Comments for ReadingAnimals http://readinganimals.com from the library to liberation Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:18:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 Comment on Theater: An elephant tells her story in Sanctuary Song by Jane Stanley http://readinganimals.com/sanctuary-song/#comment-42 Jane Stanley Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:15:51 +0000 http://readinganimals.com/?p=101#comment-42 Debra, I too have seen this wonderful play/opera. In no way does the performance glorify the horrid conditions in which most elephants are kept while in circuses and zoos. In her story not only is Shirley (Sydney) an example of all the hurts and inhumanity inflicted upon others by man, but she also provides an example of the strong, loving connections possible between 'beings', be they human or otherwise. Soloman has been honoured by all who know the story, as being the loving and supportive connection that kept Shirley sane and able to love, readying her for her final Sanctuary home. Soloman himself has been kept captive by a society that did not value him, yet he had the depth and loving soul to provide for Shirley all that he could, not the least of which was leading her to The Elephant Sanctuary. The play is not an 'elephant activist' play, rather it is a broader statement on the relationships between all of us here on Earth, and a presentation on the theme of friendship and remembering and goodness, and what that means, no matter where that happens.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('42','Jane Stanley'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('42','Jane Stanley','Debra,\r\nI too have seen this wonderful play\/opera. In no way does the performance glorify the horrid conditions in which most elephants are kept while in circuses and zoos. In her story not only is Shirley (Sydney) an example of all the hurts and inhumanity inflicted upon others by man, but she also provides an example of the strong, loving connections possible between \'beings\', be they human or otherwise. Soloman has been honoured by all who know the story, as being the loving and supportive connection that kept Shirley sane and able to love, readying her for her final Sanctuary home. Soloman himself has been kept captive by a society that did not value him, yet he had the depth and loving soul to provide for Shirley all that he could, not the least of which was leading her to The Elephant Sanctuary.\r\nThe play is not an \'elephant activist\' play, rather it is a broader statement on the relationships between all of us here on Earth, and a presentation on the theme of friendship and remembering and goodness, and what that means, no matter where that happens.'); return false;">Quote</a></div> Debra,
I too have seen this wonderful play/opera. In no way does the performance glorify the horrid conditions in which most elephants are kept while in circuses and zoos. In her story not only is Shirley (Sydney) an example of all the hurts and inhumanity inflicted upon others by man, but she also provides an example of the strong, loving connections possible between ‘beings’, be they human or otherwise. Soloman has been honoured by all who know the story, as being the loving and supportive connection that kept Shirley sane and able to love, readying her for her final Sanctuary home. Soloman himself has been kept captive by a society that did not value him, yet he had the depth and loving soul to provide for Shirley all that he could, not the least of which was leading her to The Elephant Sanctuary.
The play is not an ‘elephant activist’ play, rather it is a broader statement on the relationships between all of us here on Earth, and a presentation on the theme of friendship and remembering and goodness, and what that means, no matter where that happens.
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]]> Comment on Theater: An elephant tells her story in Sanctuary Song by Debra Durham http://readinganimals.com/sanctuary-song/#comment-41 Debra Durham Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:54:14 +0000 http://readinganimals.com/?p=101#comment-41 <a href="#comment-39" rel="nofollow">@Colleen</a> - Thanks for your insights, Colleen. I wish I had been in the audience with you! Since I haven't seen the show, my concerns about the descriptions of James the zookeeper were mostly about the language used by the reviewer. I'm glad to hear that the performance itself was sensitive to the issue and I hope the audience was, too. In terms of using this performance to think about human-elephant relationships (or human-animal more generally), it seems important to remember that even close relationships can be unhealthy. (Some relationships between humans are a testament to that.) To my way of thinking, the more we reflect on the nature of relationships between humans and animals, in all their many forms, the better. The work of Yi-Fu Tuan in <i>Dominance and Affection</i> provides especially compelling explanations for why special attention to power can be so useful. Thanks again for sharing your first-hand experience about this performance!<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('41','Debra Durham'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('41','Debra Durham','<a href=\"#comment-39\" rel=\"nofollow\">@Colleen<\/a> -\n\nThanks for your insights, Colleen. I wish I had been in the audience with you!\n\nSince I haven\'t seen the show, my concerns about the descriptions of James the zookeeper were mostly about the language used by the reviewer. I\'m glad to hear that the performance itself was sensitive to the issue and I hope the audience was, too. \n\nIn terms of using this performance to think about human-elephant relationships (or human-animal more generally), it seems important to remember that even close relationships can be unhealthy. (Some relationships between humans are a testament to that.) To my way of thinking, the more we reflect on the nature of relationships between humans and animals, in all their many forms, the better. The work of Yi-Fu Tuan in <i>Dominance and Affection<\/i> provides especially compelling explanations for why special attention to power can be so useful.\n\nThanks again for sharing your first-hand experience about this performance!'); return false;">Quote</a></div> @Colleen -

