Jeremy rifkin animal rights essay

Type of paperEssay (Any Type)
SubjectCreative Writing
Number of pages2
Format of citationMLA
Number of cited resources1
Type of serviceWriting
Compose an Analytical Research Paper - Animal rights has been a controversial topic for many years. The fair and humane treatment of animals has been a central goal to many organizations, and governments are starting to create new laws which help to protect our fellow creatures. Many authors including Jeremy Rifkin andFrans de Waal believe that animals have a lot common with humans, more than we had previously thought. Some of these similarities are striking and lead us to ask “do animals have culture, too?” definition of what “culture” includes. You may use concepts from our class sessions to assist in this definition. For example, TED talks like Frans de Waal’s suggest empathy and reciprocity are defining features of human morals and that these standards are present in animal behavior. However, are morals included in your definition of culture? Remember, while you may use dictionaries to help, this is your carefully crafted definition. After you’ve determined whether or not animals have culture, it is now time to carefully review Rifkin’s article, “A Change of Heart about Animals”. Find examples (quotes) from his piece that help you write your paper. Next, carefully research and find a strong, credible source that agrees with your thesis. Use examples (quotes) from your research to support your points. Feel free to also use quotes from any sources we explore in class, including TED talks, Big Cat Diary, and others. However, keep in mind that you are required to additionally use a source you have found on your own. Basic Layout: will be formatted as a 2 page essay in which each paragraph should follow AXES format. Remember that each paragraph should only contain one topic which relates back to the thesis. In the Introduction:•Have between 2-4 (two to four) sentences of background information on animal rights, culture, and behavior pertinent to your thesis. •List your thesis which states whether you agree or disagree with the idea that animals have culture based on your research and using your definition of culture. (Do animals have culture? Why/why not, in one sentence.)•Give a general overview of your topic sentences and the paper as a whole.In the Body Paragraphs:•Have one major claim (or topic sentence) per paragraph supporting your agreement/disagreement with Rifkin′s central points and the idea that animals do or do not have culture.•In each body paragraph, have one or two quotes (examples) from Rifkin’s article supporting and explaining your thesis.•Include well-thought out explanations explaining how the example supports your thesis (two or so sentences).•Support your explanations with information from your researched article and (if desired) other sources.•Connect everything in the paragraph (the topic sentences, the quotes, etc.) back to your thesis.In the Conclusion:•Restate your thesis (Do animals have culture? Why/why not, in one sentence.)•Sum up your paper as well as the topics and research you explored.•The very next page should be a Works Cited page with both the novel and your research cited in MLA 8thformat. Criteria:• Invest in a meaningful and thorough writing process: prewriting, planning, drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading are all essential steps in the process of writing a passing project.• Use MLA 8th style for all formatting (including your paper’s layout, your quotations, and the Works Cited page).• Remember that you must use Rifkin′s ideas (as well as Frans de Waal′s, Frans Lanting′s, or Big Cat Diary′s if you so choose) to help craft your definition of ″culture″ regarding animals. Give them credit for their ideas.• Find strong examples from Rifkin’s article to use as quotes to support your points.• Find a credible research source and pull quotes from it to support your thesis.• Cite all the information you use. Even if you decide to paraphrase instead of quote, you still need to cite the source.• Address the prompt in an academic essay that includes an introduction, body, and conclusion.• Present a clear and explicit thesis statement near the end of your introduction paragraph.• Compose fully-developed body paragraphs. Each should have a clear point/topic sentence, be supported by specific, detailed information from both the article and your research, and present a thoughtful connection via your explanations to your thesis.• Edit for clarity and correctness. Be careful to avoid grammatical, mechanical, and syntactical errors. Slang and colloquial terms are inappropriate in academic papers.• Do not use first and second-person personal pronouns (“I,” “me,” “you,” “we,” “us”). Make your essay academic and professional.• Do not use contractions, shortened versions of words using apostrophes. (Examples: “can’t,” “won’t,” “hasn’t,” “it’s,” “they’ve,” etc.) Spell out all words. Suggestions:- Review your reading and writing entries in your reflection journal.- Think carefully about thesis. In other words, don’t just say you disagree or agree with the idea that animals have culture, but include why. Keep this to one to two sentences. - Once you’ve decided you agree/disagree with the idea that animals have culture, start your research as soon as possible.- Use the AXES format to compose your paragraphs.- Refer to the rubric for assessment criteria and expectations.- Use the process work to build as strong an essay as possible.-- Find a strong and credible research source. - Review what MLA 8th format looks like at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/- Triple check your Works Cited page to make sure all entries are in MLA 8th format.

[Intro] Animal rights has been a controversial topic for many years. As scientists and scholars learn more about animal behavior, a startling realization has been brought to light: they are more like humans than previously thought. Jeremy Rifkin, an American journalist, wrote a lot about these similarities between humans and animals in his article “A Change of Heart About Animals”. His article suggests that animals should be treated with more humanity and dignity than they have been previously given. This revelation brings another question up: do animals have culture? The definition of culture means the ability to communicate, to use tools to make life easier, and to have some notion of mortality and the passing of time. Therefore, animals do have culture, because they exhibit language skills, they use tools for gathering food, and they exhibit grief and mourn the passing of their animal brethren. Thus, animals should be treated better than they are now.

[Topic Sentence w/ immediate connection to thesis] Animals have culture because they exhibit language skills. This means they communicate with each other and also demonstrate the ability to learn. [Quote from Rifkin properly quote-sandwiched] Rifkin agrees with this idea, and discusses one animal in particular: Koko the gorilla. Koko, according to Rifkin, “was taught sign language and has mastered more than 1,000 signs and understands several thousand English words” (Rifkin 2). This means that Koko shows the ability to learn and communicate. [Tie in with thesis] In other words, gorillas demonstrate culture. [Example from your research properly quote-sandwiched] However, gorillas are not the only animals that show language and learning skills; dogs also demonstrate communication and learning. In the 1998 study from The Harvard Journal of Dog Behavior titled “Canine Whisperer”, it was found that dogs are able to “learn more than 3,000 commands and continue learning up until fourteen years of age” (Thompson 42). In other words, dogs display strong learning and communication abilities. [Connect to thesis] Because learning and language skills are included in the definition of culture, these examples from Rifkin and Thompson show that humans are not the only species to be cultured. Animals have culture too. [Transition to the next idea]. They have other cultural traits as well, namely the skills of tool use.

Works Cited

Balter, Michael. “Strongest Evidence of Animal Culture Seen in Monkeys and Whales.” Science

Magazine. AAAS, 25 Apr. 2013. Web. 12 October 2015.

Bearzi, Maddalena. Beautiful Minds: The Parallel Lives of Great Apes and Dolphins.

Cambridge: Harvard UP, 2008. Web.

De Waal, Frans. “Moral Behavior in Animals.” TED Talk. TED. TED, Nov. 2011. Web. 14 Oct.

2015.

Rifkin, Jeremy. “A Change of Heart About Animals.” Los Angeles Times 1 September 2003.

Print.

Thompson, Samuel. “Canine Whisperer.” The Harvard Journal of Dog Behavior 3.2 (2014): 40-

45. Print.

Rifkin, Jeremy. “A Change of Heart About Animals.” Los Angeles Times 01 September 2003.

Print.

Professor O’Donnell’s notes: Use this link to get to the OWL at Purdue’s MLA Works Cited Basic Rules: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/05/

NO EXTRA SPACES!

Sources should be listed in alphabetical order

All lines after the first line of each source should be indented.