Irony in the novel

Mark Twain shows himself as a master of irony when he exposes the social evils of the times and the hypocrisy of the characters humorously. The novel starts on a note of irony. Hank Morgan, the modern American finds himself in the ancient court of King Arthur. At the court, Morgan condemns the knights for telling lies. However, when he is imprisoned, he also tells a lie to escape. He calls himself a magician who can create a calamity and darken the world if he must. Later, he destroys the tower of Merlin through explosives and lighted wires. Twain creates an ironic situation not only out of the ignorance and superstition of the people, but also out of the inconsistency in the behavior of Morgan.

Morgan condemns royalty for thinking themselves superior to their subjects, yet he himself boasts and brags about his powers and his position. Over and over again, he uses his ordinary knowledge from the nineteenth century to make the people think he has extraordinary powers and he never confesses the truth. The ultimate irony is that when it is all over, and he is sent back to the nineteenth century, he realizes the beauty in Camelot's purity and longs to return. He has been given back his place in the technologically and industrially advanced nineteenth century, but all he wants is Camelot.

Writing option:

Think of a period in history that you would like to visit. Write a short story detailing what it would be like if you went there and how you would influence the citizenry with your twenty-first century knowledge.

O.HENRY

1862-1910

The real name of the writer is William Sydney Porter. He was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, USA, in the family of a doctor. He was brought up by his aunt because his mother died when he was a small boy. After finishing school at the age of 15, Porter worked as a clerk for 5 years in his uncle’s chemist shop in Greensboro. In 1882 he went to Texas because he wanted to see new places. For 2 years he worked on a ranch, then he became a clerk in an office and at last got a job in a small bank. In 1887 he married Athol Estes Roach; they had a daughter.

In 1894 Porter started a humorous weekly “The Rolling Stone”. It was at this time that he began heavy drinking. When the weekly failed, he joined the “Houston Post” as a reporter and columnist.

But one day a theft of a thousand dollars was discovered at the bank in Austin where he worked as a bank teller. Though it was not he who had taken the money, Porter left the town and went to Central America. But when he heard that his wife was very ill, he returned home in 1897 and was put into prison for 3 years.

After his wife’s death Porter very often thought about his little daughter. She was living with her relatives and was told that her father had gone very far away and would not return soon. To get some money for a Christmas present for his daughter, Porter decided to write a story and send it to one of the American magazines. The story “Whistling Dick’s Christmas Present” was published in 1899 and his daughter received a Christmas present. Porter published at least 12 stories while in prison to help support his daughter. Not wanting his readers to know he was in jail, he started using the pen name "O. Henry". It is believed that Porter got this name from one of the guards who was named Orrin Henry. Other sources say that the name was derived from his calling "Oh Henry!" after the family cat, Henry.

In 1901 when he was released from prison he settled in New York and continued writing short stories for different magazines. From December 1903 to January 1906 he wrote a story a week for the New York “World”, also publishing in other magazines. O. Henry wrote over 280 short stories and one novel “Cabbages and Kings” (1904). All his works take together are like a humorous encyclopedia of All-American life.

O. Henry's last years were shadowed by alcoholism, ill health, and financial problems. He married Sara Lindsay Coleman in 1907, but the marriage was not happy, and they separated a year later. O. Henry died of cirrhosis of the liver on June 5, 1910, in New York.

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