300 words-
Amanda Gorham
Professor Miller
English 110
H-5
What Is A Animal?
What makes our pets so loveable? Why is it when we see a dog or cat most would claim that they need at least two, but when they see a snake they turn their noses up? What determines what we think is worthy of our affection or a common “household pet” but in other cultures they can also be seen as a traditional meal? But how do we as a species determine what is a animal and what’s not? In Hal Herzog’s Animals Like Us Judith Black stated it was clear to her that dogs, cats, cows and pigs are but fish weren’t, they’re still living and breathing organisms and as fair as we can tell feel pain, so why do people not think of them as animals? Some might say because you cannot interact with it the same way you can with a dog or even a cat, but our bonds with animals in our lives can come from the most unexpected places. As Carolyn tells her story of how she found that bond as she fell head over heels with a 1,100 pound manatee named Snooty. As David Foster Wallace stated “there are limits to what even interested persons can ask of each other”. But what is too far when it comes to sharing our beliefs with others: is it out for us to change peoples diets and lives off of things we believe?
In Hal Herzog’s Animals Like Us he introduces the stories of two citizens and their experiences with animals and how some people might say they took their relationship with animals too far. The first story he introduced was that of Jim Thompson who was a 25 year old doctoral student in mathematics. Thompson worked in a laboratory where he would dispatch the baby chicks after they had undergone experiments, a job that had never bothered him in the past, until he read The Animal’s Agenda. The magazine advocated animal rights and changed Thompson’s life forever.
500 Words-
What Is A Animal?
What makes our pets so loveable? Why is it when we see a dog or cat most would claim that they need at least two, but when they see a snake they turn their noses up? What determines what we think is worthy of our affection or a common “household pet” but in other cultures they can also be seen as a traditional meal? But how do we as a species determine what is a animal and what’s not? In Hal Herzog’s Animals Like Us Judith Black stated it was clear to her that dogs, cats, cows and pigs are but fish weren’t, they’re still living and breathing organisms and as fair as we can tell feel pain, so why do people not think of them as animals? Some might say because you cannot interact with it the same way you can with a dog or even a cat, but our bonds with animals in our lives can come from the most unexpected places. As Carolyn tells her story of how she found that bond as she fell head over heels with a 1,100 pound manatee named Snooty. As David Foster Wallace stated “there are limits to what even interested persons can ask of each other”. But what is too far when it comes to sharing our beliefs with others: is it out for us to change peoples diets and lives off of things we believe?
In Hal Herzog’s Animals Like Us he introduces the stories of two citizens and their experiences with animals and how some people might say they took their relationship with animals too far. The first story he introduced was that of Jim Thompson who was a 25 year old doctoral student in mathematics. Thompson worked in a laboratory where he would dispatch the baby chicks after they had undergone experiments, a job that had never bothered him in the past, until he read The Animal’s Agenda. The magazine advocated animal rights and changed Thompson’s life forever. The change his life took started when he stopped eating meat but the change didn’t stop there “Over the next couple of months, Jim quit wearing leather shoes, and he pressured his girlfriend to go veg.” (Herzog 2?). Although Thompson is free to change his beliefs and ideas, but what is the limit to voicing his beliefs? If Thompson voiced his opinions to his girlfriend and she decided to change to veg, but is the fact that he pressured her into switching going too far? Why should others be able to tell others what to do because its something they believe in instead of being able to choose what they believe in for themselves. Another change Thompson’s life experienced was the stronger pull of emotion interfering with his logical thinking. One day looking at his beloved bird in a cage he decided that keeping her locked up was wrong and decided to release her saying it was the right thing to do, he later back tracked and added “I knew she wouldn’t survive, that she probably starved. I guess I was doing it for myself more than for her” (Herzog 2?).
