This week’s readings made me think about my daughter. I say this because last week she had to make up a story about a dolphin turning into a human. Many of the stories she has to bring to life through her imagination, primarily include animals as human characters. This reading brings a better understanding of the connections we have between humans and animals. So, reading “animals teach children how to become human” seemed relatable not only for my daughter but for myself also. I am a person that loves cartoons and the messages that they deliver through the character especially if those characters are animals. Our human stories being told through “possible bodies” makes for an easy transition in the lessons and morals that are to be learned. One of the cartoons that reminded me of the reading was Zootopia. A small-town bunny surviving in the big city as a cop. The two mice poem also carried the same moral as in Zootopia as well as being satisfied with the simple things.
The next thing that intrigued me in the reading was the animal relationship to religion. How the Owl as it relates to the Jews (which most of the animals for some reason relate to the Jews) the phoenix representing Jesus, and the Elephants representing Adam and Eve. The hyena story left me in awe as well as the story of the viper and the weasel and through these stories the strategy used in the oppression of humans by other humans.