Unit-the-damned-human-ra英文教学课件.ppt

Unit 9 The Damned Human RaceBy Mark Twain Warm-up Activity Brainstorming: 1. Whats your translation of the title? (page 231, exercise 4, question 5) 2. At the first sight of the title, what do you think this article is about? What turns out to be? (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 (thesis statement).) 3. What makes Mark Twain choose this topic and write this way? Background of the essay 1. Both as a humorist and as an essayist of serious ideas, Mark Twain is an honest and thorough critic who always brings a fresh perspective to things which are all too often taken for granted. 2. To have a better understanding of this essay, it is perhaps necessary to go back to the 1890s, a period which was dark and gloom for Mark Twain. To Mark Twain, who had always been concerned with the problem of human conscience, these things revealed the terrible deficiencies of the human race. To remedy this deplorable situation, he began to use his pen as a sharp lance to pierce the boils of human pomposity ([pɑm?pɑs?t?]: vanity, snobbery, pretense). It is wrong to think that he has lost hope for the human race and has become completely cynical, for behind all the bitterness is a warm and humane heart. Mark Twain does not really believe that human beings are incurably cruel, greedy and wicked. Otherwise he would not have bothered to write those essays. He writes about ugly human traits and dispositions precisely because he thinks human beings are capable of mending their ways if they can open their eyes to their own weaknesses and understand the conditions that give rise to them and nurture them. In other words, his policy is to frighten in order to enlighten. Structure of the text Structure of the text Role-play Work in pairs and exchange your views on one of the following questions. 1. How do you feel about Twains view? Do