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Two Worlds At Odds In Irving Layton's 'The Bull Calf'

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Two Worlds at Odds A bull calf is newborn male bovine with intact testicles, as opposed to a steer calf, which is a young, male calf that has been neutered. In Irving Layton’s “The Bull Calf”, humanity's dedication to seeing everything's value in terms of financial worth is what leads to the calf's death, and speaks of humanity's flawed relationship with nature. Additionally, the poem contains themes relating to the 'circle of life', as well as our views of animals being at odds with out view of humans. Within the poem, Freeman, the visiting clergyman, fails to see the same beauty in the bull calf that the narrator sees. The narrator sees the bull calf as something as has its own innate worth – describing him as an animal with “the promise of sovereignty” (4) and comparing him to Richard II. However, despite this, for the …show more content…

The clergyman seems to be a foil to the narrator, who alone sees the natural value of the animal as an animal, as opposed to a [profit margin.] The narrator is the one who observes the beauty and value of the bull calf itself. He makes the comparisons between the calf and a king, and still finds the animal beautiful after its death, although it is now “bereft of pride” (34). Humanity has a whole would be horrified if parts of the world killed their male children simply due to the fact that they're male, and therefore worth very little. North Americans denounce the similar practices that take place in countries where male heirs are valued more than females, where female children are left to die, aborted, and generally valued less. However, despite the moral objections that people have to those practices, we still abide and accept similar situations with how we handle our animals. In “The Bull Calf”, the calf is killed for being an intact male bovine – one that will not turn profit the same way that a female cow will, or that a neutered male cow

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