Reading Animals in American Culture

MACROBUTTON DoFieldClick [Student 's Name]

MACROBUTTON DoFieldClick [Instructor 's Name]

MACROBUTTON DoFieldClick [Course Title]

DATE \ "d MMMM yyyy " 25 May 2010

MACROBUTTON DoFieldClick [Research Title]

Running for four seasons , the Animal Planet documentary show Meerkat Manor captured the attention of viewers all over the world . This was often credited to its then-unique form of documentary : the animals lives were romanticized with an ongoing narration that included recurring foes , colorful names , and a bevy of life or death situations for the Whisker family . However , embedded in the very nature of

its success is the tragedy inherent in Meekat Manor : the fact that many viewers show little sympathy or empathy towards these animals until they are anthropomorphized and represented more like human beings . In turn , the show 's creators increase ratings by filming dire circumstances with a kind of Prime Directive to not interfere . In fact , the very first episode leaves readers wondering whether the injured Shakespeare , who had previously rescued fellow meerkat Mitch , will be able to make his way home alone . While it makes for great television , it is apparent that the producers wish to have their cake and eat it too : they want to follow the intimate details of the lives of the animals and give them colorful names like Rocket Dog ' and Shakespeare ' and also wish to play the traditional role of the aloof documentarian . The result ? The injection of human drama into an animal documentary through rampant anthropomorphized filmmaking , which highlights how little many of...