Assignment 6

      Orlean seems like she is trying to get the reader to open their eyes to taxidermy. She seems to be a decent narrator because she actually attended the convention that she talks about, she didn't just read about it online. She builds her ethos with the extensive history she provides about taxidermy. "
Taxidermy, the three-dimensional representation of animals for permanent display, has been around since the eighteenth century, but it was first brought into popular regard by the Victorians, who thrilled to all tokens of exotic travel and especially to any domesticated representations of wilderness -- the glassed-in miniature rain forest on the tea table, the mounted antelope by the front door. The original taxidermists were upholsterers who tanned the hides of hunting trophies and then plumped them up with rags and cotton, so that they reassumed their original shape and size; those early poses were stiff and simple, and the expressions fairly expressionless. The practice grew popular in this country, too: by 1882, there was a Society of American Taxidermists, which held annual meetings and published scholarly reports, especially on the matter of preparing animals for museum display." Reading this made me feel like Orlean had done her research and knew what she was talking about.

      The only part of her article that was questionable to me was all of the quotes that she used.
"I am in need of several pair of frozen goat feet!"
"Hi! I have up to 300 sets of goat feet and up to 1000 set of sheep feet per month. Drop me an email at frozencritters.com ....or give me a call and we can discuss your needs."
"I have a very nice small raccoon that is frozen whole. I forgot he was in the freezer. Without taking exact measurements I would guess he is about twelve inches or so -- very cute little one. Will make a very nice mount."
"Can I rinse a boar hide good and freeze it?"
"Bob, if it's salted, don't worry about it!"
"Can someone please tell me the proper way to preserve turkey legs and spurs? Thanks!"
"Brian, I inject the feet with PreservzIt ....Enjoy!"
 While I am sure she heard people talking I cannot help but wonder if these quotes are verbatim or what she remembered or wanted the reader to hear. Or did she tape record everything that was said? Did they give permission to be quoted? Did the people she used quotes from know their words would be published?

     I still feel that Orlean wants her readers to be more open to what people are interested in and do in their leisure time. She tries to get the reader to know that taxidermy is not killing and harming animals but preserving animals. "I like doing recreations of these endangered animals and extinct animals, since that's the only way anyone's going to have one" We wouldn't have dinosaurs in museums and other animals if it weren't for taxidermists doing their passion.

      I feel that Orlean put her article in a journal to just put the information out their for people to have. They would be able to just learn a lot from reading the article. She may have avoided publishing the story in a major place because it is a controversial topic that people may disagree over.