英美小说论文模板——考试要求用

Final Paper

学期论文

邯郸学院外国语学院

School of Foreign Languages of Handan College 论文题目：论《他是否在人间》的主题

Title：On the Themes of Mark Twain’s is He Living or Is He Dead?

专业：英语

指导教师：刘洋

班级：2008级英语本科（3）班

学号：014001083039

姓名：蔡立娜

日期：2011年12 月11 日

On the Themes of Mark T wain’s is He Living or Is He Dead?

摘要:马克.吐温的著名短篇小说《他是否在人间》主要包含了几个明显的主题：富人的冷漠与浮华，牺牲与补偿，媒体宣传的重要性，整篇故事都是围绕着这几个主题发展下去。他们构成故事的主要线索，体现了马克吐温的幽默讽刺的写作风格。

Abstract: One of Mark Twain’s most famous short stories Is He Still Living or Is He Dead contains many themes: such as the coldness and ostentatiousness, sacrifice and compensatory, and the importance of media. The whole story develops around these themes, which are the clues of the short story, showing mark twain’s writing style: hummus and satirical.

Key words: is he living or is he dead, themes，satirical

I Introduce:

Is he living or is he dead is an important short story written by American writer Mark Twain. The story is short but pithy, hummus, and satirical. Even though it was written more than 100 years ago, during the one hundred years, few people have studies it in the field of literature. One scholar has analyze miller’s life, and he think Millet’s fame are mainly made by medium.” pretending dead” brings him world reputation, but the dead miller can not enjoy the fame open and aboveboard, instead, he lives a lonely life. The author will try to expound this work through the three themes.

II the themes in this story

2.1 The coldness and ostentatiousness of the rich

Mark Twain satirizes people in high class and the rich in most of his works. And this theme has also been expressed in his is he living or is he dead.

At the beginning of the story, the writer tells us something he has experienced in the Riviera.’’ At this retired spot one has all the advantages, privately, which are to be had publicly at Monte Carlo and Nice, a few miles farther along. That is to say, one has the flooding sunshine, the balmy air and the brilliant blue sea, without the marring additions of human pow-wow and fuss and feathers and display. Mentone is quiet, simple, restful, and unpretentious; the rich and the gaudy do not come there.”Obviously, by these description, we can know that the writer stand against the ostentatious bourgeoisie. He looks down upon their vainglory life style, from these sentences and vocabulary, Mark Twain shows his satirical and ridicule attitude to the ostentatious

rich.

In the ninth paragraph, by the mouth of Smith, the writer introduce us a philosophic story, which is written by Hans Andersen. It is a beautiful little story. Part of it is like this: A child has a caged bird, which it loves but thoughtlessly neglects. The bird pours out its song unheard and unheeded; but, in time, hunger and thirst assail the creature, and its song grows plaintive and feeble and finally ceases--the bird dies. The child comes, and is smitten to the heart with remorse: then, with bitter tears and lamentations, it calls its mates, and they bury the bird with elaborate pomp and the tender grief, without knowing, poor things, that it isn't children only who starve poets to death and then spend enough on their funerals and monuments to have kept them alive and made them easy and comfortable. The funeral holds for the birds show the sympathy of the children to the birds, but what is more important they are showing their possession Now, let us come to the four young painters, from their experience, we can see the coldness of the rich. Their works are perfect, and if they are not better than the famous artist, they are as good as them. However, there is no one who would like to buy their works even at a low price. But what is an irony is when Carl said proudly:’” I suppose you recognize that? Well, he taught me! I should think I ought to know my trade!” The man looked guiltily embarrassed, and was silent. I said sorrowfully:” You don't mean to intimate that you don't know the cipher of Francois Mill et!” Of course he didn't know that cipher; but he was the grate fullest man you ever saw, just the same, for being let out of an uncomfortable place on such easy terms. He said:” No! Why, it is Millet's, sure enough! I don't know what I could have been thinking of. Of course I recognize it now." we can see Carl use a proper sell method, and he know the human weakness of the rich, because they are always pretend that they are jack of all trades, but they are cheating themselves. These behaviors let their ugly face off.

2.2 sacrifice and compensatory in life

Sacrifice and compensatory, this theme often appears in bible and Greek stories, in is he living or is he dead, the writer use this theme again.

At the beginning, the bird died off hungry, but later its death draw the children’s attention and makes the children fell regret. This story pulls the way for the story of the four young painters.

Carl, Claude Frere, Smith and miller are all artist with great talent, but it is a pity that they are all nobody. If there is still no one buy their works, they will be poor forever, and they will be faced