Essays (Introduction) | Class 11 English Notes

My Watch - Part I

The essay 'My Watch' by Mark Twain humorously narrates the author's experience with his new watch, which initially performed flawlessly for eighteen months without losing or gaining time. Twain personifies the watch, attributing to it qualities of infallibility and imperishability, reflecting his deep trust and affection for the instrument.

The narrative begins when Twain allows the watch to run down one night, which causes him distress as if the watch were a messenger of impending calamity. However, he soon recovers and sets the watch by guess, dismissing his superstitions.

The next day, Twain visits a chief jeweller to set the watch to the exact time. The jeweller insists that the watch is four minutes slow and adjusts the regulator despite Twain's protests. This adjustment causes the watch to gain time rapidly, eventually running thirteen days ahead of the calendar within two months. Twain describes this as the watch having a 'raging fever' with its pulse rising to a hundred and fifty, using vivid, humorous imagery to depict the watch's malfunction.

The watch's erratic behavior causes practical problems, such as prematurely advancing bills and appointments, which Twain finds intolerable. He takes the watch to a watchmaker who discovers it needs cleaning, oiling, and regulating. After servicing, the watch slows excessively, causing Twain to miss appointments and lose track of time, humorously comparing himself to a mummy lingering in a museum, isolated from the world.

This section highlights Twain's use of humor, personification, and vivid imagery to engage readers while illustrating the frustrations of dealing with mechanical failure. The watch becomes a symbol of reliability turned unpredictability, reflecting human anxieties about time and order.

📊 Diagram: See figure_1: ^{}[] Reprint 2026-27

🧪 Activity: Look for expressions and words in the text such as 'bodings', 'human cabbage', 'vicious happiness', 'prised', and 'brained him' and guess their meanings from context.

🔗 Connection: This section leads into the continuation of the watch's troubles and the author's further attempts at repair in Part II.