The Lowest Animal
by Mark Twain
Feature Menu
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
The Lowest Animal
by Mark Twain
What forces shape human character?
The Lowest Animal
Introducing the Story
Click on the title to start the video.
The Lowest Animal
Introducing 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.
The Lowest Animal
Introducing the Story
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.
[End of Section]
The Lowest Animal
Literary Skills Focus: Satire—The Weapon of Laughter
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 Animal
Literary 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.
The Lowest Animal
Literary Skills Focus: Satire—The Weapon of Laughter
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?
The Lowest Animal
Literary Skills Focus: Satire—The Weapon of Laughter
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.
The Lowest Animal
Literary Skills Focus: Satire—The Weapon of Laughter
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
The Lowest Animal
Literary Skills Focus: Satire—The Weapon of Laughter
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.
The Lowest Animal
Literary Skills Focus: Satire—The Weapon of Laughter
Verbal Irony
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
“I don’t think I’ve read enough books
about computers yet,” Mr. Blavatsky said.
The Lowest Animal
Literary Skills Focus: Satire—The Weapon of Laughter
Verbal Irony
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice begins with an
excellent example of verbal irony.
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”?
[End of Section]
The Lowest Animal
Literary Skills Focus: Analyzing Historical Context
To understand some of the major social issues
Twain addresses, consider what was going on
during the time in which he lived.
In other words, consider the historical context
for his works.
The Lowest Animal
Literary Skills Focus: Analyzing Historical Context
During Twain’s Lifetime
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.
The Lowest Animal
Literary Skills Focus: Analyzing Historical Context
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.
The Lowest Animal
Literary Skills Focus: Analyzing Historical Context
During Twain’s Lifetime
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
The Lowest Animal
Literary Skills Focus: Analyzing Historical Context
During Twain’s Lifetime
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.
[End of Section]
The Lowest Animal
Reading Skills Focus: Recognizing a Writer’s Purpose
A writer can have many reasons for writing.
to describe
to inform
to entertain
to narrate
to persuade
to analyze
The Lowest Animal
Reading Skills Focus: Recognizing a Writer’s Purpose
Recognizing a writer’s purpose helps you
understand the meaning of that writer’s work.
A satirist’s main purpose is to bring
about change through humor.
The Lowest Animal
Reading Skills Focus: Recognizing a Writer’s Purpose
A satirist uses humorous exaggeration as a tool to
• attack something with which
the author disagrees
• prompt people to reexamine
their beliefs and values
• encourage the development
of new attitudes and
perspectives
• bring about real-world change
The Lowest Animal
Reading Skills Focus: Recognizing a Writer’s Purpose
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.
What is the subject of Twain’s attack?
The Lowest Animal
Reading Skills Focus: Recognizing a Writer’s Purpose
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.
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.
[End of Section]
The Lowest Animal
Writing Skills Focus: Think as a Reader/Writer
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.
[End of Section]
Vocabulary
The Lowest Animal
Vocabulary
dispositions n.: natural ways of acting or
thinking.
verified v.: proved something to be true.
caliber n.: quality or ability.
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.
The Lowest Animal
Vocabulary
The word dispositions refers to temperaments or
natural ways of acting or thinking.
“Pleasant dispositions
make teamwork easy,”
said Principal Leonard.
The Lowest Animal
Vocabulary
Which student appears to have a positive
disposition?
The Lowest Animal
Vocabulary
If something has been verified, it has been proven
to be true or correct.
The travel agent
verified that our
passports were
current.
The Lowest Animal
Vocabulary
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.
The Lowest Animal
Vocabulary
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.
The Lowest Animal
Vocabulary
Which of the following words has the same
meaning as caliber?
a. stronghold
b. belief
c. ability
The Lowest Animal
Vocabulary
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.
The Lowest Animal
Vocabulary
Which employee appears to be performing his
tasks wantonly?
The Lowest Animal
Vocabulary
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.
The Lowest Animal
Vocabulary
When you think of the
word transition, what
other words come to
mind?
Examples:
Word:
transition
change
evolution
conversion
shift
Sentence:
Joy is in
transition from
high school to
college
student.
Definition:
n.: passage from
one form or stage
to another.
Image:
The Lowest Animal
Vocabulary
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.
The Lowest Animal
Vocabulary
Which word is the opposite of avaricious?
greedy
rapacious
grasping
generous
covetous
materialistic
acquisitive
The Lowest Animal
Vocabulary
Atrocious means “very evil, savage, or brutal.”
The documentary
showed the atrocious
conditions under which
some animals were
kept.
The Lowest Animal
Vocabulary
Which office building probably has the more
atrocious working conditions?
[End of Section]
The End