Outcasts Of Poker Flat Analysis
If America, as a whole, took a survey about what the population thought was the most well written literary genre of our history, what would they choose? Would America choose science fiction, fantasy, nonfiction, or perhaps a romance as the best novel type of novel? Most likely, the book that would win the day is books about local color, a realistic look at other people’s daily walk in life. Ever since Mark Twain came on the scene, Americans love the look, the dialogue, and thought process of people in another walk of life. Bret Harte, a man of all trades, who moved to California to work in a mine, published a short story in 1869 called “Outcasts of Poker Flat.” This short story involves the local criminal color of 19th century California, while also showing the consequences of human nature. Although this story involves the local color that everyone loves, it contains a grim humor developed by mounting tension and irony. Mr. Harte sets up his short stories humor in a unique way, by introducing information, and then making the information ironical, using the three types of irony, while increasing the tension concerning the fate of the characters. First, the reader is introduced to one Mr. John Oakhurst, a gambler, who resides in a city named Poker Flat. However, Mr. Oakhurst notices that the people of Poker Flat are getting frustrated with the less than respectable citizens due to some recent robberies and a possible murder. So, in response to the crimes, Poker Flat’s
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The Outcasts Of Poker Flat Compare And Contrast
832 Words | 4 PagesA California town, outcasts, cheaters, a battle against nature and jumping frogs… that might sound like the premise for an epic novel, but these are a mix of elements from two separate short stories, The Outcasts of Poker Flat by Bret Harte and The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County by Mark Twain. Harte’s story follows John Oakhurst, a professional gambler, who has become an outcast in the small California town of Poker Flats during the gold rush. His success as a gambler leads to a negative reputation and he is forced to leave the town along with a band of outcasts. A few conflicts arise, but none so severe as the blizzard that strikes them while they’re in the mountains. Oakhurst’s life of gambling success is long gone and all the bad luck he encounters leads him to suicide (Harte 674-684).
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The Outcasts Of Poker Flat Annotation
612 Words | 3 PagesSociety and civilization has been around ever since humans were around, and it is a part of most people’s lives. Society can affect others whether it be positive or negative, and this can visibly be seen by how they act and feel. People have different opinions towards society, and some people will express this using words and their meaning. Many stories throughout the years give different and similar insight on how they feel towards society. In the story “The Outcast of Poker Flat”, Bret Harte uses denotation and characterization to display how society’s morality is based on their ignorance.
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Outcasts Of Poker Flat Character Analysis
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The Outcast Of Poker Flat Analysis
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The Outcasts Of Poker Flat Summary
784 Words | 4 PagesThe short story entitled “The Outcasts of Poker Flat” written by Bret Harte is a story that doesn’t have a very happy ending, but can give some elements of real life to interested readers. The story’s basic plot is that a group of individuals, Mother Shipton, Duchess, and Uncle Billy, are driven from their original group or area. They stumble upon the main character, Mr. Oakhurst, and Piney and Tom “The Innocent” Simson and attempt to travel to the town of Poker Flat, just as the nascent storm originates. Unfortunately, they become snowed-in in the mountain passes of the Sierras and it appears that all of them die except for the fatuous and drunk Uncle Billy and Tom Simson, who may have survived. The reading of this story can be mentally moving
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