by Eva Prabhakar

Created on: July 28, 2008

Children learn to lie very early on because some ideas are simply eternal. It is uncanny how certain impressions, without even being passed on from generation to generation, are consistently thought about at different stages in life. For instance, it is almost certain that children try to test their limits by doing outrageous things until a parent draws the line. Mark Twain's essay Advice to the Youth' reminded me exactly of this timeless exodus.

It is interesting for sure, in that it makes us look upon our younger days in a different light. Absolute life and death' situations back then look silly now. But, it is through these experiences that we grow and our behavior is shaped. Not only is the essay interesting, but also quite funny. I could relate to it in more ways than one, as I am sure many can, because I have been through similar situations whilst growing up.

Mark Twain presents a satire about society that questions the formation of such common behavior amongst the youth anywhere and its continued passage without an apparent medium. As such, the viewpoint of this article is just as important today as it was when Mark Twain first thought it.

On reading this essay and Twain's autobiography, I realized that much of his advice was based on his personal experiences. This is characteristic of his works. Born Samuel Clemens, his journeys as a printer took him to a host of cities like New York, Philadelphia, Keokuk, Cincinnati, and New Orleans. These travels helped him in gaining a broad perspective, and to witness life as is. For instance, his first advice is clearly an indication of being heartfelt: "Always obey your parents, when they are present. This is the best policy in the long run, because if you don't, they will make you. Most parents think they know better than you do, and you can generally make more by humoring that superstition than you can by acting on your own better judgment."

In his autobiography, he opens up about his childhood, and about times when he got in trouble for not listening to his parents, even when he hadn't done anything wrong. Central to this essay is how society's behavior shapes the young mind. An issue that clearly represents Twain's satirical humor about society is to do with lying. An advice that he has given is "You want to be very careful about lying; otherwise you are nearly sure to get caught."

He continues to say that "Once caught, you can never again be in the eyes to the good and the pure, what you were before". This describes

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