Targets of Satire
Essay Preview: Targets of Satire
Report this essay
The most abundance evidence for Haliburtons targets in “The Clockmaker” is Americans. “The Clockmaker” was written when Nova Scotia had “No capital or markets and with a population which had acquired habits that were not suited for a life of meagre income and sober farming” (Klinck, 92-101). Haliburton blamed the Americans for this. One of the reasons he wrote “The Clockmaker” was to enlighten Nova Scotia and the rest of the world about the true heritage and resources of the colony. “The salvation of Nova Scotia could only come, he felt through a marked change in habits of its people, he would have them emulate the thrift, hard work and ingenuity of their Yankee neighbours” (Klinck 92-101). Haliburton targeted Americans because he considers that if tainting the American image, peoples perspectives of them it would change and so would the opinions of being more independent. When targeting Americans Haliburton used humour and irony as satirical methods. “How is it that an American can sell his wares, at whatever price he pleases, where a blue-nose would fail to make a sail at all?”(83). It is ironic because Americans are at the top of the food chain when it comes to development and political power, so they are able to sell there wares at what ever price they want.
In “The Clockmaker” the character Sam Slick is an American who is a trickster and cannot be trusted. He has the ability to convince people that in order to live a more luxurious life they needed one of his clocks even though he knew that they could not afford it. He convinces them that a clock that only cost him six-fifty to make is worth the forty that they paid. Haliburton makes the Americans look as if they are the same as his character Sam Slick. The name “Sam” stands for an all American name and “Slick” stands for untrustworthy but at the same time smart. At the beginning of “The Clockmaker” Haliburton makes an offensive statement about Americans: “I heard of Yankee clock pedlars, tin pedlars, and bible pedlars” (83). Referring to Americans as occupying themselves with trifles, he also refers to Americans as Yankees, meaning foreigners.
The character Sam Slick who is an American target in “The Clockmaker” is both obvious and plentiful; Nova Scotians as targets are far less frequent. “How is it that an American can sell his wares, at whatever price he pleases, where a blue-nose would fail to make a sale at all?”(83).This quote not only shows that Americans are at the top politically but it also shown that Nova Scotians are inferior to them. They are not capable of making a sell. It is also a reference to the sail boat named the “Bluenose”. The bluenose won every race it competed in, until it hit a reef and sank to the bottom of the ocean, which lead to the making of a second bluenose, which was sold to the Canadian government for a dollar. Another example of Haliburton targeting Nova Scotians is “They do nothing in these parts but eat, drink, smoke, sleep, ride about, lounge at taverns, make speeches at temperance meetings and talk about “House of Assembly”” (83). Haliburton targets Nova Scotians because he feels that they are “Ruined by extravagance and by sacrificing theirs pursuit of pleasure, politics and religion” (Klinck 92-101). Haliburton believes; Nova Scotians should separate themselves and the ways of Americans.
Nova Scotians as targets by Haliburton occur less frequently than Americans; politicians as targets occur even more rarely than Nova Scotians. In “The Clockmaker” the narrator refers to Governor Cass while the clockmaker is talking to Mr. Deacon Flint. “Then there is that water privilege, worth 3,000 to 4,000 dollars, twice as good as what governor Cass paid 15,000 dollars for” (84). Haliburton is mocking the