mark twain “the lowest animal” man is the only animal that blushes— or has occasion to

Mark Twain“The Lowest Animal”

Man is the only animal that blushes—

or has occasion to.

Into the text: Utopia

• A utopia is a perfect world that exists only in the imagination. Utopian writers paint a picture of the way they think things should be—an ideal world in which everyone is happy and all needs are satisfied.

Make the Connection

• Quickwrite Americans have always had a high regard for progress and self-improvement. Mark Twain couples this admirable national trait with a blistering vision of how far, in his opinion, the human race falls short of its ideals. Think about what you would like to change about human nature, and freewrite your ideas.

Satire: The Weapon of Laughter

Mark Twain wrote that we have only “one really effective weapon—laughter. Power, money, persuasion, supplication—these can lift a colossal humbug—push it a little—weaken it a little century by century; but only laughter can blow it to rags and atoms at a blast.”

is the use of language to ridicule human weakness, vices, or stupidity, with the hope of bringing about social change.

1. Satire uses humor to criticize all human beings or a particular person or institution.

2. One of the favorite techniques of the satirist is hyperbole (exaggeration)—an overstating something to make it look absurd or worse than it is.

3. Another favorite technique is irony—stating the opposite of what is really meant.

“I vividly remember seeing a dozen black men and women chained to one another, once, and lying in a group on the pavement, awaiting shipment to the Southern slave market. Those were the saddest faces I have ever seen.”– Mark Twain

Twain History: Though his most famous novel is criticized for being racist, Mark Twain never expected nor intended the controversy that arose with the publication of Huckleberry Finn. Mark Twain was not racist, but depicted life in his times.

Pictures from www.pbs.org

"I have no color prejudices nor caste prejudices nor creed prejudices. All I care to know is that a man is a human being, and that is enough for me; he can't be any worse."


By 1900 Twain had become America’s foremost celebrity. He was invited to attend ship launchings, anniversary gatherings, political conventions, and countless dinners. Reporters met him at every port of call, anxious to print a new quip from the famous humorist. To enhance his image, he took to wearing white suits and loved to stroll down the street and see people staring at him.


He developed as a speaker and traveled on lecture circuits, much in demand. His early performances combined humor, information and eloquence in measures that delighted most people.


When he died on April 21, 1910, newspapers around the country declared, “The whole world is mourning.” By then, Sam Clemens had long since ceased to be a private citizen. He had become Mark Twain, a proud possession of the American nation.

“I was sorry to have my name mentioned as one of the great authors, because they have a sad habit of dying off. Chaucer is dead, Spencer is dead, so is Milton, so is Shakespeare, and I’m not feeling so well myself.”—Mark Twain


“I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year (1910), and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don't go out with Halley's Comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: "Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together."

Mark Twain died in 1910, the year Halley’s Comet appeared.


Mark Twain was one of the great artists of all time. He was and is one authentic giant of our national literature.

Twain's quotes and humor are as popular today as at any time in American history.

Take for example, a recently published anthology of the greatest comic writers in American history who pays tribute to Twain, citing his ideas and satire relevant to even today:http://www.npr.org/2011/10/29/141693188/twain-hughes-among-funniest-american-writers

“You can find in a text whatever you bring, if you will stand between it and the mirror of your imagination.”

Picture from Dave Thomson collection: www.twainquotes.com

“Get a bicycle. You will not regret it. If you live.”


“Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.”


“Nothing is made in vain, but the fly came near it.”

“I'd rather have ten snakes in the house than one fly.”

“Of all God's creatures there is only one that cannot be made the slave of the lash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat.”


“The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man's.”


“The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.”

“Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand.”

“Humor is mankind's greatest blessing.”

“By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity--another man's I mean.”


“Classic--a book which people praise and don't read.”

“The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them.”

“The holy passion of Friendship is of so sweet and steady and loyal and enduring a nature that it will last through a whole lifetime, if not asked to lend money."


“It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.”

"Good breeding consists in concealing how much we think of ourselves and how little we think of the other person."

Annotations are:

• The “marks”--underlines, highlights, and

comments--you make directly on the page as you read.

