The damned human race by mark twain
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Mark Twain's essay 'The Damned Human Race' argues that humans are inferior to animals in behavior and ethics, illustrating this through various experiments. He concludes that man is more cruel, greedy, perverted, revengeful, and fanatical compared to animals. Twain aims to prompt self-reflection and reformation of human nature, suggesting that despite humanity's shortcomings, it possesses the potential for improvement through reason and morality.
The damned human race by mark twain
- 1. The Damned Human race By Mark Twain. SUBMITTED BY : NAME : FARRAKH ALI ABBAS ROLL#: 36 BS BIOTECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY OF SARGODHA
- 3. SUMMARY: - According to the write, man is generally considered as the Crown of the Universe, but his conduct, behavior and action have revealed that he is too much lower than all the other animals. However, he proves his point of view through different experiments conducted in the London Zoological Gardens and arrived at the following conclusions.
- 4. About the author: Mark Twain (1835---1910) was born Samuel Langhorne Clements in Florida, Missouri, He took the pen name Mark Twain from the call of the pilots on the river steamers, which indicated that the water was twelve feet deep, a safe depth for a steamer. During his early years, he worked as a riverboat pilot, newspaper reporter, printer, and gold prospector. But then he turned to writing, and became one of the greatest of American writers.
- 5. (1)MAN IS CRUEL: - (Comparison of Man with Anaconda) Mark Twain, comparing man with an anaconda, proves that man is crueler than animals. He kills others for sport and pleasure while animals kill others for necessity. The proof is that English Earl killed 72 buffaloes to eat only one of them, leaving the remaining 71 to rot. By way of experiment, the writer put 7 calves into an anacondas cage the hungry anaconda ate only one and did not even touch the others, because those were of no use for it.
- 6. Similarly, a cat catches and eats up a mouse only when it is hungry, but even then is does not torment to it. Whereas, man takes out hid enemys eyes, takes off his skin, and burns him to ashes. This shows that man is worse than any cruel animal on earth.
- 7. (2)Man is greedy and miserly: - (Comparison of man with Bees, Squirrels and Ants) Comparing man with bees, squirrels, ants and some birds, the writer proves that man is more greedy and miserly than animals. Mans lust to accumulate wealth is unlimited. He stores food items sell them in high prices while his fellow beings are in a dire need of them.
- 8. . Whereas, some squirrels bees and ants were provided big stores of food, who stopped gathering the food items when they had stored for their winters supply.
- 9. (3) Man is sexually perverted:- (Comparison of Man With Roosters and Cats) Comparing man with roosters and cats, the writer claims that man is involved in abnormal sexual activities. The roosters keep harems with the consent of their wives, but man keeps harems in the shape of concubines by brute force. The cat is loose in character but she is only unconsciously so.
- 10. On the other hand, man deliberately indulges himself in excessive sexual malpractices. So, man is more vulgar, indecent and obscene than animals and birds.
- 11. (4) Man is revengeful by nature: - Mark Twain has proved and justified his contention that man is by nature revengeful. No other animal broods over revengeful thoughts, but it is man who takes revengeful whenever he gets a chance. He kills his fellow beings, wages war against them, enslaves them, and deprives them of their prosperity. In addition, man is guilty conspiracies while the animals are innocent in this respect.
- 12. (5) Man is maniac in his aspirations:- According to the writer, man proves himself mad and intolerant in religious and political spheres. He shows the extreme degree of fanaticism and intolerance when he faces some other people whose religious and political thoughts are opposite to him. In this respect, the writer quotes many examples from history. For example, the Red Indians of North America brutally plucked out their prisoners eyes .
- 13. King John inserted red-hot iron in his nephews eyes to make him harmless. Moreover, the religious atrocities in the days of Caesar in Rome, in the reign of Queen Mary in England, and in the days of French Revolution are apt examples of mans cruel and mean nature .on the other hand, many birds and animals of different species live in one forest peacefully. Keeping in view the above traits of man, the writer has claimed that man is not higher animals but is the lower animal to lowest degree.
- 14. Conclusion:- In the end we can conclude that Mark Twains observations, experiments and evidence are shocking, though, convincing and acceptable, he has sincerely tried to hold the mirror to man to show him ugly face, but this is only one aspect of human nature. However, his main object in satirizing and exposing mans weaknesses is correction, reformation and edification of his character and personality. Unlike animals, man has been blessed with reason, intelligence and religion. To the writer, man must justify by his behavior, conduct, and character that he is the best of all the creations.