Mark Twain / Personals: During the time of writing, The Herald was one of the most famous newspaper to read in New York. He specifically talks about and pokes fun at the "Personals" section. He briefly analyzes different excerpts in the "Personals" from many men and women. He reads between the lines and presents his own tongue-in-cheek opinion on what these writers actually meant. Twain then goes on to say that each writer is a "wooden-headed lout" for thinking that each smile or wave will lead to romance. Many New Yorkers, in his eyes, are hopeless romantics for writing to and reading the "Personals" so much. At the end, Twain shows a sadder side to the "Personals," with a short passage simply saying "Come back home."
https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/bitstream/handle/1774.2/22341/024.092.000.webimage.JPEG?sequence=9
Marti / New York Under the Snow: Jose Marti recalls the blizzard of 1888 in New York City. Throughout the short passage, the blizzard is continually getting worse, as more and more people are succumbing to the terrible storm. Factory workers are forcing themselves to traverse the horrible conditions to continue with their jobs. Paperboys are still on the streets, selling their wares in snow up to their chests. Even the busiest of streets were barren. Some boys had to hold up signs that stated which street was which. Many citizens were paying 25 to 50 dollars for one horse-drawn carriage to take them where they needed to go (i.e. a few feet). Marti focuses on the will of us as human beings to persevere through hardships and trouble. A fire even broke out during this blizzard, which was problematic for the firefighters. The fire hydrants were all covered in snow and the wind did not help them in fighting the fire, either. Marti ends the passage on a lighter note, as he discusses the humility and kindness of the citizens of New York.
http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/The_Blizzard_of_1888%3B_the_Impact_of_this_Devastating_Storm_on_New_York_Transit
http://myinwood.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Blizzard-of-1888-r.jpg
Questions:
1) What, if any, examples of the "Personals" do we have today? Is this made easier with the advancement of the internet. How is this similar to what Twain was describing.
2) Compare the description of the human spirit as described by both Twain and Marti. How are they similar? In what ways are they different?
3) In light of the current weather we have been having, compare the descriptions Marti has over the kindness of strangers in 1888 to today. Do we still have a will to help others in need during times of adversity?
4) What was your favorite "Personal" that Twain described and why? What kind of humor does Twain use to describe the "Personals?"
5) Before looking at real-life pictures of the blizzard, do you think Marti exaggerated at all with how much snow was in New York? After seeing the pictures, can you believe that something this severe happening in America in the 19th century? Do you feel this could still happen today?
6) Despite the difference in writing styles, Marti and Twain both have a sense of making you fully understand the situation at hand. What kind of literary elements do both authors use to describe a location or event? What is unique about either author? Which one would you prefer to read from in the future?
I would like to answer question 1 and question 5, since both questions compare and contrast the past with the present.
ReplyDeleteFor question 1, Twain talks about the "personals" ads in the New York Herald, but today the most similar thing in our newspapers is the "Classifieds" like in the Public Opinion of Chambersburg. In the "Classifieds", ads are seen for lost and found items, childcare services, and items for sale such as houses, pets, and appliances. So even though a form of "personals" is still seen, personal notes to people that met each other and want to meet again are not found in the newspaper. However, nowadays, we can see "personals" that were seen in the Herald on things like Craigslist, dating sites, and social networking sites. Therefore, the "personals" we see today are made easier with the advancement of the internet. Anyone can say whatever they want on the internet whereas I'm sure that newspaper editors didn't put everything into the "personals" ads. Even though we still see some form of the "personals" ads today, the ads in the Herald were definitely unique.
For question 5, Marti talks about the blizzard of 1888 in New York. I don't think Marti exaggerated about the amount of snow, but rather he depicted it very well. He was very descriptive in talking about paperboys being in snow up to their chests, and people getting buried by all of the snow. After seeing the pictures and with knowing how the weather has been lately, I definitely believe that something this severe could have happened and that it could still happen today. It's just mother nature, and snow like that can happen anytime. It may have seemed more severe in 1888 because they did not have snow plows going out and plowing the roads every couple of hours. It's interesting to see how things like this that happened in 1888 can still happen today.
