There is no secret that Orlean chose the words of her article for a reason. She had a purpose behind her article, and the words that she uses are her way of showing that to us- whether they come right out and say it, or they make us take a step back and think about it.
On the first page Orlean brought up several quotes she must have overheard from other taxidermists. The four quotes consisted of the following- "Acetone rubbed on a squirrel tail will fluff it right back up" "My feeling is that it's quite tough to do a good tongue" "The toes on a real competitive piece are very important. I think Bondo works nicely, and so does Super Glue" and lastly "I knew a fellow with cattle and I told him, 'If you ever have one stillborn, I'd really like to have it.' i thought it would make a really nice mount." In my opinion Orlean uses these quotes because most of us think taxidermy is a weird abnormal thing, and by her knowing this and incorporating these quotes it helps us feel like we relate to her more. We as readers need to relate to the reading before we can let the writer sway our thoughts.
Orlean talks about the history of taxidermy, as well as Taxidermy.net, and the 2003 World Taxidermy Championship in Illinois(which she attended). In her using multiple forms of information I think it helps us trust her as readers and gives her credibility. Orleans immersion journalism techniques really pay off because it makes her a reliable source of information because she did communicate and interact with these people, as well as the basic research about their world.
On the second page when Orlean lists all the things necessary to be good at taxidermy is a very important piece of the article to me. She writes, "To be good at taxidermy, you have to be good at sewing, sculpting, painting, hairdressing, and mostly you have to be a little bit of a zoology nerd. You have to love animals-- love looking at them, taking photographs of them, hunting them, measuring them, casting them in plaster or Paris when they're dead so that you have a reference when you're say, attaching ears or lips and want to get the angle and shape exactly right. Some taxidermists raise the animal they most often mount, so they can just step out in the back yard when they're trying to remember exactly how a deer looks when it's licking it's nose, especially because modern taxidermy emphasizes mounts with interesting expressions, rather than the stunned-looking creations of the past. Taxidermists seem to make little distinction between loving animals that are alive and loving ones that are not."This paragraph speaks to me the most out of the whole six page article. She goes into so much detail talking about the intensity of their lives as taxidermists. It completely changed my view at this point. Instead of thinking taxidermy was just some creepy obsession- I am now able to see it as an art. Although many of us could never do taxidermy, these people take their work very seriously and there is a lot more behind it than we think. I think Orlean went into such depth in this paragraph to show us that. Like any other hobby we like to perfect it, we spend a lot of time on it, and we find pride in it- just like taxidermists do with there work.
Orlean did a great job on the piece. While first reading it I hated it. Taxidermy was just extremely unappealing to me. After discussing it in class my views totally did a 180. I saw Orlean's point to writing this story a lot more clear. Although I'm still unsure as to why anyone would chose to go deep inside the world of taxidermy she does her job well at getting the point of what goes on behind it across to us as readers.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Assignment 6 [Due: February 28]
Susan Orlean is a journalist, and in my opinion a very good one. She showed us readers first hand the types of articles you can produce by being an immersion journalist. Orlean lived through her work. You can tell in the beginning she was new to the topic of taxidermy as well, but by the end of the article she could fit right in at championships and taxidermy contests. I think that this helps Orleans more relatable to us readers. When the author is learning with you it helps her credibility and also helps us to maintain interest. Reading a list of facts tends to be dry and dull- whereas we have the opportunity to put ourselves into Susan's writing.
You can tell Orlean's work was important to her because she dedicated time and effort to her experience. Not only did she spend her time researching her topic on the internet, but she traveled to the World Taxidermy Championship. This makes me view Orlean as a more credible resource because she not only used resources that were readily available to her, but traveled half way across the country to immerse herself in the topic. She went to the Crown Plaza hotel in Springfield, Illinois for the 2003 World Taxidermy Championship. She was intent on learning more about the world of taxidermy and being a part of these peoples life. She studied the animals, talked with people, and also listened to conversations between taxidermists.
