Similarities Between Mark Twain And Jack London

Two earthquakes, two iconic authors - Mark Twain and Jack London - witness catastrophe, yet the way they perceive and describe it are different. Not one soul looks on and shall distinguish it exactly the same, but the mood or tone in which the disasters are described would be expected to be comparable. Twain brings to the table a personal take and focuses on the “curiosities” of the earthquake. London observes the disaster from the relative distance of “the bay”, while describing the destruction of the “conflagration.” Twain and London write about The San Francisco Earthquakes but Twain is telling the audience a story while London is writing in an news article-esque way.
Twain introduces a personal take of the earthquake in his initial sentence, by referring to “enjoying his first earthquake.” His subsequent vibrant word choice allows the audience to see the destruction through his eyes; rearing, plunging, pouring, squirming, and screaming are all vivid words that help paint a picture of what was occurring in the city and to its individual inhabitants. In London's essay, he uses words such as smashed, humped, twisted, and disrupted. London is giving us a similar type of imagery, and using it to tell us about how the earthquake gave the city a sense of
Each essay lacks the same tone and detail of the other but each offers a compelling description. Neither Twain nor London gives1` q us a full representation of the city, one gives us the life of the buildings and one gives us the life of the citizens within the city. Twain’s more sequential recital of his personal experience and the intimate exposure of the individuals he observes is for narration. London’s expository writing is meant to explain from afar. While the two authors use varying modes to convey their observations, both approaches are effective in accomplishing the respective