Thanks for your insights, Colleen. I wish I had been in the audience with you!

Since I haven’t seen the show, my concerns about the descriptions of James the zookeeper were mostly about the language used by the reviewer. I’m glad to hear that the performance itself was sensitive to the issue and I hope the audience was, too.

In terms of using this performance to think about human-elephant relationships (or human-animal more generally), it seems important to remember that even close relationships can be unhealthy. (Some relationships between humans are a testament to that.) To my way of thinking, the more we reflect on the nature of relationships between humans and animals, in all their many forms, the better. The work of Yi-Fu Tuan in Dominance and Affection provides especially compelling explanations for why special attention to power can be so useful.

Thanks again for sharing your first-hand experience about this performance!

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]]> Comment on Telling animals’ stories by The storytellers of animals’ stories | ReadingAnimals http://readinganimals.com/telling-animals-stories/#comment-40 The storytellers of animals’ stories | ReadingAnimals Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:36:32 +0000 http://readinganimals.com/?p=69#comment-40 [...] Commenting on a recent post about telling animals’ stories, reader pattrice from SuperWeed pointed out how important and useful it could be to include the perspective of the story teller as witness / party to the relationship / empathy touchpoint for the audience. Her words really resonated with me and I’ve been keeping track of my own responses to various devices used in the telling of animals’ stories a little more closely since then. [...]<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('40','The storytellers of animals&#8217; stories | ReadingAnimals'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('40','The storytellers of animals&#8217; stories | ReadingAnimals','&#91;...&#93; Commenting on a recent post about telling animals&#8217; stories, reader pattrice from SuperWeed pointed out how important and useful it could be to include the perspective of the story teller as witness \/ party to the relationship \/ empathy touchpoint for the audience. Her words really resonated with me and I&#8217;ve been keeping track of my own responses to various devices used in the telling of animals&#8217; stories a little more closely since then. &#91;...&#93;'); return false;">Quote</a></div> [...] Commenting on a recent post about telling animals’ stories, reader pattrice from SuperWeed pointed out how important and useful it could be to include the perspective of the story teller as witness / party to the relationship / empathy touchpoint for the audience. Her words really resonated with me and I’ve been keeping track of my own responses to various devices used in the telling of animals’ stories a little more closely since then. [...]
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]]> Comment on Theater: An elephant tells her story in Sanctuary Song by Colleen http://readinganimals.com/sanctuary-song/#comment-39 Colleen Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:35:18 +0000 http://readinganimals.com/?p=101#comment-39 I attended the event and the reason the production was focused on Solomon James and Shirley (James and Sydney in the opera) was to bring in the slavery to freedom theme in a big way, an African American leading Sydney to her freedom. And she and James did have a strong bond, something that comes through in the Urban Elephant. At once point in the opera, there is a scene that brings up the slave auctions when Shirley is injured and sold to the Louisiana Zoo. It was hard hitting of zoos and circuses in spite of Solomon's relationship with Shirley which was based on truth as they were close. It was pretty amazing as this short opera (it is for kids) managed to cover Shirley's life and capture so much about captive elephants. I don't think that this work glorified keepers as it was an art form focusing on an interpersonal relationship between two beings. But a few keepers out there have had a role in at least keeping their elephants sane and Shirley may have been one of them. Thank you for posting this about the opera. colleen<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('39','Colleen'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('39','Colleen','I attended the event and the reason the production was focused on Solomon James and Shirley (James and Sydney in the opera) was to bring in the slavery to freedom theme in a big way, an African American leading Sydney to her freedom. And she and James did have a strong bond, something that comes through in the Urban Elephant. \r\nAt once point in the opera, there is a scene that brings up the slave auctions when Shirley is injured and sold to the Louisiana Zoo. \r\nIt was hard hitting of zoos and circuses in spite of Solomon\'s relationship with Shirley which was based on truth as they were close. It was pretty amazing as this short opera (it is for kids) managed to cover Shirley\'s life and capture so much about captive elephants. \r\nI don\'t think that this work glorified keepers as it was an art form focusing on an interpersonal relationship between two beings. But a few keepers out there have had a role in at least keeping their elephants sane and Shirley may have been one of them. \r\nThank you for posting this about the opera. \r\ncolleen'); return false;">Quote</a></div> I attended the event and the reason the production was focused on Solomon James and Shirley (James and Sydney in the opera) was to bring in the slavery to freedom theme in a big way, an African American leading Sydney to her freedom. And she and James did have a strong bond, something that comes through in the Urban Elephant.
