The War Prayer By Mark Twain - 878 Words

The War Prayer Analysis The War Prayer by Mark Twain emphasizes on the idea of imperialism and patriotism by using dialect, certain themes, and assertions to understand the attitude he has towards these issues. This short story is consistent and it gives us perspective on these ideas. Throughout Twain conveys the reader by using long sentences and key phrases in an intense tone to describe the severity of the issues. In the beginning Twain sets the mood of the story by developing a vivid illustration of patriotism. He uses phrases such as, â€Å"The country was up in arms†..†the drums were beating, the bands playing†, ( Twain, para. 1, pg 1). Why this is significant is that the reader can understand his point and get an idea of how patriotism is portrayed throughout the nineteenth century. Later the mood and tone swifts over to focusing on a religious level. The main characters portrayed here are a priest and a stranger. As the stranger enters the church to say a prayer for the troops tha t are leaving the next day the priest gets interrupted and the stranger says a prayer that represents the bias toward war prayers. It’s a complex issue because the situation with the prayer focuses on the idea that religion does not always live up to it’s commitment. Since war is a devastating somber issue, praying for the veterans to come home and defeat the enemy is not always bound to happen. He references how religious prayers can also have unforeseenShow MoreRelatedMark Twain s The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn And The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer1226 Words   |  5 PagesMark Twain, American humorist and novelist, captured a world audience with stories of boyhood adventure and with commentary on man s shortcomings that is humorous even while it probes, often bitterly, the roots of human behavior. 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