Mark Twain, experiencing the horrors ranging from the Civil War to the racial and religious unrest experienced in the late 1800s; this somewhat gruesome time prompts Twain to write his satirical philosophical essay "The Lowest Animal" simultaneously using macabre imagery while humorously exaggerating throughout the essay. Twain's writings overturn the common belief of Darwinism to establish that the nature of humans may be inferior to that of animals; hence, prompting other philosophers and humanitarians to share Twain's ideal with laughter. Although Twain writes satirically about humanity's many social issues, the amount of gruesome and macabre imagery is found throughout much of his entire essay. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Twain says, “He is the only animal who loves his neighbor as himself and will cut his throat if his theology is not honest.” Stating that humanity places its own beliefs above its neighbors and will even go so far as to kill them if their ideals are not shared between the two. Twain also states: "There is not an acre of land on the globe which is in the possession of its rightful owner, or which has been taken from owner after owner, cycle after cycle, by force and bloodshed." ". This means that humanity is "the only animal that steals" for its own satisfaction of possessing valuables that it does not rightfully own, and in a savage manner it will kill or harm its fellows to possess all that which they want. Twain provokes a feeling of disgust by using macabre imagery to demonstrate how humans engage in brutal actions that deviate from their ideals and desires; furthermore, humanity prides itself on being the “best” of all. Twain addresses serious social issues, while laughing throughout his writings. “He stands out in his country, under his own flag, and mocks other nations, and keeps a multitude of uniformed assassins on hand at great expense to seize slices of other countries and prevent them from grab slices of his own.” Twain scowls at thoughts of patriotism and those who blindly follow the ideal of patriotism. Twain states that no matter how right or wrong their country is, patriots will promote their country as if it were the best. “His track record is the fantastic track record of a maniac. I consider that the most unfavorable factor for his intelligence is the fact that with his background, he quietly presents himself as the main animal of the lot: while according to his own criteria, he is the last. After Twain points out humanity's problems, he mocks humanity's view of itself as "the highest animal." It satirizes the fact that man is the most brutal, selfish and ignorant of all species; therefore, humans are the lowest animal. Twain brings about a sense of anger and self-consciousness towards their actions and how patriotism affects them as human beings. Works CitedTwain, M. (1896). The lowest animal. Harper's Magazine, 93(559), 171-178. Fishkin, S. F. (2010). Mark Twain's America. Oxford University Press. Railsback, B. (2008). Mark Twain: A Brief Introduction. John Wiley & Sons. Budd, L.J. (2017). Mark Twain: social philosopher. University of Missouri Press. Hill, H. B. (1997). Mark Twain and the Jumping Frog: the origins of a literary legend. University of Missouri Press. Coyne, J. C. (2012). Mark Twain: The Development of a Writer. University of Missouri Press. Rasmussen, R. K. (2004). Mark Twain from A to Z:.