I have never considered that a book about a dog could be so appealing and full of deep thoughts. But I changed my viewpoint after reading the autobiographical novel “Marley & Me” written by John Grogan which depicts an astonishing story about the neurotic and loyal, clumsy and loving dog named Marley. In fact, as the author mentioned in some interviews, he intended to write the “dog story”, but soon after he realized that it was impossible to do so without including the family life [2]. That is why the title “Marley & Me” encapsulates the main topic of the book such as the relationship between a human and a pet. To start with let me introduce main characters: John, Jenny, and Marley.
John and Jenny, newlywed couple began their family life in the little house in South Florida. Both had full time job in the local newspaper. One morning Jenny decided to get a dog to work on her parenting skills. They ended up bringing home the male puppy of Labrador retriever that seemed to be smitten with the couple with the first sight. The name “Marley” came out accidently, while Jenny was listening to a song from Bob Marley, and both Jenny and John shouted in unison that’s the dog’s name. Within weeks Marley grew tremendously. His active uncontrollable behavior affected the whole house. As a new boarder, Marley changed the family routine as well. Now John and Jenny had to walk the dog twice a day and come back on lunch break to feed him. Young Marley was so hyperactive and so excitable that the couple didn’t even realize that it was a symptom of the behavioral condition called attention deficit hyperactive disorder. Despite his behavior, the dog was serving an important role in the family. My observation the story through the book of growing up ...
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... the newspaper. I really recommend you read the last chapter of the book, where John collect essential moral of his novel. He explained what animal could teach to the human. John wrote about his relationship: “Mostly he [Marley] taught me about friendship and selflessness and, above all else, unwavering loyalty”.
I liked Grogan’s humor and style of the writing and the way of describing the dog’s mood. For instance he used italic fonts to distinguish the dog’s replies or thoughts as if the dog said or thought something. I felt the author believed that a dog could be a central part of the family. This book taught me how to become a good owner of a dog. It is important to recognize that the owners have big responsibility for a dog’s life.
References
1. Marley & Me. John Grogan, Harper publisher, 2008, 295 p.
2. http://www.johngroganbooks.com/marley/index.html
The dogs of war by Michael Paterniti is an informative and heartwarming article about handler Marine Corporal Jose Armenta and his dog Zenit. And how handlers and dogs are trained without each other and how they are trained with each other. The way that Micheal Paterniti writes is excellent and well written but it is even better with the pictures, the pictures tie everything together.
The speaker scans his surroundings, “muck, pond, ditch, residue”(5), spondee, stressed words, are used to show the typical image of a distracted dog. This is further emphasized in the enjambments and caesuras at the hyphens and colons, to express the unpredictable actions of the speaker. At the beginning the speaker includes rhetorical questions, to highlight the merry, short attention span, “Fetch? Balls and sticks capture my attention seconds at a time. Catch? I don’t think so” (1-2). The rhyme scheme is abba ccdd efef gh and often are slant rhymes which shows the dog is not as educated as a human. The vowel ‘o’ in “or else you’re off in some fog concerning/ --tomorrow”(9-10) is an assonance and “bow-wow…”(14), is onomatopoeia illustrates the dog howling and barking at his human.
First Friend: A History of Dogs and Humans, by Katherine Rogers, articulates the history of the relationship between dogs and humans. Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals, by Marc Bekoff and Jessica Pierce, investigates if and how dogs exhibit morality. In both texts, anecdotes and observations are used to portray instances of dogs displaying cooperation, empathy, altruism, and, by extension, morality. Consequently, it stands to reason that dogs have a capacity for sociality, but how can the sociality of dogs be described? A dog’s capacity for sociality is the ability to form long term relationships with members of the same or other species. Dogs, in particular, dogs who hunt as well as dogs who play, are able to form long term relationships with humans and other dogs through trust, love,
Canine tales are becoming an ever-more-popular medium for expression, says Garber: “Just as the pathos of human love and loss is most effectively retold, in modern stories, through the vehicle of the steadfastly loyal and loving dog, so the human hero has increasingly been displaced and replaced by the canine one” (44). The spotlight has been shifted from the larger-than-life human to the humble family pet and his canine brethren. Stories that feature a dog rather than a person are able to more convey a deeper sense of meaning, establishing their...
