lesson15 The Damned Human RaceBy Mark Twain2021/6/31Quotations on humanI sometimes think that God in creating man somewhat overestimated His ability. Oscar WildMen! The only animal in the world to fear. D.H. LawrenceWe are perverse creatures and never satisfied. Nan Fairbrother2021/6/32Quotations on humanSuch is the human race, often it seems a pity that Noah. didnt miss the boat. Mark TwainMana creature made at the end of the weeks work when God was tired. Mark Twain2021/6/33Discussion: what is Discussion: what is your view?your view?1. What is your understanding of human nature?2. Have you found any defect? Or nothing negative at all?3. Please name three major defects of human nature.2021/6/34Theme Through the analysis of various traits and dispositions human beings as contrasted to the “higher animals”, the author finds that men have descended and degenerated.2021/6/35Structure of the textThe thesis statement Introduction to the scientific experiment and the analysis related to various traits and dispositions of human beings as contrasted to the “higher animals”. Arguing with people who believe in mans superiority.Part 1 (para. 1)Part 2 (para. 2-9)Part 3 (para. 10-17)Part 4 (para. 18)Men have descended and degenerated.2021/6/36Question: Is this article written in a colloquial or formal way?Answer:Language: formal (big words, long sentences, serious tone, etc)He pretends to be reporting on a scientific experiment.Tone: tongue-in-cheek (开玩笑地开玩笑地)To achieve humor.2021/6/37Part one: Thesis statementI have been studying the traits and dispositions of the “lower animals”, and contrasting them with the traits and dispositions of man. I find the result humiliating to me. (Para. 1)Q: Why is lower animals put in quotation mark?Read the sentence and pay attention to the tone and diction. Notice the tongue-in-cheek way the author expresses his ideas. He makes it sound as if he were conducting and reporting on the result of a scientific investigation. In other words, he is deliberately using a pompous(夸大的夸大的) style to achieve humor. 2021/6/38 For it obliges me to renounce my allegiance to the Darwinian theory of the Ascent of Man from the Lower Animals and to name it the Descent of Man from the Higher Animals.(para1)to oblige sb to do sth: to force sb to do sth; to make it necessary for sb to do sth to abandon or give up; to reject or disown my loyalty/firm belief, esp. to a nation or a causeDo you know something about Darwinian theory?2021/6/39Darwinian theory In 1817, Charles Darwin published the Descent of Man which gave evidence to show that man was derived from animals that, if alive today, would be classified as apes.2021/6/310Part two(para2-9)1.Is Mark Twain serious when he says that he has done many months of painstaking and fatiguing work in the London Zoological Garden?2.What effect do you think Mark Twain hopes to achieve with this mock seriousness?2021/6/311London Zoological Gardens: London ZooSet in the heart of Londons majestic Regents Park, London Zoo boasts not only a vast array of amazing animals, but also beautiful gardens, fine art, astounding architecture and the astonishing exhibition.2021/6/312 London Zoo was the Worlds first scientific zoo. Opened in 1828, it housed a collection of exotic(外来的) animals that were studied by eminent scientists of the day. Only later in 1847 did the Zoo open its doors to the public and, from then on, became the most famous zoo in the World.2021/6/313Today, London Zoo houses a wonderful range of reptiles(爬行类动物), fish, invertebrates(无脊椎类动物), birds and mammals(哺乳动物).2021/6/314Traits and dispositions of human beings contrasted to the high animals(Find out them from para3-para9)1.Man is crueler than animal.2.Man is avoricious and miserly and their desires cant be ended forever.3.Man is the only one who takes possession of revenge.4.Man invented indecency, vulgarity and obscenity.5.Man is soiled-minded and he always covers himself.6.Man is the only one that inflicts pain for the pleasure of doing it.2021/6/3151.Man is crueler than animal.whowhere to whomwhatwhyresulttraitIthe anacondassome hunterson our Great Plainsin London Zooan English earlorganized a buffalo hunt caused 7 youngcalves to be turned into the cageto entertain and providesome fresh meat for his tableto determine the difference between an anaconda and an earlKilled 72, ate part of one of them the leftthe 71 to rotcrushed one of them and swallowed it,then lay back satisfiedThe earl is cruel and destroys what he has no use for. The earl was descended from the anacondaand had lost a good dealin the transition.calf:a young cow,bull or elephanta young sheepa young chicken or birda young wolf,bear or liona young horsea young goata young cata young ducka young piga young goosea young doglambchickcubfoal/coltkidkittenducklingpigletgoslingpuppy2021/6/316Plains Bison美洲或欧洲的野牛美洲或欧洲的野牛 Originating in Eurasia(欧亚大陆) but migrating to North America across the Bering land bridge during prehistoric times, they thrived on the Great Plains, until the arrival of white settlers drove them to the brink of extinction. Although they once ranged across the Great Plains from Mexico to Canada, with numbers estimated at 60 million, today they exist primarily on game reserves and ranches(大牧场), with estimated numbers of 200,000. 