Satire

“When they desired to travel, they walked, if possible, begged the loan of a vehicle, or boldly entered car or coach, and, stating their principles to the officials, took the consequences. Usually their dress, their earnest frankness, and gentle resolution won them a passage; but now and then they met with hard usage, and had the satisfaction of suffering for their principles. “

Transcendental Wild Oats by Louisa May Alcott

Part II

I really enjoyed the play with sarcasm heavily used in Louisa May Alcott’s work. There were several passages that I found to be really entertaining but the imagery of this section really made it stand out to me. While reading this passage I could actually imagine some crazily-dressed transcendentalist running up to a car, needing it for some cause, and simply taking it with the intent of returning it at a later time. The fact that their dress and speech would be able to get them out of most trouble was extremely funny to me. It was as if their lifestyle was an excuse to live without boundaries. I think that this is pretty funny, especially because I sometimes find that I like to use speech to get my way in some cases. This took that idea to the next level though, “barrowing” cars when they felt the need. The way it is presented is humorous and uses satire in a way that, even without really knowing these people, one could imagine the ridiculous nature of the lifestyle. Overall, I really enjoyed this the style and the work by Louisa May Alcott.