Mark Twain is arguably one of the greatest authors of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, writing unforgettable titles such as “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” which are still read by many today. However, it may be shocking for some to know he also endeavored in argumentative writing as well. “The Damned Human Race” is one such article. As with any Mark Twain writing, it is filled with emotion and thought. Although this article is extremely persuasive, due to Mark Twain’s dramatic word choices playing on the emotions of the reader, closer examination reveals his article illogical due to relevance as a scientist and fallacious reasoning found within the article. In this article, Mark Twain tugs at the heartstrings of his readers by writing, in detail, stories of how humans differ from what he refers to as “lower animals” (Twain 1). One such example places his readers in a mental scene by detailing an organized group buffalo hunt that was intended to impress an English earl (Twain 2). Twains described how “seventy-two of those great animals” were taken and how only a portion of one animal was consumed while the remaining was left to “rot” (Twain 2). Through his description of the hunt, Mark Twain was able to capture an emotion of sorrow and anger from his readers before explaining his experiment that was conducted to evaluate the difference between man and animal. In this experiment, Twain recalls placing seven calves into a pen
Mark Twain’s essay, The Lowest Animal, details about our human beings’ bad and disgusting aspects. He talks about human beings’ greed, cruelty, vulgarity, wastefulness, and other lots of evil aspects. By introducing these things, he
Justin Torres’ We the Animals depicts the struggles of three brothers in upstate New York, dealing with abuse, internalized oppression, and toxic masculinity. The three boys look up to their father through it all, breathing in his anger and violence and letting it fuel their own understanding of masculinity. Through the repetition of certain words, evocative imagery, and metaphors, Torres illustrates how the narrator attempts to model himself after his father -- whom he believes is the idealized man -- but ultimately fails and devolves into an animal as he struggles to process his emotions.
Next a Turk from Constantinople; a Greek Christian from Crete; an Armenian; a Methodist from the wilds of Arkansas; a Buddhist from China; a Brahman from Benares. Finally, a Salvation Army Colonel from Wapping. Then I stayed away two whole days. When I came back to note results, the cage of Higher Animals was all right, but in the other there was but a chaos of gory odds and ends of turbans and fezzes and plaids and bones -- not a specimen left alive. These Reasoning Animals had disagreed on a theological detail and carried the matter to a Higher Court.” This is his final example to show that human beings are the lower species. However, I disagree with this experiment, I do not believe that the experiment would end this way. People of different backgrounds are able to live alongside each other, and even become friends. Twain’s theory is disproved by communities great and small, neighborhoods, countries, and the world. If people were truly as evil and violent as Twain makes them out to be, we would have no civilization, no law, and no
Twain ends his paper stating that the cause for man?s cruelty is that of the ?moral sense.? Man is the only animal that owns it, yet it is the primary cause for his degradation. ?Without it,? Twain
The purpose of the reading for Mark Twain was to show: “That the human race is of one distinct species. That other animals also more or less distinct and that they are in the procession. They are links in the chain which stretches down from the higher animals to man at the bottom” (Twain). He eases his readers into his claims strategically by presenting his facts and findings. He frantically unravels as he depicts his findings to show the believed evidence as he attempts to stake his claim.
Mark Twain, in his essay¨, The lowest Animal¨,(1896), Mark Twain argues that human beings are not on the same ¨level with other animals¨.He claims that humans are the most lowest animals in the world. He announced that humans are the most idiotic creatures and that humans starts wars for no reason. Mark Twain suggest the problem for humans, that they are reveal as the lowest animal. Mark Twain explain the humans for being shelfless, cold hearted and less intellligent then the rest of the animals.To his audience Mark Twain revealed the humans problems not being reasonable with mankind. Fur the audience to know humans weakness to mankind.
Throughout history, and even into present times, racism appears as an all too common societal concern. From slavery and discrimination to unequal rights, African Americans’ long history of mistreatment led to the desire and craving for freedom. In Mark Twain’s adventure novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, such motives from pre-emancipation era African American slaves become evident. In the novel, the characters’ attempts to leave the shackled south for the non-restrained north in hopes of freedom become justified. By analyzing and understanding how society feels about African Americans based on the geographical locations of the Southern United States, the Mississippi River, and the Northern United States, the reader comprehends the influential drive behind the desire to escape racism.
