Although Mark Twain's “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” develops the theme that one does not have to be educated to be intelligent, through allusions, “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving better develops the theme of greed that can lead to moral corruption, through allegory and symbolism. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" begins in Angels Camp, a mining settlement in Calaveras County, California, when a man from the east comes to visit. The narrator talks to Simon Wheeler to ask about a man named Leonidas W. Smiley, at the request of a friend. Instead of providing the narrator with the requested information, Wheeler goes off on a tangent and spins a tall tale about a man named Jim Smiley. Jim Smiley would bet on anything. The main theme of this story is that you don't have to be educated to be smart. After Smiley had continued to bet on the dog, named Andrew Jackson, until his death, Wheeler states: "He was a good puppy, he was that Andrew Jackson, and he would have made a name for himself if he had lived, for the there was something about him, and it was brilliant, I know, because he had had no occasion to speak of, and it is not reasonable that a dog should fight as he did under those circumstances, if he had no talent." Through this quote, Twain develops the theme by explaining that the dog was not very intelligent, but it was extremely intelligent. The tactic he used earned him many dog fights until he was paired with a dog that had no hind legs, which was a fortuitous situation. But this dog, which almost everyone believed was not worth a penny, proved many wrong, not by being incredibly well-mannered, but by his intelligence during his fights. Twain uses an allusion by naming the dog after Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States and former general. Both the dog and Jackson were known to be tenacious and unstoppable in battle. Andrew Jackson was not known for his intelligence, but for his perseverance and scrappiness, especially during his presidency and several battles. After the stranger filled Smiley's frog with quail pellets, Smiley picked up a frog for the stranger to compete with, and they were lined up ready for the bet, Wheeler, speaking of Smiley, says, "Then he says, 'One two three jump!' and he and the fellow touched noses from behind, and the new frog jumped down, but Dan gave a start and shrugged his shoulders like a Frenchman, but it was no use he couldn't move; and he couldn't move any more than he would if he were anchored outside. Smiley was very surprised and was also disgusted, but obviously he had no idea what the matter was.” Through this quote, Twain develops the theme by showing how ignorant and unaware Smiley was , especially in leaving his frog, which he had been training for 3 months, with his competitor. The story says nothing about the stranger's education, but he was very clever winning the bet. Smiley, thinking he was smart by training and betting on his frog's abilities with a stranger who was handling a frog collected outside minutes before the competition, would immediately win the bet and get money, was completely deceived by the person he was trying to deceive. Smiley was so oblivious that he didn't realize what had happened until his frog burped some quail, but by then the stranger had already left with the money and it was too late.Twain uses allusion by calling the frog "Dan'l Webster" in reference to the great American statesman, Daniel Webster. The fact that both the frog and the statesman were known for their brilliance leads to why Twain chose to use this allusion. The frog's intelligence and mastery, knowing how to learn and acquire skills quickly, could have easily won the bet against the stranger but in the end he lost due to Smiley's ignorance and unawareness. "The Devil and Tom Walker" begins the story with a brief explanation about Kidd the pirate who left the gold buried on the shores of Boston. Since Kidd's death, the devil, taking the form of many different people, guards his hideout. Then Irving mentions Tom Walker, a miser. He never gives anything to anyone, including his wife. His wife, who is as unhappy as he is, is verbally abusive and is said in town to be physically abusive towards Tom. One day, on his way home, Tom decides to take a shortcut through the swamp and sits down on a log to rest. Soon, he is confronted by a sick-faced man who is identified as "Old Scratch". This man, who is the devil, offers Tom a large sum of money in exchange for “certain conditions”. Tom returns home and discusses the offer with his wife. He believes he should accept the offer. Tom, being miserly, hesitates to accept the offer as he does not want to share any wealth with his wife. She gets angry and decides to visit "Old Scratch" herself. But after a couple of days he doesn't return. After Tom searches the woods, all he finds is her heart and liver tied in her apron and he knows she is dead. Tom is happy about his wife's death because it now allows him to make his deal with "Old Scratch" and not have to share any of his wealth. After the conversation with the devil, Tom accepts that he is a corrupt loan shark. He leaves Boston living a life of wealth and corruption. Years later, Tom decides to go to church to seek salvation, fearing the potential punishment for his actions. Carrying a Bible everywhere he goes, to try to keep Old Scratch away, Tom believes he is safe until Old Scratch shows up at his door with a black horse. Tom is thrown onto his horse and taken back to the old Indian fort, which disappeared in a fire. The theme of the story is that greed can lead to moral corruption. Irving reveals the theme through symbolism to create allegory. The devil symbolizes temptation, Tom and his wife symbolize greed, and later, Tom symbolizes hypocrisy after seeking salvation in church, which Irving shows will be punished. The dark woods full of swamps where Tom meets the devil are the symbol of his conscience which, clouded by his greed, easily falls into the devil's temptation. At the beginning of the story it is stated: “He had a wife as stingy as he was; they were so stingy that they even conspired to deceive each other.” Through this quote, Irving shows how greed can destroy valuable relationships. Tom Walker and his wife treated each other horribly and had horrible thoughts just because they were so greedy and stingy. Later, as Tom was being taken to hell on horseback, these were his last words: "The devil will take me if I have earned a penny!" Through this quote, Irving develops the theme by showing that Tom has become as bad as the devil himself; he is a liar, a cheater, a miser and a man who has completely lost his morals. At this point, there is no chance of redemption for Tom, as he asks the devil to take him away. “The Devil and Tom Walker” was more effective in developing the theme of greed that can lead to moral corruption better than “The Celebrated”. The jumping frog from the town of Calaveras” because “the famous frog.
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