I know Mark Twain is the pinnacle of American literature. I known he later on become anti-imperialist because of the Philippine–American War and was a member of the American Anti-Imperialist League.

  • Sickos [they/them, it/its]@hexbear.net
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    16
    ·
    2 months ago

    He seems cool to me. Here’s my favorite Twain quote

    There were two “Reigns of Terror,” if we would but remember it and consider it; the one wrought murder in hot passion, the other in heartless cold blood; the one lasted mere months, the other had lasted a thousand years; the one inflicted death upon ten thousand persons, the other upon a hundred millions; but our shudders are all for the “horrors” of the minor Terror, the momentary Terror, so to speak; whereas, what is the horror of swift death by the axe, compared with lifelong death from hunger, cold, insult, cruelty, and heart-break? What is swift death by lightning compared with death by slow fire at the stake? A city cemetery could contain the coffins filled by that brief Terror which we have all been so diligently taught to shiver at and mourn over; but all France could hardly contain the coffins filled by that older and real Terror —that unspeakably bitter and awful Terror which none of us has been taught to see in its vastness or pity as it deserves.

    Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court

    • ArcticFoxSmilesOP
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      2 months ago

      The only time I have read his work was in grad school when we as a class read most of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and then later on a year ago I listened an audio retelling of the “The War Prayer”.

      I would tell you to check out The War Prayer.