In Mark Twain’s work called “The Innocents Abroad,” he describes the trip across Syria and, namely, the visit to the city of Damascus from the perspective of a foreigner coming from a Western country. Twain points out how poor that place is. He also shares his impression of seeing all the religious people, women with covered faces barely showing their eyes, reckless attitude towards health and unsanitary conditions. Twain skillfully employs irony and sarcasm typical for his works to emphasize the massive difference between the life the travelers were used to and the life they got to observe in Damascus. Twain also notices how much the tourists from the West fall out of the general surroundings because the climate and lifestyle of the Arabs are very uncommon to them. The author ironically describes the funny and ridiculous outfits tourists had to wear in Syria because of the heat and the bright sun (Twain par. 33). The author also compares the Western doctor to Jesus because he has the ability to heal the sick, which is admired immensely in Damascus. Twain’s language is rather sharp and judgmental at times.
The parts I liked the most were the passages where the author describes the magnificent beauty of Damascus, comparing it with the Garden of Eden and elaborating on how old it is. This description is designed to make the reader realize how short and fast-flowing people’s lives are compared to the eras and epochs such cities as Damascus have witnessed in their lifetimes.
Works Cited
Twain, Mark. The Innocents Abroad. 2014. Web.