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birdkeeperklink 's review for:
Black Beauty
by Anna Sewell
As probably everyone is aware, this book was the reason people started noticing how horribly horses were often treated back in the day, and is either the or one of the first examples of a book written from an animal's perspective. This gives the novel historical value.
I also believe that it has value for other reasons, and I don't believe this is a novel that should ever have been relegated to 'children's literature', for two reasons. The 'animal's perspective' angle is one that I believe many people could use, as too many people lack any sympathy for animals and believe that they can't feel or think. I don't believe they feel or think on anywhere near the same level as humans, and nor do I think they have personalities as complex as humans, but they do have personalities and they do feel and think. That's a fact that should be acknowledged, as refusal to believe it doesn't change it. Even the argument that 'it's only instinct' falls short, as much of human thought and emotion is 'only instinct', with predetermined responses based on genetics. If it's invalid for animals because of where the thoughts and feelings come from, then human emotion and thought is also invalid. You are only able to read this paragraph because of complex brain activity, which is electricity at its base. So it goes with animals, too, when they read the signs in a smell.
The other reason I don't believe this is 'just for kids' is because of the main theme of the book. Animal welfare hasn't gone away since this book was written, and even though there are different problems now than there were then doesn't mean it isn't something people shouldn't keep in their minds. Black Beauty still brings animal welfare to the forefront of your mind, even if it doesn't highlight the specific issues we're dealing with today.
Also, it's a good book on its own.
I also believe that it has value for other reasons, and I don't believe this is a novel that should ever have been relegated to 'children's literature', for two reasons. The 'animal's perspective' angle is one that I believe many people could use, as too many people lack any sympathy for animals and believe that they can't feel or think. I don't believe they feel or think on anywhere near the same level as humans, and nor do I think they have personalities as complex as humans, but they do have personalities and they do feel and think. That's a fact that should be acknowledged, as refusal to believe it doesn't change it. Even the argument that 'it's only instinct' falls short, as much of human thought and emotion is 'only instinct', with predetermined responses based on genetics. If it's invalid for animals because of where the thoughts and feelings come from, then human emotion and thought is also invalid. You are only able to read this paragraph because of complex brain activity, which is electricity at its base. So it goes with animals, too, when they read the signs in a smell.
The other reason I don't believe this is 'just for kids' is because of the main theme of the book. Animal welfare hasn't gone away since this book was written, and even though there are different problems now than there were then doesn't mean it isn't something people shouldn't keep in their minds. Black Beauty still brings animal welfare to the forefront of your mind, even if it doesn't highlight the specific issues we're dealing with today.
Also, it's a good book on its own.