Project 3, Draft 1 (Around 300 words)
Brooke Parks
Professor Miller
English 110
H5
More Than Just a Lobster
In America, lobsters are seen as an elegant food, which are commonly priced at a higher price than other sea foods. However, this has not always been the way the food has been seen. David Foster Wallace, a famous American writer, discusses the lobster and how we treat the creature, especially when it comes to cooking. He starts his essay with the way our relationship with lobster have evolved. In the 1800s for example many American colonies made laws against eating lobsters because it was seen as “cruel and unusual, like making people eat rats” (Wallace, 55). Over time, lobsters have become a very popular summer food because lobster taste best when fresh. As a result, they have become a food that is killed right before it is eaten. Lobsters are one of the only foods that can be killed in front of a person without resistance from a person watching. In the Maine Lobster Festival, lobsters are killed and cooked right in front of the person who will be eating it. If another animal was treated like this, people would have a serious issue with it. If a person went to a restaurant to order a burger and was asked it pick the cow they wanted the burger to made from, the establishment would be shut down immediately. It would be in the news with people in disbelief about their act of animal cruelty. However, we the animals changes to a lobster, that is exactly what humans do. Humans are able to justify how they act due to their beliefs, and when logic interferes with common belief, people will either ignore the logic or respect the belief.
Project 3, Draft 2 (Around 500 words)
Brooke Parks
Professor Miller
English 110
H5
More Than Just a Lobster
In America, lobsters are seen as an elegant food, which are commonly priced at a higher price than other sea foods. However, this has not always been the way the food has been seen. David Foster Wallace, a famous American writer, discusses the lobster and how we treat the creature, especially when it comes to cooking. He starts his essay with the way our relationship with lobster have evolved. In the 1800s for example many American colonies made laws against eating lobsters because it was seen as “cruel and unusual, like making people eat rats” (Wallace, 55). Over time, lobsters have become a very popular summer food because lobster taste best when fresh. As a result, they have become a food that is killed right before it is eaten. Lobsters are one of the only foods that can be killed in front of a person without resistance from a person watching. In the Maine Lobster Festival, lobsters are killed and cooked right in front of the person who will be eating it. If another animal was treated like this, people would have a serious issue with it. If a person went to a restaurant to order a burger and was asked it pick the cow they wanted the burger to made from, the establishment would be shut down immediately. It would be in the news with people in disbelief about their act of animal cruelty. However, we the animals changes to a lobster, that is exactly what humans do. Humans are able to justify how they act due to their beliefs, and when logic interferes with common belief, people will either ignore the logic or respect the belief.
Hal Herzog is an anthrozoologists which is a person who studies the relationships that humans have with animals. In fact, he is one of the scientists who began this study. Herzog writes about the relationship humans have with food in, “Animals Like Us”. He explains how our interactions with animals are conflicted. There are some animals that humans love, like dogs and cats, but there are other animals that we do not consider to be as meaningful to us, such as fish or birds. Herzog introduces a man named Jim Thompson, who once had a job dispatching baby chicks at the end of experiments . However, he read an article that advocate animal rights, which completely changed his life. He stopped eating meat, quit his job, and released his pet cockatiel in the wild (Herzog, 2). In this case, Thompson respected the belief that all animals need to be treated as living creatures rather than food. When people make this change, they tend to change every aspect of their life. The person does not simply go vegetarian- it becomes apart of who they are.
When someone writes about these humans interactions with animals, it is almost assumed they are vegetarian. The person’s job is seeing how the relationships is conflicted. However, Herzog still eats meat, which seems hypocritical.
Project 3, Draft 3 (Around 1000 words)
Brooke Parks
Professor Miller
English 110 H5
27 November 2019
More Than Just a Lobster
In America, lobsters are seen as an elegant food, which are commonly priced at a higher price than other sea foods. However this has not always been the way that lobsters have been seen. David Foster Wallace, a famous American writer, discusses lobsters and how we treat the creature, especially when it comes to cooking. He explains the way our relationship with lobster have evolved. Wallace shows how in the 1800s many American colonies made laws against eating lobsters because it was seen as “cruel and unusual, like making people eat rats” (Wallace, 499). Now, lobsters are seen as a delicacy, not a punishment. Over time, lobsters have become a very popular summer food because lobster taste best when fresh. Since lobsters are caught during the summer, they become a popular meal during this time. As a result, they have become a food that is killed right before it is eaten. Lobsters are one of the only foods that can be killed in front of a person without resistance from a person watching. In the Maine Lobster Festival, lobsters are killed and cooked right in front of the person who will be eating it. If another animal was treated like this, people would have a very serious issue with it. If a person went to a restaurant to order a burger and was asked it pick the cow they wanted the burger to made from, the establishment would be shut down immediately. It would be in the news with people in disbelief about their act of animal cruelty. However, when the animals happens to a lobster, this is exactly what humans do. Humans are able to justify how they act due to their beliefs, and when logic interferes with a common belief, people will either ignore the logic or respect the belief.
