The importance of the perceptions of others in determining the status of a person in Wilderson’s essay
How important are the perceptions of others in determining the status of a person in Wilderson’s essay? When people think of an animal as a pet, rather than as food in Orleans’ article, are they attributing personality to the pet and making them a person
Sample Answer
In their essays, Wilderson and Orleans explore the complex relationship between humans and animals, and the ways in which our perceptions of animals can influence their status in society.
Wilderson: The Perception of Blackness
In “The Mark of Humanness: Toward an Aesthetics of Humanism,” Wilderson argues that the status of a person is determined not by their intrinsic qualities, but by the way they are perceived by others. He focuses on the example of Black people, who have been historically dehumanized and denied the status of persons.