to represent friendship. This looks like something you may see on a table or a bar at a social gathering. When I looked at this gift I immediately thought of a group of people having a good time, catching up with one another. Again, though this gift is not intrinsically meaningful, it renders images of friends or family having a good time, catching up and forging bonds. 

I've come to the conclusion that it is impossible to construct a meaningful life from knick-knacks found in gift shops. Sure, they  may contribute to a special experience, but they are ultimately superficial and meaningless without friends and family to give them significance. 

Google, KS

In my preparation for today’s presentation I stumbled across a variety of noteworthy April Fools pranks. One in particular stuck out. Google has a history of April 1 hoaxes. Past pranks include partnering with Virgin to establish “Virgil,” a full-fledged attempt to colonize Mars, Google maps integrating treasure maps, and, most recently, an application enabling users to smell and taste through their phone or tablet. Perhaps I find these so laughable because they come from such a reputable source that victims are genuinely fooled. More so, Google expends a great deal of time, effort and money to pull these notorious pranks.


Three years ago Google began advertising a project to bring super-high-speed Internet to one city. Boasting speeds up to twenty times faster than current commercial options, municipalities across the U.S. were vying for selection. Additionally, a project of this scale would bring jobs and notoriety to its selected city. The project was positive on all fronts.


Hilarity ensued as cities established campaigns to attract Google’s eye. Much like the company, campaigns took on a wacky, creative nature. The Mayor of Duluth, MN, for example, jumped into Lake Superior in the dead of winter. Topeka, KS changed its name to “Google,” hoping to capture Google’s attention. Topeka’s quest for attention was a success. 


Months later on April 1st, Google changed its name to Topeka and later issued the following release. 
Google CEO, Eric Schmidt, explained, “We didn’t reach this decision lightly; after all, we had a fair amount of brand equity tied up in our old name. But the more we surfed around Topeka’s municipal website, the more kinship we felt with this fine city at the edge of the Great Plains. Don’t be fooled. Even Google recognizes that all roads lead to Kansas, not just yellow brick ones. 


Google was back to normal by April 2nd. 


Being a Kansas City native, I felt that I had to share Google’s 2010 prank. I think this is a great example of the incongruity theory because it is irregular for such reputable institutions, a municipality and a blue-chip company, to fool around in such a grandiose manner. There was a moment of panic and surprise, though the public quickly caught on, given Google’s track record. Meanwhile, Topeka (which has since changed its name back) and Google conducted business with a straight face, making their hoax all the more believable. Also, Schmidt’s press release is overflowing with sarcasm, which is one of my favorite modes of comedy. The thought of Google identifying its kinship with Topeka through browsing their webpage is absurd, and, of course, Schmidt couldn’t mention Kansas without referring to the Wizard of Oz.

Eavesdropping

You should have seen the looks I received when eavesdropping this past week. In case you weren’t aware, it’s socially frowned upon to lurk in the background of personal conversations that you aren’t a part of.  I was forced to alter my eavesdropping strategy. Instead of deliberately trying to get within earshot of public conversations, I readjusted my ears to catch to all the conversations around me that I had previously tuned out. What I found surprised me. Most laughter was not the product of a traditional joke. Instead, it came from old stories rehashed amongst friends.

A line similar to “you won’t believe what so-and-so said yesterday “or” just last week preceded nearly all laughter. Despite all of our differences, we find humor in the same things, for the most part. I was able to laugh at stories involving characters I had never met before because I could imaging the situation in my head or at least knew someone like the person being described.

I overheard one of the funnier examples at dinner the other night. A couple in their 20s was sitting adjacent to me. The man began describing the last time they visited this restaurant together. He recounted, when squeezing a lemon into her drink, she accidently shot him in the eye with lemon juice. He continued to joke about the petty argument that ensued. Only a few feet away, I laughed right along with them. I could imagine the entire situation.

Another funny story caught my ear a couple days ago. Several of my friends were talking in the other room about a recent ski trip. One of them had never skied before. To fill you in, our novice skier is a large, jolly fellow so gravity favored him greatly. My friends gave him a quick tutorial and took him up to a run well beyond his skillset. He began tremendously, maintaining form through his first turn. My friends were proud of themselves for their success in preparing him. But he slowly gained speed. Eventually he was flying down the side of a mountain screaming at the top of his lungs to warn fellow skiers that he was out of control. Nearly halfway down the run, he did the only thing he knew, leaned to the side and went into a high-speed barrel roll that sent his skis flying. Come to find out, my friends neglected to mention the “pizza” technique of slowing down. I was laughing out loud to myself in the other room.

In the crowded living room, I overhead a family talking about the recent Sweet Sixteen games. The sons were making fun of their father for yelling at one of the players on the other team. According to them, their father was livid during his team’s losing performance. Unbeknownst him, he was pronouncing the players name “Whitney” instead of “Whithey.” I thought this was hilarious. He was enraged, screaming with all his heart at a player that didn’t exist. Why is it so much funnier when someone messes up while trying to be serious?

This assignment has taught me the importance of story telling. I was laughing along with strangers at stories entirely foreign to me. These storytellers were able to put a picture in my mind, much like an author attempts to do in his or her writing.

One last observation, the majority of the tales that produced laughter involved the misfortune of others, much like the examples above. Dr. Williams questioned the validity of the superiority theory last week. I agree with him. The superiority theory is alive and well.