Man: The Misconception

1062 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Ethics essay on hunting

Wolves are one of the most misunderstood animals that exist today. With being known only for their negativity and only being accounted for rare and brutal attacks against humans, wolves have never really been given the chance to be understood by society. One author and two filmmakers beg to differ, as they experience the lives of the wolves firsthand. By submitting themselves into their daily lives. To their surprise they were ignored by the wolves for a greater portion of the time, as the wolves truly didn’t have as much of an interest in them. When the opportunity arose to interact with the wolves, their experiences were nothing less of an overload of kindness and curiosity. The documentary gives slightly more credibility to the nonfiction text, being that it is proof of the hierarchy, loyalty, and extermination of wolves through visual documentation.
Wolves are easily depicted to be very ruthless and cold-hearted to those in their packs. In the novel In the Shadow of a Rainbow, Robert Franklin Leslie documents the hierarchy of the wolf pack that Greg seems to find as challenged. Leslie states that,
“Every wolf awakes and springs to attention when she shows up. After a quick round of rear-end smelling—to make sure no stranger has joined the pack—she starts brow-beating the other females, to make sure they remember who is boss…After that example, the males showed readiness to obey: tails between their legs, whines and bellyups. I’ve got a hunch that holds onto her subjects because she personifies everything a wolf respects…It is plain funny the way she about-faces and showers affection on every wolf in her pack—after she chomps hell out of a few,” (Leslie 29).
The highest-ranking wolf of the pack proclaims their pla...

... middle of paper ...

...e her pups that not even the wolf pack has permission to. With extensive research on both ends, both Leslie and the Dutchers are successful in proving that the human race is to blame for the decline in wolves, as they are exterminating the wolf population by poisoning, trapping, and hunting to protect their livestock. Unfortunately this is a win-lose situation for hunters, livestock owners and nature, as they are protecting their animals while unbalancing their ecosystem slowly, but surely. As inevitable as it seems, if and when wolves become cleared of the misconceptions towards them, it will be too late…and that’s heartbreaking.

Works Cited

Leslie, Robert Franklin. In the shadow of a rainbow; the true story of a friendship between man and wolf.. [1st ed. New York: Norton, 1974. Print.
Living with wolves. Dir. Jim Dutcher. Discovery Communications :, 2007. .

Show More
Related

  • The Unreasonable Fear of Wolves in Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat

    956 Words  | 2 Pages

    When Mowat journeys to the tundra to research the wolves as the culprits for the massive caribou killings, he is surprised at how many people actually despise the wolves simply because they don’t understand them. In the beginning of the book Mowat starts to believe what everyone else did, that wolves were scary, dangerous animals. Little does he know that his first wolf encounter of his trip would be that night. “I do not know what went on in his massive skull, but my head was full of the most disturbing wrong thoughts” (Mowat 54). Since it was his first encounter with a wolf Mowat feels uneasy by the thought of being mauled by an alpha wolf. To his surprise the wolf was just as scared of him as he was of it and ran as fast as he could away. Mowat begins to realize that wolves are the scapegoats to the real reason the caribou population is declining. When Mowat meets Mike, a trapper living in Canada, Mike tells him some surprising information and says. “ ‘Every trapper got to...

    Read More

  • Dances With Wolves by Michael Blake

    1818 Words  | 4 Pages

    Though there are some aspects of the book I personally don’t like, it cannot stop Dances With Wolves from being a great epic tale of life on the prairie in 19th-century America. Narrating the story in the third person, through skillful applications of figure of speeches, Michael Blake talks about cross culture, equality and respect in the book. His looking at the story Indian and white army from a new angle provide me a better and broad understanding of the history. Reading this novel is really a great adventure to me.

