The Damned Human Race

"The Damned Human Race"

by Mark Twain

Mark Twain, also known as Samuel Clemens, wastes no time getting to the point and expressing his opinions. In his story, "The Damned Human Race," it is obvious that his target is the whole human race. By disagreeing with Darwin's theory of the ascent of man from the lower animals, Twain develops his own ideas and pursues to prove them right in contrast to Darwin. He is able to do this by using the scientific method. Characterized as a humorist, Mark Twain demonstrates in "The Damned Human Race" his opinion that man is descended from the higher animals using different experiments to prove his judgments, and finally concludes, with reason, that "we are not as important, perhaps, as we had all along supposed we were" (McDonald, Neilson, and Trotter 456).

Twain's experiments were made in the London Zoological Gardens which became long and tiring work. Before displaying his experiments he stated that he was satisfied with the results and said "that the human race is of one distinct species" and "that the quadrupeds are a distinct family also" (451). In the first experiment Twain involved some hunters of an English earl and an anaconda. By observing the hunt of the earl, which resulted in the killing of 72 buffalo and only one had been eaten, and the anaconda, which had seven calves in its cage, but only ate one and left the others alone, Twain proved simply that the earl hunters are cruel and the anaconda is not. Obviously, the hunters destroyed what they had no use for and the snake left alone what he didn't need. Twain also goes on to tell that men who have money are never satisfied and always want more. Neal Boortz, an author and nationally syndicated libertarian talk-show host, explains in his opinion how these people get there money:

These people are rich because they exploited people. They got their money by climbing on the backs of working people like you! They were lucky! They inherited it! They didn't earn it. If it could be earned, you could do it, right? [. . .] Your poverty couldn't possibly have anything to do with your decision to forego college for that great job at the mall . . . (Boortz)

This shows how greedy man can be.

Twain was also convinced that man is the only animal that harbors insults and injuries and then takes revenge, which is an unknown passion of the higher animals. A good example to show how common this is used by man can be found just about anywhere. The following was taken from a Web site: ". . . a page dedicated to the creative minds who once dwelled in revenge [. . .]. Here you will find revenge schemes, tactics, ideas, tips, and guidance that would scare or pester most offenders into surrender" ("The Avenger's. . .").

Man is also the only animal that commits robbery. Robbery is defined by the US department of Justice as: The taking of attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control from a person by force, threat of force, or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear ("Robbery"). Another point that Twain makes is that man inflicts pain just for the pleasure of doing it and that man is a cruel animal. Many incidents have come about during the years