Ethos In The Damned Human Race

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Critical Analysis: The Damned Human Race
In the “The Damned Human Race” Mark Twain used Satire, mostly sarcasm to prove that Human being were in fact descended from animals, not ascended. Twain started the essay by telling the readers of his credibility (Ethos). He was a very well known author and he stated on the first sentence “I has been scientifically studying the traits and dispositions of the "lower animals" (so-called), and contrasting them with the traits and dispositions of man” (Twain). Mark Twain’s main purpose in this essay was to entertain the audience as he proves his point, which is Darwinism is incorrect, while having fallacies within his essay. This critical analysis will show Mark Twain attempted to persuade readers that the human race is damned based on his experiments and opinions by using Pathos, Ethos as well as Logos. …show more content…

He compared an anaconda and an Earl to support to his theory that humans are in fact inferior to other animals. The English Earl was visiting the Great Plains to hunt buffalos. The Earl killed " They killed seventy-two of those great animals; and ate part of one of them and left the seventy-one to rot” (Twain). Mark Twain caused seven young to go in the cage of an Anaconda. The anaconda only killed one calve and ate it. After satisfying his hunger, the anaconda did not kill or bother the remaining six calves Mark Twain tried the same experiment with other anacondas and always gets the same result. The experiment proved that the anaconda would only kill to eat, not for the pleasure of killing. The Earl on the other hand was cruel and killed as many as he wanted just for his own pleasure, not to

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