• Hence, they are a record of your immediate reactions: questions, big ideas, connections, inferences.

I want to see what YOUR response is to the text.

Annotating can be used to demonstrate critical thought.

1. Unanswered Questionsa. Vocabulary

b. Plot

c. Character

d. Author’s point

2. Connections

3. Paraphrase/summarize

4. Observations/Inferences (logical conclusions)

Things to “look for” but not limited to:

a. Author’s stylei. Diction/Language of

the disciplineii. Literary Devices

b. Author’s purpose:a. Theme

c. Details d. Multiple perspectivese. Ethical Dilemmasf. Patternsg. Trendsh. Changes over time

Annotating is:

• An essential element of active reading.

Why Annotate?

• There are at least two benefits:

• One: your mind is engaged and you will remember what you read. (Make it a habit to read with a pen or pencil in hand!)

Why Annotate?

• Two: When it’s time to review, you can refer to important passages quickly.

• This means you can avoid rereading or inadequately skimming the entire text word-for-word.

Reading Check

1. Does Twain’s purpose seem to be to persuade or to entertain?

2. What do you suppose was Twain’s purpose in including the the first three generalizations categorizing his experiments in the London Zoological Gardens?

3. Name four ways in which human beings are inferior to other animals, according to Twain.

4. Describe Twain’s last experiment with the two cages. What are the results of the experiment?

Thinking Critically1. Summarize Twain’s overall purpose in the first part

of this essay. How would you characterize that purpose — as noble, childish, useless, realistic? Give reasons for your opinion.

2. Summarize Twain’s purpose in the last four paragraphs of the essay. Is there any overlap in his reasoning? How so?

3. What specific changes in human nature does Twain hope his satire will encourage? How do Twain’s ideas compare with yours? (Refer to your Quickwrite notes.)

4. Find at least two examples of hyperbole (exaggeration) in the essay. Do these exaggerations make the satire more effective, or are they just silly? Explain.

Extending and Evaluating

• Evaluate Twain’s philosophical beliefs, as revealed in this essay. In your opinion, are his generalizations about people and their behavior valid, partly valid, or completely invalid? Explain.

Reiss on Twain’s Satire

• Literary scholar Edmund Reiss reflects on Twain’s satire: “Laughter can be a deadly weapon in the hands of a bitter writer. Besides reducing its object to shambles, it also succeeds in disturbing the reader, in making him feel uncomfortable.”

• Having read “The Lowest Animal” support or refute Reiss’s comment.

The End


WRITING: You’re Wrong, Mr. Twain

• Write a rebuttal of Twain’s essay in which you defend the human race as civilized, caring beings. Your rebuttal may be in any form you like: a letter to Twain, a parody of Twain’s essay, a serious essay, a poem, an anecdote, an editorial, or something else. Support your points with specific examples, just as Twain does.

WRITING: You’re Right, Mr. Twain

• Write a feature article demonstrating how little humanity has changed since Twain’s time.Your comment may be in any form you like: a letter to Twain, an essay, a poem, an anecdote, an editorial, or something else. Support your points with specific examples, just as Twain does.

Bibliography Page

"Mark Twain." Public Broadcasting Service. 12 Aug 2004 <http://www.pbs.org/marktwain/index.html>.

Schmidt, Barbara. "Mark Twain's Quotations, Newspaper Collections, and Related Resources." 4 Sep 1997. 12 Aug 2004 <http://www.twainquotes.com>.

Pictures from the Dave Thomson collection are found at:http://www.twainquotes.com

"easylit. com." Mark Twain. 12 Aug 2004 <http://www.easylit.com/marktwain/twainhistory.htm>.

Railton, Stephen. "Mark Twain and His Times." University of Virginia. 12 Aug 2004 <http://etext.virginia.edu/railton/>.

http://www.twainquotes.com/

mark twain “the lowest animal” man is the only animal that blushes— or has occasion to

Documents

mark twain twain history

mark twain couples

weapon of laughter mark

human weakness

human beings

human race

human nature

caste prejudices