H. G. Moreau Analysis

Walt Whitman, one of the most famous poets in America, wrote “why do I need your paces when I myself out-gallop them?” (line 25). Through this line of poetry, Whitman was able to portray to his audience that humans have an anthropocentric view, meaning that humans see themselves as the center of existence. Anthropocentrism has humans at the top of the scale, and animals below them, when they should be equal, considering both are living creatures. Walt Whitman and H.G. Wells both wrote with relation to this thought and show that they do not agree with this hierarchy. In H.G. Wells novel, The Island of Dr. Moreau, anthropocentrism is a common concept that is shown through animal abuse, speciesism, and societal rankings on the island. On the island, Dr. Moreau conducted experiments with animals, that would be considered harmful and abusive. The doctor studied vivisection, which is performing experimentation on a living creature, for his own scientific advancement. In the novel, Dr. Moreau tries to

The dog ended up falling through the ice and “it had wet its forefeet and legs, and almost immediately the water that clung to it turned to ice” (London 29). The man was not concerned with what happened to the dog and used him to see if the ice was too thin, for the man to walk on. Both situations show strong speciesism, because the animals are discriminated against, and have no say in what is taking place. The relation between speciesism and anthropocentrism is the thought process humans have. Humans give animals less moral consideration, than other humans because they believe that animals are lower on the totem pole. This is anthropocentrism because the human is ranking themselves as the most important living creature, and this unhealthy thought process leads to destruction and