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  • Essay / Comparing Twain's "Jumping Frog" and Irving's "Tom Walker"

    Although Mark Twain's "The Famous Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" develops his theme that one does not need to be educated to be intelligent, through allusions, Washington Irving's "The Devil and Tom Walker" develops better the theme of greed which can lead to moral corruption, through allegory and symbolism Say no to plagiarism Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get it. original essay "The Famous Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" begins at Angels Camp, a mining settlement in Calaveras County, California, when a man from the east comes to visit. The narrator speaks with Simon Wheeler to ask for news. 'a man named Leonidas W. Smiley, at the request of a friend Instead of giving the narrator the information he requested, Wheeler goes off on a tangent and spins a tall tale about a man named Jim Smiley would bet. on anything. The major theme of this story is that you don't have to be educated to be intelligent. After Smiley continued to bet on the dog, named Andrew Jackson, until his death, Wheeler said: "He was a good puppy, this Andrew Jackson, and he would have made a name for himself if he had lived, for There was something in him, and he had genius, I know, because he had no opportunity to talk about it, and it is not logical that a dog could fight as he could in these circumstances, if he had no talent. Through this quote, Twain develops the theme by explaining that the dog was not very intelligent, but he was extremely intelligent. The tactic he used landed him in many dog ​​fights until he was paired with a dog without back legs, which was a coincidence. But this dog, who almost everyone thought was not worth a penny, proved many wrong, not by his incredible training, but by his intelligence during his fights. Twain uses the allusion by naming the dog after Andrew Jackson, 7th President of the United States and former general. The dog and Jackson were known for being tough and unstoppable in combat. Andrew Jackson was not known for his intelligence, but for his perseverance and fighting spirit, especially during his presidency and several battles. After the stranger filled Smiley's frog with quail shot, Smiley had gathered a frog for the stranger to compete with, and they were lined up ready for the bet. Wheeler, speaking of Smiley, said: "Then he said, 'One two three jump.' !' and he and the feller touched the frogs from behind, and the new frog jumped, but Dan'l pushed and lifted his shoulders like a Frenchman, but it was no use that he couldn't move; he was firmly planted like an anvil, and could no more move than if he were anchored. Smiley was very surprised, and he was disgusted too, but of course he had no idea what was happening.” Through this quote, Twain develops the theme by showing how uneducated and unconscious Smiley was, especially when he left his frog, which he had been training for 3 months, with his competitor. The story says nothing of the stranger's education, but he was very intelligent. By putting the quail shot in Dan'l Webster, the stranger was able to win the bet. Smiley, thinking it was smart to train and bet his frog's abilities with a stranger who handled a frog plucked outside minutes before the competition would instantly win the bet and get money, was completely fooled by the person he was. try to deceive. Smiley was so unconscious that he didn't realize what had happened.passed until his frog burped from the shot of quail, but by then the stranger had already left with the money, and it was too late. Twain uses the allusion by naming the frog "Dan'l Webster", in reference to the great American statesman Daniel Webster. The fact that both the frog and the statesman were known for their genius explains why Twain chose to use this allusion. The frog's intelligence and mastery, being able to learn and acquire skills quickly, could have easily won the bet against the alien but ultimately lost due to Smiley's ignorance and recklessness. “The Devil and Tom Walker” begins the story with a brief explanation about Kidd the pirate who left buried gold on the shores of Boston. . Since Kidd's death, the devil, taking the forms of many different people, has been guarding his hiding place. Then Irving mentions Tom Walker, a miser. He never gives anything to anyone, including his wife. His wife, who is as unhappy as he is, is verbally abusive and rumors circulate around town that she is also physically abusive towards Tom. One day, on his way home, Tom decides to take a shortcut through the swamp and sits down on a log to rest. Soon I am confronted by a sick-faced man who is identified as "Old Scratch". This man, who is the devil, offers Tom a large sum of money in exchange for “certain conditions”. Tom returns home and discusses the offer with his wife. She thinks he should accept the offer. Tom, being a miser, is reluctant to accept the offer because he does not want to share any wealth with his wife. She gets angry and decides to visit "Old Scratch" herself. But after a few days, she didn't come back. After Tom searches the woods, all he finds is her heart and liver tied up in her apron and he knows she is dead. Tom is happy about his wife's death because it now allows him to complete his deal with "Old Scratch" and not have to share any of the wealth. After his conversation with the devil, Tom agrees to become a corrupt loan shark. He leaves Boston living a life of wealth and corruption. Years later, Tom decides to go to church to seek salvation, fearing potential punishments for the actions he committed. Carrying a Bible everywhere he goes, to try to ward off Old Scratch, Tom believes he is safe until Old Scratch shows up at his door with a black horse. Tom is thrown on the horse and taken back to the old Indian fort, which disappeared in a fire. The theme of the story is that greed can lead to moral corruption. Irving reveals the theme through symbolism to create the allegory. The devil symbolizing temptation, Tom and his wife symbolizing greed, and later, Tom symbolizing hypocrisy after seeking salvation in church, which Irving shows will be punished. The dark, quagmire-filled woods in which Tom encounters the devil symbolize his conscience which, clouded by his greed, easily succumbs to the devil's temptation. At the beginning of the story it is said: “He had a wife as miserly as he; they were so greedy that they even conspired to deceive themselves.” Through this quote, Irving shows how greed can destroy valuable relationships. Tom Walker and his wife treated each other horribly and had horrible thoughts simply because they were so greedy and miserly. Later, as Tom was taken to hell on horseback, these were his last words: "The devil take me if I've earned a penny!" ". Through this quote, Irving develops the theme by showing that Tom has become as bad as the devil himself; he is a liar, a cheat, a miser and a man who has completely lost his morale. At this point he.