The Damned Human Race by Mark TwainSummary

In The Damned Human Race, Mark Twain compares the behavior of different animals to human beings to prove in contrary to the Darwinian Theory. Humans actually descended from higher beings. His essay proves a lot of good points. Humans are selfish and wasteful, while animals take only what they need to survive, humans are the only beings in nature that hold grudges and take revenge and that humans are the only beings with morals. I agree and disagree with Mark Twains essay. He did live in a different time but cruelty still exists the same. If you analyze the human race or all animals, you can find evil in both creatures. Humans and animals cannot be compared properly. Animals do some awful things to each other as well as human. Mark Twain just lists humans bad traits. There are a lot of positive traits of humans; he goes into detail of only the negative traits of humans. If there are bad people, there can also be good people. Its true today, and was also true in the time Mark Twain lived in. In the 1860s, around the time when Mark Twain lived, there was an American Civil War and this is probably why he was so ashamed of human beings. There is something he missed about humans. We have to look outside of all the bad and evil and recognize people who are becoming vegetarians to save an animal, going green to save the planet or people who become doctors to treat sick people. If we didnt have moral sense, how would we be capable of doing these things? Mark Twain is pointing out too many of the flaws that the human race has, and not enough of the qualities that we possess. There is no rarer man than Mark Twain. Through his view on American society both during, before, and at times ahead of his own time, his works and stories live on even hundreds of years after his death. One excellent example of his work is the essay, "The Damned Human Race", where he takes the form of a scientific journal and explains his theory as to why humans did not ascend from wild animals, but rather descend. Twain uses satire, most notably sarcasm, in his essay to show that society is more backwards than the average individual thinks. Twain opens the journal by establishing his credibility. He notes that he used the scientific method in his studies, a source used by even the greatest, smartest scientists. Twain begins listing the differences between the animals, and the result is, to say the least, embarrassing. A stand-out comparison is between the earl and the anaconda: the anaconda will eat what it needs and will only kill what it will eat, but the earl is cruel and will kill as many as it can for its own pleasure. He also notes that anything inherited from animals has been corrupted along the way. This is all done very sarcastically and borderline-mockingly; and the end result is a master work in the art of satire. He shows signs of a joking tone at times but it is clear that he is not ridiculing the entire subject just for the sake of a cheap laugh or for stupid ridicule; it is obvious that he wants things to change. And this is what makes the essay truly great- at its core, it is ridicule for the sake of change, and it sets the bar for all other satires that follow.

The Damned Human Race

Mark Twain Subject: The subject is the moral de-evolution of the human race. Occasion: Twain uses Darwin's theory of the evolution of man as a pretext to put forward his opposite theory. Audience: Twain speaks to the entire human race and/or the general public. Purpose: Twain wants to challenge the accepted view that humans are superior to animals and make people think about their collective behaviour. Speaker: Twain appears thoughtful and intelligent; he is also cynical and exhibits a keen sense of humour. He often uses witty writing and proposes a scientific point of view. Tone: He has a negative tone shown by words such as: damned, incurably foolish Gloomy: He makes it sound like the point of no return is approaching, says things like the descent of man from the higher animals Hostile: He attacks the subject harshly, "indecency, vulgarity, obscenity--these are all strictly confined to man." Sarcastic: The whole piece has a sarcastic tone-"seems to suggest that the earl was descended from the anaconda and ha lost a good deal in the transition." Organization/Narrative Style: It is organized as an argumentative essay. It starts with the main idea and backs it up with reasoning and evidence. It is written to be attention grabbing and dramatic. Evidence: Irony: Goes beyond what is needed to convey his point to the audience Hyperbole: All of the 'experiments' he conducts are exaggerated for effect, as are many of his statements. Metaphor: He makes opposite metaphors, comparing animals to the ideal view of man and men to the stereotypical animal.