orenhammerquist

Good stuff you won’t really see outside of literary/cultural theory. Also, it is extremely dense. Honestly, I find Supreme Court decisions easier to read.

Thank you! I posted it on here prior to submission to Sigma Tau Delta Review to see what people said.

I agree with you. The biggest clue to that is that he wrote a novel set before the Civil War after the Civil War. It was safe and satirical. Still, it is significant.

Go read some of Jack London’s work. He had no particular issues with blacks, but how he hated the Chinese!

I think everyone, as stated, is slightly racist. Any criminal justice student knows that all humans identify people better when they are of the same race. Everyone classifies people they see by categorical expectations. This is a necessity that only becomes dangerous if we do not understand it.
The point of this article was not that Twain was tolerant, but that we should evaluate exactly how and where his racism lies in order to draw out our own stereotypes.

Good article. Why didn’t you include Jack London in this list?

Very well argued. Oddly, I had never considered the allegorical elements of this particular story. I think we could also look at death in this story (and all of his stories) as unavoidable. Here, prosperity incarnate (Prospero) cannot save them from a horrible death.

Interesting analysis, but I find your choice of shows strange. Family Guy and American Dad are written by the same group as is The Cleveland Show. I would argue that The Simpsons (as the first adult animation to enter primetime) has had a far greater impact. This show also references popular culture heavily. It is interesting to note that Simpsons was once considered controversial, but it is tame by modern standards. Still, many of its themes are questionable–especially the ever-present elements of child abuse and neglect.
Also, it is only American animated shows that are comedic. Many anime shows are very serious and dramatic in tone. Whether anime is geared to children or adults is debatable. At any rate, these convey a much different theme to a very different demographic.