• Home Page
  • Consider The Lobster By David Foster Wallace Summary

Consider The Lobster By David Foster Wallace Summary

Improved Essays
Show More
In “Consider The Lobster,” David Foster Wallace offers an interestingly ironic perspective on the intent of a creator when it comes to literature. As an author, Wallace has an insider’s perspective as to how audiences should be treating and accepting various forms of literature. On the surface, “Consider The Lobster” is an essay about the unimaginable treatment of lobsters in the Maine Lobster Festival which has an incredible lasting impact on the reader, leading them to feel an extreme amount of sympathy for the millions of lobsters tortured during the festival. Throughout the essay, he brings up a lot of definitive points that drive this sympathy into his reader, such as a hypothetical parallel “Nebraska Beef Festival...” where part of the festivities is watching trucks pull up with live cattle that “...get driven down the ramp and slaughtered right there on the World’s Largest Killing Floor...” (Wallace 62.) He also presents another tragic image of a lobster as it’s being cooked, explaining how “the lobster will sometimes try to cling to the container’s sides or even to hook its claws over the kettle’s rim like a person trying to keep from going over the edge of a …show more content…
I have read countless works online and in tabloids about how we should be protecting animals and fighting against animal cruelty, and have yet to be thoroughly convinced by these presentations of hypotheticals, analogies, images etc. Despite all of this, David Foster Wallace does the same exact thing in “Consider The Lobster” and leaves the reader in a state of pure anger at the Festival and sympathy for the lobster that has been seemingly unattainable by any other argument we’ve heard. Why exactly is he so much better at doing what others have been doing for years and what exactly makes his argument so

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Summary Of The Beached Whale In Caleb's Crossing '
    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Summary Of The Beached Whale In Caleb's Crossing '

    Jia-yi (Jenny) Cen Ms. Lovelady AP Literature and Composition 30 July 2015 Caleb’s Crossing Socratic Seminar Questions The butchering of the beached whale in Caleb’s Crossing, a novel by Geraldine Brooks, hints a strong sentiment of ignorance and apathy towards the Native American’s beliefs. The Wampanoag believes that “a benevolent spirit threw [the whales] upon the shore for their particular use” (27). Whales, or any animal life in general, are treated with reverence and devoutness because the natives worshipped Pantheism, appreciation and respect for nature. The pioneering English Puritan attitudes were direct opposites of the natives.…

    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Rhetorical Devices In George Wallace's Speech
    • 121 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Rhetorical Devices In George Wallace's Speech

    During Wallace’s speech, he made sure that his audience understood his main purpose, the awareness of what we choose to think about. His success in delivering his point of view could have not been accomplished if he did not utilize any of the three significant rhetorical devices such as ethos, pathos, and logos. In the beginning of his opening speech about the two fishes wasnt just thrown in there without a cause. It may have seemed a bit ambiguous at first, giving his audience a moment to think deeply behind the purpose of the two fishes, but it slowly comes to sense throughout his speech. As simple as his fish example can be, it sure transforms the way how we think.…

    • 121 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Analysis Of Consider The Lobster By David Foster Wallace
    • 1429 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Analysis Of Consider The Lobster By David Foster Wallace

    Beady eyes, long bodies, and pinchy fingers are some attributes that make humans unapproachable. Unfortunately, they have also managed to selfishly devour a majority of the living species they come in contact with, including lobsters. David Foster Wallace wrote an essay titled, “Consider the Lobster,” to inform the public about the issues that has been happening between the lobster consumers, lobster defenders, and their feelings towards boiling alive the aquatic crustacean. Wallace is obviously against boiling lobsters alive for consumption, but in his essay he has managed to make it seem as if he is on both sides of the argument. The reason Wallace never seemed to pick a side in his essay is because he wants to give the reader a chance to…

    • 1429 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Personal Essay: My Family Gumbo Poem
    • 329 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Personal Essay: My Family Gumbo Poem

