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A Change Of Heart About Animals Essay

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When you think of animals you always think about how much you distaste them or how cute they looked in a video you saw on Youtube. You never would think about the mistreatment animals face whether it is in their own environment or in a laboratory. Some people refuse to acknowledge the mistreatment of animals, but that does not make the problem go away. That is why animals need something to protect them from the unjust they face.Animals need a Bill of Rights to protect them from neglect, unnecessary experiments and humiliation, and have a right to live freely in their natural habitat.

In the article “A Change of Heart about Animals” Jeremy Rifkin includes ideas that support the argument that a Bill of Rights will protect animals from being neglected and uncared for by their owners or caretakers. When discussing studies regarding pigs’ social …show more content…

In the introduction of the article Braithwaite expresses, “ Every year, sportsmen around the world drag millions of fish to shore by barbed hooks.” (Braithwaite, 1).
Fish are taken out of the bodies of water they call home to either be eaten by people or just to be used for sport in sportfishing. Instead of being able to swim peacefully fish are taken out of their natural habitat for other people’s benefit. Towards the beginning of the article Braithwaite claims, “ Incredibly, no one ever seems to have asked before whether fish have neuroreceptors around their mouths.” (Braithwaite, 1). Fish are used as sport because a lot of people tend to believe that fish do not feel pain, but they actually do. People take animals for advantage because we do not know everything about them and their environment. Fish and other animals deserve the right to live freely in their own environment without being disturbed for unjust

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One night in the short story “The Bass, The River, and Sheila Mant” written by W.D. Wetherell, the narrator realized that doing what he loves and being who he truly is comes before any significant person in his life. The narrator was obsessed with both Sheila Mant and fishing so if he wasn’t thinking about one it would be the other. On the way down to their date, the narrator found out that Sheila Mant thought fishing was stupid and boring while he could not live without it. During the story, the narrator decided to let down a fishing line while Sheila was not paying attention and this is where he started to face a dilemma. He realized that “Sheila began talking about something else, but all my attention was taken up now with the fish” (Wetherell

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If fish acted like our other domesticated animals like dogs and cried when a barbed hook was in their mouth, would we still inflict pain towards them? Victoria Braithwaite, a behavioral biologist, says that fish are more complex than we first expected. In her article, “Hooked On a Myth,” she explains how fish have nociceptors in their bodies that make them act differently when they are in stress and pain. She reinforces her ideas through her writing with the uses of reasoning, tone, and deduction. The use of rhetoric convinces readers the ethicality of how we treat fish.

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Kathryn on the other hand, feels the pressure or desire to leave, but she seems to push back against her current. The fish merely drift along with “passive grace” forcing nothing, and Kathryn “feels wise” as she observes them. Feeling “wise,” as defined in Merriam-Webster online, means Kathryn feels that looking at the trout gives her the capacity for sound judgement. Hence, the trout’s passive drift and trueness to the current is what Kathryn feels is right. This reveals her desire to “drift” or move on with the

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In the op-ed piece “A Change of Heart about Animals”, Jeremy Rifkin emphasizes the similarities between humans and animals by providing results on scientific research studies to illustrate that humans should be more empathetic towards animals. In addition, he further explains how research results have changed the ways humans perceived animals and indicates solutions that were taken by other countries and organizations to help improve and protect animal rights. Rifkin provides examples that demonstrate animals have emotions, conceptual abilities, self awareness, and a sense of individualism just like humans. For example, Pigs crave for affection and get depressed easily when isolated, two birds Betty and Abel have tool making skills, Koko

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In “Indian Horse,” the act of capturing and releasing fish back into the water is used to symbolize the loss and reconnection of Indigenous culture. During one afternoon, Saul and a dozen of other kids escaped from the residential school and made their way to a ridge, in which they used burlap bags to capture and release fish. Through this experience, they were reminded of their past and how much they’ve lost, which is shown in the quote, “We fell asleep that night with our noses pressed to our hands and as the days went by and the smell of those suckers faded, there wasn’t a one of us that didn’t cry for the loss of the life we’d known before” (Wagamese, Pg. 54). The memories associated with this event showcase the emotional impact of the loss of cultural heritage and traditional ways of life due to trauma caused by residential schools. Additionally, the act of capturing and releasing the fish relates to the process of reconciliation as they reconnect with and reclaim their Indigenous culture, which are necessary steps towards reconciliation.

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The documentary “Blackfish” focused on killer whales in captivity, specifically Tilikum; a wild orca who was caught and exposed to captivity and its environment which eventually lead him to violently turn on his trainers at SeaWorld and even took some of their lives. This documentary examines how the difference from living in sea life to captivity can cause these whales and orcas to live up to their names. Blackfish discusses and argues how life in captivity for these whales is cruel and dangerous, not only for the whales but for their trainers as well. The information throughout this documentary was all painful to watch in my view, but it also had a positive approach.

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In Jeremy Rifkin’s article, “A Change of Heart about Animals”, he argues that animals have feelings and emotions and are more similar to humans than expected. This claim is true and Rifkin has strong evidence that proves his claim including how animals show a sense of self and are very intelligent. A study by the Washington National Zoo reports that “orangutans given mirrorrs explore parts of their bodies they can’t otherwise see, showing a sense of self” (Rifkin 10). This study supports Rifkin’s claim because this qualified study proves that animals have a sense of self. Animals are curious about their bodies and looks; when given the opportunity to see themselves, animals often inspect and groom their bodies.

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Therefore, we can easily surmise that the fishing is more than a trip to catch fish, but instead it's a trip for the patients to realize what means to be human

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In the article titled "A Change of Heart About Animals," (2003), author Jeremy Rifkin addresses that contrary to previous research and discovery, new breakthroughs in science are finding that animals are more comparable to humans than we once thought, and as a result, human empathy should be extended towards them. Rifkin supports his claim by providing numerous examples of studies that show capabilities of animals to make tools (crows), develop complex language skills (Gorilla), and present signs of self-awareness (Orangutan); things once believed only to be human characteristics (Rifkin 7, 8, 10). The author's purpose is to inform and convince the readers that empathy should be inclusive to all animals by providing a multitude of studies,

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According to the article in paragraph 6, the author states that just because fish are affected by pain, does that mean they actually “feel” the pain? Due to this statement, I believe fish are just to be

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