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.

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?

Sedaris CP

I feel that Sedaris pointed out the judgments that people make about others in order to show that we often make uncalled for judgments because he wants people to change and be more accepting of one another.

Assignment 4: Choices

            I feel that Sedaris wrote this article at a pinnacle point in time to show us that despite major changes that are being accepted we still cut down the little things. It pulls on the major changes that were going on. An African American man was in the white house as president, gays could be open in the military, states had begun to pass laws allowing gay marriage.  All of these major controversial issues are ongoing yet people still find it necessary to judge people on pointless qualities such as, their clothes, hair style, decision to have children. I think Sedaris wanted the reader to realize there are more important things in the world than being concerned with someone's clothing choice.

           Throughout Sedaris' paper he has jokes hidden between the lines. This gives the reader something to snicker at and to focus on while reading the paper. I know that while I was reading this article I like the sarcastic little jokes that were sprinkled in. It made me want to keep going as I was reading the article. I think that he did this to give his article comedic relief. Talking about how rudely people treat others can be a depressing topic but by adding in jokes Sedaris makes it serious but without the weight.

            I feel that Sedaris purposely put his article into a magazine to broaden his audience. Working in a grocery store every other person is tossing a magazine (or three) into their cart. The tpe of person varies from little old grandma to a 12 year old sneaking one in. When Sedaris decided to put his article in a magazine he knew that it would reach a larger group of people than if he just stuck it on a hidden internet blog. This allowed Sedaris to reach more people.

Assignment 4

          I feel that Sedaris may have written this article to express to people that how they act is grotesque. People generally judge one another at face value without even trying to get to know them.

          Obama was elected as president right before this article was written, gay rights was and still is an ongoing and controversial issue, teenage pregnancy is an ever going battle between morals and mistakes. During this article Sedaris hits on some of these topics. I feel that he did this to make the reader think about how they look at other people and judge them on such moot things. He wants the readers to actually look at the person. Not the color of their skin, what they wear, who they voted for, or what God they pray (or don't) to.

         The airport is a very diverse place to be with all kinds of people coming and going. I feel that may have been Sedaris' reasoning behind writing the article at an airport. In the article some men are discussing their own views and their distaste for the new president. Sedaris sits quietly and listens. This gives readers an example of how people can be judged based on their political views. He also draws the comparison between the "well-dressed" grandmother and her grandchildren versus the teenaged parents, the father having obscenities on his shirt really stands out.

         A diverse group of people read magazines. By publishing it in a magazine Sedaris would probably have had the ability to reach more people than just putting it online. He also wrote his article for The New Yorker, which is online and in paper print. Not to mention a highly respected magazine. So I think that Sedaris chose a magazine that puts its articles online as well so that he could reach as many people as possible. People in college tend to read magazines a lot as well. This could have been another strategy for Sedaris. College students like to learn about the world and are highly impressionable. By reaching out to them people could change a lot of things. I know that this article spoke to me and really reinforced my thoughts about not judging a book by its cover.

Assignment 3

I feel that Sedaris wrote this article to poke fun at how judgmental people are. People constantly are mean and talk about others based on their clothes or hair. A strangers clothes or hair is not going to affect another person in any way yet it seems like a necessity to point out someone who differs from ourselves. For example when people get angry at weather conditions that create delays they take it out on employees who have no control over the situation.

 I think Sedaris wanted readers to think about how they look at and treat others. Realizing how he emphasizes the judgments the people around him make and how he does as well makes me think that. I know there have been times that I get mad at a situation and will take it out on a person who has no control over the problem. I know that I have seen others do the same thing to people and have had it done to me at my job as a customer service representative.

I think Sedaris wanted people to feel weird and guilty while reading his article. It makes you look at how you treat people and feel bad about some of the choices you may have made. I think he wants people to change how they treat others and be more nice. It made me think about my actions more.

Is Mr. Mustache the same person as Adolf Hitler?

Why did he make that comparison?

Standing By

David Sedaris’ “Standing By” on pages 275-277 in the First Year Composition Reader. 

In David Sedaris' "Standing By", Sedaris gives an account of his experience in an airport. It is a comedic article based on how we judge each other on appearances. Sedaris observes the people around him. In front of him there is a family with teen parents, behind a couple of males complaining about the wait in line and how they feel Barack Obama has ruined the country.  Next his attention turns to an elderly woman with her two grandchildren. They are both dress pristine and appear to be better than the teen parents dressed in clothes with obscenities and greasy dredlocks. After drifting off and taking a nap, Sedaris wakes up and is in an irritable mood. He complains along with all of the other customers who are angry about the delays and oversold flights. Soon there is an announcement over the loud speakers asking for a "Mr. Adolf Hitler". Sedaris cannot help but wonder why on earth someone would name their child or keep the name of Hitler. Trying to ignore it her cannot help but hear it once again over the speakers.