Life — June 27, 1912 — page 12: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Page Analysis This page contains two distinct pieces: **"A Great Discovery"** (main article): An autobiographical essay where the author describes arriving at the conclusion that he possesses all the elements of greatness—referencing Schopenhauer and Abraham Lincoln as examples. The tone is satirical self-aggrandizement, mocking pretentious intellectuals who overestimate their own importance. **"Choice"** (brief dialogue): A friend asks a theatrical manager whether to spend $75,000 on an American comic opera or bribe a judge to fix a French farce—presenting corruption as a casual financial choice. **"Twelve O'Clock and Trouble Ahead"** (illustration): A ship's bell and rigging sketch accompanies a dialogue between a Georgia lawyer and prisoner named Rastus about stolen livestock, likely containing period racial stereotypes. The page satirizes vanity, corruption, and social pretension typical of Life magazine's satirical approach.