I think Susan Orlean chose to give such an in depth background on taxidermy so her readers can understand what it is. She states that taxidermy has been around since the eighteenth century. Even though it had scientific value, it was still looked at like a black art. Later in time, people started taking taxidermy more serious. She states that taxidermy schools begin to open and in 1971, the National Taxidermy Association was formed. “As long as taxidermy served to preserve wild animals and make them available for study, it was viewed as an honorable trade,” (Orlean 2). Starting off reading this text, I too felt that taxidermy was something like a “black art”. It did not seem normal or anything like a hobby to me. After reading all the things Orlean incorporated in the text, it made me switch my views. I now know that people actually invest money and time into these events and that they are taken very seriously.
Why does Susan Orlean choose to incorporate a lot of taxidermist conversations into this piece?
Susan Orlean quotes a lot of the taxidermists at the convention so you can get a feel at how serious they take this hobby. “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.” (Orlean 1). A woman in the whitetail division told Susan Orlean that she loved deer and that they are her “babies”. This weirded me out. I feel that Orlean wanted the reader to feel this way though. She wanted her reader to feel a certain way about taxidermy and the people who partake in this hobby without verbally incorporating her feelings.
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