Assignment 8

What stood out to me is how some of the other student's picked up on the idea that Orlean had subtly through her own opinion about Taxidermy in her essay rather than just making it seem that as a writer and a reporter that she is just a one-sided person. She says "there were animal-mannequins blank faced and brooding, earless and eyeless and utterly bald, ghostly gray duikers and spectral pine martens and black-bellied tree ducks from some other world" (Orlean 1). I get the subtle hint of her opinion that taxidermy pieces are weird and creepy as she uses words such as "blank faced," "ghostly," and "utterly." On the other hand, my attention is still drawn in because I feel like Orlean is presenting interesting details which create mental images of the ducks, deer heads, and many other animals that the Taxidermists at this convention are making. At first I had not noticed that Orlean often played on people's feelings about Taxidermy throughout her text. For example she says "an entire exhibit hall was filled with equipment, all the gear required to bring something dead back to life" (Orlean 1). I think that this quote gives off a feeling of surprise that people who dislike mistreatment of animals could relate to but as a reader they could appreciate reliving or seeing the beauty in dead animals again. I think that other readers may have picked up on this sooner than be myself because they didn't necessarily read the entire text with the opinion that Taxidermy is horrible and nothing can ever change my opinion about that. This shows that reading with an open mind will allow one as a writer to be more credible and to grow and develop good writing skills. I often found myself reading with a one-tracked mind and not necessarily seeing or understanding both sides. In my Assignment 5, I was so hung onto the idea that Taxidermy was disgusting and how against it I was that I didn't really understand the text until I sat back and just thought about it from the point of view of a person who does enjoy Taxidermy not as a sport  but as an admiration for animals. I said that "Not all people of every culture adopt the same or similar values so it is possible to expect that such a controversial act would be seen as an act of great artistry." Knowing this, I reread the text and Orlean's purpose was then becoming clear to me and also some of her writerly choices.I will go about writing my next essay by keeping an open mind to allow me to understand and make clear writerly choices to help the reader understand Orlean's text but to gauge who I am as a writer.


In my first essay, I thought about my audience as people coming into a different environment that they are new to and therefore just want to explore and get to know it. Sometimes. as human beings, when we are exploring new people, situations and environments we often do not hear what we are really saying or doing. One movement of a body part can say a lot about who one truly is when they are taken out of their comfort zone. In my Lifelike essay, I will think about my audience as students who are learning about Taxidermy and it's purpose for being around. I want my audience to feel an appreciation and respect for animals, not because they are dead, but because they are great pieces of art that can express feelings of love and admiration for them. I would describe my tone as surprised but also curious. I myself didn't know much about Taxidermy and I felt like reading Lifelike gave me a knew perspective and understanding of what it really was and the purpose that it served. I think that what sets my essay apart from other people's essay is the different ideas that I may have then other people. It may bring interest to my readers about who I am as I writer and will lead them to read more.