    Read More

  • Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowat

    1375 Words  | 3 Pages

    of the wolves and finds that they are more than the savage and merciless hunters

    Read More

  • The Crossing By Cormac Mccarthy

    821 Words  | 2 Pages

    McCarthy uses detailed descriptions, creates a somber mood through religious references, and elucidates upon the main character’s perspective to convey the impact of the experience on the protagonist. His actions reveal significant care and respect for the animal, as it seems difficult for the protagonist to cope with the loss of such a great creature. McCarthy portrays the wolf through an uncommon perspective; a frightful and beastly creature is transformed into a magnificent and bold animal. The wolf is pictured as an animal destined for honor and high admiration through its spiritual characteristics. Emphasis on the wolf’s positive qualities reveals human beings’ tendency to ignore the favorable characteristics of an individual or animal. Human beings commonly disregard the inner beauty all creatures possess.

    Read More

  • Reintroducing the Wolf to Yellowstone

    4205 Words  | 9 Pages

    Wolves used to thrive in the western United States. There was ample game to hunt and plenty of places to live and wander. Until people moved in, wolves were settled. As European settlement expanded to the west, it began to take its toll on the wolves and their habitat. Clearing of the forests came first, which was then accompanied by significant over-hunting in this area (Noceker). Slowly wolves became concentrated into smaller and smaller areas in the west. Finally, they were assumed to be bothers to the ranchers and farmers and maybe a threat to those people who lived in the area.

    Read More

  • The Arctic Wolf: The Habitat Of The Arctic Wolf

    702 Words  | 2 Pages

    Not many people know about the arctic wolf, it is the snowy white version of a wolf. They have a really big appite when it comes to eating. They most only eat one meal a day and eat up to 20 pounds in that one meal. They are mostly carnivores; they mainly eat big animals like the caribou and the musk ox so they can feed themselves and the whole pack (Arctic/Antarctic: The Arctic Wolf). People eat up to three meals a day, but wolves can go up to days with out eating a single thing (Arctic/Antarctic: The Arctic Wolf). When wolves are hunting they have to be able to have a plan to catch their food. Wolves would get all the pack members that are hunting to surround the animal, and pounces on them. One bit to the neck and the animal would be dead. When they are eating they will eat everything, like the meat, shin, fur and bone (Arctic/Antarctic: The Arctic Wolf). Also Arctic wolves can live up to 20 years in captivity, while they can only live 7- 15 years in the wild (Arctic/Antarctic: The Arctic Wolf). Arctic wolves are one of the most prettiest and unique types of wolf. When Arctic wolves are pups t...

    Read More

  • Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver

    2068 Words  | 5 Pages

    Six thousand years ago in Northern Europe a teenager named Torak wakes up with his shoulder throbbing in pain. His father lies next to him bleeding from an open wound. The two have been attacked by an enormous demon bear, which is bound to come back at any moment. As he bleeds out, Torak’s father can only bare to say a few more words. He says that the demon bear will only grow stronger with each kill it makes, and he also tells Torak that he has to go to the Mountain of the World Spirit in order to defeat the bear. With his last few breaths he reveals that a guide will find Torak and lead him to the mountain. There is so much more that Torak wants to know, but it is too late. He hears the bear crashing through the forest and takes off in the opposite direction. After running for miles Torak stumbles upon a small wolf den that had been destroyed by a flash flood. The only wolf who survived the flood is a small wolf pup. The pup gives a small howl and instantly memories of the past begin to flow through Torak. At a very young age Torak’s mother died and his father placed him in a wolf den for three months. The wolves took him in and raised him as one of their own. While in the den Torak formed a strong bond with the wolves and learned how to communicate with them. Back at the den the pup begins to howl, and Torak joins in. The two become great friends and treat each other like brothers. The wolf calls Torak Tall Tailness and Torak calls the pup Wolf. The brothers track, hunt, and play together for many moons. Torak comes to the realization that Wolf is his guide, and together they begin to head north towards the Mountain of the World Spirit.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles in Angela Carter's The Company of Wolves

    812 Words  | 2 Pages

    Carter, Angela. "The Company of Wolves." Folk and Fairy Tales. Eds. Martin Hallett and Barbara Karasek. 3rd Edition. Toronto: Broadview Press, 2002.