Orlean takes a very unbiased open minded approach with this piece. You can tell she does so because of her even writing. She gives us a lot of information that helps show us what an art taxidermy really is. She is intrigued by certain animals such as the panda, and the sabertooth- you can tell because otherwise they wouldn't be a part of her writing. She is very informative about the hard work and dedication that goes behind taxidermy. Certain things show Orlean may not have been on board with the idea of taxidermy such as the man on the bottom of page two who seems to have some kind of obsession with deer. I think Orlean taking such a neutral view allows us as readers to take our own path of judgement. She doesn't try to persuade us in any certain way more so just shows us what really goes on behind closed doors and that there really is more to taxidermy than we think, and that those people take pride in their art.
Before reading this article all taxidermy was to me was creepy deer heads on the wall in peoples houses with oddly humanistic eyes. Orlean showed me how seriously these people take their jobs. Taxidermy is an art form whether we recognize it as one or not. The people who practice it take it very serious and make sure to perfect their pieces. Some of us find it gruesome or grotesque- but without it people wouldn't be able to freeze that animal in time. People get sculptures as remembrances of animals, or hunting momentous, or just to preserve history, and without someone doing that job saving these moments wouldn't be possible.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Assignment #5 [Due 2/26]
"Lifelike" is a story written by Susan Orlean that was published in The New Yorker in June of 2003. Her story focuses the topic of taxidermy and the intense details that go behind
When the idea of taxidermy comes to mind we tend to just think of those weird life like stuffed animals that people mount on their walls. When in all reality there is a lot more behind it.
In my opinion the job seems morbid and I don't understand how anyone could find enjoyment in skinning dead animals only to preserve them to make them look real again. Susan even mentions that people tend to think that the job is disturbing and would make most people feel uncomfortable. I could never see myself being part of a job in that industry.
f I were to guess Susan's purpose on why she wrote such an article I would have to think that she is trying to show us that there is a to more to taxidermy than just the stuffing of dead animals. There are a lot of steps behind the curtain of this complex process that we don't tend to see.
Taxidermists take a lot of pride in their work. It may start out as a hobby but it looks like it turns into more of an obsession if anything. I feel as though this type of work takes over their life.
Like many other hobbies- there comes competitions. Taxidermists take large amounts of there time perfecting their work to make it successful. They bring their pieces form competition to competition to be judged and critiqued and on their work to see what others think of their work.
In my opinion I didn't enjoy this article. It wasn't something that I would go out of my way to read or even enjoy reading. I found it disturbing and morbid. There are hobbies all around the world that you can chose from, but to chose something like this is a hobby that is very time consuming and can take up a large part of one's life.
I am from a small town hick area where almost all my friends have some sort of animal mounted on their walls, and I always found it disturbing. I don't see where someone would come across the idea that they would want to become a taxidermist- none the less how they would go about actually doing it. But, everyone makes their own choices. I just don't think that their was a point to this article really. It had little to no point, and the target audience is a very small group of people who would be interested in such a topic.
Questions for the class:
1. Did the article seem interesting to anyone?
2. Would any of you actually consider being a taxidermist?
3. Do you think that this is a 'normal' hobby? or more of a weird obsession?
When the idea of taxidermy comes to mind we tend to just think of those weird life like stuffed animals that people mount on their walls. When in all reality there is a lot more behind it.
In my opinion the job seems morbid and I don't understand how anyone could find enjoyment in skinning dead animals only to preserve them to make them look real again. Susan even mentions that people tend to think that the job is disturbing and would make most people feel uncomfortable. I could never see myself being part of a job in that industry.
f I were to guess Susan's purpose on why she wrote such an article I would have to think that she is trying to show us that there is a to more to taxidermy than just the stuffing of dead animals. There are a lot of steps behind the curtain of this complex process that we don't tend to see.
