Animals, Literature, & Culture Midterm

Two works that we’ve studied in class, “Axolotl” by Julio Cortazar and “The Great
Silence” by Ted Chiang are relevant to our lives because of how certain animals are lower on the hierarchy than dogs or cats, and that through knowing that, all animals should be equally appreciated.

Our first work “Axolotl” by Julio Cortazar is a love letter to amphibians called Axolotls.
Cortazar’s obsession with the aquarium-bound creatures is born of his deep connection with them; he even starts to see himself as one of them near the end of the essay; challenging the hierarchical view that animals that aren’t normally kept as pets are below humans. He shows that all animals should be equally appreciated through his story by presenting axolotls as individual beings separate from humans and even other animals more familiar to us. Throughout the second work we discussed in class, “The Great Silence” by Ted Chiang, parrots’ status are also challenged. Chiang dives headfirst into our relationship with one of the smartest animals on Earth by involving Arecibo into the nature of humans wanting to communicate with every living thing but the ones on our planet. “The Great Silence” reconsiders our perceptions of how animals are viewed, explaining through the point of view of a parrot how as a collective people should consider the many intelligences on Earth instead of outside of it. “The Great Silence” calls for a reflection on how we should be caring about the connections we’ve developed for different species.

People should care about these essays and the connections they make us think about in
general. Cortazar’s “Axolotl” has a unique way of challenging human appreciation towards an animal that isn’t normally appreciated, disrupting the hierarchy we’ve placed animals on.
Throughout the story, Cortazar zooms in on his ability to understand axolotls; while Chiang’s work juxtaposes this by expressing how we’re denying communication with parrots (and other animals) going extinct on Earth. Despite most people’s common understanding that animals are insignificant, both works show empathy towards all walks of life. Cortazar’s immediate desire to connect with axolotls is very different than the dominance and control over animals that most people have. “Axolotl” pushes for harmony and interconnectedness instead of a hierarchy at all. In a similar light, Ted Chiang’s “The Great Silence” should be cared about because of the way it focuses on our species’ innate need to connect, like in “Axolotl,” while still emphasizing all the animals we’ve denied connecting with- like parrots. This work is especially relevant today, demanding cooperation as Chiang emphasizes humans’ negative impact on the planet. “The
Great Silence” makes us realize we are the invasive species, and that we take and take and take. Both stories force readers to consider living beings, regardless of position in the perceived hierarchy of animals.

Throughout his story, Julio Cortazar encourages people to think differently about our
relationships with animals by portraying the deep connection and understanding that we are able to coexist across specie lines. He ultimately pushes for equal appreciation of animals, and his blurring of a hierarchy makes us reconsider the ways in which we interact with and perceive animals. Chiang goes down a similar path by expressing how animals have been treated in the past in “The Great Silence.” He takes on the ability to really show readers what it’s like to be faced with the intelligence of a bird through human arrogance and unrepentance. Chiang’s stark narrative from the point of view of a parrot urges thought of the outcomes of our actions and the agency we should be bending to when it comes to extinction. Having an intellectual animal like a parrot, an animal capable of understanding language, challenges our preconceived notion that we are superior, and that there are hierarchies at all. This leads into when Cortazar says how “They were suffering, every fiber of my body reached toward that stifled pain, that stiff torment at the bottom of the tank.” He shows that axolotls are captive and don’t even know it, that they are just
as curious as a species as we are, and that they deserve the same respect. Chiang sees that all animals are equal throughout his piece too, encouraging people to think differently through his uses of communication and intelligence in non-human species. This is proven true when Chiang writes of a common theory, how “the hush of the night sky is the silence of a graveyard.” This is then juxtaposed when he says how “Soon this rainforest may be as silent as the rest of the universe,” going back to the point of view of a parrot.

In both works I see my own experiences reflected with my favorite animal, the deep-sea
isopod. In “Axolotl,” when Cortazar says “There’s nothing strange in this, because after the first minute I knew that we were linked, that something infinitely lost and distant kept pulling us together.” It makes me think of how I view deep sea isopods, I love the little creatures, but they normally don’t get any attention- even amongst marine biology majors at UNE. If I had the chance to talk to Cortazar, I would say how I understand his love for Axolotls as he seems to be one of the few people who has an innate appreciation for all animals. I think I would go to an aquarium with him, and let him touch the cool shell of a deep sea isopod. We would reminisce over our obsession for aquatic creatures, perhaps. Going back to how humans have preconceived notions about different animals and their levels of affection towards them, I could understand why some may think of certain animals as closer to their hearts than others. Caring for an animal like a cat involves frequent hands-on interactions and emotional connection. Compared to caring for an axolotl or deep-sea isopod, which may require less intensive care, I could see why one wouldn’t get as attached. This difference can be reflected in the ways humans represent
intimacies across species lines in media, with cats or dogs often portrayed as overtly affectionate companions while animals like axolotls, parrots, or deep-sea isopods are depicted as emotionless. Basically, the level of intimacy and emotional connection portrayed between humans and animals in media can vary based on the species being depicted and the type of care required. But both works take our placing different animals based on affection on an unequal hierarchy and break them down. An example of this in Ted Chiang’s “The Great Silence” would be when he relates to the parrots about vocal learning, “Only a species of vocal learners would ascribe such importance to sound in their mythologies. We parrots can appreciate that.” He writes, something that you can’t do with an axolotl or deep-sea isopod. Even though we can’t relate vocally, Cortazar proves in his text “Axolotl” that animal-human bonds are able to transcend that behavior when he comments on their eyes, saying how “different fishes showed me the simple stupidity of
their handsome eyes so similar to our own. The eyes of the axolotls spoke to me of the presence of a different life, of another way of seeing.”

But much like our appreciation of a cat or dog over other animals, I could see how a
counterargument could be that “Axolotl” does not truly challenge human-animal relationships because the story primarily focuses on the narrator’s fascination with the axolotls rather than exploring interactions between humans and animals. Not to mention how axolotls aren’t that popular of an animal to be able to fully flesh out a connection with. Cortazar’s obsession with axolotls is more about his own existential crisis than truly challenging traditional human-animal relationships. Furthermore, the story does not explicitly delve into ethical dilemmas related to human-animal interactions or a call to action like Chiang’s does. Again, others may comment on how animals like axolotls or parrots aren’t popular enough examples of relationships. One real world example could be the growing trend of keeping exotic pets, such as axolotls or parrots. In both “Axolotl” and “The Great Silence,” both authors explore the theme of animals having their own consciousness that are too often ignored. Both works challenge the hierarchy that humans
enforce by encouraging people to consider the needs and well-being of animals beyond just their aesthetic or entertainment value as pets. They prompt individuals to recognize animals, regardless of their unfamiliar nature.

Overall, “Axolotl” and “The Great Silence” are relevant to our lives because all animals should be equally appreciated. I believe that using axolotls and parrots only emphasize my point that humans, at their basis, want to connect with everything around them- whether that be a cat, dog, parrot, axolotl, or deep-sea isopod.