Corn-Pone Opinions by Mark Twain

The essay Corn-Pone Opinions, by Mark Twain, describes to the reader his theory about where and why people get their opinions. He believes that people hold opinions that allow them to approve of themselves, and that often, the way people judge their own worth is whether others approve of them. This essay was written in 1901, but it starts with an anecdote from Twain's memory that he dates to about 1850. The terminology in the title is outdated; corn-pone is what we would call cornbread now. Although he uses examples (like hoopskirts) that are irrelevant to us now, they were very pertinent examples to his target audience: early 20th century America, to whom Twain was trying to reveal the way that they choose their opinions. Once they understand, they can be more aware of others' viewpoints and more open to changing their opinion when shown evidence. To emphasize this understanding, Twain provides a list of religions and political viewpoints using parallel construction: "Mohammedans are Mohammedans because they are born and reared among that sect...we know why Catholics are Catholics; why Presbyterians are Presbyterians..." (4).

Mark Twain is a celebrated author (he wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn), and he is well-known for his humor. Although this essay isn't humorous, I think his past writings substantiate his claims, since humorists work to see true human nature (and then turn around and make fun of it). I don't think his purpose was to change anything, or make people choose opinions based on cold, hard facts instead of self-approval. He says, "We all do no end of feeling, and we mistake it for thinking. And out of it we get an aggregation which we consider a boon. Its name is Public Opinion...Some think it is the Voice of God" (5). He includes himself in the "we", showing that he does it; everyone does it. But he warns against taking it as gospel, or insisting that an opinion is correct when it's merely popular. I don't think that his purpose was achieved, but through no fault of his own. There still exist people who would like to believe that their opinions are theirs alone and/or absolutely correct. It is difficult to escape these thoughts, and just a few people reading an essay will not change all of society.

Mark Twain's Opinion on Opinions
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