Essay Prompt

[agupta3]

At the start of the story, the narrator makes it clear that the citizens of Hadleyburg are proud of their reputation and certainly seem to care that everyone knows about it. Yet in setting up the central conflict of the plot, the narrator states “Hadleyburg had the ill luck to offend a passing stranger—possibly without knowing it, certainly without caring, for Hadleyburg was sufficient unto itself, and cared not a rap for strangers or their opinions.”How do you reconcile these differences? Write an argument that explains why, on the one hand, the citizens seem to care deeply about their reputation, but on the other hand, don’t seem to care what strangers think.

[woofgang]

Maybe the stranger didn’t do his own homework and didn’t know about “please” and “thank you"

[Baldric]

http://mark-twain.classic-literature.co.uk/the-man-that-corrupted-hadleyburg-and-other-stories/

[Old_Geezer]

Perhaps they're proud of their reputation for not caring a rap for strangers and their opinions.

[MallyJ]

I know that I am now getting on in years but in my student days we did our own homework and if we needed help asked those teaching us or our friends... not total strangers ... and those we asked for help we thanked... of course we were forced to read books and formulate our own opinions........