Assignment 5

       Orlean's topic is to inform people about her trip to a national taxidermy. In contrast he purpose is to inform people about what taxidermy actually is ad to help remove the negative stigma that surrounds taxidermy. "Otherwise, the room was Biblically tranquil, the lion at last lying down with the Corsican lamb, the family of jackdaws in everlasting, unrequited pursuit of a big green beetle, and the stillborn Bengal-tiger cub magically revived, its face in an eternal snarl, alive-looking although it had never lived." This quotes really made me think about how taxidermy can bring organisms to life even when they had passed.

       I think that Orlean wanted those who were reading her article to begin to view taxidermy as a socially acceptable practice and not some taboo hobby for creeps. "So who wants to be a taxidermist? "I was a meat cutter for fifteen years," a taxidermist from Kentucky said to me. "That whole time, no one ever said to me,'Boy, that was a wonderful steak you cut me.' Now I get told all the time what a great job I've done." Even regular people who have other jobs can be into taxidermy and do remarkable work with animals. I think that Orlean wanted people to know that taxidermy can be anyone's passion.

       Reading "Lifelike" opened my eyes to the world of taxidermy. I always thought of taxidermy as people going out, killing animals, and seeing them as trophies, so they would stuff them. Reading this I now realize that taxidermy is about preserving and respecting animals. I think that Orlean wanted to take the negative stigma away from taxidermy and make it a less creepy subject for people.

1- Is Orlean a closet taxidermist? Is someone she is close with into taxidermy and ostracized?
2- Would people who love animals be more open to taxidermy after reading this article?