How Does Twain Use Satire In The Lowest Animal

6 When a child turns to bullying, there is almost always a cause and origin to this behavior. 10, 8, 6, Studying the psychology of these children, the impulse to exhibit this dominance has been connected to many factors: with the lack of affection, abuse, and poor role models, the lack of control in their lives can be accommodated by bullying. 3 Vulnerable individuals are a satisfactory outlet for their emotions; moreover, they seek dominance through the humiliation of those who most likely have no one to come to their defense. 10, 5 Likewise, Twain observes similar behaviors in individuals who pursue superiority, revealing humanities flaws from their tactics. 10, 2, 4 In “The Lowest Animal”, Twain infers man’s ability to achieve his self-serving

10, 6, 4 In particular, as Twain questions man’s rationality, juvenalian satire is evident, for he states “...he is not a reasoning animal. His record is the fantastic record of a maniac. I consider that the strongest count against his intelligence is the fact that with that record back of him, he blandly sets himself up as the head animal of the lot; whereas by his own standards, he is the bottom one” (Twain 539). 8, 6, 5, 7 Mankind’s blatant behavior illustrated by claiming the throne proves the absurdity of society’s power: if man who is wonton is head animal of the lot, and fearful of the loss of power, individuals are bound to create destruction within society when they refuse to be liable for their actions lead by this unease. 3, 5, 4 The idea of “head animal” is the only thing that appeals to society; he rids himself of the responsibility, and refuses to look back at the destruction through ignorance. 10, 5, 2 Furthermore, in Mark Twain’s final experiment where both men and animals are tamed and left in cages, satirical hyperbole is distinguishable; “... the cage of Higher Animals was all right, but in the other there was but a chaos of gory odds and ends of turbans and fezzes and plaids and bones and flesh—not a specimen left alive. These Reasoning Animals had disagreed on a theological detail and carried the matter to a higher

Our actions reveal what our society values: our unrelenting fight for land (which is seen as power) and the last word reveals it is worth more than the destruction and the bloodshed left behind. Likewise, imagery conveying man’s deceitful nature is depicted; “ And in the intervals between campaigns, he washes the blood off his hands and works for the universal brotherhood of man, with his mouth” (). Twain mocks our search for an impactful leader as he “works for the universal brotherhood of man, with this mouth”; the fact that we are impervious to the truth is illustrated, for he sees both societies and their leader’s shallow efforts to seek change in a world full of conceit. Similar to what happens in between campaigns, Pontius Pilate washes his hands in front of crowds after his decision to execute Jesus; an attempt to appease his conscious, his wife, and people around him, he rids himself of the responsibility and justifies his actions for shedding innocent blood. Addressing only cynical behaviors observed through the war for land and titles, a condescending tone is evoked: surely he has renounced his allegiance to mankind, for he only sees society as