1. Man is the only animal that blushes—
Mark Twain
“The Lowest Animal”
Man is the only animal that blushes—
or has occasion to.

2. Into the text: Utopia
A utopia is a perfect world that exists only in the imagination. Utopian writers paint a picture of the way they think things should be—an ideal world in which everyone is happy and all needs are satisfied.

3. Make the Connection
Quickwrite Americans have always had a high regard for progress and self-improvement. Mark Twain couples this admirable national trait with a blistering vision of how far, in his opinion, the human race falls short of its ideals. Think about what you would like to change about human nature, and freewrite your ideas.

4. Satire: The Weapon of Laughter
Mark Twain wrote that we have only “one really effective weapon—laughter. Power, money, persuasion, supplication—these can lift a colossal humbug—push it a little—weaken it a little century by century; but only laughter can blow it to rags and atoms at a blast.”
I found the information about Mark Twain’s scrapbook invention at the PBS site ( I thought it was interesting information, and I included it in my scrapbook to serve as an introduction page. It sets up the idea of my scrapbook that would be something that Mark Twain would approve of since he kept scrapbooks. Mark Twain was involved in many schemes and inventions that he helped to finance, but always lost money. It is interesting that his scrapbook invention was profitable.

5. is the use of language to ridicule human weakness, vices, or stupidity, with the hope of bringing about social change.
Satire--
Satire uses humor to criticize all human beings or a particular person or institution.
One of the favorite techniques of the satirist is hyperbole (exaggeration)—an overstating something to make it look absurd or worse than it is.
Another favorite technique is irony—stating the opposite of what is really meant.

6. Twain History: Though his most famous novel is criticized for being racist, Mark Twain never expected nor intended the controversy that arose with the publication of Huckleberry Finn. Mark Twain was not racist, but depicted life in his times.
When HF was published Mark Twain was astonished at the controversy about the book as a racist novel. His response to the criticism was that he wrote as he saw life on the Mississippi when he was growing up there.
“I vividly remember seeing a dozen black men and women chained to one another, once, and lying in a group on the pavement, awaiting shipment to the Southern slave market. Those were the saddest faces I have ever seen.”– Mark Twain
Pictures from

7. Mark Twain’s quote about the controversy over HF.
"I have no color prejudices nor caste prejudices nor creed prejudices. All I care to know is that a man is a human being, and that is enough for me; he can't be any worse."
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8. By 1900 Twain had become America’s foremost celebrity
By 1900 Twain had become America’s foremost celebrity. He was invited to attend ship launchings, anniversary gatherings, political conventions, and countless dinners. Reporters met him at every port of call, anxious to print a new quip from the famous humorist. To enhance his image, he took to wearing white suits and loved to stroll down the street and see people staring at him.
Mark Twain love his notoriety. When he became well known for his humor, he started wearing his trademark white suite. We have many pictures of Twain from this era of his life.
Pictures from

9. People loved his lectures that he gave as he traveled
People loved his lectures that he gave as he traveled. He became a performer as a humorist. Hal Holbrook, today with his imitation of Mark Twain, captures what Twain must have been like as a speaker.
He developed as a speaker and traveled on lecture circuits, much in demand. His early performances combined humor, information and eloquence in measures that delighted most people.
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10. When he died on April 21, 1910, newspapers around the country declared, “The whole world is mourning.” By then, Sam Clemens had long since ceased to be a private citizen. He had become Mark Twain, a proud possession of the American nation.
When Twain died in 1910, he had become an American icon. He is one of the few writers who became very popular while he lived. I was interested in learning this about Twain because it is interesting that Americans can treasure literary figures and not just popular sports figures.
“I was sorry to have my name mentioned as one of the great authors, because they have a sad habit of dying off. Chaucer is dead, Spencer is dead, so is Milton, so is Shakespeare, and I’m not feeling so well myself.”—Mark Twain
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11. “I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835
“I came in with Halley's Comet in It is coming again next year (1910), and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I don't go out with Halley's Comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: "Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together."
This tidbit of information is eerie, but true. Do you think he willed himself to die in this year?
Mark Twain died in 1910, the year Halley’s Comet appeared.
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12. Mark Twain was one of the great artists of all time
Mark Twain was one of the great artists of all time. He was and is one authentic giant of our national literature.
Twain's quotes and humor are as popular today as at any time in American history.
Take for example, a recently published anthology of the greatest comic writers in American history who pays tribute to Twain, citing his ideas and satire relevant to even today:
Audio clips discusses Twain and excerpts from his essay, “A Presidential Candidate,” from 2:19 – 3:50.

13. “You can find in a text whatever you bring, if you will stand between it and the mirror of your imagination.”
Should we send this to our school board?
Picture from Dave Thomson collection:

14. “Get a bicycle. You will not regret it. If you live.”
Picture from Dave Thomson collection:

15. “Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.”
Picture from Dave Thomson collection:

16. “Nothing is made in vain, but the fly came near it.”
“I'd rather have ten snakes in the house than one fly.”

