Introducing the Story Literary Skills Focus: Satire—The Weapon of Laughter Literary Skills Focus:...

Introducing the Story

Literary Skills Focus: Satire—The Weapon of Laughter

Literary Skills Focus: Literary Perspectives

Reading Skills Focus: Recognizing a Writer’s Purpose

Writing Skills Focus: Think as a Reader/Writer

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The Lowest Animalby Mark Twain

What forces shape human character?

The Lowest Animalby Mark Twain

Click on the title to start the video.

The Lowest AnimalIntroducing the Story

As a humorist, Mark Twain had a keen eye and sharp aim on social problems. . . .

He used his wit as a weapon to target injustice.


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In “The Lowest Animal,” Twain pokes fun at the stature of humans within the animal kingdom.

He lampoons a broad spectrum of subjects:

greed, slavery, war, the subjection of women, science, and religion.


To bring about social change, satire ridicules the shortcomings of people and institutions.

I have been studying the traits and dispositions of the “lower animals” (so-called) and contrasting them with the traits and dispositions of man. I find the result humiliating to me. For it obliges me to renounce my allegiance to the Darwinian theory of the Ascent of Man from the Lower Animals, since it now seems plain to me that that theory ought to be vacated in favor of a new and truer one . . . the Descent of Man from the Higher Animals. From “The Lowest Animal” from Letters from the Earth by Mark Twain, edited by Bernard DeVoto. Copyright 1938, 1944, 1946, © 1959, 1962 by The Mark Twain Company. Copyright 1942 by The President and Fellows of Harvard College. Reproduced by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

The Lowest AnimalLiterary Skills Focus: Satire—The Weapon of Laughter

Although satire is meant to be funny, its main purpose is to attack something the author strongly disapproves of—using the weapon of wit.

The political world and the social scene are a satirist’s common targets.


Satire began as a literary form, with the writer taking up the pen to poke fun through exaggeration and irony.


Today you can find satire in books, plays, song lyrics, talk shows, cartoons, graphic novels, and

web sites. Can you think of an example?

A favorite technique of the satirist is exaggeration—overstating something to make it look ridiculous.


I was aware that many men who have accumulated more millions of money than they can ever use have shown a rabid hunger for more. . . . I furnished a hundred different kinds of wild and tame animals the opportunity to accumulate vast stores of food, but none of them would do it. . . . [T]he ant pretended to store up supplies, but I was not deceived. I know the ant.From “The Lowest Animal” from Letters from the Earth by Mark Twain, edited by Bernard DeVoto. Copyright 1938, 1944, 1946, © 1959, 1962 by The Mark Twain Company. Copyright 1942 by The President and Fellows of Harvard College. Reproduced by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

Irony is another important technique in the art of satire. Irony is a discrepancy or contrast


• between what is said and what is really meant

• between what appears to be true and what is really true

There are three basic types of irony

• verbal irony

• situational irony

• dramatic irony


Verbal irony is unique because it is produced by speakers on purpose to make a point.

Verbal Irony

“I don’t think I’ve read enough books about computers yet,” Mr. Blavatsky said.

Verbal irony occurs when someone says one thing but means the opposite. It

• is the simplest kind of irony

• can become sarcasm if taken to a harsh extreme


Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice begins with an excellent example of verbal irony.

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It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

How is this an example of verbal irony? What examples of verbal irony does Twain use in

“The Lowest Animal”?


Verbal Irony

To understand some of the major social issues Twain addresses, consider what was going on during the time in which he lived.

The Lowest AnimalLiterary Skills Focus: Analyzing Historical Context

In other words, consider the historical context for his works.


Twain was born and raised in the slaveholding state of Missouri during the decades leading up to the Civil War.

In fact, his book Adventures of Huckleberry Finn addresses the horrible effects of slavery on both slaves and slave owners.

During Twain’s Lifetime

Other issues regarding human rights were also gaining attention during Twain’s lifetime:


• Women were beginning to organize to fight for greater political rights.

• Many businessmen of the late 1800s were profiting from the backbreaking work of the lower classes, so the plight of the poor was a growing concern.


