Twain's "To the Person Sitting Term Paper

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They are so shrouded in mental and spiritual darkness, say the oppressors that they require outside assistance in the form of religious missionaries and military personnel. Christianity and the armies that propagate it are here to help the "Persons Sitting in Darkness," to save them from themselves. Thus, Twain uses the printed word to demonstrate how American foreign policy is founded on principles of social Darwinism and thinly concealed racism.

Throughout "To the Person Sitting in Darkness," Twain concentrates on lambasting the notion that America stands for freedom, liberty, and Civilization. According to Twain, these concepts are "only for Export." Moreover, they are costly. Twain makes sure to bring up the financial motives for American political maneuvers: "The Actual Thing that the Customer Sitting in Darkness buys with his blood and tears and land and liberty." The word "Customer" drives home the point that money, not concern for the well being of the people, motivates political decisions and colonialism.

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Occasionally Twain uses graphic imagery for emphasis: the Americans sentence "innocent little children to inevitable starvation and lingering death" for "blood money." The ideals that America purports to possess and implement become distorted when applied to its territories.

The author also elucidates the contradictions central to the missionary spirit, stating that Christianity stands for such concepts as "LOVE," and "PROTECTION to the WEAK." In fact, because this letter was penned around Christmastime, Twain can wax especially sarcastic: "By happy luck, we get all these glad tidings on Christmas Eve," he states, "just in time to enable us to celebrate the day with proper gaiety and enthusiasm. Our spirits soar." Such brilliant parody of Christian-American imperialism characterizes Twain's discourse in "To the Person Sitting in….....

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https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/twain-person-sitting-57500
   

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