Analyzing Mark Twain's Essay 'Tone Opinions'

Bryanna Rivera

Rivera 1

Ap­English
Mrs. Padilla
12/13/14

In Mark Twain’s essay “Corn­Pone Opinions” he uses different strategies to express his position on how people’s actions and thoughts are excessively influenced by others. He changes the pronoun “I” to “we”. Twain does this by first explaining his own opinion then addresses everyone else as a collaborative group in order to support his point. He basically states that people follow trends whether they like them or not. He gives a few examples to support his point. The anecdote that Twain uses of a young slave named Jerry that had such a talent for preaching helps introduce his argument in an interesting way.
Twain carries the idea that men are made up of society’s thoughts and opinions. Twain feels that
everyone will accept the public’s opinions only for the satisfaction of one's
"self­approval." Twain expresses to the reader that we all in a sense sacrifice our own uniqueness to be accepted by society.
Corn Pone Opinions are the group of belief with which we each join as an impulsive mode to fit in, as Twain says, "the instinct that moves to conformity did the work. It is our nature to conform; it is a force which not many can successfully resist; what is it's seat, the inborn requirement of self­approval.”
In corn pone opinions, twain uses a few extra long sentences. He does this in order to inform us that we can’t be independent and that we eventually rely on other people.Twain uses a declarative sentence, with the telegraphic sentence that he uses, he try’s to transmit to us that

people feel more comfortable being around people, than being alone. Throughout the essay he also uses a few semi­colon Rivera
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to emphasize an opinion as an original one. He then uses a comma to back up what an original opinion is and how it’s
created.
There were a few satire elements in this essay as well. For example, twain uses ridicule to demonstrate how our opinions are directly influenced by others, despite believing that they are genuine. He uses ridicule again to emphasize the extremities we face to continue supporting the popular opinions. He also uses exaggeration to stretch the reality of human actions succumbing to partial ideas.
Twain’s purpose for writing this essay is to define what a corn­pone opinion is, and that all corn­pone opinions are based upon the need for people to look for other’s approval. He uses many rhetoric strategies to prove his point. He uses syntax, diction, and satirical elements to support his idea, and to get his readers to understand the message he is putting out there.