Is An Animal A Thing? Or A Being?

Hello Mr. Noah S.B. Williams,

Re: Is An Animal A Thing? Or A Being?
By Jampa Williams & Noah S.B. Williams
November 11, 2007
http://www.courant.com/news/opinion/commentar...

“There is no need to run outside
For better seeing,
Nor to peer from a window.
Rather abide
At the center of your being;
For the more you leave it, the less you learn.
Search your heart and see
If he is wise who takes each turn:
The way to do is to be.�
(“The Way of Life�; by Lao Tse, a.k.a Lao Tzu or Laozi)

Respectfully,

Boaz ItsHaky

Animals are living, breathing beings. They have a heart pumping blood, lungs to breathe, a brain with which to think, and many species also live in societies where they help and support one another.

Animals are not "things". They are not inanimate objects. They are alive and they have feelings.

Good for you, Noah.

This is a story about a narcissistic parent ruining her precious little snowflake's education by excusing him from learning the rules of English grammar. Without grammar, when this kid gets older, the only place he'll be able to write without being ridiculed is on Topix.

Indeed, "people, places and things" is considered outmoded usage, and the category of "animals" has long since been considered one of the appropriate categories of nouns, separate from "things".

Objects don't feel, objects dont live... Animals are living beings.

Why is it that people attack the parents of children who offer opinions? Two of the comments here are just ad hominem trashing of Noah's mom. Pathetic.
Noah read his essay to me over the phone today. I was very proud of him. He and I don't always agree with each other, but I'm very proud of him. Last year at this time he was just starting to read. Today he had his first opinion piece published. It is clear to me that those are his own words, his own opinion.
You go kiddo. Tear up the town.

AM IGNOBILIS – NOT A GRAMMAR ENGINEER

Ah, the teacher’s teacher – a 7 years old… well, why not?

One may never know who’s lined up next to lord.

The homeless pro, the custodian’s la(o)w, a professor with a home

– Manjushri’s sword!

Superb essay Mr. Noah Williams, respectfully,
Boaz ItsHaky

Yikes -- My 4 year old thinks Dora the Explorer is real too, but that doesn't mean the newspaper should praise her for believing it. This kid will grow out of it eventually.

I was touched by this article. I have felt for a long time this common misconception should be changed. In our everyday life, some animals are spoken of and considered companions. There is health insurance offered for them. Their owners make arrangements for their care in wills. They most certainly have feelings and they bring comfort in mundane lives as well as add value in active lives. Bravo Noah for taking a stand and thank you Jampa for supporting it and encouraging respect for living beings.

When people shine light into the darkness there will be a few people who will try and pull the blinds back down. It's not that they can't see the light, it's that the light causes them to see themselves and this reflection into themselves is painful.

So Noah's beautiful essay sheds light into the dark areas of heart and soul--it is about our own sentience.

Way to go Noah!

Well put, Noah. Thank you for your redefinition of 'noun' and may you continue to have the courage to speak up against injustice throughout your life.

well, i praise noah for thinking. however, i am at a crossroads for believing animals are not things. yes they have blood, heart, and a brain. but how do you relevate them to "thinking". they have instincts, do they have feelings? people put pets in wills so they will have some say in what happens to the pet when they are gone. however, did the pet say, "hey, i want to go here!". if it were an animal someone didnt like, say snakes or whatever may harm someone, i think they would refer it to a thing and not a "person". i dont think someone would stop you from shooting a bear if it was threatening your life or for food. animals have been around as long as we have, and i think they are to be eaten. people have hunted animals since the beginning of time for food. besides, how many times have you ever heard someone reference to animals going to heaven unless to ease the heart of a child's dead pet. these are not biased opinions i like animals and have several pets. but to go so far as to say they actually have feelings. i dont know.

Noah, your words are powerful. Don't ever stop telling the truth as you see it. Jampa, kudos for helping Noah to find a voice. Your efforts are not the work of a narcissistic nutcase; you are showing your child the importance of peaceful conversation as a medium for change. What an invaluable skill to learn early on.