    Read More

  • The Necessity of Legalizing Wolf Hunting in Wisconsin

    1302 Words  | 3 Pages

    Over the past several years, the gray wolf, native to the Wisconsin area, has been listed federally as an endangered species due to the graphic and horrific treatment they had received during the industrialization periods of America, when they were frowned upon and hated because they are predatory creatures and did, on occasion, attack livestock and pets. Because the government was encouraging the hunting, including bounties for the animals, the wolves were hunted to near extinction. However, now Wisconsin faces a new problem. With the reintroduction of the wolves to the state, and their continued endangered status federally, the population has increased well beyond expectations, reaching what could be considered a problematic state. A regulated hunt and a population control procedure has become necessary in Wisconsin to protect state's economic endeavors of game, wildlife, and agriculture, and also the wolves themselves, to keep them from overpopulating and facing starvation and lack of land.

    Read More

  • Should the Wolves Stay in Yellowstone National Park?

    1822 Words  | 4 Pages

    The wolves’ were hunted in late 1800 s’ and early 1900‘s in the United States because farmers wanted more land for their cattle’s to graze upon. As farmers were moving out west they felt threaten that the wolves would hunt their cattles so the farmers thought that the best solution would be to take them out of the picture. This was possible because at the time there were no government regulations on hunting....

    Read More

  • Theme Of Never Cry Wolf

    652 Words  | 2 Pages

    Never cry Wolf is a book about Farley Mowat’s experiences throughout the Keewatin barrens. The central theme is “the truth lies behind the stories of society” Farley was informed of the dramatic decline of caribou and was told to prove that the wolves are responsible before his expedition, he and his superiors felt very educated on the behavior of wolves. On page nine the author stated “because their grievance is the complaint that the wolves are killing all the deer,and more and more of our fellow citizens are coming back from more and more hunts with less and less deer.” Also, nearly all of the northern Canadian population agreed that wolves were a nuance and should be destroyed. Once Farley Mowat finally made it out of Churchill and into the north he obviously went in with a biased mindset towards the wolves, however once Farley

    Read More

  • Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse

    841 Words  | 2 Pages

    The book tells us about Harry Heller, one different guy, with "Wolf nature" as the treat of Steppenwolf says; this treat was received by Harry from an unknown person.

    Read More

  • white fang

    1594 Words  | 4 Pages

    Two men, Henry and Bill go sledding with six dogs. Each night they camp in the merciless wilderness, a dog is killed by a wolf pack. The wolves come closer to camp every night, until there are three dogs left. One of the wolves is different and bigger then the rest, a she-wolf, who’s use to people and afraid of guns. One day the men’s sled overturned and got caught up in trees. They had to untie the dogs to fix things. One of the dogs saw the she-wolf and took off after her, only to be ambushed by a dozen wolves. The dog ran for his life, while Bill went with his gun to save him. Bill and the dog both became a meal to the wolves. A couple of nights later, so did the rest of the dogs. The only thing that saved Henry was sheltering in the middle of a fire he’d made. By the time the fire had died, other men came with sled dogs to his rescue.

    Read More

  • Red Wolves

    670 Words  | 2 Pages

    Refuges are trying to help these wonderful animals. “In 1973 the Red Wolf Recovery Sharp 2

    Read More

  • Folk Tales: A Folk Tale

    915 Words  | 2 Pages

    A little girl has went to bring her grandmother some cookies, as she walks through the woods she meets a wolf and tells the wolf where she is headed. The wolf then beats the girl to her house, eats the grandmother, and dresses up as her to trick Little Red Riding Hood before she arrives. When she gets there she notices her Grandmother looks different. When she is close enough to recognize it is no her grandmother, the wolf eats her. In reality we all know that wolves cannot speak and are not intelligent enough to trick a human, but the moral behind the story is where the facts come in. In reality we all know we should not talk to strangers, its very dangerous. The wolf represents people who may be charming, polite or, sweet but are still strangers but in real life these are the people children should watch out for the

    Read More

More about Man: The Misconception

Open Document