Literary Expert Importance

Zoie Uznis

Mr. Provenzano

Honors American Literature

2-13-12

Any expert is a necessity to a trial. Whether it is an expert on crime, body language, medical, or even a psychology expert. Depending on the defendant the experts in need will vary. In the case of the Mark Twain trial the want for a Literary Expert is a definite necessity. As the Literary Expert on the defense the expert must know the ins and outs of all of Twain’s real points of view. They must be able to examine and find Twain’s true meaning in his satirical points. Without the proper translation of this satire the reader will be instantly put into the opposite light of Twain’s intentions. A Literary Expert must be the eye inside of Twain’s mind.

One of the main points of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was Mark Twain’s use of satire. Satire is a literary form that vices ridicule with the purpose of social criticism, using wit as its weapon. Twain uses this satire to add a comedic view to Huck Finn but it is mostly looked on as racist remarks towards people with African American decent. Without the proper knowledge of Twain’s satire the reader will almost always confuse these two points. A Literary Expert who knows of Twain’s true intent knows that the satire is actually not meant as racism, but as a comedy that is lost in a broken dialect. Satire is meant to poke fun at social aspects and at the time Mark Twain wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn slavery and racism are what racial profiling is today. Although actors and actress’s on shows like Saturday Night Live are called racist it is the same as Twain’s views. It is just a satirical point on the same subject that has been morphed into racism.

Without a Literary Expert there would be no proof towards Twain’s satire. The prosecution would show his points as racist and not the true view he was trying to prove. By showing the satire twain’s true intents will be shown and his racist views will be abolished from the jury’s minds at once. None of this is possible however without the Literary Expert. They are the only truly reliable sources on the points brought up on Twain’s use of satire in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The expert knows the inside of Twain’s mind like the back of their hand. By using Twain’s satire the Literary Expert shows his innocence. Without the Literary Expert Mark twain cannot be proven not guilty.