2021/6/317Buffalo Chase with Bows and Lances(长矛长矛) Horsemen pursue buffalo on the Great Plains in Buffalo Chase with Bows and Lances(长矛). Hunters first isolated a buffalo by riding between it and the rest of the herd; then, riding at full speed alongside the animal, they shot it with a bow and arrow or a lance. Later, firearms were used.2021/6/318The Peerage(贵族阶级贵族阶级) The collective noun for peers, men and women whose rank is equal to nobility and aristocracy. In the United Kingdom, the peerage comprises hereditary peers(世袭贵族)and life peers(终身贵族). Both male and female peers receive the same rights. In the United Kingdom, hereditary peers are known by a number of titles, which rank them in terms of importance. Most important are 24 dukes. Next in rank are the 35 marquises. Earls, the level below, there are around 200 in the UK in total. The female equivalent of an earl is a countess. There are 120 or so viscounts, and the nearly 500 barons or baronesses. Life peers, called baron or baroness, total approximately 500. A life peer has all the rights of an hereditary peer, but he or she cannot pass on the title to his or her heirs. duke公爵；公爵；marquis侯侯爵；爵；earl: 伯爵伯爵viscount子子爵；爵；baron男爵男爵2021/6/319 The United Kingdom is the only country that has an Upper House comprising the aristocracy. Originally vested with a great deal of power, in terms of land, money, and followers, the peers would be summoned to sit in the House of Lords. Thus, the principle of the few representing the many evolved. The original Upper House sat in the Parliament House in the Palace of Westminster. Today the United Kingdom is the only country in Europe whose Upper House is still composed of unelected peers. Members of the aristocracy or members of the old noble families still act in an advisory capacity to the monarch.2021/6/320Anaconda(水蟒水蟒) Anaconda, common name for large South American snakes. Anacondas are among the largest and most powerful snakes in the world. A large adult may be 6 m long and weigh 107 kg. Anacondas kill their prey by constriction or squeezing. The common anaconda inhabits the river systems of northern and Amazonian South America east of the Andes(安第斯山脉). Female anacondas give birth to living young. 2021/6/321 2.Man is avoricious and miserly and their desires cant be ended forever.greedy/extremely fond of accumulating wealth 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, and have not scrupled to cheat the ignorant and the helpless out of their poor savings in order to partially appease the appetite.（para4)a rabid hunger for sthrabid is related to rabies which is a fatal disease of dogs狂犬病狂犬病have not scrupled to do sththe ignorant and the helplessto have not hesitated to do sth because of embarrassment from moral considerationsthe uneducated and the powerless people2021/6/3223.Man is the only one who takes possession of revenge. among the animals man is the only one that harbors insults and injuries, broods over them, waits till a chance offers, then takes revenge. The passion of revenge is unknown to the higher animals. (Para. 5)revengeto think about sth. for a long time because it makes you angry or worriedparallelismsequence of action, emphasize the sarcastic toneQ: Do you think that animals also take revenge?2021/6/323Roosters and mens marriageRoosters keep harems, but.Men keep harms, but. (para6)1.What is the similarity between them?2.How about the difference?2021/6/3244.Man invented indecency,valgarity and obscenity.5.Man is soiled-minded and he always covers himself.Q: Whats the difference between laugh“ and blush?blush: to become red in the face, especially from modesty, embarrassment, or shameQ: Why is man the only one that blushes or has the need to blush?Notice that Mark Twain is saying here that only man needs to blush because he consciously does bad, immoral things. 2021/6/3256.Man is the only one that inflicts pain for the pleasure of doing it.Q: How many different ways was the prior probably killed?Richard First/ The Lion-Heart of EnglandRichard was a king of England, later known as the Lion Heart, and famous for his exploits in the Third Crusade, although during his 10-year reign he spent only six months in England.2021/6/3266.Man is the only one that inflicts pain for the pleasure of doing it.More about King JohnJohn (24 December 1167 19 October 12161) was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death. He acceded to the throne as the younger brother of King Richard I, who died without issue. 2021/6/327in our day in England a man is fined ten shillings for beating his mother nearly to death with a chair, and another man is fined forty shillings for having four pheasant eggs in his possession without being able to satisfactorily explain how he got them. (Para. 9)euphemism: for stealing four pheasant eggsQ: Why did Mark Twain give the two examples here? Mark Twain is satirizing the fact that under the English law at that time, a mothers life was worth only one peasant egg because the latter was considered private property.2021/6/328Do you agree with Twains idea that when the cat plays with the mouse, she does not know the frightened mouse is suffering?2021/6/329The only one feature of human being1.Man is the only one that deals in the atrocity of war.2.Man is the only one that robs his helpless fellow of his country.3.Man is the only Slave and the only who enslaves.4.Man is the only Patriot.5.Man is the only religious animal.6.Man is incurably foolish. 2021/6/3301.Man is the only one that deals in the atrocity of war.The Hessians(黑森雇佣兵黑森雇佣兵) were the German mercenaries (Soldiers who will fight anybody for wages are call mercenaries) serving with the British during the American Revolution. The Germans constituted about one third of the Kings troop in America. For these mercenaries, Britain paid the German rulers a total of 1.77 million pounds.2021/6/3312.Man is the only one that robs his helpless fellow of his country.There is not an acre of ground on the globe that is in possession of its rightful owner(Para11)Not a single pieces of land is in the hands of its original owner. Every piece of land has been stolen.Q: Why did this happen? What does Mark Twain actually refer to? Mark Twain is referring to the fact that the world has been, in the course of history, divided and re-divided countless times through war. 2021/6/3323.Man is the only Slave and the only who enslaves.Man is the only Slave. And he is the only animal who enslaves. He has always been a slave in one form or another, and has always held other slaves in bondage under him in one way or another.