Assignment 6- Choices

The first observation that I had made was seeing Taxidermy as a cultural Taboo and how they evolved into an art. As I read the beginning of the essay I came over 2 quotes, "The deer  came in heards, in carloads, and on pallets" and "There were millions of eyes, boxes, and bowls; of them some as small as a lentil, and some as big as a poached egg" (Orlean 1). I was extremely disgusted by the detail Orlean gives about the amount of dead deer because it sounded as if the deer were being slaughtered for one's own personal gain which I believe is wrong. I think that killing animals for one's own sake is sick and they deserve to rot in jail. I absolutely love animals and to hear such gruesome and careless descriptions of deer hide and animal eyes makes me upset. Orlean also referred Taxidermy as a "black art, and a wholly owned subsidery of witchcraft and voodoo" (2). I think that Orlean was trying to relate how she percieved taxidermy to be an art of the dark side befor she learned of about the rtue purpose that it serves which is to preserve animals in almost a lifelike way. I think that Orlean appealed to us who are learning about the morbid details of Taxidermy in order for us to channel those strong feelings into understanding and appreciating Taxidermy as an art that preserves those sacred moments in nature that one may never be able to witness.

Another choice that Orlean makes is giving some history on how Taxidermy has developed into an art form. "Then in the late nineteen-sixties, a transformation began: the business stearted to seem cleaner and less creepy" (Orlean 2). This confirms that people saw Taxidermy as a very horrifying and messy thing to take part in. She describes it as "morbid" because it was extremely unsanitery to dabble and mess around with animals let alone the dead. I felt weirded out by this idea that people would even dare to make hands on contact with dead animal carcasses. It's kind of sickening and it makes me detes the idea of being something good. "The popular culture also gained respect for this messy and morbid ar" (Orlean 2). As a result, schools began to open, competitions were being held, and word was spreading like wildfire about Taxidermy (Orlean 2).  The art of Taxidermy takes extreme skills and a meticulous eye to master. Orlean gives context in order to persuade her readers that Taxidermy means more than playing with dead animals. It means bringing back those precious momens of the past like the "two tree sparrows who were so lifelike that they looked as if they were going to fly away" (Orlean 6) I think that the background of the development of Taxidermy as an skillfull art was given in order to demonsrate the growing appreciation for animals and the purpose that they serve nature.

I had noticed that Orlean uses eccentricity in her essay in order to portray the overwhelming love that people have for Taxidermy. A quote that caught my eye said, "I love deer. Thay are my babies" (Orlean 2). Reading this quote alone, allowed me to feel that this woman or man was crazy. This person sounds like a complete nut who escaped from a mental institution. When I reread it, I began to feel the extreme amount of admiration tha was felt by this person. Maybe the deer was a pet or an animal that this person cared for all of the animal's life. I definitely understand more and know what it's like to develope such a strong bond with your pet and then lose them. Sometime one may even wish that they would always be with you forever. "You want it to be perfect. You're trying to make something come back to life" (Orlean 6). I feel as if his quote embodies the idea that Orlean is persuading us into considering Taxidermy as not a black art but an art meant to bring life back to the lifeless and make its beauty last forever. I believe that the eccentricity expressed by extreme animal lovers was interepreted throughout this text in order to allow people to express their admiration for animals and to appreciate them.