Paul Weissfellner
Prof. Fenn
INTD 105-19: Science Writing
November 7, 2016
For today’s post, I read Appendix I: Biology – Notes by James Murray, Biologist of the Expedition, from Heart of the Antarctic. In it, Murray describes all of the organisms that they encounter on they expedition, as well as analyzing population and species distribution and various behaviors, especially towards the humans. Murray is consistently surprised by the variety of life that is present, even in one of the most hostile possible terrestrial environments.
One thing that I thought was interesting was Murray’s habit of anthropomorphizing all of the animals that he came across. He refers to penguins as “jolly fellows” many times over and continues to personify organisms throughout the passage. Is there some kind of benefit to humans in anthropomorphizing animals or objects? Why is personification (of animals, plants, objects, etc.) so widespread?
I really like the questions you pose at the end of your piece. They seem abstract enough to add something new in the research scene but also very focused.