The Distinctive Characteristics of Human Beings

The Distinctive Characteristics of Human Beings

The two readings selected compared the distinctive characteristics of human beings. Humans are fascinating creatures with many variations if compared with their fellow human beings or with other creatures such as animals. The two authors wanted to bring out this characteristic by comparing them with their fellow human beings and animals. Humans can be seen as ordinary creatures, but there is a lot hidden in their bodies and minds. Their way of thinking and doing things explains these differences. Our assignment writing help is at affordable prices to students of all academic levels and disciplines.

Deborah Tannen addresses the variations of human beings in terms of their communication methods, which involve listening and speaking. She argues that men and women are different in the way they communicate and fail to understand these differences, contributing to the increased divorce cases experienced in the US. She explores how men and women communicate and why there is a lot of misunderstanding in marriages. The perception and idea of communication between the two genders are different. For example, she stresses that women like maintaining eye contact while communicating, whereas men avoid frequent eye contact although they listen keenly. Another difference notable in the article is the basis of communication, where females love to express their feelings, emotions, and expressions. At the same time, men are more concerned about less talking and more about doing (Tannen, 1990).

Richard Nordquist, on the other hand, compares human beings with animals. The notion that human beings are animals necessitated Mark Twain to address the differences between them. He claims that there are many differences between human beings and that they appear to be inferior to all animals, hence the article “The Lowest Animal.” This article has been used satirically to show how humans are supposed to be at the peak in the animals’ hierarchy and occupy the lowest rank instead. He proves the features of humans that make them different from other animals and why he calls them lower animals, a position that should otherwise be occupied by animals such as ants and bees. The main reason for calling human beings lower animals is that they have advanced brains that differentiate them from other animals. Still, their actions, compared to those of other animals, portray otherwise. He gives a series of examples of how humans are different from the rest of the animals. One notable example is that humans, unlike animals, engage in wars that involve gathering their brothers to attack an enemy. In contrast, higher animals only engage in individual fights (Nordquist, 2020).

The two articles show the human characters from different perspectives.

References

Nordquist, R. (2020, August 26). The Lowest Animal by Mark Twain: The Cat is Innocent, the     Man is not. Retrieved from ThoughCo.: https://www.thoughtco.com/the-lowest-animal-    by-mark-twain-1690158

Tannen, D. (1990). Sex, Lies, and Conversation. The Washington Post.

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Each of the readings for this module introduced an author who made clear distinctions between two things that otherwise might be seen as equal — equal terms, equal genders, and equal animals. Yet the emphasis of each article is on the differences between those two nearly equal things. Consider any two of your three readings and explain the differences between the approaches the authors took. You could discuss their arguments, their styles, their conclusions, or anything else about what they wrote. How are the two author’s articles work differently?

The Distinctive Characteristics of Human Beings

Your answer should consist of a well-developed paragraph, which means your first sentence should answer the question(s) (i.e., topic sentence), and the following sentences should support the topic sentence. The paragraph should be unified and coherent with specific supporting details or examples from the story. The sentences should be clear, concise, and arranged in a logical order. Transitions, pronouns, and repetition should be used to provide coherence. The paragraph should follow a compare-and-contrast format. from the Prentice Hall Reader: “Comparison and Contrast,” up to (but not including) the student essay
at least two of the following:
John H. McWhorter, “Why I’m Black, Not African American” (in the Blair Reader)
“Sex, Lies, and Conversation” by Deborah Tannen
“The Lowest Animal” by Mark Twain
And these chapters from the Prentice Hall Reference Guide:
“Comma Splices and Fused Sentences”
“Sentence Fragments”