Mark Twain's short story a helpless situation?

Answer 1

Mark Twain's short story called "A Hopeless Situation" was based on a letter that Twain had received from a female writer who wanted him to help her get published. This short story basically says that your ability gets you further in life than influence.

Answer 2

It is about a letter Mark Twain has received from a woman writer, who asked him to praise her work to the publisher because her uncle and Twain used to know each other. She hoped that by Twain's influence in the literary world, her work could get the attention from the publisher. Instead of replying her letter by a straight-to-the-point refusal, Twain imagined the conversation he would have with the publisher and put it in the letter. The talk was lively and interesting, but its aim was not to amuse, but to move. He wanted the woman to believe that one’s ability judges his/her work, not the influence of anyone because the influence only remains for a short period of time while the best work is not dependent on anyone’s influence. As he said in the end of his letter to that lady: No matter from which pen a work is written or from where it is written, the publisher always glances at your work. It is not dependent of any influence of writer but rather the influence of the work.

Answer 3

Mark Twain's short story "A Helpless Situation" is a humorous account of a man who struggles with a difficult situation involving a bull. The man finds himself in an increasingly absurd and precarious predicament as he tries to outwit the bull. Twain uses wit and irony to highlight the man's helplessness in the face of a seemingly insurmountable challenge.