    This writer loves to eat different foods and enjoys experiencing the cultural tradition of each morsel as it excites my palette. For this discussion, I will share two of my favorites; lobster with drawn butter and gumbo. My family proudly declares they are from the south and cook with precision and care of a five-star chef. Part of the rich culinary tradition is our family gumbo recipe. My family origins are from South Carolina and Louisiana, and the combination of the regions can make a mouth water.…

    • 329 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Cannibalism In The Odyssey
    • 689 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Cannibalism In The Odyssey

    2.3.2 Mythological creatures in literary works Cannibals appear in different forms in literary works. Appointed in classics like Homers The Odyssey 9 and the Brothers Grimm Hansel and Gretel, the human cannibalistic element is concealed skillfully by the authors with exchanging the human figure for a mythological creature. Frequently the literary executor of cannibalism resembles real issues that the authors faced during their lifetimes in their society. The Odyssey tells the story of the king of Ithaca Odysseus and his decennial journey back home after the Trojan War.…

    • 689 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Consider The Lobster By David Foster Wallace Analysis
    • 519 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Consider The Lobster By David Foster Wallace Analysis

    Wallace starts out writing about the festival however he seems to be fixated on morality and animal rights. Despite some of the annoying actions animal rights activists perform, such as barging into a church and screaming about animal rights, they do have a point that people generally agree with, which is that animals should not be tortured. The controversy is what is considered torture. Wallace also briefly discredits anyone saying lobsters do not or cannot feel pain. Some of the highlights of the text which are clear due to certain redundancies.…

    • 519 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis Of The Pleasures Of Eating By Wendell Berry
    • 1360 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Rhetorical Analysis Of The Pleasures Of Eating By Wendell Berry

    In 1990, author Wendell Berry released an essay titled “The Pleasures of Eating”. The essay focused on the responsibilities of eating, which includes self-awareness regarding what one’s consuming. Berry discusses how to eat responsibly throughout his piece, often citing the hidden dangers of the food industry, which includes the unjustifiable treatment of animals. Berry uses the rhetorical appeals in relation to these matters which allows him to connect and convey his message more strongly toward Americans, especially those living more rural lifestyles.…

    • 1360 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Lobster Night Analysis
    • 997 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Lobster Night Analysis

    Survival and vulnerability are two themes which appear totally independent of one another, yet both are universal human experiences which often coexist and influence an individual’s behaviour. It is human instinct to survive in dangerous situations, to protect oneself from potential harm. It is also human instinct to hide one’s vulnerability from others out of fear of those vulnerabilities being used against them. In Russell Banks’s short story “Lobster Night” he explores the relationship between gender politics, survival, and vulnerability when Stacy and Noonan reveal personal stories of weakness and survival to each other. Despite this newfound connection built between the two characters when both Stacy and Noonan expose their vulnerability,…

    • 997 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    On Dumpster Diving By Lars Eighner
    • 1081 Words
    • 4 Pages

    On Dumpster Diving By Lars Eighner

    He captures the emotional state of an amateur dumpster diver: “Every grain of rice seems to be a maggot. Everything seems to stink. He can wipe the egg yolk off the found can, but he cannot erase the stigma of eating garbage out of his mind” (145). Readers cringe at his vivid and effective language, imagining the dive into the dumpster, and then envisioning the effects that one might experience after. Eighner speaks of the ever-present fear that something he is eating is contaminated, knowing that there are people who purposely contaminate food; he tells of a pizza shop that put jalapeños on all of their pizzas hoping to discourage him from taking those discarded from their dumpster (144).…

    • 1081 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Critical Analysis Of Consider The Lobster By David Foster Wallace
    • 1269 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Critical Analysis Of Consider The Lobster By David Foster Wallace

