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; therefore, inspiring other philosophers and humanitarians to share Twain's ideal with laughter. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay Although Twain writes satirically about humanity's many social problems, the amount of gruesome and macabre imagery is found throughout much of his entire essay. . Twain states, “He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself and cuts his throat if his theology is not honest” (par. 14). 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." » (para. 11). 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; moreover, humanity claims to be “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 on hand a multitude of uniformed assassins at great expense to seize slices of other countries and prevent them from s 'to take slices of his own' (Twain par.13). Twain scowls at patriotic thoughts and those who blindly follow the ideal of patriotism. Twain states that no matter how wrong or right 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 the most important factor against his intelligence to be the fact that with this record he quietly presents himself as the chief animal of the lot: while by his own standards he is the last" (Twain par. 15) . 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 elicits a sense of anger and self-awareness over his actions and how patriotism affects them as humans..