At once point in the opera, there is a scene that brings up the slave auctions when Shirley is injured and sold to the Louisiana Zoo.
It was hard hitting of zoos and circuses in spite of Solomon’s relationship with Shirley which was based on truth as they were close. It was pretty amazing as this short opera (it is for kids) managed to cover Shirley’s life and capture so much about captive elephants.
I don’t think that this work glorified keepers as it was an art form focusing on an interpersonal relationship between two beings. But a few keepers out there have had a role in at least keeping their elephants sane and Shirley may have been one of them.
Thank you for posting this about the opera.
colleen
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]]> Comment on Theater: An elephant tells her story in Sanctuary Song by Debra Durham http://readinganimals.com/sanctuary-song/#comment-38 Debra Durham Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:28:48 +0000 http://readinganimals.com/?p=101#comment-38 <a href='#comment-35' rel="nofollow">@Sanctuary Song: An opera for all ages</a> - People who have seen this post and seen the play have contacted me to *rave* about the show. If it isn't sold out, I hope there is a run on tickets because it sounds like a must see. Thank you so the creators and performers for using their hearts and minds and bodies to explore such a complex and emotionally charged topic. We in the US are hoping for a tour :) Bravo!<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('38','Debra Durham'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('38','Debra Durham','<a href=\'#comment-35\' rel=\"nofollow\">@Sanctuary Song: An opera for all ages<\/a> - \r\nPeople who have seen this post and seen the play have contacted me to *rave* about the show. If it isn\'t sold out, I hope there is a run on tickets because it sounds like a must see. \r\n\r\nThank you so the creators and performers for using their hearts and minds and bodies to explore such a complex and emotionally charged topic. We in the US are hoping for a tour :)\r\n\r\nBravo!'); return false;">Quote</a></div> @Sanctuary Song: An opera for all ages -
People who have seen this post and seen the play have contacted me to *rave* about the show. If it isn’t sold out, I hope there is a run on tickets because it sounds like a must see.

Thank you so the creators and performers for using their hearts and minds and bodies to explore such a complex and emotionally charged topic. We in the US are hoping for a tour :)

Bravo!

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]]> Comment on Themed stacks: Weekly Geeks #7 by Debra Durham http://readinganimals.com/themed-stacks-weekly-geeks/#comment-37 Debra Durham Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:04:36 +0000 http://readinganimals.com/?p=113#comment-37 <a href='#comment-36' rel="nofollow">@J</a> - Thanks for coming by! I popped over to your blog for a visit. Your entries for Friday Dog Blogging are so touching. Next time I'm writing about human-animal relations I have another site for inspiration! When you happen to review books about animals or human-animal relationships in challenges, etc., please let me know and I'll be happy to post a link. (Mental note: suggest "Sister, guard your veil. Brother, guard your eyes" by Zangeneh to book club!)<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('37','Debra Durham'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('37','Debra Durham','<a href=\'#comment-36\' rel=\"nofollow\">@J<\/a> - \r\nThanks for coming by! I popped over to your blog for a visit. Your entries for Friday Dog Blogging are so touching. Next time I\'m writing about human-animal relations I have another site for inspiration! When you happen to review books about animals or human-animal relationships in challenges, etc., please let me know and I\'ll be happy to post a link.\r\n\r\n(Mental note: suggest \"Sister, guard your veil. Brother, guard your eyes\" by Zangeneh to book club!)'); return false;">Quote</a></div> @J -
Thanks for coming by! I popped over to your blog for a visit. Your entries for Friday Dog Blogging are so touching. Next time I’m writing about human-animal relations I have another site for inspiration! When you happen to review books about animals or human-animal relationships in challenges, etc., please let me know and I’ll be happy to post a link.