In Mark Twain’s The Damned Human Race, he refutes the Darwinian theory of the “Ascent of Man from the Lower Animals,” arguing that the theory should be named the “Descent of Man from the Higher Animals.” He says that he accumulated research from his own investigations and used the scientific method to come to this conclusion. While emphasizing his argument, Twain uses tone to help bring his point across to the readers. The best use of tone throughout his essay is the use of satire, or the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize foolishness or corruption. Twain says that, “He [Man] is the only one that inflicts pain for the pleasure of doing it.” He then provides why this statement is true, and gives real world
Ever since the bird spoke into a microphone at a giant event he has been getting fans following him everywhere. Sometimes it gets annoying for the bird when fans are bugging him too much. Like the other day someone stole his favorite socks! But today that can't happen because he has to go to a special event that will boost his career. If fans bug him today his career will be ruined! Today is a special day for the bird. When the bird woke up, he put on his new tuxedo and shiny boots. He was so excited for the special event because he could possibly get an even better career. But he still loves his old job, but he just needs a little bit more money because it is hard for him to keep paying for the house he bought because his job pays minimum
Concepts, techniques, and ways of thinking can last much longer than their creators. The philosophy of Plato is an example of that. Its ideas can be found in a speech written thousands of years later. In “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” Frederick Douglass, a former slave, addresses an audience of white abolitionists on July 5th of 1852. He focuses on the disparity between the American values celebrated on the Independence Day and the issue of slavery. To do so, Douglass raises the question of to whom those values apply and explains why and how it should be different. Analyzing Douglass’ effort, we see that he is using arguments that trace back to the ancient Platonic ideas to support his stance on the equally ancient question of citizenship.
“And George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie's head" (254). Now what was going to happen next? That's the question we ask ourselves everyday. In the world we live in today our lives and our actions go by so quick, that sometimes we haven't even realized the full extent. John Steinbeck through his book Of Mice and Men that all humans are destine for a future, whether that's a positive or negative one all depends on the environment we live in today. The time period this book was written in was a time in which society didn't fully understand the power of friendship and family. Isolation is a huge theme throughout the book. Steinbeck wanted to show that human beings need the friendship and love of other people in order to prosper.
In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain juxtaposed events in American society to demonstrate to the reader contrasts between different levels of class and race in society.
Twain indicates the savagery of man in an example of an Earl who hunts buffalo for food and a snake that eats a calf for food. He elucidates that the Earl kills 72 animals when only needing one for food while the anaconda kills just one calf for food.
With great interest for the truth, he promoted the representative to the extraordinary, “Men keep harems, but it is by brute force, privileged by atrocious laws [...]” (Twain, 284). This implied that no harm was done between animals, but men were incapable of thriving together. Humans damaged the confidence of one another instead of appreciating the presence of each other, like the animals. As stated by Twain, men created “Indecency, vulgarity, obscenity - these are strictly confined to man; he invented them” (182). There was no such thing as humiliation or covering up because of the lack of embarrassment in the animal world. Shamefully, individuals who collect more money than needed without the intention of sharing with the community only do it to please their ego. “The squirrels and bees and certain birds made accumulations, but stopped when they had gathered a winter’s supply of and could not be persuaded to add to it” (181). Animals take what is needed and do not show indication of greed. Mark Twain used American humor to understand the plain style of Realism.
As Mark Twain said, “The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” Mary Oliver in her poem embraces the same idea that Mark Twain presents in his quote; she is no longer afraid of death because she embraces life fully and accepts the fact that death will come, and when it does come she will be proud of her life and all that she has accomplished. Oliver’s use of symbolism, personification, repetition, and alliteration throughout the poem assists in the meaning of the poem – that death is certain but should not be feared but rather embraced and used as a tool to fully live ones life. When death comes is a poem about Oliver anticipating the arrival of death in a myriad of ways. Oliver captures the innate curiosity humans have regarding death. She also regards life as precious, and hopes like many others that when she dies she can be happy with the way she lived her life without doubts and regrets.