“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time” is a combination of many styles of story including elements of a detective story, fiction, some comedy moments and a large portion of drama, it also touches on many different themes mainly on family, belonging disability, overcoming adversity, marital stress and the pressures of modern living. The story is told from the perspective of a young boy named Christopher John Francis Boone who has the psychological condition Asperger’s syndrome. The novel follows Christopher’s exploration into the murder of his neighbour’s dog, which uncovers inconvenient truths about his family including the death of his mother and the real identity of the dog’s killer. Through Christopher’s investigation we see
feelings in the man and the dog, of a constant battle with this world of
Dogs are common throughout the world, either as a domestic pet, a protector on a farm, or an assistant for hunting amongst others. Regardless of the reason for having a dog, most people have either owned one for themselves or have known somebody who has owned one at some point in their life. Despite the relative normality of having a dog in your life in one way or another, the reasons for dogs coming into existence are not common knowledge among most people. Throughout a great portion of mankind’s history, dogs have been an essential part of life. The truth is, dogs were actually created in part by man.
Thesis Statement: While most owners are aware of the amount of joy and laughter dogs bring to them and their family, they are unaware that their dogs love them unconditionally and can help them have better lives
The dog they rescued is a particularly prominent topic, a vestige of the past civilizations. In defiance of the treacherous environment, the dog managed to survive, a feat that even Lisa, the most cold-blooded of the three main characters, could not help but be “impressed by” (Bacigalupi 61). Therefore, the dog is a symbol of hope for the reader, an animal that is in the extreme, completely out of its element, and yet capable of surviving. As a result, nature’s idea of itself is astoundingly resilient, keeping certain species alive as an attempt to return to the normal state of the world. Even after horrendous trauma the natural world is still capable of a stalwart attempt at reclaiming itself. Accordingly, it is never too late to start fixing the damages and help nature’s cause, before allowing it to escalate to such a degree where the oceans are black with pollution and there is no room left for the humans of today. Chen could not help but notice that the dog is different than them in more than just a physiological nature; “there’s something there” and it’s not a characteristic that either them or the bio-jobs are capable of (64). Subsequently, the dog has something that the evolved humans are missing, compassion. In consequence, the author portrays the idea that the dog
It is around this time that it becomes difficult to put dogs into our typical categories of nature and culture, because although dogs were originally just another part of nature, when we began to domesticate them, we made them something more. In fact, in modern days it is even more difficult as we have begun actively breeding them for specific traits, so much so that many would argue modern dogs are essentially technology. From this it becomes clear how perfectly dogs fit into her idea of a companion
What comes to mind when one thinks of the word ‘puppy’? It is probable describe a puppy as a lovable, adorable, and cuddly companion. However, one might also identify the animal as a menace and a liability or even as a delicious source of food. Why does this single word hold so many meanings? One’s past experiences and biases influences these conflicting views and attitudes. For instance, an individual’s fond view of puppies may exist because they were raised with puppies and consequently grew affectionate toward the animals. On the contrary, if another individual has not bonded with puppies as pets, then they will share the latter point of view. In the short story “Puppy” by George Saunders, the multiple characters view single events and objects with contrasting perceptions. Therefore, instead of painting a precise picture of the characters and the plot, the story expresses several views regarding the morals of the characters, the motivations of their actions, and the meaning of the events that take place. In “Puppy”, George Saunders explores the theory that perception is not an elementary, universal definition of an object or idea, but a complex interpretation that is influenced by one’s unique and varying past experiences and opinions. The complexity of perception is evident in one the story’s narrator’s, Marie’s, vantage point.
Writing in the journal Anthrozoos, Kiesler advocates that, “relationships with animals lead people to explain their behavior in human terms” (340). The study done by Kiesler went after the psychological effects of the ownership in dogs. I agree that, once enough time is spent with an animal, the owner will begin to associate their behavior with human behavior because of how attached the dog will become to the owners life. The time commitment to a dog will give you more than enough time to become attached. The studies done by Kiesler reaffirms Blythe’s work that went further into detail
Armbruster, K. (2002). “Good Dog”: The stories we tell about our canine companions and what they mean for humans and other animals, 38 (4), 351, 26. Retrieved from http://www.siue.edu/PLL/
“A dog is a man’s best friend” goes much deeper than the phrase might initially imply. Recently many medical journals have begun to identify with the many and varied benefits of pet ownership. Men have always relied upon animals for work, transportation, and survival. As times have changed, man has begun to appreciate a different bond with animals. Gone are the days of animals running free outside around the homestead, for now animals are allowed inside and are considered by many to be an integral part of our daily lives! Medical studies have found that animals have a much greater intelligence level than originally thought. Through proper training and experience, animals are not only household pets, but also are becoming an accepted form of medical treatment.
Ones take of this story can be many of sorts. The dog essential may have saved this young child, his father may have chosen to throw him out the window. If the dog wasn’t there to take his place, who is to say what could had happened? It also shows how the dogs undeniable, love, devotion and eagerness to please his master. Eventually these traits, sadly left him resting lifeless in his young master’s arms. The relationships between these characters, is one of who’s pulling the strings. The abuse has been passed down from father to son. This story leaves an emptiness, with the unsettling turn of events.