Roughing It

Roughing It Is the story of the Mark Twain’s trip to Nevada to join his brother, who had been named secretary of the territory. Twain writes: “My brother had just been appointed Secretary of Nevada Territory—an office of such majesty that it concentrated in itself the duties and dignities of Treasurer, Comptroller, Secretary of State, and Acting Governor in the Governor's absence. A salary of eighteen hundred dollars a year and the title of 'Mr. Secretary,' gave to the great position an air of wild and imposing grandeur. I was young and ignorant, and I envied my brother.” Although this story is based on his real experiences traveling as a young man, Twain makes good use of exaggeration and other rhetorical devices to relate his tales and keep them relevant to the reader, as well as developing them into singular pieces of a larger whole. His skill at relating stories is never in doubt, and it is no wonder that Twain is quoted as having said, “Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.”