Critique of “Advice to Youth”

Growing up is something that every individual experiences. Through each stage of maturing the person is provided with pieces of advice and direction that is relevant to that age. The advice someone might give to a child would be different from advice given to a youth, as well as an adult. As a young child, the person may be taught to say “yes please,” “thank you” and “you’re welcome” and advice on why it is appropriate to say these things. As the individual matures, the advice and direction also parallel that development to be age appropriate. There are some pieces of advice that are common enough to convey to a person that the majority of individuals are presented with the advice at one point or another in their life; however, it is the manner in which the advice is expressed that makes it beneficial and wholesome.

In Mark Twain’s speech, “Advice to Youth,” the author provided youth with advice regarding some of the important matters that are commonly instilled in children at a young age: obey your parents, be respectful to your elders, do not lie, wake up early, be careful with guns, and read books. With each piece of advice, Mark Twain also provided reasons as to why and how the advice should be taken; however, the reasons expressed were unconventional in their nature. Twain expressed his advice in terms of acknowledging that these things are important to follow in life, but he also conveyed them in a way that was most beneficial to the person following the advice, rather than respectful. Twain discussed that, yes, children should obey their parents, but instead of putting a positive spin on the reason why, he discussed it as doing so in order to humor the parents. Additionally, Twain discussed the importance of being respectful to superiors and strangers but to only do so when they are looking, expressing that it would be okay to not be respectful when they are not paying attention, in order to be protected against any repercussions.

At first glance, Mark Twin’s speech appeared as though it was going to provide youth with sound, grounded advice. However, he took the common issues that you would advise youth about and relate to as negative ‘don’t do these things’ (lying, hitting, etc.) and spoke about them in a way that encouraged the ill behavior. For example, many adults advise children against lying, however, Mark Twain spoke of lying as something that is okay to do but to do it well so that other do not know that you are lying. He spoke of such things that are typically dissuaded from children and made them appear as an art. He discussed that a lie can be more powerful and longer lasting than the truth, if told carefully and wholly. While the truth and the lie may both be known, it is the lie that is often remembered above the truth. In terms of guns, Twain’s advice was to only fool around with new firearms, rather than old ones, as old ones are not taken seriously or handled with caution.

Mark Twain was correct in providing advice to youth on matters that are important for that age group to learn and adopt. However, it should have been expressed in a more appropriate and respectful manner and conveyed in a way that stressed the true importance of obeying their parents, respecting their elders, waking up early, reading books, not playing with firearms, not hitting others, and not lying. In order to provide youth with grounded and sound advice, Mark Twain should have expressed the importance of each matter he discussed in a way that was respectful to the audience and the guardians who commonly try to instill in their children the very advice that Twain discussed but made a mockery of. Works Cited
Twain, Mark. Advice to Youth. Pintday.org, 2009. Web. 12 Oct. 2010. <http://pintday.org/funny/
advicetoyouth>.