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Mark Twain
| - | "To the Person Sitting in Darkness," North American Review, February 1901 |
| - | "The Dervish and the Offensive Stranger," 1902
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Mark Twain disliked poetry, but he did like Kipling's work. "There's something in Kipling that appeals to me," he wrote, "I guess he's just about my level." Moreover, he admitted that Kipling was a "remarkable man." "I am the other one. Between us, we cover all knowledge; he knows all that can be known, and I know the rest." Even though he admired Kipling, Twain did not share his enthusiasm for the white man's burden. Of Twain's anti-imperialist pieces perhaps the best known is "To the Person Sitting in Darkness," a broad indictment of German, British, Russian, and American expansionism. While praising America's efforts in Cuba, where we helped a "friendless nation" throw off oppression, he condemns the war in the Philippines. "The Dervish and the Offensive Stranger" suggests the moral ambiguity of human intention and action but leaves little doubt about Twain's verdict on the morality of imperialism. 9 pages.
Discussion questions
- According to Twain in "To the Person Sitting in Darkness," what is the greatest crime of imperialism?
- How does Twain portray America in "To the Person Sitting in Darkness"?
- How is "The Dervish and the Offensive Stranger" a comment on "The White Man's Burden"?
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