(para12)to hold sb in bondage: to keep sb in the state of being a slave Mark Twain is referring to the idea that in the history of human civilization, our society has always been based on some kind of exploitation of man by man. No one is free. Everyone is a slave of one form or another and at the same time enslaved those under him.Q: Is there slavery in animals life? 2021/6/3334.Man is the only Patriot.Q: Is patriotism a bad feature? Why did Twain criticize this? He sets himself apart in his own country, under his own flag, and sneers at the other nations, keeps multitudinous uniformed assassins on hand at heavy expense to grab slices of other peoples countries.(Para13)to make oneself feel that he isdifferent from and better than otherpeopleto laugh at contemptuouslymurderers in uniform( Twains contemptuous termfor army soldiers)Q: What was Twain blaming for? He was bitterly against colonialist and imperialist wars o f his time, which were usually fought under patriotic slogans. This made him extremely contemptuous about patriotism.2021/6/3344.Man is the only Patriot.and in intervals between campaigns he washes the blood off his hands andworks for “the universal brotherhood of man”with his mouth. (13)Q: what human feature has been revealed by the description?. And when they are not fighting each other, they will start talking about peace and universal brotherhood, but without any sincerity. Man, according to Mark Twain, is not only cruel and warlike, but also hypocritical. To pay lip service, to make empty promise to.2021/6/3355.Man is the only religious animal.What should a religious person do?To emphasize the spiritual and moral life.Why did Twain laugh atmens beliefs inreligion?The different religions in the world have resulted in endless religious suppressions, persecutions and wars.What did men do?2021/6/3365.Man is the only religious animal.He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself, and cuts his throat if his theology isnt straight. (14)Normal and correctHe has made a graveyard of the globe in trying his honest best to smooth his brothers path to happiness and heaven. (14)To make it easy for sb. to do sth.In trying to make it easy for his brother to find happiness and go to heaven, he has turned the world into a graveyard (he has caused the death of millions around the world in converting them to his religion. )2021/6/337 He was at it in the time of the Caesars, he was at it in Mohammeds time, he was at it in the time of the inquisition, he was at it in France a couple of centuries, he was at it in England in Marys day, he had been at it ever since he first saw the light.(para14)to be at sth.: to be engaged in a certain activityQ: What does he and it“ refer to respectively?2021/6/338Julius Caesar: was a Roman military and political leader. He played a critical role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. In the times of Caesars, the early Christians were cruelly persecuted by the Romans.2021/6/339In Mohammed s(穆罕默德穆罕默德) time, the Moslems were cruelly persecuted.In Marys day, the Protestants were persecuted.Mary Tudor: commonly known as Bloody Mary, Queen of England. Daughter of Henry VIII and half sister to Elizabeth I, who succeeded her. She alienated her subjects by marrying King Philip of Spain, re-establishing the Roman Catholic Church, reviving the church courts and the laws against heresy, and initiating religious persecution resulting in the death of 300 protestants. 2021/6/340Q: In Twains experiment, what happened when In Twains experiment, what happened when different animals were in the same cage and when different animals were in the same cage and when different religious people were together different religious people were together respectively?respectively?Q: Whats Twains comment on this? Do you agree?2021/6/341Conclusion And so I find that we have descended and degenerated, from some far ancestor- some microscopic atom wandering at its pleasure between the mighty horizons of a drop of water perhaps down the long highway of perfect innocence, till we have reached the bottom stage of development-namable as the Human Being. Below us-nothing.(Para18)the long process of our change from one insect into another, one animal into another and one reptile into another, all completely innocent, until we become human beings and lose all our innocence.2021/6/342Whats your view?Mark Twain has shown us so many ugly traits and dispositions of human beings. Do you agree with all of it? Tell us your opinion about any one of those traits.2021/6/343Discussion In Book 3, there is a text entitled “We Are Only Human” in which the author strongly argues that we human beings should be and can be superior to other animals. But in this article, the author feels strongly that human beings are the least fit for survival. What do you think of these two authors views?2021/6/344Why did Mark Twain write this article?I am not pessimistic or cynical. Behind all the bitterness is a warm and human heart. I do not really believe that human beings are incurably cruel, greedy and wicked. Otherwise I would not have bothered to write those essays. I write about ugly human traits and dispositions precisely because I think human beings are capable of mending their ways if they can open their eyes to their own weaknesses and understand the conditions that give rise to them and nurture them. In other words, My policy is to frighten in order to enlighten. 2021/6/345Thank you.2021/6/346部分资料从网络收集整理而来，供大家参考，感谢您的关注！