Lets Go Animals!

In the Case of Animals Vs. Man, we can see that both the humans and the animals are posing good arguments, but at the end the animals are providing stronger evidence. The human arguments seem more like statements that set them up to be countered by the animals because they provide little to no evidence to back up their points. Therefore, giving the animals a chance to respond with well supported answers that makes the humans look completely wrong. Throughout the fable we can see many examples of this from different animals.

One animal that makes good argumentative points is the delegate of the beasts of prey, the jackal. For example, in chapter 31 the humans try to argue that they are masters and the animals slave by saying that they have fine clothing and garments while the animals have very coarse clothing  and rough hides. Where the jackal then replied with, ”Why, he cited among their merits this and that article of fine clothing and soft covering. Tell me, human, would you have any of the things you boast of had you not taken them from others, from other animals, by force?’”(pg. 260). The jackal is making a good point by saying if it weren’t for the animals they would not have any of these fine clothing that they boast of. Also the jackal says that the humans take part in the work of a slave where they have to work to get the hides of the animals ready to be worn, but are hurting their body over time until they die, which the jackal says is a punishment from God for killing the animals. This is not the only time that the animals respond with a great answer. 

The delegate of the carnivores is also able to defend the animals when the humans say, “‘Because, of all the parties gathered here, none is wickeder than you, O predators. None is more heartless, useless or noxious, none is more ravenous or bloodthirsty!’”(pg. 262). Where they then reply with a strong statement, “Said the delegate of the carnivores, ‘We learned this from you. We modelled our actions on your treatment of these beasts.’”(pg. 262). Here the animals have a clear explanation of how the humans have made them reframe from their old ways of life. The animals said that before the creation of Adam and his children they had no need to hunt and kill other animals because there were naturally already enough carcasses for them to eat. Showing us that the humans actions have caused the animals to change their ways and when they are just trying to survive they become labeled as evil merciless beasts. Overall, the animals have shown that they have evidence in order to back up statements that they make and to be able to counter the statements of the humans.

-Francisco Alonso

Beeeeeing Supportive

The bee’s quotation from the Qur’an significantly supports the animals’ argument in the sense that the bee gives the humans a taste of their own medicine.  The humans have constantly quoted the Qur’an as their evidence, while the animals do not use that method as frequently.  Not only does the bee quote the Qur’an, but it quotes one of the most important animal sections of the Qur’an to use against the humans, a powerful tactic by the bee.  When the other animals discussed their location, many of them stated they were from specific locations such as “jungles, savannahs, and canyons”, “mountains on an island in the Green Sea”, and “the depths of the sea” (222, 224, 226).  The bee however, states that God specifically told the bees to live in “the mountains, in trees and trellises” (233).  Unlike a specific mountain on an island, or a specific grouping of trees, the bee claims God opened up all the mountains, and all the trees in the world for the bees to live in.  This is an enormous amount of land that the bees can call home, specifically given by God.  This raises the magnitude of the animals and brings them right up with the humans in terms of land rights.  It could be said that the bee is undermining the animals’ argument by putting themselves above other animals and on human level superiority, however, the crawling critters make a similar claim to land that the bee makes, and therefore the bee is not setting himself apart from the other animals.

Another significant supporting point from the bee’s quotation is when God states, “From their bellies flows a liquor of diverse hues in which there is healing for mankind” (233).  Right before the bee spoke, the human spokesman described how the humans “guide [the animals’] affairs, preserve civil order among them, promote their welfare, curb injustice and aid its victims” (231).  The humans tried to make it seem like the animals are analogous to poor little children, yet the bee literally quotes the God’s words saying that the bees provide mankind with healing.  The bee undermines the humans’ assumptions that they are the caretakers by showing hard evidence to the contrary.  Not only does this quote deem the rights of living space argument null, but it also significantly enhances the idea that humans are not the masters of animals.