Transcript Document

Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
Part Three
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Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
Text Appreciation
I. Text Analysis
1.
2.
3.
4.
General Analyses
Theme
Structure
Further Discussion
II. Writing Device
Euphemism
III. Sentence Paraphrase
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Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
I.
Text Analysis
Have you
got the key
elements in
the story?
Plot of the story
Setting of the story
Protagonists of the story
Writing techniques of the story
Theme of the story
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For reference
Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
I.
Text Analysis
Plot: reporting results of a scientific
experiment
Setting: the whole world
Protagonists: “I” and “man”
Writing techniques: go to Writing
Device
Theme of the story: go to the next page
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The end of General Analysis.
For
reference.
Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
I.
Text Analysis
Theme
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.
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The end of Theme.
Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
I.
Text Analysis
Structure
Part 1 (Paras. 1—4 ) :
Part 2 (Paras. 5—9 ) :
Part 3 (Paras. 10—16 ) :
Part 4 (Para. 17
):
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The thesis statement and
introduction to the scientific
experiment.
The analysis related to various
straits and dispositions of human
beings as contrasted to the
“higher animals”.
Arguing with people who believe in
man’s superiority.
Men have descended and
degenerated.
E
The end of Structure.
Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
I.
Text Analysis
Further Discussion
Do you have any idea why Mark Twain became
more and more bitter in his later years?
What is the Darwinian theory?
Is Mark Twain serious when he says that he has
done many months of painstaking and fatiguing
work in the London Zoological Garden?
What effect do you think Mark Twain hopes to
achieve with this mock seriousness?
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To be continued on the next page.
Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
I.
Text Analysis
Further Discussion
How does the author contrast human beings with
other animals?
How would you describe the image of human
beings under the author’s pen?
Would you say that the human race has changed
for the better or for the worse?
How is this essay organized?
Is this article written in a colloquial and informal
way?
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The end of Further Discussion.
Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
II.
Writing Device
Euphemism
…in 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
eggs
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To be continued on the next page.
Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
II.
Writing Device
Euphemism
Euphemism:
a substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive
expression for one that may offend or
suggest something unpleasant
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To be continued on the next page.
Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
II.
Writing Device
Euphemism: more examples
old people
-- senior citizens
fat people
-- weight-watchers
penniless
-- out of pocket
the poor
--
the underprivileged
not studying seriously -- academic
disengagement
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The end of Writing Device.
For appreciation.
Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
III. Sentence Paraphrase 1
I 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)
For reference
I have been studying the characteristics
of the so-called lower animals in
comparison with those of man. The result
of this study makes me, as a man, feel
terribly ashamed.
go to 2
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To be continued on the next page.
Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
III. Sentence Paraphrase
1. traits and dispositions:
characteristics; features; nature
2. humiliating: making me feel ashamed;
embarrassing
back to 1
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Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
III. Sentence Paraphrase 2
That is to say, I have subjected every postulate
that presented itself to the crucial test of
actual experiment. (Para. 2)
(fml) assumption;
theory
that happens or
exists
In other words, I have put every theory
or hypothesis there is to the decisive test
of actual experiment.
go to 3
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Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
III. Sentence Paraphrase 3
… 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)
to do sth. to punish sb.
who has harmed you
to think about sth. for a
long time because it
makes you angry or
worried
… among the animals man is the only one that
remembers insults and injuries, thinks about them
for a long time, waits until a chance comes up and
then takes revenge.
go to 4
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Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
III. Sentence Paraphrase 4
Man—when he is King John, with a
nephew to render untroublesome, he uses
a red-hot iron; (Para. 9)
to cause sb. to become
untroublesome;to prevent sb.
from making trouble for him
In the case of King John who
wanted to get rid of his nephew
he used a red-hot iron to torture
him.
go to 5
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Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
III. Sentence Paraphrase 5
…in 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 eggs
Mark Twain is satirizing the fact that under the
English law at that time, a mother’s life was
worth only one peasant egg because the latter
was considered private property.
go to 6
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Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
III. Sentence Paraphrase 6
The higher animals engage in individual
fights, but never in organized masses. Man
is the only one that deals in the atrocity of
atrocities, War. (Para. 10)
to participate in
the greatest or the
worst atrocity
The higher animals fight as individuals, but
unlike man, they never fight wars. (They
never organize armies to fight each other.)
go to 7
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Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
III. Sentence Paraphrase 7
… and in the intervals between campaigns he
washes the blood off his hands and—works for
“the universal brotherhood of man”—with his
mouth. (Para. 13)
the idea that all living
human beings are brothers
and sisters to each other
… 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.
go to 8
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Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
III. Sentence Paraphrase 8
Man is the Religious Animal. He is the only
Religious Animal. He is the only animal that has the
True Religion—several of them. (Para. 14)
Man claims to be the only animal capable of
religious belief. Religion of course is considered
here something much more important and noble
than animal instincts because it emphasizes the
spiritual and moral life of human beings. But Mark
Twain sneers at this because the different
religions in the world have resulted in endless
religious suppressions, persecutions and wars.
go to 9
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Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
III. Sentence Paraphrase 9
Man is the Reasoning Animal. Such is the
claim. I think it is open to dispute. (Para. 15)
If sth. is open to dispute, it
means that it is not certain
and you can argue about it.
Human beings say that they are the only
animals who have reasoning power (who can
think). But I think this is rather doubtful (or:
debatable).
go to 10
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Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
III. Sentence Paraphrase 10
These Reasoning Animals had disagreed on a
theological detail and carried the matter to a
Higher Court. (Para. 17)
These so-called reasoning animals had
had a quarrel over a minor point in
theology and had decided to go to
Heaven (to kill each other) to ask God to
settle the matter.
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The end of Sentence Paraphrase.
Lesson 15—The Damned Human Race
Part Three
This is the end
of Part Three.
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