(Mental note: suggest “Sister, guard your veil. Brother, guard your eyes” by Zangeneh to book club!)

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]]> Comment on Themed stacks: Weekly Geeks #7 by J http://readinganimals.com/themed-stacks-weekly-geeks/#comment-36 J Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:51:42 +0000 http://readinganimals.com/?p=113#comment-36 Wow, what great groupings of books you have there. I'm impressed. :) Js last blog post..<a href="http://jellyjules.com/?p=1015" rel="nofollow">Double Meme Palace*</a><div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('36','J'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('36','J','Wow, what great groupings of books you have there. I\'m impressed. :)\n\nJs last blog post..<a href=\"http:\/\/jellyjules.com\/?p=1015\" rel=\"nofollow\">Double Meme Palace*<\/a>'); return false;">Quote</a></div> Wow, what great groupings of books you have there. I’m impressed. :)
Js last blog post..Double Meme Palace*
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]]> Comment on Theater: An elephant tells her story in Sanctuary Song by Sanctuary Song: An opera for all ages http://readinganimals.com/sanctuary-song/#comment-35 Sanctuary Song: An opera for all ages Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:16:56 +0000 http://readinganimals.com/?p=101#comment-35 [...] Click this link to read her thoughts on the production [...]<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('35','Sanctuary Song: An opera for all ages'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('35','Sanctuary Song: An opera for all ages','&#91;...&#93; Click this link to read her thoughts on the production &#91;...&#93;'); return false;">Quote</a></div> [...] Click this link to read her thoughts on the production [...]
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]]> Comment on Telling animals’ stories by Theater: An elephant tells her story in Sanctuary Song | ReadingAnimals http://readinganimals.com/telling-animals-stories/#comment-34 Theater: An elephant tells her story in Sanctuary Song | ReadingAnimals Tue, 10 Jun 2008 23:54:02 +0000 http://readinganimals.com/?p=69#comment-34 [...] Though I was writing about the stories of animals who have been rescued and are in recovery, I can see how it would apply in this case, too [...]<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('34','Theater: An elephant tells her story in Sanctuary Song | ReadingAnimals'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('34','Theater: An elephant tells her story in Sanctuary Song | ReadingAnimals','&#91;...&#93; Though I was writing about the stories of animals who have been rescued and are in recovery, I can see how it would apply in this case, too &#91;...&#93;'); return false;">Quote</a></div> [...] Though I was writing about the stories of animals who have been rescued and are in recovery, I can see how it would apply in this case, too [...]
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]]> Comment on Themed stacks: Weekly Geeks #7 by Debra Durham http://readinganimals.com/themed-stacks-weekly-geeks/#comment-33 Debra Durham Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:34:14 +0000 http://readinganimals.com/?p=113#comment-33 <a href="#comment-31" rel="nofollow">@Care</a> -Thanks for stopping by. I saw your post this week, too. What a beautiful reading haven - though I wouldn't blame you if you retreated to the AC in this heat.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('33','Debra Durham'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('33','Debra Durham','<a href=\"#comment-31\" rel=\"nofollow\">@Care<\/a> -Thanks for stopping by. I saw your post this week, too. What a beautiful reading haven - though I wouldn\'t blame you if you retreated to the AC in this heat.'); return false;">Quote</a></div> @Care -Thanks for stopping by. I saw your post this week, too. What a beautiful reading haven - though I wouldn’t blame you if you retreated to the AC in this heat.
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