Genre
Essays
Setting and Context
19th century
Narrator and Point of View
Mark Twain is the narrator.
Tone and Mood
Thoughtful, discerning, diagnostic, observational, convincing
Protagonist and Antagonist
‘Man’ is the subject in “What is Man” and “Man’s Sole Impulse-the Securing of His Own Approval.”
Major Conflict
The conflicts in “What is Man" and "Man's Sole Impulse-the Securing of His Own Approval" relate to the dynamics which influence the quality of a man’s contentment and life in general.
Climax
In “What is Man?” the climax ensues once a man has been refined, like metals, by way of education.
The climax in “Man’s Sole Impulse-the Securing of His Own Approval” relates to Alexander Hamilton's impulsive betrayal of his dear ones in the quest for approval from the public.
Foreshadowing
Mark Twain mostly focuses on the present in his essays.
Understatement
Mark Twain understates the weightiness and implication of Cooper’s writing.
Allusions
Literary and biographical allusions.
Imagery
Mark Twain visualizes the inherent attributes of men and their flaws in “What is Man” and “Man’s Sole Impulse-the Securing of His Own Approval.
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
“Man” refers to human beings in general.
Personification
In "What is Man."Metals (e.g iron) are personified
