ISC English Literature, Notes of Advice to Youth, Mark Twain
Chapter 2: Advice to Youth Mark Twain 1. What did the organisers ask Mark Twain to speak about? They said that the talk should be something didactic, instructive, or something in the nature of good advice. 2. Briefly describe Twain's advice on obeying parents. He is sarcastic in his advice and says that the young should always obey their parents when they are present. He feels that this is the best policy because if they don’t obey the parents when they are present, they will force them to do so. He says that it is more beneficial to go along with the belief that the parents know better than the young and pretend to agree with their opinions or superstitions, rather than acting on one's own better judgement. The underlying idea is that conforming to the parents' views may bring more advantages or rewards than asserting one's own independent thinking. 3. Briefly describe Twain’s on b...