Hal Herzog is an anthrozoologists which is a person who studies the relationships that humans have with animals. In fact, he is one of the scientists who began the study of humans and animals. Herzog writes about the relationship humans have with food in, “Animals Like Us”. He explains how our interactions with animals are conflicted. There are some animals that humans love, like dogs and cats, but there are other animals that we do not consider to be as meaningful to us, such as fish or birds. Herzog introduces a man named Jim Thompson, who once had a job dispatching baby chicks at the end of experiments . However, he read an article that advocate animal rights, which completely changed his life. He stopped eating meat, quit his job, and released his pet cockatiel in the wild (Herzog, 2). In this case, Thompson respected the belief that all animals need to be treated as living creatures rather than food. When people make this change, they tend to change every aspect of their life. The person does not simply go vegetarian- it becomes apart of who they are.
If a person is writing about a change in behavior, especially one that is common, it makes sense that they would change how they act as well. Likewise, when someone writes about these humans interactions with animals, it is almost assumed they are vegetarian. The person’s job is seeing how the traditions and beliefs are in conflict. However, Herzog still eats meat, which seems hypocritical. While he explains that he eats less meat than before, he is still not vegetarian. He explains this conflicted as living in the “troubled middle”(7). This is when a person sees the issue, or logic, yet has trouble changing their beliefs since it is tradition.
In “Consider the Lobster”, Wallace explains that our way of dealing with food can be uncomfortable. Many Americans ate meat and I am sure many are caring human beings who care about the wellbeing of animals. However we food is brought up many people put those feelings to the side. Wallace explains that many people, himself included, will, “avoid thinking about the whole unpleasant thing” (Wallace, 505) because they do not want to see ourselves as being, “cruel or unfeeling” (Wallace, 505). He questions the validace of boiling a lobster alive even when it is experiencing pain. Humans typically do not need to be told that lobsters are cooked alive because it is such a common practice. When put in a hot pot, lobster try to avoid being dropped in by holding onto the bag it is in. When the lobster is physically in the water, it goes around smashing around the pot trying to get out (Wallace, 506). Although Wallace is explaining the way we treat lobsters his thoughts can be applied to other animals and practices we have as well.
Jessica Mitford is an author who explains how the embalming process works. Similarly to the common practices of lobsters, humans do not need to tell the mortician that they want their loved one embalmed-it is assumed. This is a practice that we assume will happen when either we die or someone we know dies. In her book, she explains how involved the martians are dead bodies. In fact the body is, “sprayed, sliced, pierced, pickled, trusses, trimmed, creamed, waxed, painted, roughed, and neatly dressed” (Mitford, 43). The body has to be drained of blood, filled with embalming fluid so the body does not rot, sewn or cemented (lips are sewn together and eyes are cemented so they do not open), and makeup is applied to make the person look “alive”. While this seems extreme, it is a common practice in the United States.
Mitford explains how a traditional belief, embalming, goes against logic, not wanting our loved ones to be mangled after death. Since the deceased in being put out for humans to receive closure, it tends to be viewed as a decent practice we value.
Project 3, Draft 4 (Around 1400 words)
Brooke Parks
Professor Miller
English 110 H5
27 November 2019
More Than Just a Lobster
In America, lobsters today are seen as an elegant food, which are commonly priced at a higher price than other sea foods. However this has not always been the way that lobsters have been seen. David Foster Wallace, a famous American writer, discusses lobsters and how we treat the creature, especially when it comes to cooking. He explains the way our relationship with lobster have evolved. Wallace shows how in the 1800s many American colonies made laws against eating lobsters because it was seen as an awful act. Now, lobsters are seen as a delicacy, not a punishment. What caused this change? Lobsters became a very popular food, which increased prices. Lobsters are also known to taste best when fresh. As a result, they have become a food that is killed right before it is eaten. Lobsters are one of the only foods that can be killed in front of someone without resistance. In the Lobsters are killed, cooked and often chosen right in front of the person who will be eating it. If a person went to a restaurant to order a burger and was asked it pick the cow they wanted the burger to made from, the establishment would be shut down immediately. It would be in the news with the country in disbelief about the act of animal cruelty. However, when the animals happens to a lobster, this is exactly the way humans act. Humans are able to justify how they act due to their traditions, and when logic interferes with their common belief, they will either respect the logic or continue going along with the tradition.
