n Aldo Leopold’s poetic essay, "On a Monument to the Pigeon," Leopold both honors the life of the passenger pigeon and grieves the extinction of the species. He brings to attention the idea that human greed has the power to exploit an entire species. He wonders what we have gained as humans from the over-hunting of the passenger pigeon.
Because both humanity and wildlife have survived off hunting it’s a controversial subject – how much hunting is too much? When does the killing of another animal surpass necessity and become what Leopold calls a cruel means to "comfort?" These are questions Leopold leaves for the readers to answer.
Lately I’ve been asking myself similar questions. Many of us read the article "In the Belly of the Beast" for our rhetorical analysis, it focuses on the inhumane ways animals are raised for slaughter. The article lead me to question if the convenience of meat today has become too much of a luxury. We’re to the point where we sacrifice humane treatment of livestock for the comfort of convenience and cheap meat, whether we are aware of it or not. Even the opportunity to be oblivious to this is luxury itself; it's uncommon that we actually face our meat by at-home farming and hunting. But I respect those who still do and pursue the labors themselves. However, this leads me back to Leopold's essay, would a heavier reliance on hunting rather than producing and reproducing meat in farms run the risk of eliminating a species like the passanger pigeon?
Leopold implies that to eliminate a species is a shameful act. Do you think Leopold’s essay could convince someone maybe indifferent towards the extinction of the passenger pigeon or any species that they were important? If so what techniques does he use and how are they effective?
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