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ReplyDeleteIn response to question two, I believe that both authors describe the human spirit as displaying perseverance and a need for human connection. Marti demonstrates this numerous times throughout the snow storm. Despite the hazardous weather, people continue to leave their homes in order to get to work. For example, at one point he describes a man that is trying to cross the Brooklyn Bridge so that he does not lose his job. He says, “He starts across, and the wind reaches a terrible height, throws him to the ground with one gust, lifts him up again, snatches off his hat, rips open his coat, knocks him down at every step; he falls back, clutches the railing, drags himself along.” Braving a snow storm for your job shows extreme dedication and pushing yourself to cross a bridge that only “death can cross” after continually falling down is a good example perseverance. Another example of perseverance in this piece can be seen when the firemen work together to put out a fire in the middle of the storm and then push a path with their arms so that the truck can get through the snow. Ultimately, the catastrophes that occur throughout the storm unites the city and shows the human need for connection to help get through hard times. If the people had tried to get through the storm on their own then more people would have died. Working together is what helped them to all survive. This sense of comradery can be seen when Marti states, “Those who unfeelingly push and jostle one another all the rest of the year, smile on each other today, tell of the dangers they escaped, exchange addresses, and walk along with new friends.” People depend on other people for survival.
ReplyDeleteTwain also does a good job of displaying the perseverance of the human spirit. This can be seen in almost all of the personal adds. Most of them seem like it would be a shot in the dark to actually have them answered. In my mind they are a last chance or desperate plea at getting a response from someone. This probably wasn't the case at the time, but with the amount of technology that we have today that is the impression that I get imagining this happen in our time. In the one add that asks “Will the lady who was embarrassed in making change and was kindly assisted by a gentleman, whom she smiled upon and who smiled upon her and bowed when she got out, please address Harold, Herald office, stating where an interview may be had?” I picture a guy who happened to bump into a girl and fall in love at first sight. Before he can get her name and number, she leaves, and then he must do everything in his power to track her down. In my mind this add showed perseverance and all I can say is that those two must have shared some heck of a smile. Twain goes on to explain that this kind of add can be seen a lot, which leads me to my next point. All of these adds are about people seeking people for countless of reasons. The human spirit needs to feel connected with other human beings and I believe that these adds demonstrate that. No matter the reason we are all looking for someone to talk to in order to feel whole.
The idea of perseverance in these two pieces are pretty much the same, but I believe that a difference can be seen when it comes to the reason behind the human connection in each. Marti promotes the idea of hard times bringing people together, while the adds from Twain are just every day people seeking others. I think this difference is because the human spirit is unique and diverse. We seek companionship in all forms that originate for different reasons. These two pieces demonstrate that.
I think that the pieces by Twain and Marti actually act as counterpoints. Mark Twain was continually unimpressed with the city and it people while he lived there, as the article points out in the blurb before the writing. His tone is rather condescending throughout the piece as he describes the men who sit down every morning to read the personals before starting their day and the people who sneak in advertisements. The last sentence sums up Twain's attitude toward people in New York very well. He writes "Many a New Yorker is proof against the seductions of the Cable's despatches, but none of them can resist the Herald's 'Personal's'". Basically, Mark Twain points out the fickle mindset of the dramatic and romantic people of New York because what kind of respectable woman or man would put their personal matters out into the open for all to see rather than trying to make connections face to face.
DeleteOn the other hand, I do agree with your opinion of Marti's stance on humanity. He points out the strength of human will which acts as a counter point to Twain's description of the human heart's fickleness. Together the pieces act to show us that New York was and will always be filled with people just like ourselves, and because of the close contact, New York is a study in all human characteristics. People are both good and not so good at times, and our the parts of our nature that we show depend heavily on the situation.
In response to question 4, my favorite "Personal" was: "SIX P.M., Bleecker street car, up from Fulton Ferry. Will the lady who was embarrassed in making change and was kindly assisted by a gentleman, whom she smiled upon and who smiled upon her and bowed when she got out, please address Harold, Herald office, stating where an interview may be had?" I found this particular message comical. The idea that someone would put an add in the newspaper, to find someone they had barely even met and expect a response seems ridiculous to me. Especially since what is to say that another woman wouldn't answer the "Personal". I also like Twains comments on this because he states that people fall in love way to quickly, with someone they don't even know. Also, he had a very good point in that if the man really wanted an "interview" he should have simply talked to her. Twains response to the personals, is very critical, however he uses humor to point out just how ridiculous they really are.
ReplyDeleteAlso a quick response to question 5, I think that the kind of blizzard described by Marti could happen still today. After the weather we have been having it wouldn't be surprising if there would be a bad blizzard. Also, I think Marti described the blizzard very well and I don't think there was much exaggeration about the storm. I imagine it would have been much harder to get around without the modern cars and snow plows of today. As well, it was mentioned that the people did not have proper clothes for that size of a storm as we would today, so while it may seem an exaggeration that people were freezing in the snow, it may have been very realistic at that time.