Taxidermists take a lot of pride in their work. It may start out as a hobby but it looks like it turns into more of an obsession if anything. I feel as though this type of work takes over their life.
Like many other hobbies- there comes competitions. Taxidermists take large amounts of there time perfecting their work to make it successful. They bring their pieces form competition to competition to be judged and critiqued and on their work to see what others think of their work.
In my opinion I didn't enjoy this article. It wasn't something that I would go out of my way to read or even enjoy reading. I found it disturbing and morbid. There are hobbies all around the world that you can chose from, but to chose something like this is a hobby that is very time consuming and can take up a large part of one's life.
I am from a small town hick area where almost all my friends have some sort of animal mounted on their walls, and I always found it disturbing. I don't see where someone would come across the idea that they would want to become a taxidermist- none the less how they would go about actually doing it. But, everyone makes their own choices. I just don't think that their was a point to this article really. It had little to no point, and the target audience is a very small group of people who would be interested in such a topic.
Questions for the class:
1. Did the article seem interesting to anyone?
2. Would any of you actually consider being a taxidermist?
3. Do you think that this is a 'normal' hobby? or more of a weird obsession?
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Reflecting on Revision [Due: 2/8]
I enjoy reading what other people think about the previous reading. It definitely helps my interpretation as well when I am able to hear what other students and or teachers think about the writing. We often times miss some crucial story details because we are more focussed on other specific topics of the story. She did a great job getting her points accross and showing me as a reader how she felt while reading the story.
Krista as well took the use of Sedaris's humor in "Standing By" to interpret.She too thinks the way he incorporates his jokes makes the story flow better and allows people to maybe feel a little less odended by his deragatory remarks so they continue reading.
"The fact that I can relate to the story makes it a lot more interesting" Krista noted at the end of her first paragraph. She makes several references as to how she too feels the same feelings as Sedaris so the story is easier to understand. Another was she expresses she sides with Sedaris about his airport views is in the second paragrpah when she says, "When you can put yourself into his shoes it makes the whole story a lot funnier because you know exactly what he is going through and it becomes real." I liked the fact that Krista uses her flying experiences to relate to the story and see it on a more in depth level.
I think although many of us interpret Sedaris's story in much of the same ways we will all still manage to have different ways to express those interpretations. I felt as though I needed to include a summary in the beginning of the story as far as what I read so that the reader has some background to know what exactly I'm talking about.
Going through and revising my paper I will definitely add in more on why I felt the way I did and give more details supporting which such as giving direct quotes from the text. I reference a lot of parts to the story but I don't necessarily quote the whole part of the story, so I think that will help to add more meaning to what I'm interpreting if I can show Sedaris's words as well as my own.
Krista as well took the use of Sedaris's humor in "Standing By" to interpret.She too thinks the way he incorporates his jokes makes the story flow better and allows people to maybe feel a little less odended by his deragatory remarks so they continue reading.
"The fact that I can relate to the story makes it a lot more interesting" Krista noted at the end of her first paragraph. She makes several references as to how she too feels the same feelings as Sedaris so the story is easier to understand. Another was she expresses she sides with Sedaris about his airport views is in the second paragrpah when she says, "When you can put yourself into his shoes it makes the whole story a lot funnier because you know exactly what he is going through and it becomes real." I liked the fact that Krista uses her flying experiences to relate to the story and see it on a more in depth level.
I think although many of us interpret Sedaris's story in much of the same ways we will all still manage to have different ways to express those interpretations. I felt as though I needed to include a summary in the beginning of the story as far as what I read so that the reader has some background to know what exactly I'm talking about.
Going through and revising my paper I will definitely add in more on why I felt the way I did and give more details supporting which such as giving direct quotes from the text. I reference a lot of parts to the story but I don't necessarily quote the whole part of the story, so I think that will help to add more meaning to what I'm interpreting if I can show Sedaris's words as well as my own.
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