For my quote of the day, I actually had trouble choosing between these two because both represented the text so well, so I posted both. Here, I will discuss them.
PG 10 "The mother and father had a sort of bedstead in the corner; but Tom, his grandmother, and his two sisters, Bet and Nan, were not restricted--they had all the floor to themselves, and might sleep where they chose."
This line appears early in the text but I was never able to get it out of my head. It sets up Tom and his family's poverty, introduces members of his family, and is quite funny. The use of the word "but" rather than "while" is interesting. "While" would communicate the same information, but "but" is much sharper word, that sets the reader up for the shift of "were not restricted" and the following explanation. Using "while" would probably confuse the reader a bit and force him/her to reread the sentence.
Speaking of the shift and explanation that's what makes the sentence so funny. "[W]ere not restricted" subverts the reader's instincts, but that isn't enough to get the laugh. The following explanation provides the laugh through the contrast of its upbeat tone and sad fact.
I have heard that there's a kernel of truth in every joke (I'm fairly confident I don't believe this to be true of every joke) and if that's the case than there's a Fight Club-esque kind of argument being made: specifically that 'the things you own end up owning you.' Try to sleep in a room that has a bed, but not on the bed. It would drive some people crazy. The prince lucks out in the story when he take Miles Hendon's bed and he allows it because he slept in a dungeon for 7 years, which brings me to my second quote.
PG 17 of the Prince and the Pauper
"Their garment! Have they but one?"
"Ah, good your worship, what would they do with more? Truly they have not two bodies each."
For much of the story, the prince is absolutely unbearable to those around him. He clings to his class despite how ridiculous he seems and I'm not sure he's ever really aware that everyone assumes he's crazy. Miles is only able to tolerate him because he spent 7 years in a dungeon. This bit of conversation really illustrates that he really is an out of touch royal and at the same time reinforces Tom's poverty. All while being funny.
I think that Miles tolerates the Prince because he's a nice guy and feels sorry for him, not just because of the dungeon thing. They were both down on their luck, so Miles helps him out rather than ridicule him like most adults in the story.
ReplyDeleteI found the first quote rather amusing as well because it seems to express the illusion of choice. They can sleep anywhere on the floor they want... but most people would not chose to sleep on the floor.
Both quotes definitely play up just how insanely poor Tom is and I think that they are very important or at least great examples of the huge contrast between how little Tom has and how grossly much Edward has. Especially emphasized by Twain's frequent use of the list. In the second quote, the audience finds it hard to argue with Tom's logic and maybe Twain intends for the reader to see their own excessive commodities?
ReplyDeleteI think that Miles takes Edward under his wing because he too feels abandoned by hs family and an outcast among society. Miles own family shunned him, like Tom's (what Miles thinks is Edward's) family beats and takes advantage of him. The two become more like family then anything. They are able to bond over their father's deaths and all the bad luck that they have encountered.
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