For this assignment, we’re aiming for 2-3 pages… there’s a bit to cover. The first half of the paper should be a summary of the texts you are responding to (Twain’s essay and one other you’ve chosen) and the second half should be your analytical response to the prompting question below. Remember that your summary should highlight the text in ways that reflect your response or analysis that follows.

Prompting Question

How does the author of your chosen text reflect Twain’s notions of lying in order to reach an emotional truth? Share at least one example from the text.

How we’ll do it:

For this assignment, we will select either Maus, “How to Tell a True War Story,” or The Undertaker’s Daughter and examine it through the lens of Mark Twain’s essay, “On the Decay of the Art of Lying.”

In your response, discuss a moment in the text you are examining through Twain’s essay where you see a ‘lie’ that is good or artful and explain its effect on the reader and why it is effective.

Twain is all about a good, uplifting lie that elevates the human experience

Make sure to include quotes from the texts as evidence to make yourself clear

Note: in some cases, it might be impossible to say what is and what is not a concrete lie or obvious exaggeration in your text, however, keep in mind that some devices could be argued as artful lying… if you go there, make that argument clear!