Noah, as long as your words come from a kind and loving heart (and I know they do!), G-d will hear them and smile.

G-d bless you!

As a student pursuing a career in English education, I agree that an animal should not be classified as a "thing."
My dictionary cites a "thing" as, "an inanimate object distinguished from a living being."
I think that says it all.

Regards,

Heidi

Why doesn't the kid sue the school? That way he can get his name in the paper AND get some cash too. He can say that this incident has caused him great pain and suffering. It's a win-win. Waste of time all the way around.

bob wrote:

well, i praise noah for thinking. however, i am at a crossroads for believing animals are not things. yes they have blood, heart, and a brain. but how do you relevate them to "thinking". they have instincts, do they have feelings? people put pets in wills so they will have some say in what happens to the pet when they are gone. however, did the pet say, "hey, i want to go here!". if it were an animal someone didnt like, say snakes or whatever may harm someone, i think they would refer it to a thing and not a "person". i dont think someone would stop you from shooting a bear if it was threatening your life or for food. animals have been around as long as we have, and i think they are to be eaten. people have hunted animals since the beginning of time for food. besides, how many times have you ever heard someone reference to animals going to heaven unless to ease the heart of a child's dead pet. these are not biased opinions i like animals and have several pets. but to go so far as to say they actually have feelings. i dont know.

If you dont think that animals hsve feelings then you have never truly loved a pet or had a pet love you.... Ask any animal lover if pets have feelings and see what they say.....
I respect the boy for standing up for what he believes and trying to make a difference in the world no matter how small.

Good job, Noah! And, Good job, Jampa! Animals are definitely not things.They are not inanimate objects. Teachers can be wrong, as this one was, and I don't see anything wrong in correcting the misinformation she gave the children.I admire this child for standing up for what he beleives in. And,Noah, there happen to be a whole lot of people standing right behind you,who will defend you and the animals.

This is "taking a stand"?? This is a lame discussion. We're not talking about animal abuse but rather grammar semantics. This is what I call making a big stink out of nothing!

I don't believe animals are "things" either, but so what? This is not the big deal you all are making out of this.

Some people make a huge deal out of small issues in the name of "taking a stand" when in reality it's an attention seeking device. People who overdo the "taking a stand" thing turn into obnoxious individuals who end up wasting people's time (and newspaper space) on non-issues.

If you really want to put your time to good use then "take a stand" on animal ABUSE, not this rediculous foolishness!

It sounds like this kid just wasted a lot of classroom time, and then newspaper space, for nothing.

Noah, thank you for sharing your heart felt essay about animals. I agree with you 100%.

From a grammatical standpoint, a quick search in Google Books brought up a long list of grammar books dating back to the 1800s, which define nouns as “persons,*animals*, places and things”… note that animals are listed distinctly from “things”…so grammatically speaking, Noah was not wrong.

As for those of you who feel that this essay and resulting discussion is just a waste of time, I wonder why you bothered to take the time to read and comment on it. Young people like Noah who take a passionate interest in life should be encouraged and applauded…not told that their views are ridiculous foolishness or a waste of everyone’s time and newspaper space.

The words we choose *do* matter; they reflect our values as a people. Shame on those of you who wish to tear down a young child for the mere sin of caring about animals and how their place in this world is defined.

Eddie M wrote:

This is "taking a stand"?? This is a lame discussion. We're not talking about animal abuse but rather grammar semantics. This is what I call making a big stink out of nothing!
I don't believe animals are "things" either, but so what? This is not the big deal you all are making out of this.
Some people make a huge deal out of small issues in the name of "taking a stand" when in reality it's an attention seeking device. People who overdo the "taking a stand" thing turn into obnoxious individuals who end up wasting people's time (and newspaper space) on non-issues.
If you really want to put your time to good use then "take a stand" on animal ABUSE, not this rediculous foolishness!
It sounds like this kid just wasted a lot of classroom time, and then newspaper space, for nothing.

People ..Children have got to start somewhere. He will probably grow up to take a stand on some other important issue.
We should applaud him for starting so young