Wallace is not the only author to support animal rights. Hal Herzog is an anthrozoologists, or someone who studies the relationships that humans have with animals. In fact, he is one of the scientists who began this study. Herzog writes about the relationship humans have with food in, “Animals Like Us”. He explains how our interactions with animals tend to be conflicted. There are some animals that humans love, such as dogs and cats, but there are other animals that we do not consider to be as meaningful to us, such as fish. Herzog introduces a man named Jim Thompson, who once had a job dispatching baby chicks at the end of experiments . However, he read an article that advocated animal rights, which completely changed his life. He stopped eating meat, quit his job, and released his pet cockatiel in the wild knowing that it would die(Herzog, 2). In this case, Thompson believes that all animals need to be treated as living creatures rather than food. When people make this change, they tend to change every aspect of their life. A person does not simply go vegetarian- it becomes apart of who they are.
If a person is writing about a change in behavior, especially one that is common, it makes sense that they would change how they act as well. Likewise, when someone writes about these humans interactions with animals, it is almost assumed they are vegetarian. The person’s job is seeing how the traditions and beliefs are in conflict which would most likely cause a person to change certain aspects of their lifestyle. However, Herzog still eats meat, which seems hypocritical. While he explains that he eats less meat than before, he is still not vegetarian. He explains this conflicted as living in the “troubled middle”(Herzog, 7). This is when a person sees the issue, or logic, yet has trouble changing their beliefs since it is tradition. A person might feel uncomfortable with the ways animals are treated in slaughterhouses, yet will still have burgers. Many individuals are used to having burgers and many find it hard to change the way we act. This is because humans hold traditions close to us and it ends up becoming a part of our identity.
In “Consider the Lobster”, Wallace explains the same idea; that our way of dealing with food can be uncomfortable. Many Americans eat meat and I am sure many are caring human beings who are concerned about the wellbeing of animals. However when food is the center of this topic, many are able to put those feelings to the side. Wallace explains that many people, himself included, will, “avoid thinking about the whole unpleasant thing” (Wallace, 505) because they do not want to see ourselves as being, “cruel or unfeeling” (Wallace, 505). He questions the validace of boiling a lobster alive even when it is experiencing pain to demonstrate his point. Humans typically do not need to be told that lobsters are cooked alive in recipes because it is such a common tradition. When put in a hot pot, lobster try to avoid being dropped in by holding onto the bag it is in. When the lobster is physically in the water, it goes around smashing around the pot trying to get out (Wallace, 506). Although Wallace is explaining the way we treat lobsters his thoughts can be applied to other animals and practices we have as well.
Humans have traditions that are not seen in food as well. Jessica Mitford is an author who explains how the embalming process works. Similarly to the common practices of lobsters, humans do not need to tell the mortician that they want their loved one embalmed because it is assumed. This is a practice that we assume will happen when either we die or someone we know dies. In her book, “The American Way of Death Revisited”, she explains how involved the morticians are with dead bodies. In fact bodies are, “sprayed, sliced, pierced, pickled, trusses, trimmed, creamed, waxed, painted, roughed, and neatly dressed” by morticians everyday. (Mitford, 43). The body has to be drained of blood, filled with embalming fluid so the body does not rot, sewn or cemented (lips are sewn together and eyes are cemented so they do not open), and makeup is applied to make the person look “alive”. While this seems extreme, it is a popular common practice in the United States. Many bodies are embalmed because it is a tradition that has been passed down through generations.
Mitford explains how a traditional belief, embalming, goes against logic, not wanting our loved ones to be mangled after death. Since the deceased in being put out for humans to receive closure, it tends to be viewed as a decent practice that we value. It gives the family a chance to say goodbye to someone who might have meant the world to them. I believe that when a person dies, their body should be treated with care and respect. However, after reading Mitford’s article, where morticians have “favorite injection and drainage points” (Mitford, 46) on a person’s body, it might be time to change how we view this practice.
It is true that lobsters, eating meat, embalming are vastly different, however the practices that surround them are common. All three have practices that are long standing. While lobsters are the most common of the three, many Americans today are able to say that they remember lobsters as always being an expensive meal. Eating meal has been in practice since humans have lived. Embalming is a practice has also been around for a very long time. These are all common traditions in the American culture. For many people, abandoning this traditions may seem logically, however since they have been a common part of the human existence it is difficult to let go. Few people believe that lobster should be tortured, animals should be brutally killed or that dead family members should be manipulated in extreme ways. However, over time these practices have become normal due to common and old traditions. When looking at this issue, many people are able to express that they believe there needs to be a change. Despite this logic, it is proven to be difficult to make such an extreme change in one’s life. It can be easy to say we must all go with logic and let traditions go because we need to progress as a community. However, people who live in the “troubled middle”, as Herzog states, understands the complexity of the issue.
Works Cited
Herzog, Hal. “Animals Like Us”. Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat. July-August
2011. Accessed 26 November.
Mitford, Jessica. “The Story of Service”. The American Way of Death Revisited. 1998. Accessed
25 November.
Wallace, David. “Consider the Lobster and Other Essays”. 2005. Accessed 26 November.