Also during this time, scientific studies, such as those conducted by Charles Darwin, caused many people to


• rethink traditional ideas about religion.

• give greater credence to the idea that environment influences human behavior.

Charles Darwin


As you read, think about how Twain’s writing reflects the changing attitudes toward slavery, work, women’s rights, science, and religion that he may have perceived during his lifetime.

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A writer can have many reasons for writing.

to describe

The Lowest AnimalReading Skills Focus: Recognizing a Writer’s Purpose

to persuade

to entertain

to narrate

to analyze

to inform

A satirist’s main purpose is to bring about change through humor.

Recognizing a writer’s purpose helps you understand the meaning of that writer’s work.


• bring about real-world change

• attack something with which the author disagrees

• prompt people to reexamine their beliefs and values

A satirist uses humorous exaggeration as a tool to

• encourage the development of new attitudes and perspectives


What is the subject of Twain’s attack?

In writing this paragraph, what might Mark Twain’s purpose be?

The higher animals engage in individual fights, but never in organized masses. Man is the only animal that deals in that atrocity of atrocities, war. He is the only one that gathers his brethren about him and goes forth in cold blood and with calm pulse to exterminate his kind. From “The Lowest Animal” from Letters from the Earth by Mark Twain, edited by Bernard DeVoto. Copyright 1938, 1944, 1946, © 1959, 1962 by The Mark Twain Company. Copyright 1942 by The President and Fellows of Harvard College. Reproduced by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.


Into Action: Use a chart to record examples of exaggeration and irony used to make a point. In the second column, comment on the point Twain makes.

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Examples of Exaggeration and Irony“The Descent of Man from the higher Animals”


Twain’s Point

It sounds like Twain believes animals are more advanced than humans.

Find It in Your Reading

Satirists frequently use exaggeration to point out social follies or absurdities.

In “The Lowest Animal,” for example, Twain writes that man “has made a graveyard of the globe,” an obvious exaggeration.

As you read, use a notebook to record other examples of exaggeration.

The Lowest AnimalWriting Skills Focus: Think as a Reader/Writer

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Vocabulary

dispositions n.: natural ways of acting or thinking.

verified v.: proved something to be true.

caliber n.: quality or ability.

The Lowest Animal Vocabulary

wantonly adv.: carelessly, often with ill will.

transition n.: passage from one condition, form, or stage to another.

avaricious adj.: greedy.

atrocious adj.: very evil, savage, or brutal.

“Pleasant dispositions make teamwork easy,” said Principal Leonard.

The word dispositions refers to temperaments or natural ways of acting or thinking.


Which student appears to have a positive disposition?


If something has been verified, it has been proven to be true or correct.

The travel agent verified that our

passports were current.


The names of the candidates couldn’t be verified in time for the student newspaper’s deadline because ________

. . . the student newspaper’s fact checker couldn’t access the database.


Caliber is used to describe a level of quality or ability.

“We don’t often receive applicants of such a high caliber,” said the internship director.


c. ability

b. belief

Which of the following words has the same meaning as caliber?

a. stronghold


Wantonly is used to describe something that is handled carelessly, often with ill will or unruly disregard.

The commercial fisherman wantonly tossed nets into the school of dolphins.


Which employee appears to be performing his tasks wantonly?


A transition is a passage from one form or stage to another.

Ali’s transition from inexperienced tennis player to district champion is the result of hours of practice.


When you think of the word transition, what other words come to mind? Word: Definition:

Image:Sentence:

change

shift

conversion

evolution

Examples:

Joy is in transition from high school to

college student.

transition n.: passage from one form or stage

to another.


Avaricious means “greedy” or “materialistic.”

Because Soon-yi offered to share her prize from the radio call-in contest, it is clear that she is not avaricious.


Which word is the opposite of avaricious?

covetous

rapaciousgreedy

generousgrasping

materialisticacquisitive


Atrocious means “very evil, savage, or brutal.”

The documentary showed the atrocious conditions under which

some animals were kept.


Which office building probably has the more atrocious working conditions?

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The End

Introducing the Story Literary Skills Focus: Satire—The Weapon of Laughter Literary Skills Focus:...

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