The novel “Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH”, written by Robert C. O’Brien, talks about a widowed mother mouse, Mrs. Frisby, and her family. Mrs. Frisby and her family must move to their summer home because Mr. Fitzgibbon was going to plow his garden, where her winter home was. However, she cannot go because her son, Timothy, falls ill. She goes to see Mr. Ages, who gives her medicine so that in a month’s time Timothy would be well. She befriends a crow, Jeremy, who later brings her an owl. The wise owl tells her that, because she was the widow to Jonathan Frisby, she should meet the Rats Of NIMH. She leaves her family at their home and goes to the Rats Of NIMH through the entrance. Mr. Ages, who had a broken ankle, came along and helped her gain entrance from Brutus, the substitute guard keeper and Justin, who was supposed to be in a meeting. They help her relocate her home, and they leave for the Thorny valley.
Human cruelty towards animals expresses the lack of empathy and care humans have. Humans do not express care, understanding and are selfish for their own goods as to have successful products (more money for them). People can show animal cruelty by animal testing, abuse and neglect for either their own pleasure, good or simply the greed for money. To access the benefits humans have, they can be cruel to animals with empathy. The humans at NIMH do animal testing on the Rats of NIMH as to prove that their intelligence boost vaccines work and earn money from the product. However, they were selfish and careless of the rats; giving them their needs but taking them away from their families, space and freedom. Additionally, they were forced to have the vaccine shots, no matter whether or not they wanted to. They kept the rats in cages and didn’t allow them to escape, as they were “precious” to them for making more money and vaccines for themselves. Human cruelty towards animals is unfair because we are just using animals as a way to earn money. Animal testing and neglect is shouldn’t be continued and animals should have the right to be free. Cruelty towards animals shows humans’ greed and lack of care towards them.
Animals have their own virtues of family, relationships and friendship. Other than humans, animals have their own life and understanding between their family and friends. Animals can also help and protect each other from certain similar dangers, such as humans, predators or environments. They have their own life of friends and relations, and have their understanding of supporting each other to do an activity that benefits all of them wholly. Like whenever we help another person, they always help us back. Mrs. Frisby has her own family and friends, who she helps and who have helped her. Mrs. Friby is friends with the Rats of NIMH, who help her relocate her home. Because of their help, Mrs. Frisby helps them back by telling them important information so that they can relocate (otherwise, encountering capture). Mrs. Frisby is friends with Jeremy, whom she helps when he gets caught in a shiny string. They both have a danger (Dragon), so she saves him. Jeremy, in return, flew her back and encouraged her to meet the owl. Animals have their own care and understanding towards relationships, family and friends; not only aware of their needs. Even though they are not humans, they still have virtues and knowledge of others, “community” and “society”. Although animals may not be humans, they still have understanding of families, others and friends.
The novel describes humans’ family problems using animals in a fantastical way. The author describes the problems human families have by using animals instead. Human families encounter illnesses, relocation, loss of family members and situations that the novel expresses in the fantasy world of animals. It reflects on humans in such a way, though in reality it is still humans, not animals. Mrs. Frisby and her family are somewhat similar to human families, because of their certain distinct qualities and problems. Mrs. Frisby’s family is single-parent, such that the children have lost their father who had died. The family has a sick son, Timothy, who cannot move out of the winter home. The family has to relocate to another direction because of the farmer’s plow, and they rely on the help of others. Mrs. Frisby is caring, understanding, hardworking, responsible and selfless. All of the qualities represent human characteristics, human qualities illustrated in an animal form. Other than intelligence, appearance and work, the animals are somehow expressed with similarities towards humans. Animals have problems with their children, homes, and loss of family members, in a way that humans have. Humans are represented as animals between family, illness, relocation and other qualities.
The novel “Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH” talks about animal cruelty, animals’ virtues and animals’ similarities with humans. Humans do not show understanding or empathy and are selfish for their goods as to have successful products, to have more money for themselves. Humans only think about the benefits towards themselves in animal cruelty; not about what the animals think, feel or sense. Other than humans, animals have their own life and understanding between their family and friends. Animals can also help and protect each other from certain similar dangers, such as humans, predators or environments. They are not always completely different from humans. Animals may not have real human intelligence, but animals can have situations that humans also encounter during life. Animals, despite their intelligence, also have similar problems such as relocating, disease, danger and loss of parents to humans, who also may have certain qualities similar.
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