Adeel Raza

03334906002

(1) THE

DAMNED
(Mark Twain)

HUMAN

RACE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION: The Damned Human Race is a very

contemplative and satirical essay written by Mark Twain. He is one of
the greatest essayists and short story writers of the American
Literature. His writings are usually savage satire and pessimistic. The
present essay has been extracted from his famous book letters from
the Earth, one of his famous works. His pen name was Samuel
Langhorne Clemens but he wrote under the pseudonym Mark twain
which is the call of pilots when taking soundings, meaning two
fathoms.
MAIN IDEA OF THE STORY: - (Theme)
The Damned Human Race is a scathing
irony and satire on mans combative, cruel and callous nature. Who is
apparently considered to be the crown of the universe. Mark Twain,
rejecting Darwinss Theory of Evolution, proves that man is the
lowest animals due to his cruel, violent and warlike nature. Even the
most cruel quadrupeds, birds, fish, reptiles, and insects are for better
then man. Though he compares two incompatibles, i.e. human beings
with animals: but his only purpose in doing so is to expose the vices
and weaknesses of the so-called human beings.
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.
(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. Similarly, a cat catches and
eats up a mouse only when it is hungry, but even then is does not

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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.
(b)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. 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.
(c) 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. On the other hand, man
deliberately indulges himself in excessive sexual malpractices. So, man
is more vulgar, indecent and obscene than animals and birds.
(d) 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.
(c ) 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. In this middle ages, the religious fanatics skinned their captives
and scattered salt on their backs. In Richard-Is time, a number of Jew
families were shut up in a tower and burnt alive. 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

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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.
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.

TEXTUAL QUESTION
Q- 1. Man is usually called the highest animal on the basis of
intelligence. What are the specific traits that make him the
lowest animal for Twain?
ANS:- (Theme + Summary + conclusion)
Q-2. How does Twain try to shock the readers? What might be
his purpose in using this technique?
ANS:- (Gen. Int.) + The writer shocks the reader by painting a horrible
picture of man. He gives the examples of his evils from history, politics
and religion. He comes to the result that man is worthless being whose
entire life is hateful. His experiments are shocking though convincing.
He has shown by his experiments that animals, inspite of having
opposite and hostile nature, can live together peacefully; but man
cannot show such behaviour. He justifies mans act of killing the other
people merely saying that they have not the same thoughts as he has.
He uses his shocking technique just to attack man mercilessly in order
to awaken him from his falling condition of life. Although the writer has
given very unpleasant surprising and shocking remarks; but his main
object in doing this is correction, reformation and edification of mans
character and personality. Unlike animal, man has been blessed with
reason, intelligence and religion. In short, to the writer, man must

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justify by his behavior, conduct, and character that he is the best of all
the creations.
Q-3. point out some of the examples of political and religious
atrocities referred to in the essay by the author. Has Twain
gone overboard? Or does man deserve this attack?
ANS: - (Gen. Int.) + SUMMARY (e) +
To conclude, we can say that to call Mark Twain has gone overboard is
unfair. In short, he has drawn a true and faithful picture of the evil side
of mans character and nature. Though it is only one side of the
picture, but the whole history of mankind testifies this unpleasant fact
that man rightly deserves this attack by Mark Twain.
Q-4. This essay was written in the early 1900s. is it true
today? Have people improved in a centurys time?
ANS (Theme) + If we look back at the history of the last 100 years, we
are compelled to conclude that the contents of this essay are true even
today. Man has not improved in a centurys time. Man has made a
great progress in the field of physical comforts, but there is no peace
and happiness in the world. Man has failed to change his evil nature.
During the last 100 years, we have two Word Wars. There have been
famines in China, India and Somalia. In Kashmir, Bosnia, Afghanistan,
Chechnya, Palestine, and Iraq there are political disturbances. Each
day newspapers are full of news of bloodshed, molestation, robberies
and other cruelties. The acts of terrorism and bomb blasts are on the
rise there days in our own countries in which hundreds of innocent
people are massacred for nothing. In some parts of the World, battles
are being fought. Afghanistan and Iraq are the most recent examples
of Americans ruthless and callous behavior. There are killings on the
basis of religion, colour, language, race and fanaticism. Every country
in the world is trying to make horrible atomic weapons just for power
exposure. Moreover, mans greed for money had given birth to
inflations and unemployment. Man has miserably failed to promote
love and sympathy for other.
In short, the differences in the world-politics and lack of
tolerance are main causes of cruelty. Brutality and bloodshed in the
modern world: where there is a will, there is a way. If man adopts
tolerance and temperament of peace, people can improve and remove
this label of the lowest animal in the century. At present, the
situation is not bad; rather it is worst.