17. He was a cat lover too, as I am.
“Of all God's creatures there is only one that cannot be made the slave of the lash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat.”
Picture from Dave Thomson collection:

18. “The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man's.”
Twain could see human frailties and he poked fun of man’s weaknesses.
Picture from Dave Thomson collection:

19. “Humor is mankind's greatest blessing.”
Wit and a command of words made Twain a popular writer.
“Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand.”
“The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.”

20. “By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity--another man's I mean.”
Picture from Dave Thomson collection:

21. “Classic--a book which people praise and don't read.”
“The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them.”
What is a classic novel?
“Classic--a book which people praise and don't read.”

22. “The holy passion of Friendship is of so sweet and steady and loyal and enduring a nature that it will last through a whole lifetime, if not asked to lend money."
Ben Franklin said much the same thing: “Neither a borrower nor a lender be.”
Picture from Dave Thomson collection:

23. “It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.”
This is one of my favorite from Mark Twain.

24. "Good breeding consists in concealing how much we think of ourselves and how little we think of the other person."

25. Annotations are:
The “marks”--underlines, highlights, and comments--you make directly on the page as you read.
Hence, they are a record of your immediate reactions: questions, big ideas, connections, inferences.
I want to see what YOUR response is to the text.

26. Annotating can be used to demonstrate critical thought.
Things to “look for” but not limited to:
Author’s style
Diction/Language of the discipline
Literary Devices
Author’s purpose:
Theme
Details
Multiple perspectives
Ethical Dilemmas
Patterns
Trends
Changes over time
Unanswered Questions
Vocabulary
Plot
Character
Author’s point
Connections
Paraphrase/summarize
Observations/Inferences (logical conclusions)

27. Annotating is:
An essential element of active reading.

28. Why Annotate? There are at least two benefits:
One: your mind is engaged and you will remember what you read. (Make it a habit to read with a pen or pencil in hand!)

29. Why Annotate?
Two: When it’s time to review, you can refer to important passages quickly.
This means you can avoid rereading or inadequately skimming the entire text word-for-word.

30. Reading Check
1. Does Twain’s purpose seem to be to persuade or to entertain?
2. What do you suppose was Twain’s purpose in including the the first three generalizations categorizing his experiments in the London Zoological Gardens?
Name four ways in which human beings are inferior to other animals, according to Twain.
Describe Twain’s last experiment with the two cages. What are the results of the experiment?

31. Thinking Critically
Summarize Twain’s overall purpose in the first part of this essay. How would you characterize that purpose — as noble, childish, useless, realistic? Give reasons for your opinion.
Summarize Twain’s purpose in the last four paragraphs of the essay. Is there any overlap in his reasoning? How so?
What specific changes in human nature does Twain hope his satire will encourage? How do Twain’s ideas compare with yours? (Refer to your Quickwrite notes.)
Find at least two examples of hyperbole (exaggeration) in the essay. Do these exaggerations make the satire more effective, or are they just silly? Explain.

32. Extending and Evaluating
Evaluate Twain’s philosophical beliefs, as revealed in this essay. In your opinion, are his generalizations about people and their behavior valid, partly valid, or completely invalid? Explain.

33. Reiss on Twain’s Satire
Literary scholar Edmund Reiss reflects on Twain’s satire: “Laughter can be a deadly weapon in the hands of a bitter writer. Besides reducing its object to shambles, it also succeeds in disturbing the reader, in making him feel uncomfortable.”
Having read “The Lowest Animal” support or refute Reiss’s comment.

34. The End
Doing this research about Twain made me want to read more of his short stories and books.
Picture from Dave Thomson collection:

35. WRITING: You’re Wrong, Mr. Twain
Write a rebuttal of Twain’s essay in which you defend the human race as civilized, caring beings. Your rebuttal may be in any form you like: a letter to Twain, a parody of Twain’s essay, a serious essay, a poem, an anecdote, an editorial, or something else. Support your points with specific examples, just as Twain does.

36. WRITING: You’re Right, Mr. Twain
Write a feature article demonstrating how little humanity has changed since Twain’s time.Your comment may be in any form you like: a letter to Twain, an essay, a poem, an anecdote, an editorial, or something else. Support your points with specific examples, just as Twain does.

37. Bibliography Page
"Mark Twain." Public Broadcasting Service. 12 Aug 2004 <
Schmidt, Barbara. "Mark Twain's Quotations, Newspaper Collections, and Related Resources." 4 Sep Aug 2004 <
Pictures from the Dave Thomson collection are found at:
"easylit. com." Mark Twain. 12 Aug 2004 <
Railton, Stephen. "Mark Twain and His Times." University of Virginia. 12 Aug 2004 <