P. T. Barnum was a man well known for his use of hoaxes, promotions, and his work in the Circus. Throughout his life, Barnum did what he could to attract the masses and earn a profit. Such attractions as his “Feejee Mermaid”; the torso of an ape sewn to the back half of a fish; and “General Tom Thumb”; a 4-year-old boy named Charles Sherwood Stratton standing only 25 inches tall and weighing only 15 pounds whom Barnum trained to sing and dance; attracted attention from people all around the world. However, as the whole world had their eyes on Barnum, the need to impress the masses had increased immensely. In his essay “Thine as Ever, P. T. Parnum”, author A. H. Saxon describes three letters about famous events in Barnum’s life that he wished
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There are still areas where not all of the information is given or found. Early on he gives his reasoning for writing these new letters; he hopes to fill in the gaps in Barnum’s life. These are the letters he wished Barnum had written in order to give more clarification on his motives. Using the letters he wrote for this essay, Saxon may very well be trying to ensure that anyone else who looks into Barnum’s life sees information that Saxon found with time a little easier; such things as his true thoughts of Jenny Lind, the true motives behind his attempts at getting rid of Jumbo, and the media potential behind “Champ”. While never explicitly telling this, Saxon wishes for his reader to truly grasp the magnitude of the things Barnum did in his life whereas to not misconstrue the intentions of this “Greatest Showman” as some refer to him now. To properly show this, Saxon focuses on some contradictions between Barnum’s words, juxtaposition between situations, and some understatements involving Barnum’s motives. Even through his fictional letters, Saxon still tells the reader more of Barnum’s life that he himself had to search for quite some time to …show more content…
T. Barnum, A. H. Saxon utilizes many strategies to drive his point home with whatever interested party decides to read his essay and letters. The sharp contradiction between the facade Barnum used to sell Jenny Lind to the public and the reality of working with her, the juxtaposition of vastly different interpretations of Jumbo’s death, and the clear understatements of consequences of faking attractions such as “Champ” all work to convey Barnum’s desire to forward his business and turn a profit. Saxon himself saw all of these decisions and the controversies at the time involving them, and felt just the strong need to fill in gaps he saw in the story. Many people knew of the Swedish Nightingale, but fewer knew of her darker side, which Saxon made a point of addressing. Many people may not have known of the issues with Jumbo, but Saxon made a point of addressing the reality of that situation and the fallacies paired with it. Even Barnum’s wishes to use false means to attract guests to a wondrous attraction was voiced in the letters written by Saxon to fill in the gaps people leave in their stories. Using his letters, Saxon truly shows the economic and marketing cunning of this “Greatest Showman” known as P. T.
There are still areas where not all of the information is given or found. Early on he gives his reasoning for writing these new letters; he hopes to fill in the gaps in Barnum’s life. These are the letters he wished Barnum had written in order to give more clarification on his motives. Using the letters he wrote for this essay, Saxon may very well be trying to ensure that anyone else who looks into Barnum’s life sees information that Saxon found with time a little easier; such things as his true thoughts of Jenny Lind, the true motives behind his attempts at getting rid of Jumbo, and the media potential behind “Champ”. While never explicitly telling this, Saxon wishes for his reader to truly grasp the magnitude of the things Barnum did in his life whereas to not misconstrue the intentions of this “Greatest Showman” as some refer to him now. To properly show this, Saxon focuses on some contradictions between Barnum’s words, juxtaposition between situations, and some understatements involving Barnum’s motives. Even through his fictional letters, Saxon still tells the reader more of Barnum’s life that he himself had to search for quite some time to …show more content…
T. Barnum, A. H. Saxon utilizes many strategies to drive his point home with whatever interested party decides to read his essay and letters. The sharp contradiction between the facade Barnum used to sell Jenny Lind to the public and the reality of working with her, the juxtaposition of vastly different interpretations of Jumbo’s death, and the clear understatements of consequences of faking attractions such as “Champ” all work to convey Barnum’s desire to forward his business and turn a profit. Saxon himself saw all of these decisions and the controversies at the time involving them, and felt just the strong need to fill in gaps he saw in the story. Many people knew of the Swedish Nightingale, but fewer knew of her darker side, which Saxon made a point of addressing. Many people may not have known of the issues with Jumbo, but Saxon made a point of addressing the reality of that situation and the fallacies paired with it. Even Barnum’s wishes to use false means to attract guests to a wondrous attraction was voiced in the letters written by Saxon to fill in the gaps people leave in their stories. Using his letters, Saxon truly shows the economic and marketing cunning of this “Greatest Showman” known as P. T.