    The narrative goes as far as to examine the anatomy of the lobster to determine if it is truly alive. Just as the title proclaims Wallace’s true intentions for writing the article are not to focus on the lobster but rather the way humans view the lobster and their relationship with other living things. This is just one narrative of many that exhibit guilt and critique on the relationship between humans and animals. This narrative demonstrates the worst aspect of this relationship by showing how despite holding festivities, events, and procedures to enjoy certain animals to the fullest human beings struggle to determine whether it is correct to view the harming of animals as morally correct. By analyzing “Consider the Lobster” by Wallace one can conclude that although people may enjoy celebrating, consuming, and cooking large amounts of animals they do not seem to enjoy thinking about the suffering and conscious of the animals they consume.…

    • 1269 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Analysis Of Consider The Lobster By David Wallace
    • 1465 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Analysis Of Consider The Lobster By David Wallace

    David Wallace’s article of “Consider the Lobster” is a very unique article and went above and beyond to grab the reader’s attention on a sensitive subject; the senses and feels of an animal that later becomes our food. The idea of putting yourself in the bodies of an animal that us humans later consume, is both a disturbing and difficult task. Wallace, an American novelist and professor, was assigned to cover the “Maine Lobster Festival” held in late July in the state’s mid-coast region, or western side of Penobscot Bay. The Maine lobster festival of for short “MLF” draws huge crowds from all over, around 80,000 people attend every year. Wallace who was an “assigned correspondent” at the MLF, wrote about his experience and what he saw.…

    • 1465 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Analysis Of An Animal Place By Michael Pollan
    • 1386 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Analysis Of An Animal Place By Michael Pollan

    In Michael Pollan’s “An Animal’s Place” Pollan provides an argument on whether or not Americans should consume animals, and specifically, if the fashion in which animals are farmed and slaughtered respects their capacity to suffer. Pollan illustrates his personal dilemma particularly when he ironically points his debate on whether or not to eat meat began while he was dining at a steakhouse. To develop his argument, Pollan initially exclusively uses the citation of animal rights activists, but then gradually cites experts that support his conclusion that Americans eat animals as long as the principle behind it is correct, and animals are treated with respect. He asserts to accomplish respecting animals that Americans need to regain their contact…

    • 1386 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    The Consequences Of Dehumanization In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
    • 1184 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Consequences Of Dehumanization In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    On its face, Frankenstein is the creation story of a man-made human, turned monster. In reality, this tale is not about the creation of human, but rather the monstrous quality of devaluing a human. In short, Victor makes a human by hand, labels it a monster. He spends the rest of the story becoming a monster himself because he refuses to acknowledge the humanity of his creation. Here, to dehumanize a person is a monstrous act.…

    • 1184 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Loch Ness Monster Essay
    • 1737 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Loch Ness Monster Essay

    On May 2, 1933, Mrs. Aldie Mackay saw something in the still calm waters of Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. This was the first modern sighting of an aquatic beast, said to be a plesiosaur, inhabiting the waters of the Loch Ness lake. Known as “Nessie,” the Loch Ness Monster has brought about a lot of dubiousness around the world. Although there had been plenty of reported sightings from people all around the world who have visited Loch Ness to determine whether Nessie is real or not, there is also a lot of scientific evidence that debunks the myth. The Loch Ness monster is a made believe, legendary creature that has been fooling people for over thirteen centuries.…

    • 1737 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Similarities And Differences Between Jane Eyre And Frankenstein
    • 965 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Similarities And Differences Between Jane Eyre And Frankenstein

    Perhaps one of the most emotionally appealing themes a writer can utilize is that of the social outcast endeavoring to find its place in the world, a theme utilized to great effect by both Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre despite their character’s different fates, the former featuring a supposedly monstrous creation who is ultimately rejected wholly by society and the latter an orphan child who is eventually able to carve an admittedly precarious foothold as a governess. Within this broad theme, there are also certain parallels within the particulars of the plot, mostly between the characters of Jane Eyre and the Creature. First, one can point to the initial disownment of both Eyre and the Creature by their supposed…

    • 965 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More

Related Topics

Ready To Get Started?
Discover
Company
Follow
©2024 Cram.com
Privacy Policy |  About Ads |  Site Map |  Advertise  | 
  • Cookie Settings