In response to number 6, I would like to say that both authors wrote interesting accounts of New York and its inhabitants. In my eyes, the pieces work together to show both sides of the people residing in the city through their writers' unique styles. Mark Twain has a very passionate and involved voice in his comments on the frustrating fickleness that he observed in New Yorkers, while Jose Marti writes with a removed but poetic style in his description of the catastrophic snow storm the brought New York and its "hustle and bustle" to a near stand still in 1888.
ReplyDeleteMark Twain injects his personal opinions and frustrations into the description of the personal adds by presenting direct examples from the offending sections and offering heated commentary in between. For example, when he reiterates "sweet Kate" 's appeal to not be killed, the following comment expounds upon her stupidity in offering her killer the perfect time in a fourth avenue street car that "offers every facility for murder". My particular favorite comment is Twain's paragraph on the "wooden-headed louts" that fall in love with "every old strumpet that smiles a flabby smile at them". He goes on to say that they should be smart enough to understand that a "respectable woman" would not be reading these personal adds which he views as a crude form of public entertainment rather than a useful and intelligent way to connect people. His distaste for the idiocy, as he would see it, of the New Yorkers is glaringly evident in his commentary on the personal adds.
Jose Marti, on the other hand, offers a little hope for the souls of the New York residents as he richly describes the scenes that occurred during the 1888 blizzard. Instead of Twain's short,to the point sentences, direct examples, and personal commentary, Marti uses a removed style with long, listing sentences not unlike the ones we saw in Washington Square. However, his work is much more exciting as it describes such a large picture rather than the small motions of the character's inner workings. For example, he describes the streets of New York as the storm descended with this lengthy description: "It had rained the preceding Sunday, and the writer working into the dawn, the newspaper vendor at the railroad station, the milkman on his round of the sleeping houses, could hear the whiplash of the wind that had descended on the city against the chimneys, against walls and roofs, as it vented its fury on slate and mortar, shattered windows, demolished porches, clutched and uprooted trees, and howled, as though ambushed, as it fled down the narrow streets". Marti uses strong, beautiful language to describe reverence and hope for the people who suffered death and pain at the hands of the blizzard rather than the punctuated and opinionated language Twain uses to express his exasperation. However, Marti exposes small acts of cruelty in the midst of the disaster by those who sent their errand boys out and those who ignored their pleas for help, but somehow it does not undermine the "indomitable human spirit" that Jose Marti expresses so eloquently. The most cruel seeming part of the piece was the personified storm which can be seen in the sentence quoted above. The flowing style the Marti uses just grips the reader by the heart and mind.
Twain and Marti have extremely different styles and opinions on the same subject, the people of New York. Where Twain is straight forward in his irritation with the frivolity of the people, Marti is eloquent in describing the heroism and courage of people in the face of catastrophe. Together they offer two sides of New York and the general human spirit, showing that New York is the perfect study in the diversity of human nature and types of people. I much prefer the beauty of Marti's description to Twain's humorous complaints because I can see hope and joy in Marti's words.
In response to question #1, talking about versions of The Personals seen today. Like Heather mentioned, examples of The Personals seen today include social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Craig's List. I want to comment on a question Dr. Kungl posed today in class. Twain writes about the obsession he sees in people concerning The Personals and how it is always the first section everyone flips to while they read the morning paper. Dr. Kungl asked what about The Personals was so alluring that they drew such attention from readers. In this regard, I think that Twain was on to something concerning human nature. I think the allure of The Personals comes from the need we feel as humans to feel connected with people at all times of the day. When you look at this in regards to today’s society, it is more easily seen when looking at social media sites. I think it is fair to say that for many members of younger generations frequent most of their time on social media sites, to connect with people and see what they are doing with their lives. Sometimes the connections we make on social media are not even with people we consider ourselves close with; sometimes we don’t even know the people too well, but we love feeling connected with people.
ReplyDeleteIn the time period when Twain wrote about people’s fascination with The Personals, I think the allure of The Personals comes from the need they felt to stay connected with the people around. At the time it was more difficult for people to stay connected with those they did not know, but they shared the need to stay connected. Twain points out that most people reading The Personals would never find one with immediate interest to them, yet they read them anyway because that was the way people could connect in those times. The Personals were that time period’s version of social media. Twain, in my opinion, is commenting on humans' necessity to feel connected with people around them. Whether in today’s age with social media, or in Twain’s time with The Personals, people share the same obsession and need to feel connected with the people around them and take interest in the lives of others.
