Advice to Youth by Writer Mark Twain - Essay Example

Some of the pieces that he created and that are still admired to date include The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. His work was so unique that he received praise from some of the most renowned novelists of his decade. Mark Twain had written over thirty books by the end of his life. Some were even published after he had died. This shows how creative he was; that death couldn't stop him from continuing to inspire the world. He had excellent credentials as he even received an honorary doctorate from the much-celebrated Oxford University a few years before his death in 1910.

However, this paper is not about the books authored by him: It is about the inspirational message that he passed to teenagers. The speech is both funny and sounds contradictory at times. It has some of the honest advice that some people would otherwise never share for fear of being contradicted. Interestingly, he wanted to be brutally honest to young men and women. He begins his speech with what most might see as a parental admonition. He says, "listen to what I tell you," which is what most young people are used to hearing from their parents.

This also seems to be a perfect way of getting the attention of his audience. But then he advises every youth only to listen and obey parents when these parents are around. To him, people should not show any form of rebellion regardless of the demands of their parents. Instead, they should show some sign of respect and follow or appear to follow all the advice given to them by these parents. However, this message is self-contradictory, as it provides any person with a chance to have multiple personalities.

In other words, this respect is only shown when the guardian is around. Otherwise, an individual is advised to choose their own path when the parents are not around. For instance, there are moments when guardians demand that students act in a particular way. Some will insist on certain dresses and will