Compare And Contrast We Are All Animals

We are all animals. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, an animal is simply defined as any living thing that is not a plant. Thus, humans, by definition, are just a species of animal. Most people would be outraged by this bold assertion, but as a matter of fact it is scientifically proven. Experiments conducted by Harry Harlow illustrated the common need both baby humans and chimpanzees have for love-- especially from a motherly figure. Also, renowned psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud often used animal tendencies to explain common human behaviors. For example, Freud explained the human personality as containing three parts: id, ego, and superego. The id is described as humans natural animalistic nature that is often repressed. Author Karen

She primarily depicts this comparison by describing both the similarities and differences between Rosemary Cooke, “monkey-girl” and her sister Fern Cooke, who is actually a chimp. These characters are then further analyzed physically and mentally to further support her claim of sameness. However, their differences will be discussed first. Physically Fern is described as small, beautiful, and hairy. Rosemary is simply defined as “ordinary” (Fowler 300). Mentally, they have different strengths. Concerning short-term memory, Fern has a “vast superiority” to the human species that is so enormous “we can 't even play in the same field” (Fowler 301). Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, “the NotSame was this: Like a chair or a car or a television, Fern could be bought and sold” (Fowler 213). Even though within the walls of the Cooke home Fern and Rosemary were raised as interconnected twins who “walked as if [they] were a single person,” the outside world views the twins very differently: one as a legal person with full rights and the other as a mere piece of property (Fowler

Throughout history, there has been a sense of immense human superiority; this ideology lead many people to believe humans have traits that no other animal can possess. However, Rosemary firmly disagrees with this common notion by arguing, “every time humans announce that here is the thing that makes us unique… some other species comes along to snatch it away” (Fowler 302). Rosemary further upholds her claim by referencing specific scientific theories that validate her stance. For example, originally the theory of mind, which is the ability to “readily impute mental states to others,” was considered to be a specifically human trait until psychologists David Premack and Guy Woodruff 1978 proved otherwise (Fowler 186). Together, they published a paper titled “Does the Chimpanzee Have a Theory of Mind?” “In it, they relied primarily on a series of experiments...” which tested chimpanzees to determine rather or not they could “infer human goals in observed situations” (Fowler 187). The results offered an astounding yes. This confirms that chimpanzees, in some capacity, have the ability to empathize for others. In addition to chimpanzees ability to have an emotional connection with others, they also have the ability to communicate through sign language. Washoe was “the