In response to question three, we still have examples of human kindness during times of distress. The clerk that assisted the working girls and the reassuring arm the girl gave to her fellow worker were some of the more specific examples that were stated in the passage but the entire passage made the reader feel as if the basic nature of humanity is good. These examples are in our lives as well. With all of the snow we have had recently a friend of mine went to move her car so that the lot where she parked could be plowed. She was trying, unsuccessfully, to move her car for an hour and a half. Then three male students came to the parking lot and helped her push her car out of her parking space. These three young men then continued to help other stuck students to move their cars. I think that people often overlook acts of kindness, unless happen under extreme circumstance.
ReplyDeleteIn response to question one, my favorite personal was the third from the last about the man wanting an interview with a random women he happened to see that day. I agreed with Twain when he said that New Yorkers fall in love with anything, since all he received from this lady was a smile, and smiling is generally considered the polite reaction to any social encounter. I also found it entertaining that the man wanted an interview. The word interview still hardly says, I like you. It implies that you are judging the person to see if they will meet your standards. I also found it interesting that this man wants the lady to address Harold at the herald with her response. This seemed like a made up identity. After reading that I began to wonder if this was a real add or one the newspaper added to make the personals seem more interesting by creating the illusion of the off chance of someone searching for you.
I will be responding to questions 3 and 5.
ReplyDelete3. I believe that in times of adversity or hardship, there is an innate human need that spurs us into action in order to help others. From personal experience, when my town gets a lot of snow or ice, my dad and I shovel the sidewalks and driveways for around a dozen senior citizens in my town. Without us, they may not be able to get out of the house in the case of an emergency, go shopping for food, or even get their mail when the weather is bad enough. I don’t think I’m the only one who has a strong desire to help people when they need it, because I have been helped many times by others. Usually, it’s the simple things that other people do for us that’s easy to take for granted. Before leaving for class one morning, one of my friends sent me a text message that said the University was closed, right before I was about to leave for my class. Surely enough, he was right, which saved me a lot of trouble and aggravation that morning. Another time, he let me know that it was icy outside, and I was prepared for the walk that I had to make. There are people in this world that will help others get back up when they fall, lend an ear when you have a problem, or do something as simple as holding a door for you. Whether we are facing adversity or not, I think there will always be at least one person in the world that is willing to help others.
5. Before I saw the picture, I was absolutely sure that Marti was exaggerating the amount of snow. Marti stated that the snow was breast high, and some snow drifts were enough to stop elevated trains! He also mentioned that several people were found dead after being buried alive in the snow. After seeing the pictures, I was able to fathom how something like this was able to happen in the 19th century. After reading old documents and listening to people in my town who are over 100 years old, I have learned that the weather back then was much more severe in most cases. I think that global warming and other effects on the environment may have changed the climate of the world, so blizzards like that could still be possible, but are highly unlikely. I feel as if a blizzard like this happened again, that we would be more prepared and adept at dealing with it, so I don’t think it would be as detrimental.
I would like to respond to question 1.
ReplyDeleteThe “Personals” that Twain pokes fun at seem to be an old-fashioned version of an entertaining source of drama that people still seem to enjoy today. Dramatic television series, for example, seem to be a bit pointless, and it is easy to claim that those who enjoy them are just as foolish as those who read the “Personals,” yet people are still drawn to them. While the idea of romantic, or any other type of dramatic situation as a form of entertainment, still exists today, the purpose of the “Personals” is also existent today and is, indeed, enhanced by technology. The purpose of the “Personals” was to submit an anonymous message in the hopes that the person you were trying to contact would see it. It was a bit humorous to Twain because this most likely did not happen. While there may not be a “Personals” section in paper, it can still be seen, for example, if someone lost something of theirs and put it in the paper or hung up signs offering rewards to someone who found it. The anonymity of the “Personals” can be seen in columns such as “Dear Abby,” as well. While I am unsure if they show up in newspapers, people can access these letters and read about an anonymous person’s troubles or love life, even though these letters typically are not written in the hopes that many people will see them. Also, in terms of the romantic “Personals” looking for love, there are online dating websites in which strangers may contact someone looking for romance. These dating sites may also elicit some criticism and convey a sense of desperation, just as the “Personals” did for Twain. It is, however, much easier to respond to a message and even see if messages were seen by the sender with the use of technology. This may make it a bit less “hopeless,” and the attempts at finding love a bit less unrealistic.
I suppose we didn't mention the irony of the fact that Twain himself must obviously have been reading the "Personals" section of the Herald, and often enough, to be able to come up with his examples and opinions!
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