Garcia |1

Sam Garcia Professor Batty English 115 25 October, 2013 An Immutable Dynamic If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and man (Mark Twain). Mark Twain basically is stating that man is more likely to be overcome by his own selfishness in order to keep his power than any animal. Humans are selfish by nature and only aim to benefit themselves at the expense of others; this is especially true regarding their attitude toward animals. Many people use animals for food or entertainment which shows how animals have no voice in the direction their life goes as humans determine what they will be used for. Duncan the Wonder Dog, a graphic novel written by Adam Hines, is set in a world similar to modern day Earth except animals can speak to humans. This change, which may not seem as drastic at first, paves the way for multiple subplots dealing with this change. Voltaire, a mandrill, is a writer of an animal rights column in a newspaper (Kois, 2010) and lives happily with his human girlfriend. Detective Jack Hammond is assigned to bring down the animal rights/terrorist group, ORAPOST, after they bombed colleges in California. Pompeii, a monkey, is the leader of ORAPOST whose goal is for humans to know the suffering of animals and also to seek revenge on humans for the way they have treated animals. The author of the book argues that animals deserve the same rights as humans. Although humans are made aware of the struggles that animals face, through communication, the relationship between human and animal stays relatively the same. People still selfishly use

Garcia |2

animals for their own desires and animals are seen as lesser beings by humans even though they deserve equal rights. Humans selfishly use animals despite communicative equality. An instance of this is when a cow, meant to be slaughtered for food, falls off the back of a truck. The cow is in pain as its leg is broken; however, all the humans care about is how they are going to get the poor creature to the slaughterhouse. A dog approaches the injured cow to eat it but the humans tell the dog that the cow is not dead and that it is still good meat (Hines 69). The cow then goes on to talk about rumors he heard about the slaughterhouse and how he saw [other cows] prints in the dirt and was concerned when he didnt see any going out (Hines 73). The humans do not want anything to happen to the cow, not because they care for it on an emotional level but because they want to make profit off of its meat. This shows that humans use animals for their own selfish desires and care very little for the well-being of animals. They have no remorse as long as they can use it for their own benefit. Another way that humans use animals is with the fisherman and the osprey. The fisherman uses the osprey in order to catch fish but becomes selfish and does not hold up his end of their deal as he takes all the fish for himself (Hines 62). The osprey is being used for his hunting skills and is being given the short end of the deal by not receiving his fair amount of catch. The fisherman is being selfish as he only cares for his own well-being and disregarding the welfare of his partner the osprey. Humans use animals for their own good and only care for themselves. The selfishness overshadows the desire to do good and ultimately shows the cold detached nature of people. Animals are used by humans for their own gain and are basically seen as lower class creatures with no rights. Secondly, animals are still seen as below humans and are not given rights. A great example of this happens to Voltaire, a mandrill who writes for a newspaper, is discriminated

Garcia |3

against by a business partner. Vollmann, a head of an agency (Kois, 2010), meets up with Voltaire and a friend as they are discussing a business deal and op-ed pieces. As they start talking, Vollmann mocks Voltaire by remarking on how he followed his friend by saying Monkey see, monkey do, I presume (Hines 60). Voltaire is insulted as Vollmann clearly thinks of the mandrill as his inferior rather than an equal. Humans like Vollmann think of animals as less than human and do not believe that they are worthy of being equal. This attitude exemplifies the divide between humans and animals despite the language barrier being absent. Humans do not care for the equality of animals and belittle them for they are inferior. Similarly, while in the circus, the little monkey, Euclid, tells Mercodonius the tiger the story of a mason who is building a bridge. The mason was to finish a bridge by a certain day and time but was unable to reach the deadline. He then made a deal with the devil to finish the bridge but required a soul as compensation; so the mason kicked a dog across as a sacrifice (Hines 24-25). The mason was too scared of using a human as an offering so he used a dog as it was thought to be less valuable. This shows that humans do not value animals as highly as themselves and think they are below them. Animals are oppressed and mistreated as humans do not view them as equals. Animals may possess the ability to communicate their plights but humans do not change their relationship with animals. The terrorist group ORAPOST is dedicated to making sure that animals get the rights they deserve through very violent means. They set off a bomb in a college in California that runs dissections and live exercises on animals (Hines 145). Pompeii, the leader of ORAPOST, tried to send a message to humans about animals and how they deserve to be treated better than they currently are. Animals have the power and means to tell or show humans their pain and suffering and convince them to change. Their efforts prove that animals are very similar to humans because they fight for what they believe in with whatever means necessary.

Garcia |4

Despite this, humans use animals for their own gain. For instance, two primates are in casual conversation eating bugs off of each other when they notice a man filming them. He is creating a documentary about the primates and is promptly approached by one of the creatures. They get into an argument about privacy and how permission does not give him the right to film them which eventually drives the man away (Hines 254-256). The man filmed the animals, invading their privacy for his own gain which may include money for the documentary. Humans still retain the same relationship and attitude toward animals as they see them as foreign, alien creatures instead of equals. They have the power to communicate but refuse to accept them as equals. Another way that humans stay the same towards animals is in circuses. Euclid, a monkey, is brought into the zoo and gets to talking with the other animals about humanity. Shortly after the conversation is finished, Euclid is taken out by the animal handler to go to work where he is dressed up to be put on display for humans entertainment (Hines 29-31). Euclid is new to the circus but is immediately used to make people laugh and is displayed unashamedly for money. Animals may be able to communicate but are still kept in the same roles that humans have put them in. This stagnates the relationship between both and proves once again that humans will never see animals as equals. Despite being able to talk with people, the relationship that humans have with animals is maintained and does not change dramatically. The visuals presented in the book also portray the inequality between humans and animals. For example, the illustration titled Space Dog shows a scientist placing a dog in some sort of contraption for what seems to be an experiment (Hines, 35). The dog is unwittingly placed in this situation and has no voice in this matter giving him no hope to change his destiny. Hines displays here that humans would rather test their endeavors on animals as they are not seen as important and are merely expendable. Humans care very little for the well-being of animals

Garcia |5

and do not give them equal rights. A second instance of this is in another vividly illustrated visual in the book. In The Sea Lion and Cub, the parent sea lion converses with its son about the ocean and its quality of acceptance. They beautifully sum up that the ocean accepts all and that one should not be afraid for it will accept back. They also continue on saying that change brings out spice in life by giving way to new experiences (Hines, 117-118). The sea lion and its cub have humanistic ideals in the way they describe life and compare the ocean to acceptance. They have a deep understanding of life which puts them on the same plane as humans in terms of life viewpoint. Animals think just as much as humans and comprehend possibly more yet they are not seen as equals which ultimately eclipses there knowledge. Humans clearly treat animals as lesser in spite of the beauty of their perspective on life. The visual rhetoric in this book shows that animals are capable of being equal to humans based on their emotions and value as a whole. Even though animals can communicate their plights to humans, they are treated the same as they were when they could not talk. They are used for the good of humans and are seen as inferior with no rights. Adam Hines clearly tried to send the message that animals should be treated with respect and equal rights. People around the world use animals all the time, whether it is for food or any other service, and are usually mistreated. Animals should be treated ethically as they are valuable to humans and valuable for survival. Humans should change the way these creatures are handled as empathy can create a world of difference and mend the wounds of history and oppression animals have faced.

Garcia |6

Works Cited Hines, Adam. Duncan the Wonder Dog. Richmond, VA: AdHouse, 2010. Print. Kois, Dan. Holiday Books: Graphic Novels The New York Times. 3 December, 2010. Web. 23 October, 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/books/review/Kois-t.html?_r=0>