Black Beauty 3
Of all the stories that are told from an animal’s point of view, I believe none are equal to that of Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty. While most stories are told from the animal’s mouth and/or thoughts, it is usually still through the eyes and minds of the human that the animal’s thought are composed of. Animals have some but not all understanding of human ways and we tend to perceive to others humans that they do. Looking back at most of the stories or movies you see, the animal is almost always concerned about what the situation is and how it is going to affect their future; an human characteristic. Animals hardly ever discuss how they feel or how they are treated in these stories.
Until Anna Sewell was smart enough to write about it in her book, Black Beauty. She gave a voice to the horses; a voice that only a certain type of people, who are few in this world, can hear. She told what the horses are really thinking, instead of what humans would like to think the horses are thinking.
While it is true that we breed and use animals for labor, no human ever really thinks about how it is for the animals that do the labor. Oxen pull heavy plows, cows are used for milk and cheese, and dogs herd sheep and goats. But humans are unaware of the fact that these animals are also living beings that have dreams and feelings of their own. If the Ox is too tired from the previous day’s work to pull the plow today, humans scold and beat him until he does the work.
Humans fail to recognize that we put animals through hell to get a job done for us, instead of us caring for them as they are part of our care in this world. We do not listen to the needs of our animals as often as we should and we should listen more carefully to what they are saying instead of what we think they are saying. Once we are able to do this can the communication between man and animal only strengthen. The best possible way to listen to our animals is by living in their shoes – or hooves, as it may be. By knowing what life is like for them throughout all conditions and experiences in life can we fully understand their train of thought.
Anna Sewell did just that. By giving a voice to horses, humans have the potential to fully understand what we put animals through to provide for our own pleasures. Her means of communication of these pains to the rest of the human world have succeeded in humans gaining knowledge. Once we can understand what we put these animals through, we can then provide a better life for them and make the human and animal bond even stronger and more pleasant all over. “My ladies have promised that I shall never be sold, and so I have nothing to fear; and here my story ends. My troubles are over, and I am at home.” (Ch 49). This is the perfect ending of any story for an animal. It is so nice to hear it from the horse’s mouth that such a relationship is possible. Humans should strive for this type of companionship and love by simply listening to our animals.
