History 371Hon

Devine

Writing Assignment #3

Choose a passage from Pudd’nhead Wilson in which Mark Twain uses humor to critique racism, racial hierarchy, and/or white supremacy. Then, in no more than two double-spaced pages, explain how Twain’s critique works. How can what seems funny or frivolous at first glance actually mask a sharp criticism of American racial norms? Why would a perceptive reader see past the humor to the serious message while a close-minded or non-thinking reader might easily miss Twain’s true meaning? How might a reader’s racial prejudices keep him or her from “getting” the joke? Either photocopy or transcribe your passage and attach it to your essay.