It is okay sometimes to kill animals .
The story took animal rights to far .
When it comes to protecting animals, Animal Rights Activists serve a great purpose. However, when it comes down to breaking the law, or bothering others in the process, they have gone too far. In the story of "Carnal Knowledge" by T. Corghessan Boyal, a man, Jim, becomes romantically involved with an animal rights activist, Alena. What he was not prepared for though, are the challenges that he faces in the relationship. While reading the story, I found myself not agreeing with the things that Alena did, and the way she went about them. .
In the story, when Jim and Alena were talking about Thanksgiving, the author wrote, "The animals don't have a whole lot to be thankful for, that's for sure. It's just an excuse for the meat industry to butcher a couple million turkeys, is all it is." (296, all page reference is to the class text. The Bedford Introduction to Literature, 6th ed.) I feel that this comment is a little too extreme. Animals are in the food chain as well as humans and plants. The earth is built of living organisms that survive off of each other. Since the beginning of time, humans, as well as other animals, kill each other to survive live. It's just a part of life.
I"ll admit that it is not always right appropriate to kill animals. I believe that hunting as a sport is cruel, or harming animals for no apparent reason is wrong. Testing is another issue that I am uncertain about. If the animals were used to test new drugs to help cure diseases or cancer, I could understand that. In the case of the story, where Alena explains how her dog was used to test booties for a company, she says "They used eighty grit sandpaper on the treads to accelerate the process Alf was one of the dogs without booties". (293) I feel that that is just cruel. .
I think Alena and Jim had taken the animal rights role a little too far. She forced her beliefs on other people.
Analysis" "Carnal Knowledge"" by T.C. Boyle revolves around a young man named Jim who decides to take a "sick day"" from work to enjoy his 30th birthday at the beach. It just happens to be two weeks before Thanksgiving. Little does he know that this relaxing day will change into a whirlwind of...
The recognition of animal sentience begs the question: should sentient animals have rights? ... The rights further mentioned are rights that apply specifically to animals, such as the right to life and the right to be free from torture, not societal rights that encompass only humans. ... Animal rights laws that were passed fifty years ago no longer adhere to modern scientific research as it applies to the sentience of animal species and the treatment of animals with the rights that they are entitled to, much like man is legally entitled to rights and liberties. ... There are those who believe...
It seems like we have forgotten about animals' rights and freedoms so much that we have captured, caged and inbred them solely for our own entertainment. ... According to the Humane Society of the United States animal cruelty can either be deliberate abuse or a simple failure to care properly for an animal. ... Animals don't have written rights like humans because of course they can't agree to them but does that mean that they don't deserve have any? ... Stephen Bostock, the author of Zoos and Animal Rights: The Ethics of Keeping Animals says that "the rule should be ...
Since animals do not have the same cognitive abilities as humans have, therefore animals are not part of the human moral community and should not be granted human rights. Without the human rights, animals are allowed to be used for research. Animal experimentation is ethical because humans have a higher moral status than animals and animals lack human rights. ... By expanding scientists' knowledge about diseases, can help researchers create a cure and benefit humans from that disease. ... Animals do not have certain human rights therefore it is acceptable to experiment on animals. ...
Violations of animal rights and animal welfare laws are very common throughout the world. ... The difference between animal rights and animal welfare is one focus' on whether or not animals "deserve a certain level of protection from pain caused by humans" (Animal Rights). ... Animal rights is based on the idea that animals and people should be equal and Animal Welfare is the idea that animals deserve the same protection people have against maltreatment or abuse. ... Animals are protected by animal welfare laws which give them the rights to be protected against any pain influen...
Animal rights activists form groups that try to stop animal testing while scientists around the world argue that it is an important procedure that has led to many discoveries. ... But the EPA tested arsenic enriched water on laboratory animals for over twenty years and killed hundreds of thousands of animals only to prove what was already known. Many scientists prefer animal tests as opposed to non-animal tests even though "non-animal tests are often faster, cheaper, and their results are less subject to manipulation [ ]"(Sandler 46). ... Gina Solomon from the NRDC does not agree with t...
Animal rights activists form groups that try to stop animal testing while scientists around the world argue that it is an important procedure that has led to many discoveries. ... But the EPA tested arsenic enriched water on laboratory animals for over twenty years and killed hundreds of thousands of animals only to prove what was already known. Many scientists prefer animal tests as opposed to non-animal tests even though "non-animal tests are often faster, cheaper, and their results are less subject to manipulation [ ]"(Sandler 46). ... Gina Solomon from the NRDC does not agree with t...
Animal Rights: To Test or Not to Test? ... Recently, many animal rights activists have turned their focus to animal experimentation, which has become one of today's largest controversies. Many animal rights activists see their fight against animal experimentation as a simple matter of moral duty, of ethics, or even of religious obligation. ... Accepted knowledge that by nature, animals lack the same motor skills and brain power that humans are born with (37) justifies the ideas that, " It is [man's] duty to use his knowledge for the welfare of animals" (Singer 20). ... The vo...
