The first time I read "Life Like" by Susan Orlean, I didn't see a purpose to the article at all. In fact I thought it was purely informational and she didn't even seem to have a purpose. But after chatting with the class, I soon realized that there actually was a purpose. I was not entertained while reading this article, in fact I found it extremely boring, as did a lot of my classmates. However, after our discussion in class I realized Orlean actually had a purpose and I got a little more interested.
We discussed that Orlean didn't know anything about taxidermy when she first started. We were introduced to her story and she was showing us right away how overwhelmed she was. However throughout the story, she started to realize how hard these people work and what taxidermy really takes. I believe that Orlean built up her ethos by showing the readers that it was all new to her. It allowed us to experience these things for the first time with her, but in the article she kind of destroyed her own ethos at the same time by saying something positive about taxidermy and then throwing in a descriptive quote making us as readers think otherwise. Some of her descriptions were so precise that it makes you actually picture it like you were there yourself. It becomes real to the reader, this was not effective for me at all. When I read the article I was completely grossed out, I thought taxidermy was kind of cool before I read it but after I was left completely disturbed. For me this article wasn't effective at all if she was trying to get people to appreciate taxidermy.
I'm thinking the reason this was put in a newspaper is because that would be her largest audience. Through the newspaper, Orlean would be able to reach out to more readers. The reason she wanted a large audience is because it's the perfect mix of people reading. You have your average joe's, maybe extreme hunters or even elderly people. There is an unending variety of people that she was able to reach through newspaper.
You say, "When I read the article I was completely grossed out, I thought taxidermy was kind of cool before I read it but after I was left completely disturbed. For me this article wasn't effective at all if she was trying to get people to appreciate taxidermy."
ReplyDeleteFirst, give an example or two of the moments that turned you away from it.
Second, contextualize those moments in the text. That is, look at what comes before and after those moments. Is Orlean trying to get you to feel that way? Why does she have those moments in the text? Use your reactions as a way to see into Orlean's writerly choices.
Third, what do you think she could have done to make you appreciate taxidermy? By looking at what you'd rather have her do it might help you understand what she is, in fact, doing.
I think you should use the fact that you did not relate to the article the first time through. On the second time through, you realized that you were not a lone and I think that helped.
ReplyDeleteI do think that because of the fact that you were not "entertained" by the article, it helped with your thoughts behind the part about experiencing new things along with Orlean.
I hope you keep these thoughts in mind while revising your paper.