The Rhetorical Analysis Of The Damned Human Race By Mark Twain

The human race has proven it’s self to be one of the lowest living species on earth consistently displaying cruelty, hatred and harm towards fellow members of the human race. Examples proving this point are many and widely available throughout the course of time. Ranging from the early times of man in Cain killing his brother Abel in fit of jealously to use of extreme torture during the Middle Ages and in current times the holocaust during World War II. Mark Twain argued in his essay “The Damned Human Race” that man wasn’t the top of the evolutionary chain but rather at the bottom, due the constant displaying cruelty, hatred and harm towards fellow members of the human race. Twain used a flowing mixture of pathos, and logos techniques throughout his essay to sway the reader to his point of view, additionally Twain used ethos appeals however these lead the argument fallacy of false authority. However being that Twain relied upon a satirical approach, to gently introduce the harsh reality that man can be a cruel being and might not be the top of the evolutionary pyramid, the essay was very successful in conveying his point of view to the reader. …show more content…
One of the most striking examples that Tw ain offered up is that of buffalo hunt by an English Earl on the Great Plains. During the hunt 72 buffalo were killed, the hunters only consumed part of one the animals and allowed the rest of the corpses to rot away. Highlighted mans ability to kill a lesser animal not for need but just for sport. Twain uses a logos appeal to provide the reader an explanation as to why man is cruel but also uses a pathos appeal by showcasing the cruelty the hunters