The Theme Of Animal Rights In AM I Blue By Alice Walker

Decent Essays
Horses are seen as the last animal that someone would think that showed emotion. They might suggest a dog or cat would be simpler and kinder to bond with than a creature with black eyes. But, horses do have emotions as well. Alice Walker, an African American woman, has grown up in a time where schools and benches were segregated. She looked to animals to find acceptance that she couldn’t find in humans. The short story, Am I Blue? by Alice Walker explores several different topics in only a few short paragraphs. Walker was able to discuss racism, animal rights, and the connections between humans and animals. Alice Walker uses the method of Author Surrogate, having a character represent the author themselves, to express her feelings and emotions …show more content…
Towards the end of the story, after Blue’s partner was taken away, the speaker starts questioning animal rights. The speaker thought, “There are those who never once have even considered animals’ rights: those who have been taught that animals actually want to be used and abused by us…” (Paragraph 15). She is directly talking about animal rights and how most people don’t argue for it unless there’s a bond. Generally speaking, some people tend to only want animal rights for domesticated animals like dogs or cats, not horses or cows. And these animals, horses and cows, are seen as tools for humans. So, according to Walker, people don’t stop and think of these animals as often as dogs or cats. If these people grow up believing that these animals don’t form bonds or have emotions, they won’t argue against harming them for their own wants. To follow up on that, she also, “...thought, yes, the animals are forced to become for us merely ‘images’ of what they once so beautifully expressed” (Paragraph 16). Walker was wondering if humans take away beauty, if they suppress the animal 's life for their own. Why do humans do this? She had wondered. Walker believed humans use animals and only see them as objects to play with. Humans have a track record of suppressing humans as well, but after that was taken away they sought something new to control. To take the beauty animals have and break them. In the end of the short story the speaker had stated, “I am eating misery, I thought, as I took the first bite. And spit it out.” (17). This is the finale line of the short story, where the speaker was reflecting on Blue’s anger, and her own, towards the human race. She felt guilty for eating an animal that had to suffer for her food to be made. Walker felt like these animals don’t have a voice, so humans had assumed that killing them for meat would be a justifiable action. There’s

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