Twain and the Damned Human Race Essay - 849 Words

Student Instructor Course Date The way we live our lives. The way we live our lives in 2010 is not much different that the way man has always lived his life, with imperfection and disregard. Mark Twain pointed out the differences between man and animals in his essay â€Å"The Damned Human Race† which reflects his pessimistic view on humans at the turn of the 20th century. â€Å"Man is the cruel animal† (Twain). When searching the internet using the word cruelty, the search engine comes back with pages of found information regarding cruelty, to animals. Websites dedicated to convincing people to stop eat, wearing, beating, and other terrible deeds to and against animals. While typing in this word, I expected†¦show more content†¦We are a nation of obsess and malnourished. According to the Centers for Disease data as of 2008, six states currently have an obesity rate of over 30% including our own state, South Carolina and thirty two states had an obesity rate of 25% or higher (CDC). Obesity is calculated and defined as a Body Mass Index of 30 or higher. Obese animals in the wild would be captured and eaten by a quicker fitter animal. It is against our genetic nature to be greedy and gluttonous. Man is the only animal that enslaves others into bondage. From pre civilization, slaves from Africa in the 17th century delivered to our shores to the populations of over 27 million currently enslaved today, the largest number of people enslaved or in forced labor in history. Human bondage is a condition we have not been able to cure. Man is the only religious animal. Terrorism is a word most children post 9/11 understands. Islam demands that its believers wage jihad on Westerners. Islamic zealots have increased their attacks on civilians not aware they are in the middle of a jihad. Twain pointed out the sins of the Christians in his writing and the torture and killing in the name of an idea of God or religion is a trait that only man can claim. Catholics befriending Fascist, collaborating with Hitler, protecting pedophilic priests, and opposes the advancement of science and personal freedom. Muslims are not the first religious terrorists; Christians inShow MoreRelatedThe Damned Human Race By Mark Twain869 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"And so I find that we have descended and degenerated, from some far ancestor, insect by insect, animal by animal...below us, nothing† (Twain, 4). In Mark Twain’s, The Damned Human Race the purpose is to change the readers mind from the Darwinian theory that man is ascended from lower animals to his own theory that man is in fact a descended from higher animals. Although his argument is successful on some levels, it is weak on others. The diction of which he uses is informal, he uses stereotypesRead MoreThe Damned Human Race By Mark Twain860 Words   |  4 PagesMark Twain, in one of his later works, describes human beings as the lowest of creatures in â€Å"The Damned Human Race.† As expected, somebody reading this article may be skeptical at first. However, Twain uses emotion to capture the reader’s attention and uses harsh words to influence the audience. He also appeals to his Human beings have always sought out to be the best, whether worldly or just personally. audience with personal experiences through his studies comparing animals to human beings. HeRead MoreThe Damned Human Race by Mark Twain665 Words   |  3 Pages Mark Twain is arguably one of the greatest authors of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, writing unforgettable titles such as â€Å"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn† and â€Å"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. â€Å"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, dueRead MoreThe Damned Human Race By Mark Twain856 Words   |  4 PagesThe Damned Human Race The assertion that can be made about the intention of The Lowest Animal by Mark Twain is that he sets store on the thought that mankind is wasteful, vengeful, immoral, discriminatory, vulgar, cruel, greedy, and obscene. Twain tries to highlight the savage side of humans in the essay. The writer is right till a certain extent. The content is impactful but has some shortcomings of its own. Many a times, Twain supports his ideas with proper examples, but mostly this article failsRead MoreThe Damned Human Race By Mark Twain849 Words   |  4 Pagesessay â€Å"The Damned Human Race†, he assumes the role as a scientist, analyzing the differences between various species of animals and the human race. It is an essay, loaded with vicious irony that attempts to shine the light upon what Twain identifies as numerous faults within our species. Twain rejects the Theory of Evolution and human supremacy posed by Darwin, and argues that man is actually devolved from the animals as proven by man’s numerous vices. Despite the essay s dark satire, Twain s use ofRead MoreThe Damned Human Race By Mark Twain846 Words   |  4 Pagesare strictly confined to man); he invented them† (Twain). Mark Twain observes and explains the dramatic differences between human and animal behaviors, in his essay, â€Å"The Damned Human Race.† He believes that humans descended from higher animals, and are at the bottom of the evolution chart. Through his research, examples, and descriptions, he aims to prove his theory and bring to light some of human’s most unattractive traits. Although Mark Twain used illogical arguments and broad generalizationsRead MoreAnalysis of Mark Twain ´s The Damned Human Race520 Words   |  2 PagesMark twains essay The damned human race brings up the concept of human superiority on Earth and thoroughly questions it. ...now seems plain to me that the [Darwinian] theory ought to be vacated in favor of a new and truer one, this new and t ruer one to be named the Descent of Man from the Higher Animals, states the thesis of the paper, shaping up several main concerns that inspired Mark Twain to create the essay.As reported by Twain, his experiments in the London Zoo Garden outlined majorRead MoreCritical Evaluation: Mark Twains The Damned Human Race Essay630 Words   |  3 PagesCritical Evaluation: Mark Twains The Damned Human Race At the turn of the 20th century, Mark Twain took on a mission to disprove Darwins theory that, through evolution; man has ascended from the lower animals. Mr. Twain believed that man actually de-evolved and are the lesser species - descending from the higher animals and spent many grueling months studying the subject. Whether this is a valid argument, seems to be one of opinion, as it is rumored that the author was struggling withRead More Mark Twains The Damned Human Race Essay examples699 Words   |  3 PagesMark Twains The Damned Human Race Within his essay of The Damned Human Race, author Mark Twain powerfully declares that the human race is both flawed and corrupt, and that people actually should be classified as lower animals rather than the formerly known higher animals. Twain does not hold claim to a Darwinian or creation standpoint, but rather draws conclusions from his own observations in performed experiments. He states that man is the cruel animal, and that we can attribute thisRead MoreAnalyzing Twain ´s The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg and The Mysterious Stranger1137 Words   |  5 Pagesvillagers to the truth whether good or bad. Mark Twain uses such a scenario in many of his works such as The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg, and The Mysterious Stranger. In both stories are set in small towns whos residents are oblivious to their own moral hypocrisy. The sudden appearance of a stranger spreading a sort of knowledge, initiates a chain of events the leads to certain residents to self-evaluate their own char acter and that of the whole human race. Its is through these Mysterious Strangers