Corn-Pone Opinions
The significance of corn-pone opinions is evident in past and present societies. Renowned novelist, Mark Twain, in his essay, “Corn-Pone Opinions,” incorporates the rhetorical devices of anaphora and allusion to help the readers acknowledge the power of social influence on behavior. The artistic effects of Twain's writing are constructive to establishing the purpose of his essay. Twain first uses anaphora while telling his story about a past encounter with a young black man and he introduces the idea of public opinions. He reveals the idea that if a black man were to prosper, “he must train with the majority...he must think and feel with the bulk of his neighbors...He must restrict himself to corn-pone opinions...He must get his opinions from other people, he must reason out none for himself; he must have no first-hand views.” The repetition of the words, “he must” emphasizes that because of public opinions, people think they have to act or ...